In view of Bruce's continued popularity and his apparent interest and pride in his Italian/Irish/Dutch roots, I was surprised to find that his Geni family tree was a little sparse. I have therefore spent a bit of time recently trying to fill it out, including citations to source documents where possible. There are still some branches left to explore, however! Not surprisingly, it has been difficult to find good documentation for his ancestors before their arrival in America, although it seems that genealogists have put some effort into this. I would be interested in collaborating with anyone else who has an interest.
There's a fair amount of information posted in Geni for the early Springsteens, going back to the Netherlands. But, on first glance, it seems to be rather confusing and inconsistent and I'm not sure how much of it is backed up by actual documentation. I will take a hard look at all this and see if it can be cleaned up a bit (and any gaps or questionable lineages duly noted)..
One of the puzzles I'm trying to crack relates to William Springsteen: William Springsteen
Specifically, I'm having trouble documenting the name and origins of his wife, the mother of Alexander Springsteen. Some secondary sources list her as being Sarah Jacobs. There is an 1822 marriage record from NJ which lists "William Springstill" and "Sara Jacob", which may be the original source being relied on. That could be correct, despite the different spelling. On the other hand, the date seems to be after the reported birth date of son Alexander Springsteen (January 1822). But I guess the birth could have been out of wedlock! William shows up listed as a "pauper" in both the 1850 and 1860 census, with no sign of a wife. I suppose it's possible she passed away before 1850. I cannot find a "Sarah Springsteen" that matches up well in age in any census. Anyway, I will keep working on this - so far, I've just checked Ancestry and FamilySearch.
Possibly inaccurate
http://www.wargs.com/other/springsteen.html
32 Alexander William Springsteen, b. ... , N. J., ... , d. ...
m.
33 Sarah Josephs, b. ... , N. J., ... , d. ..
Here's a link to another compilation of Springsteen family information that I stumbled upon. Might be helpful in providing some leads. I'm finding a fair number of Springsteens in the New York/New Jersey area, circa 18th and 19th centuries, but I'm still working on figuring out the connections.
https://www.ourheritage.info/2021/03/08/springsteen-family-survey-f...