EARLY HISTORY 11 



Bronk, of the seventh generation of that family, writes: "Of his 

 [Jonas Bronck's] history prior to 1638 little is definitely known. 

 It has been asserted that he was of Swedish or Danish ancestry, 

 but there is little or no direct proof of this. . . . The name 

 Bronck is a well-known Dutch name, and the probabilities all point 

 in the direction of Bronck's having been of Holland descent." 



Riker in his History of Haarlem says that "Bronck was of 

 a family long distinguished in Sweden though he himself was 

 probably from Copenhagen where some of his family lived." The 

 writter is of the opinion that Bronck comes of Danish stock, 

 because of his intimate association with Kuyter and other Danes, 

 and the fact that the majority of the books in his library were 

 Danish. 



The Rev. R. Anderson, pastor of the Danish Church of Our 

 Saviour, in Brooklyn, who has devoted much time to tracing the 

 genealogical tree of Jonas Bronck, is of the opinion that he was a 

 Dane and gives some plausible reasons for forming this belief. 

 "After the Reformation," says Mr. Anderson, "we find in 

 Denmark several priests of the name of Bronck. The name is 

 written Bronck, Brynck, Brunck, and sometimes Bronckel; but 

 Brunck is most common in Danish." 



