The Holland Society

What The Holland Society does

The Holland Society of New York is a non-profit historical and genealogical society founded in 1885 and incorporated on May 1, 1885, by 46 founding members descended from the original Dutch settlers of New Netherland. The society collects and preserves information respecting the early history and settlement of New Netherland by the Dutch, serving direct descendants of Dutch settlement residents in North America, academic researchers of Dutch colonial history, and the broader public interested in Dutch-American heritage. Headquartered at 161 W. 86th Street in Manhattan, the society operates with 1-10 employees and is governed by a Board of Trustees.

The society's core products include the quarterly scholarly journal de Halve Maen (published since 1922, available in print at $45/year and digital at $15/year), the Holland Society Library (reopened in 2024 after the society purchased a permanent Manhattan home), New Netherland Documents Translations (including Council Minutes, Correspondence, Fort Orange Records, Delaware Papers, and Patents and Deeds, translated by Charles Gehring and Janny Venema), genealogy research services, historical yearbooks, and award programs including the Distinguished Achievement Medal and the Junior Fellowship Award. The society's operations are underpinned by no proprietary technology — digital infrastructure is limited to standard web publishing (WordPress, neoncrm.com membership portal) and an online PDF viewer for translated documents.

The revenue model combines recurring membership dues (New Line, Legacy, Junior, and Friend tiers), recurring journal subscriptions, one-time publication sales, and donations processed through neoncrm.com. The society partners strategically with the New Netherland Institute, New York State Archives, New York State Library, Syracuse University Press, and the Dutch National Archives to fund document translation and broaden content distribution. GTM is membership-led, supported by newsletter signup, annual events, scholarly programming, and a 140-year pedigree that has attracted Distinguished Achievement Medal recipients including U.S. presidents, Nobel laureates, and Dutch royalty.

Name

The Holland Society

Legal name

The Holland Society of New York

Website

https://hollandsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1885

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Holland Society of New York is a 140-year-old non-profit historical and genealogical society that preserves Dutch colonial New Netherland heritage for descendants of Dutch settlers, academic researchers, and the broader public, operating through membership dues, the de Halve Maen quarterly journal, a library, and translated document archives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical and Genealogical Society Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (712120), Libraries and Archives (51921)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI), Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)

Keywords

• Genealogical society services
• Historical archives preservation
• Dutch colonial heritage
• Lineage research records
• Heritage publications

Headquarters

HQ city

New City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from direct descendants of New Netherland settlers and Dutch settlement residents in North America. Various membership tiers include New Line, Legacy, Junior, and Friend categories.
2. de Halve Maen Journal: Quarterly scholarly journal publication on Dutch Colonial Period. Print subscription at $45/year, digital subscription at $15/year. Issues from 2019 onward require subscription; earlier archives are freely available online.
3. Publications and Yearbooks: Sale of historical publications, yearbooks, and genealogical records. The society has published numerous books including Records of Reformed Dutch Churches, translations of Dutch colonial documents, and historical indexes.
4. Donations: The society accepts donations through its donation portal (neoncrm.com) and has received funding support for specific projects such as the New Netherland Papers translation efforts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Holland Society is a non-profit historical and genealogical society that preserves the heritage of Dutch colonists from New Netherland through membership services, a research library, scholarly journal publications, and document translation services. It serves descendants of Dutch colonial families, historians, and genealogists seeking verified lineage records and historical documentation of colonial-era settlements in present-day New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut.

Product overview

The Holland Society is a historical and genealogical society that offers a suite of products and services focused on Dutch-American heritage preservation and research. Its core offerings include the quarterly journal de Halve Maen (published since 1922), the Holland Society Library with publications and reference materials, the New Netherland Documents Translations project, genealogy research services, Distinguished Achievement Medal awards, the Junior Fellowship Award program, and historical yearbooks. These products work together to serve members and researchers interested in early New Netherland history and Dutch colonial heritage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• de Halve Maen: A quarterly scholarly journal devoted to New Netherland studies, published by The Holland Society of New York since 1922.

