I’m having some Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (#SNGF), with help from Randy Seaver and his prompts! Feel free to join in.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: October 10, 2026

Prompt: “What geographic and community places matter to you? Pick one place (building, village, town, city, county, state/province)  and describe your connection to it and why it matters.”

SNGF: You Can Take the Girl Out of Staten Island…

Introduction

I left Staten Island, New York, 25 years ago, but it will always have a place in my heart. After all, my family has roots there stretching back more than 350 years.

Welcome to Staten Island, Est. 1661 sign

Generations on the Island

I was born and raised there; I started raising my children there. Most of my first 35 years were spent on the Island. I left in 2001 to raise my children in the suburbs.

Staten Island is unique. It’s part of New York City, yet in many ways it feels like a world apart from the rest of the city. Of the five NYC boroughs, it has the fewest people, is the least densely populated, and has the most single-family homes in the city. Yet it’s just a ferry ride away from all the culture and events of Manhattan. It has much to commend it.

But my attachment to Staten Island goes far beyond its geography or its character. My family’s history there reaches back centuries. My BRITTON family was documented in Staten Island in 1664, the year the British first took NYC from the Dutch. Some ancestor of mine was on the Island continuously until 2009, when my dad passed away.

My ancestor Deborah Smith Van Buskirk’s tombstone in St. Andrew’s Cemetery. I chose this photo because I don’t believe I’ve ever talked about Deborah Smith in my blog.

Still Connected

I’m the website coordinator for the Richmond County component of NYGenWeb, part of USGenWeb. We strive to provide online free resources for those searching for Staten Island ancestors. In this way I manage to keep involved in my hometown.

Full Circle?

I don’t know where life will take me. I would once have said definitely NOT Staten Island! Lately, though, I find myself wishing I were back in Manhattan, where I spent my early adulthood. Unfortunately, Manhattan is well beyond my budget.

So perhaps Staten Island is where I’ll end up after all. Or maybe my children will someday bury me in Moravian Cemetery, near my dad and other ancestors.

AI Disclosure

This post was created by me with the help of AI tools. While AI helps organize research, the storytelling and discoveries are my own.