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New York Times Articles December 2007

December 6 – 8, 2007
Flushing, Queens

A cordial welcome to all from Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, the Queens Library, the Flushing Business Improvement District and the Bowne House Historical Society!

We are honored to salute your courageous ancestors who signed the Flushing Remonstrance on December 27, 1657 to
win religious freedom for all citizens of New Netherland. 

They risked harsh punishment from Peter Stuyvesant, director general of the colony, for their bold demand. Although the extraordinary document did not win religious freedom for the colonists in 1657, it was a monumental step towards that end. In 1663, John Bowne, an English immigrant whose wife was a Quaker minister, risked his life and his Flushing farm to defend the principles of religious tolerance. He appeared before administrators of the Dutch West India Company, Stuyvesant’s employer, and used logic and passion to make his case. The administrators, moved by Bowne’s defense, swiftly ordered Stuyvesant to allow Quakers and all other colonists, regardless of their religion, to be “free and unshackled so long as they continue...peaceable...and not hostile to the government.”

John Bowne’s courage and determination were key in establishing religious freedom in New Netherland. But the citizens who drew up the Flushing Remonstrance were the first to forcefully advocate this right. Indeed, many legal scholars today acknowledge the Flushing Remonstrance as the precursor to Americans’ right for religious freedom, which was codified in 1791 in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. 

On the 350th anniversary of the Flushing Remonstrance, we celebrate the valor and altruism of all the people who fought for—and won—religious freedom for the colonists of New Netherland.

Exciting events are planned for the three-day Descendants’ Reunion. We hope you can attend them all. The event schedule and information about hotel accommodations appear below.

We look forward to seeing you in December!

Please Note: 
In order to participate in the 350th Anniversary events you must be a descendant of a signer of the Flushing Remonstrance, or a descendant of the Bownes, Stuyvesants, or Waldrons.

DESCENDANTS’ REUNION - SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
December 6 – 8, 2007

GALA RECEPTION

Thursday, December 6, 2007
7:00 PM
Queens Library
41-17 Main Street
Flushing, NY 11354
718-661-1200

Meet your relatives and celebrate your ancestors’ courageous stand in 1657 for religious freedom in New Netherland. Enjoy wine and appetizers as you view the only known copy of the Flushing Remonstrance, on loan from the New York State Archives.

LUNCHEON

Friday, December 7, 2007
12:00 - 2:00 PM
Sheraton LaGuardia East
135-20 39th Avenue
Flushing NY 11354
Phone: 718-460-6666

Another excellent occasion to get acquainted with your relatives and exchange information.

TOUR OF THE FRIENDS’ MEETING HOUSE

December 7, 2007
3:00-5:00 PM
137-16 Northern Blvd.
Flushing, NY 11354
718-358-9636

Visit the Friends’ Meeting House, a wood-shingled building constructed between 1694 and 1717, by Flushing Quakers. With the exception of a hiatus during the Revolutionary War, the structure has been in continuous use as a place of worship for more than 300 years. 

Our distinguished guest speaker will be Professor Tabetha Garman of East Tennessee University. She is the author of "Designed For the Good of All: The Flushing Remonstrance and Religious Freedom in America" (2006), an outstanding treatise on the Flushing Remonstrance.

TOUR OF THE LONG ISLAND COLLECTION QUEENS LIBRARY

Thursday December 6, 2007 11:30 AM
Saturday December 8, 2007 11:30 AM
89-11 Merrick Boulevard
Jamaica, NY 11432
718-990-0700

With primary source material dating from the 17th century, the Long Island Room is a must for anyone researching their Long Island roots. Since 1912, the library has collected, preserved, and made available a myriad of resources that document the social, economic, and political history of the four counties on Long Island: Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk.

ACCOMODATIONS

Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel
135-20 39th Avenue
Flushing NY 11354

Beatriz Merchan
Phone: 718-670-7413
Email: bmerchan@sheratonlaguardia.com

Silvia Ponce
Phone: 718-670-7420
Email: sponce@sheratonlaguardia.com

The Sheraton La Guardia East Hotel, conveniently located in downtown Flushing, is offering a special rate of $149 for double occupancy from November 1, 2007 through January 31, 2008. If you would like the special rate, please call Beatriz Merchan or Sylvia Ponce at the hotel.

When making your reservation, please be sure to tell hotel staff that you are attending the Descendants’ Reunion for the 350th anniversary of the Flushing Remonstrance.

REGISTRATION FOR THE DESCENDANTS’ REUNION

Name (s)
Mailing address
Phone
Email
Line of descent:

Signer of the Flushing Remonstrance/Name
Bowne Family
Stuyvesant Family
Waldron Family