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Vol. lxi No. 4

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"Publi/hed by The Holland Society of${evu Torl^

122 Sast 58th Street ^(ew TorJ^, &CJ7 y/

The Holland Society of New York

122 EAST 58th STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10022 President

Arthur R. Smock. Jr.

Advisory Council of Past Presidents: Bruce S. Cornell John H. Vander Veer Kenneth L. Demarest Thomas M. Van der Veer Walter E. Hopper Gerrit W. Van Schaick James E. Quackenbush Carl A. Willscy

Vice Presidents: New York County Harry A. van Dyke Long Island Adrian T. Bogart Dutchess County Kevin A. Denton Ulster County Kenneth E. Hasbrouck Patroons John S. Van der Veer Central New York John F. Marsellus Old Bergen County, N.J Rev. William J.F. Lydecker Essex. Morris Counties Daniel S. Van Riper Central New Jersey Kenneth L. Demarest, Jr. Connecticut-Westchester Harrold W. DeGroff New England Tweed Roosevelt Potomac David A. Voorhees Florida. East Coast Theodore P. Schoonmaker Florida. West Coast John L. Brouwer Niagara Frontier Chase Viele Mid-West John P. Schermerhorn Pacific Coast Paul H. Davis Virginia and the Carolinas Kendrick Van Pelt South River William M. Alrich Old South H. John Ouderkirk Texas Branch Rev. Robert Terhune United States Army Col. William T. Van Atten. USA (Ret.) United States Air Force Maj. Laurence C. Vliet, USAF United States Navy Lt. Cmdr. Richard W. DeMott United States Marines Lt. Col. Robert W. Banta, USMC

Treasurer: Secretary: James M. Vreeland Rev. LouisO. Springsteen

Domine: Associate Domine: Rev. Dr. Howard G. Hageman Rev. LouisO. Springsteen

Trustees: William M. Alrich Tweed Roosevelt Frederick W. Bogert James M. Van Buren, II Clifford A. Crispell. Jr. John H. Vandervccr Ralph L. DeGroff, Jr. Harry A. van Dyke John O. Delamater Peter Van Dyke Richard C. Deyo Stanley L. Van Rensselaer William B. Deyo, Jr. Daniel S. Van Riper Hubert T. Mandeville John R. Voorhis. Ill Robert D. Nostrand Peter G. Vosburgh David Riker Ferdinand Wyckoff

Trustees Emeritus: Charles A. Van Patten

John A. Pruyn

Editor: Rev. Dr. Howard G. Hageman

Editorial Committee: Clifford A. Crispell, Jr.. Chairman

Frederick W. Bogert James M. Van Buren. II Andrew Brink John H. Vandervcer David M. Riker David William Voorhees Rev. Louis O. Springsteen

Burgher Guard Captain: Executive Secretary: Stephen Wyckoff Mrs. Barbara W. Stankowski

Organized in 1885 to collect and preserve information respecting the early history and settlement of New Netherland by the Dutch, to perpetuate the memory, foster and promote the principles and virtues of the Dutch ancestors of its members, to maintain a library relating to the Dutch in America, and to prepare papers, essays, books, etc. in regard to the history and genealogy of the Dutch in America.

The Society is principally organized of descendants in the direct male line of residents of the Dutch Colonies in America prior to or during the year 1675. Inquiries respecting the several criteria for membership are invited.

De Halve Maen, published by the Society, is entered at the post office at Poughkecpsie, N.Y. Communications to the editor should be directed to the Society's address. 122 East 58th Street, New York, N Y 10022 telephone 212-758-1675.

Copyright ©The Holland Society of New York 1988. ISSN 0017-6834

The Editor's Corner A friend of mine said to me the other day that he didn't see

how there could possibly be enough material to keep de Halve Maen going for the next ten years. After all, New Netherland was a fairly small colony with a very short history. Doesn't that mean that within the next decade your authors will run out of things to write about?

