By Linda Tancs
Wyckoff, Wycoff, Wykoff, Wikoff or Wicoff. No matter how you spell it, the vast majority of Americans and Canadians bearing the surname can trace their lineage to a tenant farmer on a homestead located in present-day Brooklyn, New York. Their common link is Pieter Claesen, who ultimately chose the surname Wykhof (later Wyckoff) when required to do so by the British when they assumed control of what was then the Dutch-controlled colony of New Netherland. Now a museum and testament to Dutch architecture and farm life, the Wyckoff family occupied their Brooklyn homestead for eight successive generations until 1901. Wyckoff House is open to guided tours on Fridays and Saturdays. Located on Clarendon Road, the site is easily accessible via public transit.
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