I've found another Beeks ancestor that I overlooked,, and I've found almost enough to actually write a paragraph or two about him. I always enjoy finding these ancestors from The Netherlands, who were some of the first settlers of New Amsterdam, later New York city. It helps remind me that America was not just Puritans and Cavaliers, but has other heritages also, dating back to the first settlements of the continent. (Yes, I know there were Swedish settlers, French Huguenots and missionaries, and early s Spanish settlers, too, and I know there were native Americans who were here first). But ever since grade school, the Dutch settlers have interested me. And I'm a little bit jealous that these folks belong to my husband's family, and not mine!
It's possible that this was originally a French or Walloon Huguenot family, and it's possible that Jan Meet was father, a man who appears in English records. But actual proof as to his parentage and origins is lacking. The first we really know of him was that he married Styntje Jacobs on September 22, 1654 in Amersfoort, Utrecht, The Netherlands. The town had a Protestant majority, but a large Catholic minority and there must surely have been religious tensions there. Whether or not that was the reason the Meets emigrated to New Netherlands, we don't know.
He and his wife and family of four children left Amersfoort, Netherlands in March of 1663 in the ship "Rosetree". They arrived at a time of great political unrest, as the colony was about to be taken over by the English. By October of 1664, Pieter Meet took an oath of allegiance to the English King Charles II, and so began adjusting to a new continent and a new political reality. It's unclear how much impact this had on the every day lives of the settlers. Pieter was a resident of what became Brooklyn for perhaps 16 years but if found on a tax "rate" page for Bushwick in 1683. He purchased land there in 1680.
It's not clear whether it was his son or whether it was Pieter himself who moved to land near Hackensack, New Jersey. Some records say he died there in 1697 and some say he died at Bushwick. He was apparently not active in town government. We don't know that there was any conflict with the native Americans during his lifetime, in his towns. we just don't know much about him at all. But we do know he cared enough for religious or economic freedom to come to America and worship as he pleased, with the chance to give his family a solid economic base.
We can be grateful for all the families that made this trip, no matter where they went or when they arrived. They are part of the history of America, and of the history of the Beeks family.
The line of descent is:
Pieter Janse Meet-Styntje Jacobs
Jan Pieterse Meet-Gerritsje Jillsae Mandeville
Maretie Meet-Peter Demarest
Lea Demarest-Samuel David Demarest
Sarah Demarest-Benjamin Slot
William Lock-Elizabeth Teague
Sally Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Gretta Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Note that the first person probably not of Dutch heritage in this list was Jeremiah Folsom.
Showing posts with label Slot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Slot. Show all posts
Friday, September 27, 2019
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Beeks line: Gilles de Mandeville 1626-1701 Immigrant
You may not be able to guess from the name that this is another ancestor from what is now The Netherlands. That's because it seems that there is no one "correct" way to write his name. Some list him as Aegidius, some as Giles Jensen, some as Yellis, and I'm not sure that the Mandeville surname really "sticks", although he has parents and grandparents all the way back to 1525 who also have been given that surname. I'm going to call him Gilles because that's easier for me, but yet reminds me this is not an Englishman.
Gilles was born in 166 in Veluwe, Gelderland, the Netherlands in 1626, the son of Rev.Jan Michealse and Trintgen Wilma Van Harderwijk Mandeville. Oh, he may have been born in France and baptized in Doesburk, Geldeland, the Netherlands. I think he was likely born in the Netherlands, unless the information about his parent's birthplace is incorrect. The first think we really know about Gilles is that he, his wife Elsje Pieterse Hendricks, and four children sailed on the "de Trouw", to New Amsterdam, supposedly traveling with Peter Stuyvesant. That makes a nice story, the Stuyvesant connection, but I'm not sure that Stuyvesant had gone anywhere so that he would have been returning in 1659. (I could be wrong about that, of course, and it is likely that the families knew each other. I just don't find anything that says Stuyvesant had gone to the Netherlands in 1658-59. He seems to have been in New Amsterdam the whole time.)
He paid the way of himself and his family so he was not a poor man. He is associated with several pieces of land at Long Island, atNew Amersfoort and New Amsterdam, and when the English took over the Dutch colony, he was on a tax list for New York in 1676.He also had a farm at Flatbush and 30 acres at Greenwich. The main estate, the farm o Manhattan Island, was in what is now Greenwich Village. Gilles and Elsje were members of the Dutch Reformed Church in New York.
In his will, written in September of 1696 and proven May 22, 1701, he left all of his estate during Elsje's widowhood. His farm in Queens county, near Hempstead, with houses, barns,etc he left to his oldest son Hendrick,. The farm at Greenwich was to be sold to the highest bidder and the proceeds divided among his six adult children. The final execution probably didn't take long, as Elsje herself made her will the same date that Gilles' will was proven.
Gilles appears to have been a hard-working man with a good business sense, and enough money to get started in his new life in the New Netherlands. If he actually lived in all the places that he had land, he could almost be considered a real estate developer. I wonder what he would think of his most lasting "development", Greenwich Village, and its property values now!
