Van Tuyl
Encyclopedia
Van Tuyl is the surname of the family from which many Dutch Van Tuyls and most North American Van Tuyls, Van Tuyles and Van Tyles are descended. The family name derives from the ancient village of Tuil
(Tuÿl), located on the River Waal in Gelderland
, The Netherlands. The family's earliest proven ancestor is the 14th century knight Heer Ghijsbrecht van Tuyl of Gelre. There is no verified connection between this family and the family Van Tuyll
van Serooskerken.
Fourteenth century records document seven Van Tuyls—all vassals of the Duke of Gelre—living in manor houses near the River Linge
and River Waal. Several lived at or near the village of Tuil
, several others are associated with the villages of Enspijk
, Deil
, Tricht, and Est
. One of this latter group, Heer Ghijsbrecht van Tuyl, was a knight in service to Edward, Duke of Gelre. Ghijsbrecht had at least six sons, but the only documented line of descent leading to today's Van Tuyls runs from Ghijsbrecht through his son Arnt, as shown:
As the feudal system started to unwind in the 15th century, the Van Tuyls gradually descended to the ranks of the common people. Sander van Tuyl moved south of the River Waal in mid-century, to the village of Brakel (Gelderland)
, where he and his descendants operated family farms and assumed positions of civic leadership for four generations. At the end of this period, in 1586, Jan Sandersz van Tuyl married and moved to the village of Gameren
, where his nominal descendants today comprise a significant portion of the populace.
17th–19th Centuries in The Netherlands
Philip II of Spain
, the Catholic Emperor, took control of the Low Countries in 1555, just as the Protestant Reformation
gained momentum. In the early years of the Eighty Years War, Zaltbommel
, the strategic city near Gameren
, was twice besieged by the Spanish. During this period of military and religious strife, the Van Tuyls converted from Catholicism
to Calvinist Protestantism
, the faith embraced by the House of Orange. In 1600, when Prince Maurits of Orange drove the Spanish from the area, the Van Tuyls and their Gameren
neighbors had suffered the ravages of war and occupation for over 25 years.
The official end of the Eighty Years War in 1648 ushered in the Dutch Golden Age
. But an agricultural depression, coupled with flooding in 1651, 1658, and 1662 had driven the Gameren
Van Tuyls into bankruptcy. It fell to two of Jan Sandersz van Tuyl's grandsons, Geerlof Otten and Jan Aertszen, to rebuild the family and its fortunes, which they and their descendants did throughout the 18th century, despite multiple floods and French invasions in 1672 and 1796. All in all, the 18th century was good to the Van Tuyls for two main reasons: long periods without war and successful farming of the potato.
While Holland got caught up in the 19th century's industrial revolution, and Americans
moved west to cultivate more and more land, the Van Tuyls and their neighbors were forced to subdivide their farms in order to support inheritance claims. And when the potato blight of the 1840s hit, agriculture was devastated, driving many Dutch to emigrate to America. But the Van Tuyls stayed put, many of them reverting to subsistence agriculture, day labor
, and brick factory jobs for the rest of the 19th century. As they entered the 20th century, Gameren's Van Tuyls were much worse off than their American cousins.
Emigration to America
In 1662, young farmer Jan Otten van Tuyl, a grandson of Jan Sandersz van Tuyl, killed a man in a tavern knife fight and subsequently fled, taking his wife Geertruyd and baby son Otto with him. He was convicted in absentia
by the High Bench of Zuilichem and sentenced to death. About December, 1662 he and his family set sail from Amsterdam
for America, arriving in New Amsterdam
on April 16, 1663.
They eventually settled in the poorer part of town—Wall Street
—and proceeded to raise the first generation of American Van Tuyls.
The Children of Jan Otten and Geertruyd van Tuyl:
By the beginning of the 18th century, Jan Otten van Tuyl was dead, but he and his wife Geertruyd had raised seven children, six of whom had produced thirty-eight grandchilren for the second generation in America. Most of today's Van Tuyls and Van Tyles are descended from the two youngest boys, twins Abraham and Isaac, both of whom became farmers on Staten Island
.
