from southwestern Germany. Palatinate, Württemberg, the small principalities in that neighbourhood, with several hund,red from Montbéliard, a smaller nurnber from Switzerland, a scattering of families from various parts of northern Germany, and twenty or so families from the Netherlands. Of these last nearly all were from Groningen or Friesland. The emigrants were nearly all governmental redemptioners 37, – that is to say, they had to pay the charges of the ocean passage for themselves and their families by labour for the government after arrival in the New World. Thus, Bruin Romcas was able to pay a small part of the fares of his family, and had to sign {op de „indebtedness list”) obligations for fl. 111-13-4 for the balance. This called for 135 days’work on the „public works” at Halifax”.

„For some reason of which I have no idea at all the Netherlanders who came over in that migration proved the least permanent settlers Whether they succumbed more than other elements to diseases that we know played havoc among the early settlements, whether they managed, more successfully than other elements, to get away to other colonies, or what the explanation was, I have so far been unable to determine at all, that is to say, in any general sense. I can determine deaths in certain instances, but other families fust seem to disappear from the records without any ascertainable cause. In fact out of the twenty or so families that arnved from the Netherlands there are but two or three which one can determine as becoming real permanent settlers. The two for which records are fullest were both from Groningen, and one of them was the family of Bruin Romcas Comingo”.

Fierder hat Dr. Bell my ek bisünderheden trochdien oer de nammen en de fariaesjes dêrfan, dy’t er tsjinkaem wie, fan Brün Romkes en syn hüshalding. Yn tsien, tolve listen fan nei de oankomst yn Nova Scotia, tusken de jierren 1751 en 1762, komt syn namme allinne foar as „Bruin Romkes” yn forskate farianten lyk as: Romkies, Rumkes, Romp kies, Romties, Rumties, Rompties, Romtys. „That is to say: before his settlement in Chester there is no occurence of the surname „Comingo” at all. I have {in photostat of the indebtedness list of the „Speedwett”, 1751, from England) his own signature {in a fairly good hand) and he signed simply: „Bruin Romkes”

De namme fan de frou komt meast foar as „Eljen Romkes” (of ien fan de oare hjirboppe neamde fariaesjes fan de twadde namme), en fan de jonges binne oant nou ta de nammen „Hiere”, „Romtie” (ek in kear opjown as „Romkies Romkies”), en „Henry” bikend. En dan komt yn in ald doopboek fan de Anglikaenske Tsjerke to Halifax,