Sarah was the first of eleven children born to Catalyntje and Joris. She was born near Fort Orange, at the far northern end of New Netherland. Sarah has the notoriety of being the first European child born in what became New York. That title is exciting, but I don’t know if Catalyntje felt excited about this prospect. There were not many women in New Netherland in the beginning and no midwives. I’m not sure that Catalyntje had much help when she had Sarah. I can’t imagine how frightening this must have been for her. 

Sarah did not have an easy life. She married young, had more children than her mother, some of whom were twins, and dealt with the death of a spouse, just to mention a few. I have included some details of Sarah’s life in my novel about Catalyntje. 

Who do you admire from the past for their bravery in difficult situations?