The line of descent is:
Gilles de Mandeville-Elsje Hendricks
Gerritje Mandeville-Jan Pieterse Meet
Maretje Meete-Peter Demarest
Lea Demarest-Samuel David Demarest
Sarah Demarest-Benjamin Slot
William (Slot) Lock-Elizabeth Teague
Sally Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Gilles was born in 166 in Veluwe, Gelderland, the Netherlands in 1626, the son of Rev.Jan Michealse and Trintgen Wilma Van Harderwijk Mandeville. Oh, he may have been born in France and baptized in Doesburk, Geldeland, the Netherlands. I think he was likely born in the Netherlands, unless the information about his parent's birthplace is incorrect. The first think we really know about Gilles is that he, his wife Elsje Pieterse Hendricks, and four children sailed on the "de Trouw", to New Amsterdam, supposedly traveling with Peter Stuyvesant. That makes a nice story, the Stuyvesant connection, but I'm not sure that Stuyvesant had gone anywhere so that he would have been returning in 1659. (I could be wrong about that, of course, and it is likely that the families knew each other. I just don't find anything that says Stuyvesant had gone to the Netherlands in 1658-59. He seems to have been in New Amsterdam the whole time.)
He paid the way of himself and his family so he was not a poor man. He is associated with several pieces of land at Long Island, atNew Amersfoort and New Amsterdam, and when the English took over the Dutch colony, he was on a tax list for New York in 1676.He also had a farm at Flatbush and 30 acres at Greenwich. The main estate, the farm o Manhattan Island, was in what is now Greenwich Village. Gilles and Elsje were members of the Dutch Reformed Church in New York.
In his will, written in September of 1696 and proven May 22, 1701, he left all of his estate during Elsje's widowhood. His farm in Queens county, near Hempstead, with houses, barns,etc he left to his oldest son Hendrick,. The farm at Greenwich was to be sold to the highest bidder and the proceeds divided among his six adult children. The final execution probably didn't take long, as Elsje herself made her will the same date that Gilles' will was proven.
Gilles appears to have been a hard-working man with a good business sense, and enough money to get started in his new life in the New Netherlands. If he actually lived in all the places that he had land, he could almost be considered a real estate developer. I wonder what he would think of his most lasting "development", Greenwich Village, and its property values now!
The line of descent is:
Gilles de Mandeville-Elsje Hendricks
Gerritje Mandeville-Jan Pieterse Meet
Maretje Meete-Peter Demarest
Lea Demarest-Samuel David Demarest
Sarah Demarest-Benjamin Slot
William (Slot) Lock-Elizabeth Teague
Sally Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Beeks line: Jans Pieterse Meet 1660- , Immigrant
Technically this post should be about the father of Jans Pieterse Meet, Pieter Jansen Meet. However, what little I know of Pieter Jansen Meet can be written in two or three sentences. He married Styntje Jacobs in Amersfoort, Utrecht, The Netherlands in 1654 and came to New Netherlands in 1663 with their four children, ranging in age from 19 to 3, and died in 1695 in Hackensack, New Jersey. So far that is what I know of the immigrant father, although I'll be looking for more information about him.
Jans Pieterse Meet (somehow some of the family became Meads) was just three years old when the family came to New Amsterdam on the ship "Rose Tree" in 1663. It may or may not have been a surprise to the family that about a year later, they were no longer living in a Dutch colony, as England took it over in 1664. Still, although the government was now English, the colony and all the settlements around it were composed of Dutch immigrants, and the family would have found friends and possibly relatives already here. There were people to "show them the ropes" of how to live in the New World.
We don't know what trade or occupation Pieter Jansen practiced, but his son Jans Pieterse was a weaver. He may have learned this from his father, or he may have been apprenticed in some fashion to another tradesman. Of course, he also acquired land as he matured. On May 11,1687, he was married to Grietje Mandeville, the daughter of Gilles Jansen de Mandeville and Elsie Hendricks on Manhattan Island. He was listed as a "poll" at Bushwick but by 1692 the new family was living at Flatbush, which appears to be a different location, although both are part of what is now the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
The record of where he lived and when is a bit confusing. He purchased property in 1695, 500 acres in what is now Mountain View, New Jersey. He joined the Dutch Reformed church in Hackensack in 1699. Yet in 1703 he was reported as living in New York City There were at least 6 children born to this couple-Maretje, Jan Janse, Jacob Janse, Christina, Elsje, and Gilles, but it's not clear where each was born. On October 7, 1710 he and three other men purchased 1000 acres in Morris County, N.J. He's believed to have died in New Jersey.
He wrote his will on November 1, 1709 and is thought to have died about 1714. I haven't yet located a copy of the will, but reports are that it wasn't probated until April 27, 1745, if that last date isn't a typographical error. I'd love to find the will, and an inventory, and if the 1745 date is correct, try to figure out why it took almost 30 years for this to go to probate. But for now, that part of the story is a mystery.
The Beeks family has so many interesting lines in it, from German to Dutch to English to French, but for some reason the Dutch lines particularly intrigue me. I'm glad to know this much about this family, even though I wish I knew more! Most of the information in this post came from the information on Geni, a Rootsweb post, and the Mills-Burkholder genealogy. I'd like to find more!
The line of descent is
Jans Pieterse Meet-Grietje Mandeville
Maretje Meet-Peter Demarest
Lea Demarest-Samuel David Demarest
Sarah Demarest-Benjamin Slot
William Lock-Elizabeth Teague
Sally Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Jans Pieterse Meet (somehow some of the family became Meads) was just three years old when the family came to New Amsterdam on the ship "Rose Tree" in 1663. It may or may not have been a surprise to the family that about a year later, they were no longer living in a Dutch colony, as England took it over in 1664. Still, although the government was now English, the colony and all the settlements around it were composed of Dutch immigrants, and the family would have found friends and possibly relatives already here. There were people to "show them the ropes" of how to live in the New World.
