Beeks line: Jacobus Pieterse Slot 1669-1725

 Although Jacobus (also known as Cobus and as Jacob) lived in the culture of the Dutch Reformed folks in early New Jersey, his grandfather was Danish.  The family had moved to Amsterdam and then to New Amsterdam, and then on to New Jersey by the time Jacobus was born in 1669.  His parents, Pieter Janse and Merritje Jacobs Slot, had him baptized at the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Bergen (now Jersey City) and he seems to have stayed there his whole life.  Most of his neighbors would have been of one or another reformed churches, as some were Huguenots who had been forced out of France by the religious wars.  Some had lived in Amsterdam also, so were known to the family.  

I've now given almost everything that is know about Jacob.  He married Maria Demarest, daughter of Jean and Jacomina de Ruine Demarest, probably about 1695.  They joined the Hackensack Dutch Church on April 5, 1696 after attending the French Church at Kinderkamack.  The French church had been founded by David Demarest.  The new church may have been closer for them to attend, or there may have been some sort of church dispute.  

The couple had at least eleven children, starting with Petrus in 1696 and ending with Benjamin in 1721.  There are records for the baptism of most, if not all, of the children.  When I look at the map now, this area is totally urban, but of course at the time the Slots lived there it would have been frontier, with threats and skirmishes with native Americans, and animals such as wolves and bears to contend with.

 I would love to know whether Jacob served in the militia.  I'd love to know what his will and inventory could tell us.  I'd love to know whether he could read and write, and whether he had another means of income besides farming.  So there is much yet to be learned about Jacob, but we at least can acknowledge his place in Beeks family history, and imagine what his culture may have been.

The line of descent is:

Jacobus Slot-Maria Demarest

Benjamin Slot-Sara Demarest

William Lock-Elizabeth Teague

Sally Lock-Jeremiah Folsom

Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge

Harvey Aldridge-Mary Catherine Dunham

Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks

Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger

Their descendants