Well, that certainly has not been our experience so far and I strongly suspect that it will not be. My own feeling is that we have just begun to scratch the surface of the things that need to be studied. Let me simply mention a few of the questions that have fascinated me for a long time, but on which I have had no time to do any kind of serious research. 1. Several times I have seen references to an unidentified Dutch

domine who corresponded with Cotton Mather in Boston urging him to discontinue the witchcraft trials in Salem. Sometimes he is identified as Henry Selyns of New York, occasionally as Godfried Dellius of Albany. But in no case has any documen­tation been offered. Is this assertion true and, if so, who was Mather's correspondent and what is the evidence for it?

2. I keep finding allusions to a group of New Nethetianders who made their way to South Carolina in the late 17th century and made their home there. But all I have ever been able to find is allusions. Is there no way of determining who these Dutchmen were, where in South Carolina they went and what happened to them in later history?

3. Can some philologist make clear the similarities between the Dutch language and certain dialects of German that enabled Dutch domines to minister to German congregations and vice-versa. I am well aware that they were unable to minister in another language without an accent. I know of cases in which the Dutch congregation complained about the Germanness of their domine's speech. What surprises me is the way in which in so many instances (certainly the vast majority) they were understood at all.

4. I can understand that our first settlers were traders anxious to make their fortune. But that began to change in about 1640 and the settlers after that brought their young families and became farmers. What were the reasons for their coming? Was the Netherlands not such a prosperous place as we have been led to believe? Had they been failures at whatever they were doing at home? Were they simply motivated by the desire for a new life in a new world? We all know who came here after 1640 but why did they come? These are just a few teasers for what I hope will be future

articles. I am hoping that someone who reads these words will be one of our authors in the near future. And, of course, my four areas of asking questions are just the tip of the iceberg. Many more questions beside these remain to be studied.

IN THIS ISSUE

Discovery of the Sword and Seal of Strijcker 1

Book Reviews 5

Cornelius Comegys (1630-1708): Young Man From Lexmond His Career and His Family - Part I 6

The Genealogy of a Dutch Mead Family 12

Here and There 16

Society Activities 17

In Memoriam 19

Cover: Lew Tantillo, well-known Albany artist, created the cover exclusively for the De Halve Maen depicts the Henry Hudson ship De Halve Maen.

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HALVE MAEN VOL. LXI • NO. 4 DECEMBER 1988 NEW YORK CITY

Discovery of the Sword and Seal of Strijcker by William Norman Stryker © 1988

A previous issue of de Halve Maen told of the search for the original Strijcker family Bible, dated 1661. This story is a direct follow-up since the Bible, sword and seal being sought each belonged to Pieter Stryker (1653-1741). Strijcker was the son of Jan Strijcker (1615-1697), founder of Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York in 1654. Pieter was com­missioned High Sheriff of Kings County in 1683; served as Captain of the foot militia in 1689; and a Judge of the court from 1720 to 1722. His Last Will and Testament was the first mention made of the Strijcker family's "silver hilted sword". The family seal was found during my search for the sword.

The question of what had happened to this heirloom sword with the silver handle or hilt tugged at my curiosity for many years before I decided to take it on as a serious investigation. Was this silver sword eventually sold for cash? Was it confiscated or lost in the various wars during the eighteenth century? Was it now displayed in a museum? Or, did it become misplaced and forgotten only to be dis­carded by people who did not know its value?

My first step was to consult the abstracts of the Wills of the heirs of the sword. This research led to the following line of descent for the heirloom before the trail of Wills abruptly stopped:

Pieter had willed the sword to his son Jan Strycker (1684-1770) a founder of the Tammany Society in Brooklyn. Jan then willed it to his son Peter Strycker (1704-1774), who farmed near Millstone, New Jersey where his quaint tombstone can still be seen. Peter owned the sword only four years and then bequeathed it to his son John Stryker (1740-1786) a prosperous farmer in Weston, New Jersey who also served as a Captain in the American Revolution. However, neither John's Will nor his estate inventory men­tion the sword and such documents for his widow cannot be located.

William N. Striker of Alexandria, Virginia, is associated with the U.S. Department of Defense.

It seemed most probable to me that if any of John's children owned the sword next, it was most likely Peter I. Stryker (1766-1859) who had an illustrious military and political career, in addition to being a country doctor.

