Several years ago I wrote an article for publication in New Netherland Connections. it was about my ancestor and 9th great-grandfather Jan Damen who left Bunnik Netherland for the New World of New Netherland (present day New York state) in the mid 17th century. Jan settled in Long Island New York and married Sophia (Fytie) Martens.
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| Far right: My 13th great grandfather Jan Damen 1515-1569, 2nd great grandfather of Jan Damen 1638-1707 Five Members of the Utrecht Brotherhood of Jerusalem Pilgrims painting by Jan van Scorel ca 1541 |
My article Jan Corneliszen Damen In
The New World was published on pages 47-56 of Volume 4, number 2 (May 1999) as a companion piece to another article called The Nephews of Jan Jansz Damen by Dorothy Koenig and Pim
Nieuwenhuis in Volume 4, Number 2 May 1999 pages 36-39.
The two nephews discussed were Jan Cornelisz Buys (aka Damen) who had three wives, 1)
Eybe Lubberts, 2) Phebe Sales, and 3) Willemptje Thyssen; and his
first cousin (my ancestor), Jan Cornelisz Damen, who married Fytje Martens.
I have decided to republish the first 3 pages of my article here on my Olive Tree Genealogy blog. I hope that descendants of Jan and other genealogists enjoy this story of Jan's life in New York. This is Part 2, continuing on from Part 1
Jan Corneliszen Damen In
The New World
by Lorine McGinnis
Schulze
The first child
we have a baptismal record for is Marte, baptised in 1661, and his growing
family may have prompted Jan's purchase of a farm in August 1662. The farm,
formerly that of Cornelis Hendrickse Van Eens, was on the west side of the road
in Flatbush.[1]
Three of Jan and
Sophia's children were baptised in the Reformed Dutch Church in Breuckelen
between July 1661 and February 1663. One month later, in March, Jan and
twenty-eight other inhabitants of Breuckelen presented a petition to the Council
of New Netherland, requesting land for a new village to be situated nearby[2]. The following year, in August 1664, Jan sold
the farm in Flatbush to Claes Melles Baes.[3]
He and Sophia now had four young children under the age of 5, and Sophia may
have been pregnant with Cornelia who was probably born next in 1665 or
1666. By 1667 he had a tavern in
Brooklyn.[4]
In 1674, Sophia
Martens stood as a sponsor at the baptism of Jan Damen's cousin Jan Cornelise
Buys' son Thys (by his third wife Willemtie Thyssen). Thys was baptised 14
January in New York Reformed Dutch Church.[5]
The sponsors' names were recorded as Jan Corneliszen Ryck and Sytke Martens.
Totten provides a footnote that this is Jan Cornelise Damen and his wife Sophia
but there is no evidence to support the notion that Jan ever used the name
"Ryck".[6]
Jan was recorded
as a member of the Reformed Dutch Church of Breuckelen, and living at the
Wallabout, in 1677.[7] His name
appears on a patent of Breuckelen this same year.[8]
Sophia stood again as a baptismal sponsor in 1678 in New York at the baptism of
Harmen, son of Harmen Reynierszen and his wife Jannetie.[9]
[1] Register, in
Alphabetical Order, of the Early Settlers of Kings County, Long Island NY From
its First Settlement by Europeans to 1700 by Teunis G. Bergen (Hereafter called
KCo.) p. 83. See p. 143 Lib B Flatbush
records
[2] A History of the
City of Brooklyn; including the Old Town and Village of Brooklyn, the Town of
Bushwick and the Village and City of Williamsburgh by Stiles, 1867, V. I pp
119-120.
[3] KCo. p 83. See p.
7 Lib D Flatbush records
[4] Long Island
Source Records excerpted from the NYGBR by Henry B. Hoff. 1987 (Hereafter
called LISr) Genealogical Gleanings from Book No. 2 of Conveyances, Brooklyn,
Kings Co. NY. P. 58 "Jan Cornelise Buys aged 38 years" acknowledges
he heard "in the house of John Damon, tavern keeper in Brooklyn"
[5] RDCNY. 1877 V8:2 p 80. 1674 14 Jan; Jan Corn.
Buys, Willemtie Thyssen; Matthys; Jan Corneliszen Ryck, Sytie Martens
[6] Jan Cornelisz. (de) Ryk and Marittje Gerritse
baptised children in the New York Reformed Dutch Church between 1658 and 1666.
Jan Cornelisz. Damen and Sophia Martens baptised children in the same time
period.
[7] KCo. p 83
[8] ibid
[9] RDCNY. 1877 V8:4 p. 170 1678: 30 Jan; Harmen Retnierszen, Jannetie Cortois; Harmen;
Hendrick Claeszen, Fytie Martens
1 comment:
So glad I get your blog! I knew that the genealogy of my grandkids had New Netherlands names and so I quickly opened my file and found these names were my grandkids' ancestors as well. So cool to have this pic and the article!
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