18th century musket for identification

[Lee]

There was a significant Dutch presence in 18th century and earlier New York, so this could be a long used and 'irregularly' repaired musket originally of Dutch origin. If it indeed has been in your family for many generations, then I'd accept these were functional repairs in the working 'life' of the musket. (Had it come recently from a gun show, then much closer inspection would be needed to exclude the possibility of a recent assemblage from various parts.)

[zummy]

I misspoke about the war, it was the American Revolution. The gun came from upstate NY near where many battles were fought. The gun has the name Coll
Ruysch inscribed on the brass. How could he be identified. It’s a dutch name and was probably his originally. Where could I find Dutch army records form the 1700’s. Thanks

[gp]

Originally Posted by zummy

I misspoke about the war, it was the American Revolution. The gun came from upstate NY near where many battles were fought. The gun has the name Coll
Ruysch inscribed on the brass. How could he be identified. ItÂ’s a dutch name and was probably his originally. Where could I find Dutch army records form the 1700Â’s. Thanks

Well NY used to be Nieuw Amsterdam = New Amsterdam and part of Nieuw Nederland / New Netherland.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._TABULA%27.jpg

Founded by the WIC ( West Indische Compagnie) before we Dutch lost it to the English.
Some info on that topic could be found in this literature:

Russell Shorto (2004): The Island at the Center of the World, New York. ISBN 0-385-50349-0
Jaap Jacobs (2005): New Netherland. A Dutch Colony in Seventeenth-Century America, Leiden. ISBN 90-04-12906-5
Joyce Diane Goodfriend (red.) (2005): Revisiting New Netherland, perspectives on early Dutch America, Leiden. ISBN 90-04-14507-9
Concerning the WIC : try an email to

https://www.westindischecompagnie.in...tjes/email.png

Or the city of Amsterdam might be able to assist pointing you in the right direction:

stadsarchief@amsterdam.nl

Or the Museum of Amsterdam as well:

info@amsterdammuseum.nl

But I also would advise you to contact organizations in New York and the USA, even some universities who are specialized in and dealing with the Dutch heritage, history and relationship in and with the USA.
Even some of the Dutch churches in that region have a lot of information in their files . Good luck .

FYI: Harlem (= city of Haarlem), Brooklyn (city of Breukelen) en Flushing (city of Vlissingen), Staten Island ( de Nederlandse Staten-Generaal, being the government ) and Coney Island (konijneneiland = rabbit island )

And maybe here in the below link, you might also find some clues to start as well…

but simple checking the name Ruysch in and around NY or Jersey might do the trick : a common Dutch name and certainly some one must have some kind of family tree…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Americans

[zummy]

The photo of the name on the musket attached

[Lee]

Years ago, I found an old powder horn at a gun show, simply (and believably) inscribed "Gerrit Konstapel Hurley 1776." There is a great street of old Dutch stone houses in that small Hudson Valley village and I visited on the annual open house day (decades ago). Visiting the cemetery, I found his wife's marker (she was inscribed as being his wife with his name now Anglicized) and beside it was a plain stone that I took as his. Just now I entered his name into Google and it led to old church records of his marriage and of his serving as a witness to baptisms a few decades before the Revolutionary War.

So, I would start with a general internet search of his name. Likely your local historical society or library would have reference books of persons who served in the American Revolution and War of 1812 from New York. If you know where your family was at the time this could help narrow your search.

[zummy]

Thank you , I will try that for us search, but I was thinking it may have originated in the Netherlands army and wondered if anyone had idea to find records from the Netherlands as well. This forum is a wealth of knowledge