New York Pirates
In 1695, brothers Otto and Aert van Tuyl, ship carpenters by trade, landed berths aboard the pirate ship John and Rebecca, bound from New York
to the Indian Ocean
: Otto as the ship's doctor and Aert the ship's carpenter (for more information about this trip, see Abraham Samuel
). After taking one major prize ship, they sailed to St. Maries Island off northeast Madagascar
to refit and to sell their stolen goods. Shortly after their arrival in 1697 the local natives revolted, killing a number of resident pirates. Otto and Aert survived, apparently by allying themselves with a rival native faction on the mainland of Madagascar
. The following year captains William Kidd
and Robert Culliford
arrived at St. Maries. Otto and a number of Kidd's men joined Culliford for what turned out to be a brutal but lucrative cruise to the Malabar Coast
of India
. Aert Van Tuyl chose to stay with the natives on Madagascar
, marrying one or more of their women and fathering multiple children. He was last heard of in 1714. The newly-enriched Otto returned to St. Maries in 1698 where he booked passage home on a merchant ship, arriving at New York
in June, 1699. Arrested by New York authorities, Otto evaded justice through good connections and bribery.
In 1705, after fathering four children, Otto once again set sail—this time legally—as captain of the private ship of war Castel del Rey. Leaving New York in icy weather, he ran aground in the lower bay, where he and most of his crew perished in an ice storm before rescuers could board the castaway ship.
18th–19th Centuries in America
Throughout the 18th century, until after the American Revolution, the American branch of the Van Tuyl family spread to rural areas of New York and New Jersey, participating in the Indian Wars of the mid-century in rural New York, where their home—called "Fort Van Tyle"—still stands. No records have yet been found for the descendants of pirate Otto Van Tuyl, but some lines of descent may originate with him. The family of Abraham Van Tuyl, resident in North Staten Island and in New York City, ran family farms and operated ferry services in New York Bay—including the first Staten Island Ferry. They sided with the British during the American Revolution, and as a result, some were forced to flee to Canada after the war. The family of Isaac Van Tuyl left Staten Island for rural New Jersey in the first half of the 18th century, settling on the Second Watchung Mountain where they farmed and ranched. This branch of the family were revolutionaries, serving in the New Jersey Militia throughout the war.
The 19th century saw the Van Tuyls move westward to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma in search of farming and business opportunities. Some of the westward settlers entered the medical profession, patented inventions, or followed the carpentry trade. The New York City Van Tuyls pursued business ventures (some successful, some not), followed trades, and held government jobs. At least one family member served in the War of 1812. Records of the American Civil War show that Van Tuyls fought on both the Union and Confederate sides.
Van Tuyls in the 20th and 21st Centuries
Van Tuyl family history in the 20th century mirrors the national histories of the United States, Canada, and The Netherlands. During the first half of the 20th century, families moved from farming into business, trades and education. The economic depression of the 1930s caused hardship on both sides of the Atlantic. But it was the Dutch branch of the family that suffered the most during World War II, with the village of Gameren enduring German occupation, Allied air strikes, and the wanton destruction of the village church and windmill by Germans fleeing at war's end.
The post WWII years saw the Van Tuyl family lifted to unprecedented levels of prosperity in The Netherlands and North America. Marshall Plan aid jumpstarted the rebuilding and social reform of the Netherlands, now one of Europe's most prosperous nations. The Van Tuyl families of Gameren parlayed their agricultural expertise into international businesses providing fruits, vegetables and flowers to the world, many of them grown in climate-controlled greenhouses. Gameren became an entrepôt for frozen potato products, thanks to the system of international highways and Van Tuyl entrepreurship. Publisher Jan van Tuyl fought for—and won—the right for Dutch booksellers to mass market their products in non-traditional channels. Van Tuyls entered the professions, business, the arts and the academy in record numbers. And for the first time in 300 years, a few Van Tuyls emigrated from The Netherlands to North America. Entering the 21st century, the Dutch descendants of Heer Ghijsbrecht van Tuyl are enjoying the benefits of a land no longer ravaged by war and flood.
The Van Tuyls in the United States have also enjoyed an upward trend of societal well-being following World War II (in which many of them served, both in and out of uniform). Like their Dutch cousins, Van Tuyls have been successful in agriculture and businesses both large and small. Following in the early 20th century footsteps of George Van Tuyl (Business Mathematics), Francis M. Van Tuyl (Oil Geology), and Marian Van Tuyl (Dance Choreography), Van Tuyls now pursue many of the same professions as their Dutch relatives: science, engineering, medicine, education, religion, authorship, academics and the arts.
