Dutch, Danish, or Frisian?

A rose is a rose is a rose, or is it?

The question is often asked, what nationality were Jan Franz Van Husum and Volkje Jurians Nordstrand?

Joyce Lindstrom in her biography of the progenitor of the Van Huss (Van Hoesen, Van Hooser, etc.) family notes:

"Jan Fransse was born in Husum ... in 1608. Husum lies in the northern duchy of Schleswig, which was once an independent duchy ruled by princes of the old Roman empire. A ducal portion was ruled by the dukes of Holstein and a common portion was ruled jointly by the kings and dukes."

Danish

The self-same duke and King of Denmark was Christian IV, who has come down in history as a sagacious fellow who ruled his kingdom with a level of stability and wealth unmatched elsewhere in Europe. This is not saying much for a Europe in the midst of the Thirty Years War, Dutch struggles for independence, religious conflict, the plague, and the simple daily struggle to survive.


This might settle the question of nationality in favor of the Danish, but not so quick.

Frisian

The western coastline of the Jutland peninsula where Husum and Nordstrand are found is historically part of North Frisia. The North Frisians settled on the coast and in the marshes on tiny islets called “halligs” shored up by wooden posts barely peeking out above Wadden Sea. Frisians are identified by dialect, speaking Low German, a dialect most closely identified with English. Thus, we may conclude that these were part of the Anglo Saxon raiders who invaded England between the 5th and 9th centuries and gave us their language.

Again, not so quick.

Dutch

The Dutch, great hydrologists that they were, moved into Nordstrand. They battled with the sea, attempting to hold back the water with dycks and windmills. The task was given to Jan Leeghwater, who met his match with the Great Flood of 1634.

Jan and Volkje did move to Amsterdam which counts for something.

Conclusion

Joyce concludes:

"Jan Frantz Van Husum wasn't Dutch as many people have supposed. Neither was he German. He was a Schleswigan subjected to Danish rule. He spoke low German, probably with a Fisian or Danish dialect. However, after three generations of living among the Dutch settlers in New Netherlands, his descendants gradually became Dutch by association. There were also more emigrants in New Netherlands who were Danish, Frisian and Schleswigan than Dutch."

To the mixture we can add the many German immigrants who arrived in America and added to the melting pot. In time Jan became Johannes, then John.

In the end, we conclude that Jan Franz Van Husum was American.