It was at this point in my search that I realized the great potential significance of the heirloom sword. It appeared to me that this sword could well have been made by Pieter's father Jan Strijcker (1615-1697) or perhaps even one of his progenitors as Jan was an armourer and gunsmith by trade, and his apprenticeship may have been extended to him by his forebears, as often occurred within families. Anyway, as the Will and estate inventory of the last known owner, John Stryker, 1784, did not mention the sword, there was always the clear possibility, although I did not want to admit it, that John Stryker had lost the sword in the Revolutionary War, or that it had simply been stolen. This would seem to be the most probable explanation for John's not mentioning the artifact in his Will and this theory could comfortably be used as an excuse for giving up the search. However, one is reminded of the saying "Absence of evidence is not evi­dence of absence".

So, my next step was to examine the originals of the previous Wills which do mention the sword, looking in more detail for additional clues.

The location of the original Last Will and Testament of Pieter Strijcker was difficult to determine. The County Sur­rogate Court for Brooklyn, Kings County, New York did not have the document. The court clerk's copy was the only record available throughout all county records. However, I finally did locate the original Will in the Historical Docu­ments Collection of the Department of History at Queen's College in Flushing, Long Island where it has rested since about 1965. The original document, containing Pieter Strijc-ker's signature, is shown on the following pages. The trans­cription follows with original spellings preserved:

"In the Name of God Amen the twenty third day of Aprill In the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and twenty Nine, I Peter

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Strycker of the Town offlatbush In Kings County ofNassaw Island being at present in health and of perfect mind and memory Thanks be given unto God: Therefore Calling into mind the Mor­tality of my Body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to Dye, Do make and ordain this My Last will and Testament, that Is to say, principally and first of all I give and Recommend my Soul Into the hands of God that gave it: and my Bodv I Recommend to the Earth to be buried in Decent Christian Buried at the Discretion of my Executors: Nothing Doubting but at the Gen­eral Resurrection I shall Recover the Same again by the mighty power of God. And as Touching Such worldly Estate where with it hath pleased God to Bless me In this Life, I give Demise and Dispose of the Same in the following manner & form—

"Imprimis That after my Lawful Debts are paid and my funerall Charges are Defrayed I give and bequeath unto my seven Children by names John Jacob Barent Peter and Hendrick Strycker and my daughters Gytie now the wife of Aaris Vanderbilt and Lammetie now the wife of Johannes Lot! unto their their (sic) heirs Executors and Each and Every of them an Equall proportion of all my personal Estate of Rights and Credits within the Town offlatbush or Else where to be Divided Equally among my s'd (said) Children within a year after my Decease Except my Eldest son John Strycker shall have my Silver hiked Sword before Division and then Divide Equal with his before Brothers & Sisters.

"In witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and Scale the day and year first above written. Sealed published pronounced and De­clared by the Said peter strycker as his Last will and Testament In the presence of us Subscribers Marten Schenck Adr(ian) Hegeman Pieler Strijcker (seal) S(amucl) Garret sen"

Although Pieter's Will seemed to offer nothing new, the original Wills of his son and grandson (below) did certainly prove to be worth obtaining. Both of these Wills state that the silver-hilled sword was handed down from generation to generation as the firstborn's "Birth right". In retrospect, Pieter had given the sword to his "Eldest son". Therefore, if this tradition was strictly adhered to by all of the owners. the issue of finding the sword today would be a much simpler puzzle to solve. Following this guidance, Peter I. Stryker, John Stryker's firstborn son, would have been the next owner. I had suspected that this was the case, but for other reasons previously stated.

/L /9,,VTy^L ^ i.~, §L„«>.*dJL C- ~ i f"*j MUST;

L !^~ . %z,A y £ £, J}v~itf. $$**.

/" Extracts form the Wills ot Jan Stryker (dated 1768 and Peter Stryker dated 1773.

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I guess that one of the things that makes searches like this one so fascinating is the inevitability that when a break­through is finally achieved from much thought and sifting of evidence, it usually turns out to be simply a breakthrough into another dilemma requiring more research and detective work. In my case, the new dilemma was that the ownership by Peter I. Stryker could not be easily proved because neither his Will nor estate inventory appear to be in the New Jersey archives. The file has apparently been lost or was not index­ed. So, I next searched the newspapers of New Brunswick and Newark, New Jersey at the Library of Congress for Peter's death notice in October 1859. These clearly showed that he died in Millstone and was given a funeral with full military honors by direction of the State Governor. The articles stated that the militia was ordered up from at least those two cities to attend this funeral, although the orders to Newark did not arrive in time. He was hailed as the oldest officer of the New Jersey militia and a veteran of the Rev­olution. His death being thus confirmed to have been in New Jersey, indicated that the State should have had his estate records, but it did not.

