When researching the Ostrom family the given names as well as the family name varies often. As the Ostrom's are said to have come from Freisland by some and Ultrecht by others, before arriving in America I decided to look into the name at further depth. Surname endings are often big clues. Examples: If a name ends with "ma", such as Douwma, or "stra", such as Leenstra, it is probably Frisian. Oosteram does not finish as any of the above leading me to belief the family may have immigrated from Ultrecht as I originally thought. According to the US GenWeb Project (Dutch/Frisian Names with English Translations), Dutch and Frisian are two completely different languages, so the given names will often be completely different, as will the surnames. There are so many spellings for Roelof's name, ie: Ralph/Rolph -- Roelof, Rolfe as well as misspellings by people. I have chosen to use Roelof. The same can be said for his brother's and sisters. The name Ostrom occurs in the early records of Kings county and Schenectady, New York as borne by settles of Dutch descent. It was variously written as Ostrom, Ostrum, Ostroom, Osstorm and Astrom. The various branches o f the family played a prominent and lasting part in the development of the townships with which they were connected. Several members figured in the revolutionary war, giving their blood and treasure in the cause of Ameriacn independence. The descendants bearing the name have not been numerous, but they have always taken a leading part in the industrial, commercial and professional life of the stat and nation. Three unmarried brothers (one of them named Ruliff) came to this country from Holland or Sweden and located at Poughkeepsie, New York.
Roelof and his family
Roelof Ostrom, son of Jan Hendrickson Ostrom and Claudijne Blandina Relje was the first of my Ostrom ancestors to come to Upper Canada. Roelof was born in Poukeepsie, Dutchess County, New York on the 9th day of May 1740. He was the second youngest in a family of seven children. According to several sites only six of the children grew to adulthood and the youngest boy Hendrickus (Hendrick) was named after an older brother who died. Married 06 April, 1761 in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, NY. his wife was Elizabeth Yelverton, daughter of Anthony Yelverton and Abigail Gale. Roelof Ostrom, the first of the line here under consideration of who we have definite information, died in Canada, 1803[1] He was a man of substance and influence, respected and honored by all who knew him. He married, May 23 1761, Elizabeth Yelverton, a member of a Dutch family of prominence. They were the parents of three sons and several daughters, one of the sons being John. He was a spy for the British during the American Revolution (Kings Royal Rangers -Spy for the British; Executive Council List, Library and Archives Canada, RG 1, L7, Vol. 52a) and some report he was in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
[1] Genealogies of the State of New York: a record of achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation/compiled under general editorial direction of Tunis Garret Bergen; advisory and associate editors Henry Lawrence Bogert (et al), assisted by numerous expert genealogists. Published: New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co., 1915 Long Island New York genealogy New York State Genealogy This date varies depending in the articles one read. Anywhere from 1803 to 1818.