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It is the working assumption of this project that all Knickerbockers are descended from Harmen Jansen Knickerbacker who settled in Albany, NY before 1683 and died before 1722, probably in Dutchess Co., NY.  A definitive account of this family was written by William Van Alstyne, M. D. and published in several issues of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Review beginning in 1908.

Although the early generations were well documented by Dr. Van Alstyne, there are many Knickerbockers alive today who do not know how, if at all, they connect with Harmen Jansen Knickerbacker.  It is the goal of this project to help these Knickerbockers make this connection.

Ideally, Knickerbockers who know their lineageⁱ will provide the map for those participants who do not.  The y-Results page of this project is organized to provide a known-lineage key at the top of the page which participants with unconfirmed lineages can use to find out where they fit into the family tree.

It is of course possible that new Knickerbocker families will be discovered who separately adopted this surname.  If that turns out to be the case, separate lineages will be set up to reflect this.

Thank you for your interest in the Knickerbocker DNA project.