Without Peter I. Stryker's Will, I was being forced to jump to yet another generation in guessing the next owner with only the "Birth right" clause as a guide. As a sword had traditionally been a man's weapon, strict obedience to this clause might have forced Peter to give the sword to his next youngest brother John's family, as Peter I. Stryker had no living son. According to the family lineage in "The Stryker Family In America", this action would have placed the sword in Corydon Township, Warren County, Pennsyl­vania at the turn of the century. A brief search of records including phone books of this region indicated that this Stryker family had migrated from there again to parts un­known by 1913. Also, Peter's brother John I. Stryker died in New Jersey in 1842 and his Will does not mention the sword.

Faced with having to perform what seemed to be an exhaustive search for descendants with no clear evidence that the "Birth right" clause had been followed, or even that the sword still existed, I determined to forsake the search and publish Volume III of my book, "The Stryker Family In America", having found the 1661 Bible, but not the silver-hilted sword.

As it turned out in this case, giving up the search was exactly the step I was required to take in order to get the next lead in this mystery of the family heirloom! For, no sooner had Mrs. Helen Stryker Pursel received her copy of Volume III, than she penned a note to me stating that she had seen the sword as well as a portrait of General Stryker in the home of his descendant. Bill Butler of Conyngham, Pennsylvania some years earlier. So, was it true that the "Birth right" clause had indeed been exercised by John Stryker? And, had the sword indeed remained in Peter's family to the present day?

My trip to the Butler home was filled with anticipation. Alas, however, my first glance at the sword revealed that it was NOT the silver-hilted Strijcker sword. It was an American militia sword dating from approximately the War of 1812. The Butler family tradition, on the other hand, stated that the sword and the portrait were always handed down together and that the painting was of Peter I. Stryker and that the sword was his own. Though disappointed, I next turned to the portrait, my eyes focusing on every detail that I could find.

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Portrait of Major General Peter I. Strxker (1766-1859) of Millstone, New Jersey. In addition to serving in the Re­volutionary War and becoming the senior member of the New Jersey Militia, he also filled the positions of sheriff, judge, country doctor, member of the New Jersey House of Assembly, senate president, and acting governor of the State of New Jersey.

The painting was of oil done on a wooden panel 30'/2x24'/2 inches, and was undated, unsigned and unin-scribed. A later label on the back identifies the subject as Peter I. Stryker. The portrait had already been examined by professional art dealers who concluded that it was of the American School, late 18th century (approximately 1795) probably by Sheldon Peck, a celebrated artist who had traveled in the area at that time. It was of a relatively young man (about 30) which would agree with its being Peter I. Stryker (born 1766), dressed in a Continental Army uniform and seated in a library. One can read even the gold-painted titles of the books on the shelves: a Bible, "Rush's Inquiry", and a few volumes on Chemistry. A globe of the world is partially hidden behind Peter's right arm. A quill pen in an ink well indicates that he has just finished writing a letter which he is grasping in his right hand.

But, turning now to the right side, the object in his left hand is the hilt of a sword, BUT it is not the same as the old militia sword! In fact it does not have any national emblem or bear any resemblance to a sword of the United States Army. It is a very tastefully simple and elegant design with just enough complexity to show the skilled workman­ship without being overly fancy. The guard as well as both top and bottom of the hilt were painted in gold, while the actual hilt itself, the part of the sword that is grabbed with one's hand, was painted as polished, shining SILVER in-layed in a fine ribbing of yellow metal.

For those of us who had been looking for a very decora­tive sword with a huge gaudy hilt and guard all of solid sterling silver, I am sure that armourer Jan Strijcker would have been glad to teach us that this was not the proper way to make a silver-hilted sword, as he probably designed and

Detail from the portrait showing the Strijcker Silver Hilled Sword, hand-fashioned by Jan Strijcker about 1660.

beautifully hand-fashioned this very piece. He would have told us that silver was not only a precious metal which was used very sparingly as a decorative material, but that it was also not strong enough to withstand the use of the sword in battle, so that the guard and handle core would necessarily be of a stronger brass or an alloy which was much more durable. The silver hilt was the decorative silver strips in-layed into the brass ribbing of the handle!

