the southern tip of the bronx was country estate of one Jonus Bronchs.(there are several recorded spelling of the name) Several other 'estates' give name to neighborhoods.. the Morris family estate became Morrisania area, the Throggs family estate became Throggs Neck (and the east river bridge take its name from the neighborhood)-the Van Courtland* estate is now a 400 acre park in the north bronx. it still has the brick estate house, parts dates from the 1790's, with the bulk of it built in the 1820 and its used to house administrative offices for the park, and a museum.

*the van Courtland's moved north, up river after the english gained control of manhattan, dropped the van and have a NY county named after them, courtland apples (not a major variety like delicious, but still one that is commercial available) is from courtland county..

Dutch was spoken(and there were newpapers -weekly's-in dutch) in part of NY upstate counties till WWI!

Other place/areas names in the bronx trace back to early english settlers (the Pelhams,) and even Anne Hutchison, (driven out of Boston and Rhode Island on charges of witchcraft, she ended up in the wild of the bronx, were she was a victim of one of the indian wars.

some place names are hobson jobson's, i forget the original name for the granite outcroping the is now called 'Anthony's Nose' but i do remember the dutch name made more sense!
(Rubick, anthony's nose was the lovely golden granite outcropping, at the far side of the Bear Mountain bridge.. the one you just missed getting a great photo of--because the light changed.)


my other obsession