History and lore
Born in Leiden in 1658, Christance was one of the 17th-century immigrants to New Netherland, and married Abraham Marlett on Staten Island in 1678. Her own crossing isn’t in this record, but the article tells how her husband’s family came over from Leiden in 1662 and settled on Staten Island.
Read the full article: Across the Atlantic in 1662: The Merle Family Comes to New Netherland