As for the militia sword, it probably was indeed Peter's as well and was acquired by him when the U.S.. government finally got into the business of making a standard sword for its army. But at the time of the portrait the Revolution had only recently been concluded in which every soldier went to war carrying whatever weapon he happened to own and felt comfortable using.

It is interesting to note the expression of serious pride on Peter's face as he places his heirloom sword in the foref­ront, having probably told the artist to capture every detail in the piece. Where indeed is this valuable implement today? I feel justified in proposing an answer although I also feel the responsibility to state that it is only my deduction from the facts and circumstances present.

One recalls that the funeral of Major General Peter I. Stryker was a very momentous event with full military hon­ors. FULL military honors! A soldier being buried in this fashion is in his complete uniform. Peter had no son to leave the family's "Birth right" sword to, as his only son John had died at a very young age. We also know that Peter's militia sword was not interred with him. With these consid­erations, it appears likely that the ancient Strijcker sword may well have been buried with the General in 1859. Or, as my search continues, it may yet be discovered with another family member.

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As I looked for more details in the portrait of Peter I. Stryker displaying the family heirloom sword, I concentrated on the oval belt clip on the sword's scabbard. However, the artist did not record any identifiable marking that would have been on the belt clip. Then, my eye was drawn above it to a pair of extra-fine parallel lines running horizontally across the scabbard at the same level as the ring eyelet. These lines were easily distinguishable from the vertical streaks made by the greatly soiled varnish coating, and seemed to have been made using a brush with one hair. The presence of these lines proved that details down to a hairline in size had been painted on the portrait. So, I magnified my search and immediately discovered more hairlines. After carefully processing out the soiled varnish streaks I was left with what appeared to be two dates above the parallel hair­lines:

The most likely interpretation of these dates is that Jan Strijcker had hand-fashioned the sword in 1675, and passed it on to his son Pieter Strijcker in 1686. It is almost certain that the two dates were not scratched on the sword by Pieter Strijcker, since his way of writing the number 8 is distinctly different from the 8 above, as shown by his writing in the 1661 Family Bible. So, assuming that the artist copied the numbers accurately, they were probably put on the sword by Jan Strijcker.

Another anomaly I found about this sword was the fact that the decorative handle ribbing is vertical, while every other sword I have seen from any time period has, instead, a horizontal ribbing structure on the handle. The horizontal ribs were a far better design from the standpoint that these would provide a firm grip when the sword was being"swung in battle. A strong outward swing of a sword produces a radial force tending to make the sword fly away from the hand at a tangent to the circumference of the swing. There­fore, it would seem that the vertical rib design would be more prone to slippage in that direction. This would also indicate that the Strijcker sword was never intended to be for battle, but rather for ceremonies and decoration. These vertical ribs would be a major distinguishing feature when trying to identify the Strijcker sword.

To close this episode on Pieter Strijcker one last attention to a seemingly minor detail has surfaced perhaps the most significant genealogical find. When I received the copy of Pieter's original Will, I noticed the seal by his signature. On my copy, shown earlier, it is seen as a solid black circle that is lacking in any detail. So, 1 asked and was granted permission to examine and photograph the original seal. I was extremely pleased to find the following:

Signature and Seal of Pieter Strijcker (1653-1741) found on his Last Will and Testament.

The original Strijcker seal, either a signet ring or hand held stamp, was slightly smaller than a dime, and was pressed into molten bright red wax. Carbon-black bits of candle wick became part of the seal as the melting was dripped onto the Will almost 260 years ago. The amount of wax did not fill the bottom rim of the seal, however, my extrapolation of the top contour shows that the seal's stem ends with the

initial "S". The top portion containing the "4" and "E", is a typical

symbol used on many personal seals of that period, including the watermarks contained on the pages of Pieter's own family Bible. On the stem below these standard designs, the initials of the seal bearer are usually given. The Bible watermarks show a "V R" for Van Ravestein. The Pieter Strijcker seal shows clearly the initials "G S". While these initials are neither his nor his father Jan's, they certainly could be those of his supposed grandfather Gerrit Strijcker. Strong cir­cumstantial evidence was cited in "The Stryker Family In America" to identify Gerrit Strijcker as the father of Jan, Jacobus and Agnietje. Now, this identity is fully supported by this seal used by Pieter Strijcker. The seal surely could have originally belonged to Gerrit Strijcker in Ruinen, The Netherlands, as any seal belonging to Pieter's brother Garret Janse Strijcker would more likely have been inherited by Garret's descendants rather than Pieter Strijcker.