We don't know what trade or occupation Pieter Jansen practiced, but his son Jans Pieterse was a weaver. He may have learned this from his father, or he may have been apprenticed in some fashion to another tradesman. Of course, he also acquired land as he matured. On May 11,1687, he was married to Grietje Mandeville, the daughter of Gilles Jansen de Mandeville and Elsie Hendricks on Manhattan Island. He was listed as a "poll" at Bushwick but by 1692 the new family was living at Flatbush, which appears to be a different location, although both are part of what is now the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
The record of where he lived and when is a bit confusing. He purchased property in 1695, 500 acres in what is now Mountain View, New Jersey. He joined the Dutch Reformed church in Hackensack in 1699. Yet in 1703 he was reported as living in New York City There were at least 6 children born to this couple-Maretje, Jan Janse, Jacob Janse, Christina, Elsje, and Gilles, but it's not clear where each was born. On October 7, 1710 he and three other men purchased 1000 acres in Morris County, N.J. He's believed to have died in New Jersey.
He wrote his will on November 1, 1709 and is thought to have died about 1714. I haven't yet located a copy of the will, but reports are that it wasn't probated until April 27, 1745, if that last date isn't a typographical error. I'd love to find the will, and an inventory, and if the 1745 date is correct, try to figure out why it took almost 30 years for this to go to probate. But for now, that part of the story is a mystery.
The Beeks family has so many interesting lines in it, from German to Dutch to English to French, but for some reason the Dutch lines particularly intrigue me. I'm glad to know this much about this family, even though I wish I knew more! Most of the information in this post came from the information on Geni, a Rootsweb post, and the Mills-Burkholder genealogy. I'd like to find more!
The line of descent is
Jans Pieterse Meet-Grietje Mandeville
Maretje Meet-Peter Demarest
Lea Demarest-Samuel David Demarest
Sarah Demarest-Benjamin Slot
William Lock-Elizabeth Teague
Sally Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Beeks line: Jacob Wallinges Van Winkle Immigrant 1599-1657
One of the things I like best about the Beeks family line is the great mingling of countries and cultures. There are the New England ancestors, and the possible Virginia ancestors, and then there are those from the middle colonies. The New England ancestors and the Virginia ancestors mostly trace back to England, but some of the middle colonies trace back to Holland and to France.
Every former schoolchild of a certain age remembers the story of the Dutch "tricking" the native Americans (then called Indians) into selling the island of Manhattan for $24 and some beads, which didn't leave a good taste in our mouths for what the Dutch did. We remember Peter Stuyvesant, who in the one sided way we were taught history was either a good man or a bad man. The problem is that most lives are neither black nor white, and then of course further issues arise as we study family history and learn that "we are them", and we may have been pointing fingers at our ancestors.
It's exciting when family history and history come together, no matter which side, or how many sides, our ancestors were on. Jacob Wallinges Van Winkle is the earliest ancestor I've yet found, who came from Holland and settled on Manhattan Island perhaps as early as 1624, which would make him one of the very first Dutch settlers on the island. He was born in about 1599 to Jacob Walichs and Tryntje Willems, from the village of Winkel, in northern Holland. He was also referred to as "Jacob Walichsen Van Hoorn", because the village was near the port city of Hoorn.
He may have first come to New Netherlands as a deckhand about 1618, but was definitely here by 1630, when he was one of the very first farmers to settle permanently" here. He and partner Claes Cornelissen Swits farmed bouwerie number 5 until 1636, when their lease expired. A bouwerie was a large, self sufficient farm and at an inventory taken May 1,1630 the bouwerie had 6 saddle horses, 2 stallions, 6 cows, and 22 sheep. There were probably pigs and chickens, too, and indicates a well developed farming operation.
He was a tenant farmer, but returned to Holland to get more stock for the Dutch West India Company, which owned the entire operation, and while there, he was a member of the Dutch church. He returned to the New World in 1635 and apparently settled along the Hudson river, as part of Rensselaerwyck, opposite Albany. There are records found for him in 1641 on a council of twelve men to advise governor Kieft of Manhattan about relationships with the Native Americans, and he seems to have made at least one more trip back to Holland before 1650.
It's not clear just when or where, but at some point he married Tryntje Jacobse. The marriage may have occurred during his second trip to the Netherlands, but records have not yet been found. He returned to Rensselaerwyck, where he stayed until 1650. Although we was a successful tenant farmer, he was still a tenant and perhaps he had decided it was time to find land of his own to settle on. In 1650, his son Jacob Jacobsen was baptized at the New Amsterdam "fort church" on October 10, 1650 and the parents joined the New Amsterdam Dutch Reformed church there.
Diector General Peter Stuyvesant issued a patent for 25 "morgens" of land to Jacob on October 23,1654. This land was at Pavonia, near what is now Jersey city, New Jersey, which was attacked by Indians in 1655. The family, which now included 6 children, returned to New Amsterdam until it was thought safe to return to their land. They returned in 1657 and Jacob is believed to have died there later in the year.
Jacob's widow, Trintje, married three more times, each time to a widower. She died after 1677.
This is a condensed version of information found from various websites, which appear to come primarily from the book "A Genealogy of the Van Winkle Family, 1630-1993" written by James C. Van Winkle. It would be fascinating to find this book and learn more about this family that lived in such interesting places and times!
The line of descent is:
Jacob Van Winkle-Trintje Jacobse
Marritje Jacobse Van Winkle-Pieter Jansen Slot
Jacobus Slot-Maria Demarest
Benjamin Slot-Sarah Demaree
William Lock-Elizabeth Teague
Sally Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Every former schoolchild of a certain age remembers the story of the Dutch "tricking" the native Americans (then called Indians) into selling the island of Manhattan for $24 and some beads, which didn't leave a good taste in our mouths for what the Dutch did. We remember Peter Stuyvesant, who in the one sided way we were taught history was either a good man or a bad man. The problem is that most lives are neither black nor white, and then of course further issues arise as we study family history and learn that "we are them", and we may have been pointing fingers at our ancestors.