Tuil
Tuil is a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Neerijnen, and lies about 14 km west of Tiel.In 2001, the town of Tuil had 388 inhabitants...
(Tuÿl), located on the River Waal in Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
, The Netherlands. The family's earliest proven ancestor is the 14th century knight Heer Ghijsbrecht van Tuyl of Gelre. There is no verified connection between this family and the family Van Tuyll
Tuyll
Tuyll is the name of a noble Dutch family, with familial and historical links to England, whose full name is van Tuyll van Serooskerken. Several knights, members of various courts, literary figures, generals, ambassadors, statesmen and explorers carried the family name.-Early and High Middle...
van Serooskerken.
History
14th–16th Centuries in The NetherlandsFourteenth century records document seven Van Tuyls—all vassals of the Duke of Gelre—living in manor houses near the River Linge
Linge
Linge is a river in the Betuwe that is over 100 km long, which makes it one of the longest rivers that flow entirely within the Netherlands.It starts near the village Doornenburg near the German border. A legend tells us that if there will be no more pigs grazing at the castle of Doornenburg, the...
and River Waal. Several lived at or near the village of Tuil
Tuil
Tuil is a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Neerijnen, and lies about 14 km west of Tiel.In 2001, the town of Tuil had 388 inhabitants...
, several others are associated with the villages of Enspijk
Enspijk
Enspijk is a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Geldermalsen, and lies about 14 km west of Tiel.In 2001, the town of Enspijk had 320 inhabitants...
, Deil
Deil
Deil is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Geldermalsen, and lies about 12 km west of Tiel.Deil was a separate municipality until 1978, when it became a part of Geldermalsen....
, Tricht, and Est
EST
-Places:* Est , a town in Gelderland* Estonia, a nation in northern Europe** Estonian language, the Estonian language in ISO 639.2 or ISO 639–3 language codes* Est Region , one of Burkina Faso's 13 administrative regions...
. One of this latter group, Heer Ghijsbrecht van Tuyl, was a knight in service to Edward, Duke of Gelre. Ghijsbrecht had at least six sons, but the only documented line of descent leading to today's Van Tuyls runs from Ghijsbrecht through his son Arnt, as shown:
| Ancestor | Dates | Home[s] | Title[s] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heer Ghijsbrecht van Tuyl | Before 1345 – 1376/83 | Deil; Tricht | Knight, Vassal of the Duke of Gelre |
| Arnt van Tuyl | Before 1383 – after 1442 | Castle Oyen; Veluwe | Servant to the Duke of Gelre |
| Reyner van Tuyl | Before 1436 – 1465/70 | Est | Squire, Local Heer |
| Sander van Tuyl | Before 1444 – ca. 1527 | Brakel | Schout of Brakel |
| Reyner van Tuyl | Before 1496 – after 1539 | Brakel | Schout of Brakel |
| Sander van Tuyl | Before 1539 – 1564 | Brakel | Alderman, High Bench of Zuilichem |
| Jan Sandersz van Tuyl | Before 1564 – 1617 | Brakel; Gameren | Alderman, High Bench of Zuilichem |
As the feudal system started to unwind in the 15th century, the Van Tuyls gradually descended to the ranks of the common people. Sander van Tuyl moved south of the River Waal in mid-century, to the village of Brakel (Gelderland)
Brakel (Gelderland)
Brakel is a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaltbommel, and lies about 8 km east of Gorinchem.Brakel was a separate municipality until 1999, when it became a part of Zaltbommel....
, where he and his descendants operated family farms and assumed positions of civic leadership for four generations. At the end of this period, in 1586, Jan Sandersz van Tuyl married and moved to the village of Gameren
Gameren
Gameren is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaltbommel, and lies about 14 km northwest of 's-Hertogenbosch.Gameren was a separate municipality until 1955, when it was merged with Kerkwijk....
, where his nominal descendants today comprise a significant portion of the populace.
17th–19th Centuries in The Netherlands
Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
, the Catholic Emperor, took control of the Low Countries in 1555, just as the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
gained momentum. In the early years of the Eighty Years War, Zaltbommel
Zaltbommel
Zaltbommel is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. The town of Zaltbommel was first mentioned as "Bomela" in the year 850. Zaltbommel first received city status in 1231, which status was renewed in 1316....
, the strategic city near Gameren
Gameren
Gameren is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaltbommel, and lies about 14 km northwest of 's-Hertogenbosch.Gameren was a separate municipality until 1955, when it was merged with Kerkwijk....