Products and services

• Society Membership Lineage-qualified annual membership providing access to the Society's research library, journal publications, and heritage community for descendants of Dutch colonial settlers from New Netherland.
• Holland Society Journal ("The Holland Society of New York") Periodical scholarly publication featuring peer-reviewed articles on Dutch colonial history, genealogy, and New Netherland research, distributed to members and institutional subscribers.
• Reference Library Access On-site access to the Society's reference library containing archived Dutch colonial records, genealogical resources, and historical documents for member research.
• Document Translation Services Translation of Dutch-language colonial-era documents to support genealogical research and historical documentation for members and researchers.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New Netherland InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Holland Society collaborates with the New Netherland Institute on the translation and publication of New Netherland Papers. Key staff members including Deborah Hamer and Marilyn Douglas have supported the project. The partnership has resulted in published translations available through Syracuse University Press.
• New York State ArchivescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe original untranslated Dutch colonial documents are held at the New York State Archives. The Holland Society has funded translation efforts of these documents, making them accessible to researchers worldwide.
• New York State LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Holland Society Library was donated to the New York State Library. The society maintains ongoing collaboration with the library for archival preservation and research access.
• Syracuse University PresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe New Netherland Papers translations are published through Syracuse University Press. Copies of these publications can be ordered through their distribution channel.
• Dutch National ArchivesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dutch National Archives shares monthly stories with The Holland Society, provided by experts from both America and the Netherlands. These narratives cover hundreds of years of shared Dutch-American history.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New Netherland Institute: The Holland Society's closest content partner; jointly funds and publishes New Netherland Papers translations with Syracuse University Press. Both organizations are dedicated to Dutch colonial heritage research and serve overlapping academic and descendant audiences.
• St. Andrew's Society of the State of New York: NYC-based heritage society serving descendants of Scottish heritage. Directly comparable in mission (European-descent heritage society), business model (dues, scholarships, awards), and geographic concentration on Manhattan.
• Sons of the American Revolution: Lineage-restricted patriotic-hereditary society with similar structure to Holland Society: membership by verified descent, chapter meetings, scholarly publications, and lineage research services. Comparable in operational model and audience demographic.
• National Genealogical Society: A national U.S. genealogical society offering member services, publications, and educational resources—comparable in mission (genealogical research support) and business model (membership dues, journal subscriptions) though broader in scope than Holland Society's Dutch-specific focus.
• Mayflower Society (General Society of Mayflower Descendants): Another prominent lineage-based American heritage society focused on Plymouth colonists. Comparable in the verified-descent membership model, scholarly publishing, and historical/genealogical research focus, though with a larger membership base.
• New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS): One of the largest U.S. genealogical societies, founded 1845. Comparable as a membership-based heritage/genealogical society with scholarly journal (American Ancestors), library access, and educational programs—though focused on New England rather than Dutch colonial heritage.
• Huguenot Society of America: Lineage-restricted American heritage society serving descendants of French Huguenot settlers. Directly comparable in mission (preserving European-settler colonial heritage), membership gating (verified descent), and revenue model (dues + journal + library).

Broad incumbents

• New-York Historical Society: Major NYC-based historical institution and museum with a broader American history focus. The 2025 Distinguished Achievement Medal to NY Historical's CEO Dr. Louise Mirrer signals a peer/institutional relationship; comparable as a heritage/educational nonprofit serving overlapping NYC donor and scholar audiences.
• Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR): The largest U.S. lineage-based heritage society, with ~190,000 members. Comparable as a verified-descent membership organization with scholarly publications, library, and educational programs, though at significantly larger scale than Holland Society.

Regional players

• Colonial Williamsburg: Largest living-history museum complex in the U.S., focused on colonial-era American history. Comparable as a heritage/educational organization serving public interest in early American colonial period, though operating a paid visitor attraction rather than membership-lineage model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hsny1885
• Facebookfacebook.com/HollandSociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-holland-society-of-new-york

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Holland Society