It's exciting when family history and history come together, no matter which side, or how many sides, our ancestors were on. Jacob Wallinges Van Winkle is the earliest ancestor I've yet found, who came from Holland and settled on Manhattan Island perhaps as early as 1624, which would make him one of the very first Dutch settlers on the island. He was born in about 1599 to Jacob Walichs and Tryntje Willems, from the village of Winkel, in northern Holland. He was also referred to as "Jacob Walichsen Van Hoorn", because the village was near the port city of Hoorn.
He may have first come to New Netherlands as a deckhand about 1618, but was definitely here by 1630, when he was one of the very first farmers to settle permanently" here. He and partner Claes Cornelissen Swits farmed bouwerie number 5 until 1636, when their lease expired. A bouwerie was a large, self sufficient farm and at an inventory taken May 1,1630 the bouwerie had 6 saddle horses, 2 stallions, 6 cows, and 22 sheep. There were probably pigs and chickens, too, and indicates a well developed farming operation.
He was a tenant farmer, but returned to Holland to get more stock for the Dutch West India Company, which owned the entire operation, and while there, he was a member of the Dutch church. He returned to the New World in 1635 and apparently settled along the Hudson river, as part of Rensselaerwyck, opposite Albany. There are records found for him in 1641 on a council of twelve men to advise governor Kieft of Manhattan about relationships with the Native Americans, and he seems to have made at least one more trip back to Holland before 1650.
It's not clear just when or where, but at some point he married Tryntje Jacobse. The marriage may have occurred during his second trip to the Netherlands, but records have not yet been found. He returned to Rensselaerwyck, where he stayed until 1650. Although we was a successful tenant farmer, he was still a tenant and perhaps he had decided it was time to find land of his own to settle on. In 1650, his son Jacob Jacobsen was baptized at the New Amsterdam "fort church" on October 10, 1650 and the parents joined the New Amsterdam Dutch Reformed church there.
Diector General Peter Stuyvesant issued a patent for 25 "morgens" of land to Jacob on October 23,1654. This land was at Pavonia, near what is now Jersey city, New Jersey, which was attacked by Indians in 1655. The family, which now included 6 children, returned to New Amsterdam until it was thought safe to return to their land. They returned in 1657 and Jacob is believed to have died there later in the year.
Jacob's widow, Trintje, married three more times, each time to a widower. She died after 1677.
This is a condensed version of information found from various websites, which appear to come primarily from the book "A Genealogy of the Van Winkle Family, 1630-1993" written by James C. Van Winkle. It would be fascinating to find this book and learn more about this family that lived in such interesting places and times!
The line of descent is:
Jacob Van Winkle-Trintje Jacobse
Marritje Jacobse Van Winkle-Pieter Jansen Slot
Jacobus Slot-Maria Demarest
Benjamin Slot-Sarah Demaree
William Lock-Elizabeth Teague
Sally Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Beeks line: Jan Pieter Slot 1613-1703, Immigrant
Here's an ancestor with a fascinating history. I would love to sit down with him at the dinner table and learn his story, because he lived in such interesting times and places, that I haven't yet learned much about yet and may not have the time to research myself.
Jan Pieter Slot was born in Holstein, Denmark in 1613, perhaps the son of Pieter Sloat and Mary Baerts. I say "perhaps" because I haven't seen the documentation to back up his parents' names. However, several sources state that he was a Dane, so I am fairly confident with that much of his early life.
Sometime in his youth or early manhood he migrated to Amsterdam, Holland. We don't know for sure what he did there, but somewhere he learned the carpenter trade. With all the growth that Amsterdam was experiencing, he would surely have had little trouble finding work in that line. He also married his first wife there, Aeltje Jans, and they had two sons together, Pieter Jansen and Johan. Jan Pieter and his sons emigrated to New Amsterdam in 1650, apparently with his wife, who died about 1664.
New Amsterdam was a fascinating place, small but bustling, and as long as taxes were paid, open not just to the Dutch but to people from all backgrounds. The contrast with the relatively closed society of the Puritans of New England is quite striking. Jan Pieter settled first in Harlem, which was a few miles north of New Amsterdam, but still on Manhattan Island. By 1667 he is believed to have been living at "Fort Amsterdam", under British administration. His lot was at the foot of what is now known as "Wall Street." He was a carpenter in Harlem and presumably also in what became New York, and was also a magistrate for at least 6 years at Harlem, so he was well-respected by his peers. Perhaps he was removed as magistrate when the British took over the colony.
I have two death dates for Jan Pieter, one in 1690 and one in 1703. There may be some confusion between Jan Pieter and his son, Pieter Jan. It's believed that the son died first. Assuming that the 1703 death date is correct, he lived for about 90 years, in three very different cultures (Danish, old world Dutch, and then Dutch/English New York). I'd love to know why he made each move, how hard or easy it was to adjust, what language(s) he spoke, what his religion was, and more about his life in early America. Of course, I'd love to know about his parents, too, and their lives.
The line of descent is:
Jan Pieter Slot-Aeltje Jans
Pieter Jans Slot-Marritsje Jacobse Van Winkle
Jacobus Slot-Maria Demarest
Benjamin Slot/Lock-Sarah Demaree or Demarest
William Lock-Elizabeth Teague
Sally Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Somewhere between Benjamin and William, the name was Americanized from Slot to Lock. The words have the same meaning.