, was twice besieged by the Spanish. During this period of military and religious strife, the Van Tuyls converted from Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
to Calvinist Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
, the faith embraced by the House of Orange. In 1600, when Prince Maurits of Orange drove the Spanish from the area, the Van Tuyls and their Gameren
Gameren
Gameren is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaltbommel, and lies about 14 km northwest of 's-Hertogenbosch.Gameren was a separate municipality until 1955, when it was merged with Kerkwijk....
neighbors had suffered the ravages of war and occupation for over 25 years.
The official end of the Eighty Years War in 1648 ushered in the Dutch Golden Age
Dutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
. But an agricultural depression, coupled with flooding in 1651, 1658, and 1662 had driven the Gameren
Gameren
Gameren is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaltbommel, and lies about 14 km northwest of 's-Hertogenbosch.Gameren was a separate municipality until 1955, when it was merged with Kerkwijk....
Van Tuyls into bankruptcy. It fell to two of Jan Sandersz van Tuyl's grandsons, Geerlof Otten and Jan Aertszen, to rebuild the family and its fortunes, which they and their descendants did throughout the 18th century, despite multiple floods and French invasions in 1672 and 1796. All in all, the 18th century was good to the Van Tuyls for two main reasons: long periods without war and successful farming of the potato.
While Holland got caught up in the 19th century's industrial revolution, and Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
moved west to cultivate more and more land, the Van Tuyls and their neighbors were forced to subdivide their farms in order to support inheritance claims. And when the potato blight of the 1840s hit, agriculture was devastated, driving many Dutch to emigrate to America. But the Van Tuyls stayed put, many of them reverting to subsistence agriculture, day labor
Day labor
Day labor is work done where the worker is hired and paid one day at a time, with no promise that more work will be available in the future. It is a form of contingent work.-Types:Day laborers find work through three common routes....
, and brick factory jobs for the rest of the 19th century. As they entered the 20th century, Gameren's Van Tuyls were much worse off than their American cousins.
Emigration to America
In 1662, young farmer Jan Otten van Tuyl, a grandson of Jan Sandersz van Tuyl, killed a man in a tavern knife fight and subsequently fled, taking his wife Geertruyd and baby son Otto with him. He was convicted in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
by the High Bench of Zuilichem and sentenced to death. About December, 1662 he and his family set sail from Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
for America, arriving in New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
on April 16, 1663.
They eventually settled in the poorer part of town—Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
—and proceeded to raise the first generation of American Van Tuyls.
The Children of Jan Otten and Geertruyd van Tuyl:
| Name | Dates | Married | Children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otto | 1661–1705 | Margaret Dircks | 5 |
| Neeltje | 1664 – after 1704 | Aert Teunissen Lannen Van Pelt | 9 |
| Elizabeth | 1667 – after 1705 | William Pell | 7 |
| Antje | 1672 – after 1720 | Cornelius Vandeventer | 4 |
| Aert | 1675 – after 1714 | Malagasy woman or women | More than 2 |
| Alexander | 1677 – died young | ||
| Abraham (twin) | 1681 – after 1735 | Femmentje Denys | 7 |
| Isaac (twin) | 1681 – before 1728 | Sarah Lakerman | 6 |
By the beginning of the 18th century, Jan Otten van Tuyl was dead, but he and his wife Geertruyd had raised seven children, six of whom had produced thirty-eight grandchilren for the second generation in America. Most of today's Van Tuyls and Van Tyles are descended from the two youngest boys, twins Abraham and Isaac, both of whom became farmers on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
.
New York Pirates
In 1695, brothers Otto and Aert van Tuyl, ship carpenters by trade, landed berths aboard the pirate ship John and Rebecca, bound from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
: Otto as the ship's doctor and Aert the ship's carpenter (for more information about this trip, see Abraham Samuel
Abraham Samuel
Abraham Samuel, also known as "Tolinar Rex," born in Martinique , was a mulatto pirate of the Indian Ocean in the days of the Pirate Round in the late-1690s...