This seal is the only artifact found to date which unifies the entire Strijcker family. Descendants of Jacobus, Jan as well as Agnietje Strijcker could all lay claim to this single mark of the patriarch of the Strijcker family in America.

Now, as to its origin and meaning: A vast collection of such seals are contained in a work by Elmhirst, Dow and Girling in "Publications of the Harleian Society" dated at London 1959 and titled, "Merchants' Marks". From this book, it is learned that during the period of the thirteenth through the seventeenth century, merchants used such de­vices to mark their goods which they sold in order to distin­guish them from other merchants' products. Some examples included masons, armourers, goldsmiths and bell-founders. These marks afforded people the convenience of being able to identify the ownership of goods readily in a mainly illit­erate society. Marks were also used to prove private owner­ship of articles such as furniture and pottery. These marks or seals were sometimes handed down through generations of a family, so the bearer's initials were not always neces­sarily the same as those on the seal, as was the case with Pieter Strijcker. How and where the use of merchants' marks and personal marks originated is unknown. They were prob-

Detail of the Strijcker Seal probably belonging to Garret Strijcker (circa 1590-1650) of Ruinen, The Netherlands.

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ably developed by Germanic peoples of northern Europe, including The Netherlands.

The design of a merchant's mark was derived from three main considerations. It had to be easily recognizable, unam­biguous and simple enough to make using just a few short strokes of a brush or pen. The majority of marks are built around an upright stem. At the top may be a cross, a "4" symbol, streamers or some combination of these. Monog­rams of the merchant's initials were also included and if a partnership was made, both sets of initials were incorpo­rated. The Strijcker seal is composed of the "4" symbol with three streamers of different lengths to the right with Gerrit Strijcker's initials on the stem. A great number of marks used the "4" symbol in its various orientations. It was used so generally, over such a long period, that it would seem to have had some definite significance or meaning. What this was remained a mystery to the above authors. Some authorities consider it to be a highly conventionalized form of the "Agnus Dei" with staff and banner. Others believe that it may represent the sign of the cross. These two theories have the common suggestion that the mark bore some religious significance. It seems unlikely that it has any connection with the numeral four.

It would certainly seem mandatory that a central register of these marks existed to ensure against duplication as well as to identify the owners. Indeed, the examples of two people having the same mark are rare. However, except for a few local registers, a general registry has not been found. Many questions remain unanswered such as: Do the marks of any one city have anything in common? Did members of the same craft guild have marks that were related to one another? Was there any relationship between the marks of a particular group of traders?

From this limited knowledge base, it can only be deduced that Gerrit Strijcker was a relatively wealthy man in The

Book Reviews

A Journey Into Mohawk And Oneida Country 1634-1635; The Journal of Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert. Translated and edited by Charles T. Gehring and William A. Stoma. Words and Linguistic Notes by Gunther Michelson. Pagesxxv + 77. New York:Syracuse University Press 1988.

This intimate, descriptive account of the penetration of Indian country northwest of Fort Orange (Albany, N.Y.) by Dutch representatives ol~ the West India Company has been known for some years. It was first uncovered in 1895 in Amsterdam by James Grant Wilson and appeared in print the same year. A revised translation of it was published in Narratives of New Netherland (1909) edited by J. Franklin Jameson. In this, the third translation, the text has been newly revised and edited as well as annotated by editor and translator Charles T. Gehring of the New Netherland Project and William A. Starna, chairman of the Department of An­thropology, State University of New York at Oneonta, with linguistic material on the Mohawk language provided by Gunther Michelson o\~ Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

About Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert, author of

Netherlands as he was either a merchant of some reputation or an owner of a great number of valuable items which required him to use a mark to identify himself as the owner. We know that his sons were men of great relative wealth and power in New Netherland as well as having valuable merchants' trades (i.e.: tailor, armourer and gunsmith). This indicates that Gerrit Strijcker was likely a very wealthy and powerful merchant in The Netherlands.