Jan Pieter Slot was born in Holstein, Denmark in 1613, perhaps the son of Pieter Sloat and Mary Baerts. I say "perhaps" because I haven't seen the documentation to back up his parents' names. However, several sources state that he was a Dane, so I am fairly confident with that much of his early life.
Sometime in his youth or early manhood he migrated to Amsterdam, Holland. We don't know for sure what he did there, but somewhere he learned the carpenter trade. With all the growth that Amsterdam was experiencing, he would surely have had little trouble finding work in that line. He also married his first wife there, Aeltje Jans, and they had two sons together, Pieter Jansen and Johan. Jan Pieter and his sons emigrated to New Amsterdam in 1650, apparently with his wife, who died about 1664.
New Amsterdam was a fascinating place, small but bustling, and as long as taxes were paid, open not just to the Dutch but to people from all backgrounds. The contrast with the relatively closed society of the Puritans of New England is quite striking. Jan Pieter settled first in Harlem, which was a few miles north of New Amsterdam, but still on Manhattan Island. By 1667 he is believed to have been living at "Fort Amsterdam", under British administration. His lot was at the foot of what is now known as "Wall Street." He was a carpenter in Harlem and presumably also in what became New York, and was also a magistrate for at least 6 years at Harlem, so he was well-respected by his peers. Perhaps he was removed as magistrate when the British took over the colony.
I have two death dates for Jan Pieter, one in 1690 and one in 1703. There may be some confusion between Jan Pieter and his son, Pieter Jan. It's believed that the son died first. Assuming that the 1703 death date is correct, he lived for about 90 years, in three very different cultures (Danish, old world Dutch, and then Dutch/English New York). I'd love to know why he made each move, how hard or easy it was to adjust, what language(s) he spoke, what his religion was, and more about his life in early America. Of course, I'd love to know about his parents, too, and their lives.
The line of descent is:
Jan Pieter Slot-Aeltje Jans
Pieter Jans Slot-Marritsje Jacobse Van Winkle
Jacobus Slot-Maria Demarest
Benjamin Slot/Lock-Sarah Demaree or Demarest
William Lock-Elizabeth Teague
Sally Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Somewhere between Benjamin and William, the name was Americanized from Slot to Lock. The words have the same meaning.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Beeks line: Simon de Ruine 1615-1678
Simon de Ruine is one of those ancestors I'd just love to see, in person, and share a day in his life. I'm not sure on which side of the ocean I'd like to be with him, but probably in the New World, since he was one of the first settlers of Harlem (yes, that Harlem) and had a fascinating set of neighbors. He was probably fascinating, too, although not a lot is known about him.
He referred to himself as a "Walloon", which means he was likely from the southern part of what is now Belgium or the northern part of France, not far from the German border. He is reported to have come from Valenciennes, which is right on the border between Belgium and France, and this area did speak the language known as Walloons when Simon would have lived there. Actually, Valenciennes would have been a good place for him to have lived, because he was a Protestant, a Huguenot, and they were persecuted in France. Belgium wasn't much safer, so in his youth or early manhood he went to Holland, where he remained for 15 years and where he was permitted to practice his faith.
He was born in 1631, with his father's name given as Jean de Ruine but no further information is known about him. It is possible that he lost his family in the persecutions, or in war, or due to disease. He married twice in Holland. His first wife, whose name has not been found, gave birth to two daughters who stayed in Simon's family. His second wife was Magdalena Van der Straaten, who was from Hainault.
The family was young when they emigrated from Amsterdam to New Amsterdam, in the New World, and three additional children were born to them here. They settled first in New Amsterdam, then moved to help form the settlement of Harlem, and finally went to what is now Flushing, Queens County, New York. To us, it would just be a crowded hour or so of travel to go from one location to another but these were wilderness areas and they would have needed to have started from scratch at every location. From what I've read, though, they would not have built log cabins, but would have built homes in the Dutch tradition from the start.
Simon died at Flushing on June 12, 1678 and his wife died at about the same time although I am not sure of the documentation for that statement. He had certainly lived an interesting life! He probably spoke at least two languages, Walloon and Dutch and perhaps more. He had lived in France, Holland, and New Amsterdam, and helped found two settlements in the New World. He probably was a member of the military, as there were Indian attacks during this time and he would have been needed to help protect the settlements. By the time he died, the Dutch settlements were under English control, so here was another culture he had to learn, or at least learn to co-exist with them. I think Simon was probably quite a flexible man.
The line of descent is:
Simon de Ruine-Magdalena van der Straten
Jacomina de Ruine-Jean Demarest
Maria Demariest-Jacobus Slot
Benjamin Slot-Sarah Demaree Demarest
William Lock-Elizabeth Teague
Sally Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendents
The second line goes:
Simon de Ruine-Magdalena van der Straten
Maria de Ruine-Samuel Demarest
David Demarest-Mattie De Baun
Samuel David Demarest-Lea Demarest
Sarah Demaree Demarest-Benjamin Slot
See above
There is also a third line, but it's too confusing to add here!
He referred to himself as a "Walloon", which means he was likely from the southern part of what is now Belgium or the northern part of France, not far from the German border. He is reported to have come from Valenciennes, which is right on the border between Belgium and France, and this area did speak the language known as Walloons when Simon would have lived there. Actually, Valenciennes would have been a good place for him to have lived, because he was a Protestant, a Huguenot, and they were persecuted in France. Belgium wasn't much safer, so in his youth or early manhood he went to Holland, where he remained for 15 years and where he was permitted to practice his faith.
