Blue Lagoon Island which was owned by our cousin Abraham van Winkle
Abraham van Winkle (1838-1915)
First cousin, four times removed
Rich guy who owned an entire island in the Bahamas
Our nearest-in ancestor with the name van Winkle is William van Winkle (1789-1840) who was Vera Abbott’s great grandfather. William van Winkle’s nephew was Abraham van Winkle. Abraham van Winkle was a successful chemical manufacturer and specialized in electro-plating. He also owned a three-mile long island in the Bahama group with an official name of Salt Cay but known as Blue Lagoon Island. He bought the island for a mere £135. It makes you wonder what went wrong with our line in missing out on the wealth – so close, yet so far.
Abraham van Winkle did a lot of environmentally incorrect things to Blue Lagoon Island. He planted 5,000 palm trees, laid over a mile of concrete paths, and started a zoo importing monkeys, turkeys, and pheasants. Following his death, the island was sold to the McCutcheon family.
Abraham van Winkle’s second wife, Wilhelmina “Mina” Ginger (1875-1933), was a prominent suffragist who was president of Women’s Political Union. She organized the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women of New Jersey in 1908. After Abraham van Winkle’s death, she assumed a leadership role in the Women’s Bureau of the Washington, D. C. police department.
Photo credit: By Dolphins - Dolphin Encounters Limited, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8473946