Jan Snedeker (c.1609—c. 1685) arrived in New Netherland, later New Amsterdam around 1639. In 1652 he and came to be one of the three founders of Midwood, or Midwout, a name deriving from the Middle Dutch word meaning "middle woods," so called for the area of dense woodland midway between the towns of Boswyck (Bushwick) and Breuckelen (Brooklyn).