He was born in 1631, with his father's name given as Jean de Ruine but no further information is known about him. It is possible that he lost his family in the persecutions, or in war, or due to disease. He married twice in Holland. His first wife, whose name has not been found, gave birth to two daughters who stayed in Simon's family. His second wife was Magdalena Van der Straaten, who was from Hainault.
The family was young when they emigrated from Amsterdam to New Amsterdam, in the New World, and three additional children were born to them here. They settled first in New Amsterdam, then moved to help form the settlement of Harlem, and finally went to what is now Flushing, Queens County, New York. To us, it would just be a crowded hour or so of travel to go from one location to another but these were wilderness areas and they would have needed to have started from scratch at every location. From what I've read, though, they would not have built log cabins, but would have built homes in the Dutch tradition from the start.
Simon died at Flushing on June 12, 1678 and his wife died at about the same time although I am not sure of the documentation for that statement. He had certainly lived an interesting life! He probably spoke at least two languages, Walloon and Dutch and perhaps more. He had lived in France, Holland, and New Amsterdam, and helped found two settlements in the New World. He probably was a member of the military, as there were Indian attacks during this time and he would have been needed to help protect the settlements. By the time he died, the Dutch settlements were under English control, so here was another culture he had to learn, or at least learn to co-exist with them. I think Simon was probably quite a flexible man.
The line of descent is:
Simon de Ruine-Magdalena van der Straten
Jacomina de Ruine-Jean Demarest
Maria Demariest-Jacobus Slot
Benjamin Slot-Sarah Demaree Demarest
William Lock-Elizabeth Teague
Sally Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendents
The second line goes:
Simon de Ruine-Magdalena van der Straten
Maria de Ruine-Samuel Demarest
David Demarest-Mattie De Baun
Samuel David Demarest-Lea Demarest
Sarah Demaree Demarest-Benjamin Slot
See above
There is also a third line, but it's too confusing to add here!
Monday, August 25, 2014
Beeks line: Joost De Baun
Joost De Baun was probably born as Joseph De Beaune in Beaune, Cote d'Or France, about 1643. Beaune is located in the east central section of France, west of Switzerland. He and it is believed his family were staunch Protestants and at the time of his birth, Protestants had some protection in the Catholic country of France. However, the tradition is that he was the only member of his family to escape torture and massacre by the dreaded Inquisition. He is believed to have fled to Flanders about 1670, where he married, with his wife living only a few years.
This much is tradition and supposition, as far as I can tell, because I have found no documentation for any of these "facts". I would love to be able to sit down and talk with Joseph/Joost, to ask him if this is a fair representation of his early life. It sounds like it could have the makings of a good book or even a movie, with danger, persecution, flight, a first tragic marriage, and religious faith all playing a role in the story. I'd love to know how he made his escape, and why he went to Flanders rather than to Switzerland, which geographically was much closer, or even to Germany, as others before him had done. I'd also love to know what he did for a living. Beaune is in the middle of Burgundy wine country, and if he had been trained in some aspect relating to wine, what did he do when he went to Flanders? He obviously had learned to read and write, (see later in post) so perhaps he was a clerk, or perhaps he had enough family or church connections to be a merchant of some sort.
Sometime in the next few years he went from Flanders to Middleburg, on the Zeeland islands of Holland. Joseph changed his name in Holland to Joost De Baene, and he married Elizabeth Drabbe or Drabba, who was from Holland. Her ancestry has not been traced as far as I can find, except that her father's name is believed to be Thomas. They married about 1681, and by 1683 were the parents of their first child, Jacobus. (There are reports that the marriage didn't take place until 1684 and occurred in the New World. So again, we are not really sure of this much and would dearly love to find some documents from the time period to settle some of these questions once and for all.)
Joost and presumably Elizabeth and Jacobus left Holland in 1683 and immigrated to Bushwick, Long Island, New York. We don't know whether it was for religious, economic, or other reasons that they chose to immigrate, but they were part of a large number of "Dutch" families that came during the 1600's. He quickly became clerk of the small settlement of Bushwick, but a year later moved to New Utrecht, Kings County, New York, where he was clerk as well as schoolmaster and reader of the Reformed Dutch Church. (New Utrecht is now part of Brooklyn, which is part of New York City, but at the time it was just a village, founded in 1657 as a largely Dutch community).
Joost and Elizabeth lived here for about 15 years, raising their family of five children. Jacobus, Karel (Charles), Matie, Christian, and Catherine would have kept their parents busy, and since Joost was the school master we can assume that the boys and hope that the girls learned to read, write, and "cipher". The family was also active in the Dutch Reformed Church there. For three years in this time period, family life may have looked a little different. Joost was removed from his posts in 1689 due to being on the "wrong" side of a political dispute, but was returned to all his offices again in 1692. We don't know he provided for his family during this time period. In 1698, the family moved to New Rochelle, where he had apparently gone to be the schoolmaster, and was also one of the surveyors of fences. He acquired land in 1698 and then sold in at the end of 1701, and moved on to the area around Rockland Lake, in Rockland County, NY. Perhaps he taught school here, too.
The family made one final move, to the Huguenot colony near Hacksensack, New Jersey, where farming was their source of income. Joost may have felt more at home here, with the Huguenots, but we wonder about his Dutch wife. Fortunately, by now the Dutch Reformed church at Hackensack felt like home to both of them. He served as elder and as church master, and was instrumental in getting the steeple raised on the church building. Joost died sometime between 1718 and November of 1721, and Elizabeth is believed to have died about 1724.