). After taking one major prize ship, they sailed to St. Maries Island off northeast Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
to refit and to sell their stolen goods. Shortly after their arrival in 1697 the local natives revolted, killing a number of resident pirates. Otto and Aert survived, apparently by allying themselves with a rival native faction on the mainland of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. The following year captains William Kidd
William Kidd
William "Captain" Kidd was a Scottish sailor remembered for his trial and execution for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean. Some modern historians deem his piratical reputation unjust, as there is evidence that Kidd acted only as a privateer...
and Robert Culliford
Robert Culliford
Robert Culliford was an English pirate from Cornwall who is best remembered for repeatedly checking the designs of Captain William Kidd.-Early career and capture:...
arrived at St. Maries. Otto and a number of Kidd's men joined Culliford for what turned out to be a brutal but lucrative cruise to the Malabar Coast
Malabar Coast
The Malabar Coast is a long and narrow coastline on the south-western shore line of the mainland Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing mountain...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Aert Van Tuyl chose to stay with the natives on Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, marrying one or more of their women and fathering multiple children. He was last heard of in 1714. The newly-enriched Otto returned to St. Maries in 1698 where he booked passage home on a merchant ship, arriving at New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in June, 1699. Arrested by New York authorities, Otto evaded justice through good connections and bribery.
In 1705, after fathering four children, Otto once again set sail—this time legally—as captain of the private ship of war Castel del Rey. Leaving New York in icy weather, he ran aground in the lower bay, where he and most of his crew perished in an ice storm before rescuers could board the castaway ship.
18th–19th Centuries in America
Throughout the 18th century, until after the American Revolution, the American branch of the Van Tuyl family spread to rural areas of New York and New Jersey, participating in the Indian Wars of the mid-century in rural New York, where their home—called "Fort Van Tyle"—still stands. No records have yet been found for the descendants of pirate Otto Van Tuyl, but some lines of descent may originate with him. The family of Abraham Van Tuyl, resident in North Staten Island and in New York City, ran family farms and operated ferry services in New York Bay—including the first Staten Island Ferry. They sided with the British during the American Revolution, and as a result, some were forced to flee to Canada after the war. The family of Isaac Van Tuyl left Staten Island for rural New Jersey in the first half of the 18th century, settling on the Second Watchung Mountain where they farmed and ranched. This branch of the family were revolutionaries, serving in the New Jersey Militia throughout the war.
The 19th century saw the Van Tuyls move westward to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma in search of farming and business opportunities. Some of the westward settlers entered the medical profession, patented inventions, or followed the carpentry trade. The New York City Van Tuyls pursued business ventures (some successful, some not), followed trades, and held government jobs. At least one family member served in the War of 1812. Records of the American Civil War show that Van Tuyls fought on both the Union and Confederate sides.
Van Tuyls in the 20th and 21st Centuries
Van Tuyl family history in the 20th century mirrors the national histories of the United States, Canada, and The Netherlands. During the first half of the 20th century, families moved from farming into business, trades and education. The economic depression of the 1930s caused hardship on both sides of the Atlantic. But it was the Dutch branch of the family that suffered the most during World War II, with the village of Gameren enduring German occupation, Allied air strikes, and the wanton destruction of the village church and windmill by Germans fleeing at war's end.
The post WWII years saw the Van Tuyl family lifted to unprecedented levels of prosperity in The Netherlands and North America. Marshall Plan aid jumpstarted the rebuilding and social reform of the Netherlands, now one of Europe's most prosperous nations. The Van Tuyl families of Gameren parlayed their agricultural expertise into international businesses providing fruits, vegetables and flowers to the world, many of them grown in climate-controlled greenhouses. Gameren became an entrepôt for frozen potato products, thanks to the system of international highways and Van Tuyl entrepreurship. Publisher Jan van Tuyl fought for—and won—the right for Dutch booksellers to mass market their products in non-traditional channels. Van Tuyls entered the professions, business, the arts and the academy in record numbers. And for the first time in 300 years, a few Van Tuyls emigrated from The Netherlands to North America. Entering the 21st century, the Dutch descendants of Heer Ghijsbrecht van Tuyl are enjoying the benefits of a land no longer ravaged by war and flood.
The Van Tuyls in the United States have also enjoyed an upward trend of societal well-being following World War II (in which many of them served, both in and out of uniform). Like their Dutch cousins, Van Tuyls have been successful in agriculture and businesses both large and small. Following in the early 20th century footsteps of George Van Tuyl (Business Mathematics), Francis M. Van Tuyl (Oil Geology), and Marian Van Tuyl (Dance Choreography), Van Tuyls now pursue many of the same professions as their Dutch relatives: science, engineering, medicine, education, religion, authorship, academics and the arts.