He left a heritage of a strong religious faith, a desire for freedom, and the love of learning to the four children who survived him. He also left the mystery of his early years, and the sadness that we may never know who made up his first family-his father, mother, and siblings.
The line of descent is:
Joost De Baun-Elizabeth Drabbe
Matie De Baun-Samuel Demarest
Samuel David De Maree-Lea Demarest
Sarah De Maree-Benjamin Slot
William Lock-Elizabeth Teague or Tague
Sarah Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Harshbarger children. grandchildren, and great grandchildren
This much is tradition and supposition, as far as I can tell, because I have found no documentation for any of these "facts". I would love to be able to sit down and talk with Joseph/Joost, to ask him if this is a fair representation of his early life. It sounds like it could have the makings of a good book or even a movie, with danger, persecution, flight, a first tragic marriage, and religious faith all playing a role in the story. I'd love to know how he made his escape, and why he went to Flanders rather than to Switzerland, which geographically was much closer, or even to Germany, as others before him had done. I'd also love to know what he did for a living. Beaune is in the middle of Burgundy wine country, and if he had been trained in some aspect relating to wine, what did he do when he went to Flanders? He obviously had learned to read and write, (see later in post) so perhaps he was a clerk, or perhaps he had enough family or church connections to be a merchant of some sort.
Sometime in the next few years he went from Flanders to Middleburg, on the Zeeland islands of Holland. Joseph changed his name in Holland to Joost De Baene, and he married Elizabeth Drabbe or Drabba, who was from Holland. Her ancestry has not been traced as far as I can find, except that her father's name is believed to be Thomas. They married about 1681, and by 1683 were the parents of their first child, Jacobus. (There are reports that the marriage didn't take place until 1684 and occurred in the New World. So again, we are not really sure of this much and would dearly love to find some documents from the time period to settle some of these questions once and for all.)
Joost and presumably Elizabeth and Jacobus left Holland in 1683 and immigrated to Bushwick, Long Island, New York. We don't know whether it was for religious, economic, or other reasons that they chose to immigrate, but they were part of a large number of "Dutch" families that came during the 1600's. He quickly became clerk of the small settlement of Bushwick, but a year later moved to New Utrecht, Kings County, New York, where he was clerk as well as schoolmaster and reader of the Reformed Dutch Church. (New Utrecht is now part of Brooklyn, which is part of New York City, but at the time it was just a village, founded in 1657 as a largely Dutch community).
Joost and Elizabeth lived here for about 15 years, raising their family of five children. Jacobus, Karel (Charles), Matie, Christian, and Catherine would have kept their parents busy, and since Joost was the school master we can assume that the boys and hope that the girls learned to read, write, and "cipher". The family was also active in the Dutch Reformed Church there. For three years in this time period, family life may have looked a little different. Joost was removed from his posts in 1689 due to being on the "wrong" side of a political dispute, but was returned to all his offices again in 1692. We don't know he provided for his family during this time period. In 1698, the family moved to New Rochelle, where he had apparently gone to be the schoolmaster, and was also one of the surveyors of fences. He acquired land in 1698 and then sold in at the end of 1701, and moved on to the area around Rockland Lake, in Rockland County, NY. Perhaps he taught school here, too.
The family made one final move, to the Huguenot colony near Hacksensack, New Jersey, where farming was their source of income. Joost may have felt more at home here, with the Huguenots, but we wonder about his Dutch wife. Fortunately, by now the Dutch Reformed church at Hackensack felt like home to both of them. He served as elder and as church master, and was instrumental in getting the steeple raised on the church building. Joost died sometime between 1718 and November of 1721, and Elizabeth is believed to have died about 1724.
He left a heritage of a strong religious faith, a desire for freedom, and the love of learning to the four children who survived him. He also left the mystery of his early years, and the sadness that we may never know who made up his first family-his father, mother, and siblings.
The line of descent is:
Joost De Baun-Elizabeth Drabbe
Matie De Baun-Samuel Demarest
Samuel David De Maree-Lea Demarest
Sarah De Maree-Benjamin Slot
William Lock-Elizabeth Teague or Tague
Sarah Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Harshbarger children. grandchildren, and great grandchildren
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Beeks line: The well traveled and fascinating David Demarest 1620-1693
I've used the name Demarest in this post, although he was known by the name David Des Marets and David Des Marest during his lifetime. Demarest is the name by which his descendents were known.
David was born about the year 1620 in the town of Beauchamp, Picardy, France. This is a small town (current population slightly over 1000) very near the coast, in northern France and is located on the Bresle Rever. It might seem as though this was a backwater town which time could pass by, and perhaps it was that kind of town for the French Catholics. For the French Protestants, or Huguenots, though, it was not that kind of town. Religious persecutions including economic forces, caused the Demarests, probably including David's parents, Jean Demarest and possibly Marguerite de Herville to move or flee to Middleburg, on the island of Walcheren Zeeland, Holland. There the Demarests were members or congregants of the Walloon Church, and there David maried Marie Sohier on July 24, 1643. Marie was the daughter of Francois Sohier and Marguerite.
The new Demarest family stayed in Middleburg long enough for two sons, Jean and David, to be born into the family. In 1651, the family moved to Mannheim, on the Rhine, in what was then the largest city of the Lower Palatinate. The Elector, or ruler, of this state badly needed settlers to work and help the area recover from the Thirty Years War, and he offered inducements to French Protestants to come to settle in his lands. He even built them a church, which was used also by the Lutherans.
However, peace did not long visit Mannheim, and soon there were fears that the German Catholics were going to bring war to the area. Having seen what had happened to the Huguenots in France, the Demarests decided that they would go to the New World, to settle near the Dutch (possibly even some of their friends from their days in Middleburg). David and Marie and four children, (Jean, a second David who had been born in Mannheim after the first son David died, and Samuel, plus one unnamed who likely died young) came to New Amsterdam on the ship "Bentekoe" where they landed on April 16, 1663. They settled in the French Huguenot colony on Staten Island, a little south of the Narrows, where they lived for about two years. This was about the time the English took control of New Amsterdam.
Apparently David was a very adaptable man, for he next bought property in New Harlem, and stayed there about 12 1/2 years. Another son, Daniel, was born to the couple in either Staten Island or New Harlem. The Demarests might have stayed there forever, but David was dunned for taxes (tithes) he did not feel he owed, so he and his family left the area.
This time they settled in what became Bergen County, New Jersey, on the Hackensack River. Compared to some of the moves the family had made in the past, this was not a particularly long move, but it had significance because at last the family found a place to put down roots. Unfortunately Marie died here, shortly after they had arrived, and she was the first burial in what is known as the "French Cemetery." The family carried on, regardless of their loss. They purchased large tracts of land, set up a mill and mill house, lived peaceably with their neighbors and continued worshiping God. During this time period there were no significant problems with the native Americans, and David lived out his days there until he died in 1693.
Most of the information for this post came from a book or pamphlet called "The Huguenots on the Hackensack", which was presented as a "paper" in 1885. It was written by Rev. David D. Demarest, and is available for free on the internet. There is a more recent book out, that is now at the top of my wish list, called A Huguenot on the Hackensack: David Demarest and His Legacy. I can't wait to order it, because I'm sure it contains a lot of valuable information. David Demarest lived a fascinating life, and I'm sure the book will be extremely interesting.
The line of descent is:
David Demarest-Marie Sohier
Jean Demarest-Jacomina DeRuine
Peter Demarest Maretje Meet
Lea Demarest-Samuel David Demarest (yes, a descendent of the same couple)
Sarah Demarest or Demaree-Benjamin Slot
William Lock/Slot-Elizabeth Teague
Sarah Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Mary Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Harshbarger children, grand children, and great grandchildren
David was born about the year 1620 in the town of Beauchamp, Picardy, France. This is a small town (current population slightly over 1000) very near the coast, in northern France and is located on the Bresle Rever. It might seem as though this was a backwater town which time could pass by, and perhaps it was that kind of town for the French Catholics. For the French Protestants, or Huguenots, though, it was not that kind of town. Religious persecutions including economic forces, caused the Demarests, probably including David's parents, Jean Demarest and possibly Marguerite de Herville to move or flee to Middleburg, on the island of Walcheren Zeeland, Holland. There the Demarests were members or congregants of the Walloon Church, and there David maried Marie Sohier on July 24, 1643. Marie was the daughter of Francois Sohier and Marguerite.
The new Demarest family stayed in Middleburg long enough for two sons, Jean and David, to be born into the family. In 1651, the family moved to Mannheim, on the Rhine, in what was then the largest city of the Lower Palatinate. The Elector, or ruler, of this state badly needed settlers to work and help the area recover from the Thirty Years War, and he offered inducements to French Protestants to come to settle in his lands. He even built them a church, which was used also by the Lutherans.
However, peace did not long visit Mannheim, and soon there were fears that the German Catholics were going to bring war to the area. Having seen what had happened to the Huguenots in France, the Demarests decided that they would go to the New World, to settle near the Dutch (possibly even some of their friends from their days in Middleburg). David and Marie and four children, (Jean, a second David who had been born in Mannheim after the first son David died, and Samuel, plus one unnamed who likely died young) came to New Amsterdam on the ship "Bentekoe" where they landed on April 16, 1663. They settled in the French Huguenot colony on Staten Island, a little south of the Narrows, where they lived for about two years. This was about the time the English took control of New Amsterdam.
Apparently David was a very adaptable man, for he next bought property in New Harlem, and stayed there about 12 1/2 years. Another son, Daniel, was born to the couple in either Staten Island or New Harlem. The Demarests might have stayed there forever, but David was dunned for taxes (tithes) he did not feel he owed, so he and his family left the area.
This time they settled in what became Bergen County, New Jersey, on the Hackensack River. Compared to some of the moves the family had made in the past, this was not a particularly long move, but it had significance because at last the family found a place to put down roots. Unfortunately Marie died here, shortly after they had arrived, and she was the first burial in what is known as the "French Cemetery." The family carried on, regardless of their loss. They purchased large tracts of land, set up a mill and mill house, lived peaceably with their neighbors and continued worshiping God. During this time period there were no significant problems with the native Americans, and David lived out his days there until he died in 1693.
Most of the information for this post came from a book or pamphlet called "The Huguenots on the Hackensack", which was presented as a "paper" in 1885. It was written by Rev. David D. Demarest, and is available for free on the internet. There is a more recent book out, that is now at the top of my wish list, called A Huguenot on the Hackensack: David Demarest and His Legacy. I can't wait to order it, because I'm sure it contains a lot of valuable information. David Demarest lived a fascinating life, and I'm sure the book will be extremely interesting.
The line of descent is:
David Demarest-Marie Sohier
Jean Demarest-Jacomina DeRuine
Peter Demarest Maretje Meet
Lea Demarest-Samuel David Demarest (yes, a descendent of the same couple)
Sarah Demarest or Demaree-Benjamin Slot
William Lock/Slot-Elizabeth Teague
Sarah Lock-Jeremiah Folsom
Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge
Harvey Aldridge-Mary Catherine Dunham
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Harshbarger children, grand children, and great grandchildren
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