This concludes the recent research activities on the Stryker family history. In the course of performing these investigations it was necessary to surmount 'dead ends' by aggressively consulting many conventional as well as uncon­ventional sources. This approch produced leads which were then followed through toward the goals of the project. Also. the study of several different fields of discipline (e.g.: seven­teenth century bookbinding, portrait restoration, gothic script transcription, merchants' marks, etc.) were also re­quired in order to glean all the information possible from an artifact or heirloom. I hope that in describing the full effort, I have helped others who wish to begin similar re­search programs for artifacts or information.

One important thing to remember is that after an heirloom is finally located: examine it very closely as it may hold much more information than is readily apparent. Besides what I learned from closely scrutinizing the 1661 Bible, seal and sword portrait, there were still discoveries yet to be made. As I carefully disassembled the Bible to prepare it for restoration and rebinding, I found strips of vellum that were glued underneath the spine for added strength. Upon careful cleaning, these strips were seen to be pieces cut from a single sheet of music which dated from the sixteenth cen­tury. When pieced back together again, the)' contained about seven lines of alternating Latin verse and notes. The original bookbinders had cut up and ancient hand-written calligraphic hymnal to use for scrap.

this journal, little is known. He came to New Amsterdam May 24, 1630 seemingly as a "barber-surgeon" in the employ of the Dutch West India Company. The trip he describes in this journal was undertaken to determine the cause of a decline in the number of fur pelts brought to Fort Orange by the Indians. The suspected reason was the intrusion of French traders into the territory of the Mohawks and Oneidas in competition with the Dutch. The journey took place during the most difficult time of the year, the winter months of December and January obviously taxing the physical abilities of van den Bogaert and his companions to the utmost.

The journal is supplemented (and at times seems to be almost overwhelmed) by explanatory notes. However, these notes provide a more meaningful comprehension of the geog­raphy, Indian practices and rituals and other descriptive details. A separate word list of the Indian language, together with the Dutch and English equivalents, a bibliography and an introduction that acquaints the reader with the background of the arduous trek into the wilderness of early seventeenth century New York.

FWB

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Cornelius Comegys (1630-1708): Young Man From Lexmond

His Career and His Family - Part I

by Robert G. Comegys

On the Eastern Shore1 of Chesapeake Bay in Kent County, Maryland, Comegys Creek drains into Comegys Bight, a small cove on the north shore of the Chester River.2

The names of the two waterways perpetuate the memory of an enterprising young Dutchman, Cornelius Comegys from "Lexmond in the land of Vianen" who came to the Eastern Shore in 1661 and who, during a busy lifetime, acquired some 4800 acres of land and held numerous offices of public trust. His last name is also retained by two well-known eighteenth century houses constructed by a son and grandson respectively. Comegys House put up in 1708 stands at a crossing of the Chester River near the town of Crumpton. Comegys Bight House built in 1768 stands on Utrick, a misspelled version of Utrecht, and a tract of land acquired and named by the Dutch immigrant.

A more important evidence of the vigorous Dutchman is provided by those who have his last name. Comegys was the father of five sons who in turn made him the grandfather of ten young men. By the time of the American Revolution in 1776 the Comegys were a family firmly established in Kent County. At least seven Comegys men enrolled in milit­ary units during the Revolution,' and as the young republic grew and prospered in the nineteenth century members of the family participated in the general expansion. By 1988 possibly 500 individuals, sprinkled between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, claimed the name of the young Hollander who left Lexmond more than 300 years ago. Since the Com­egys were initially a southern family and shared in the great American tragedy of slave holding, some of these people are Black. All in all, the Comegys arc a representative American family of business and professional people, farm­ers, laborers, artists and clergymen whose lives reveal in small detail the major features of the American experience.

The origin and early history of this small but interesting family can be traced in broad outline through the records of Lexmond, New Amsterdam, the colony and state of Mary­land. Above all, the archival records of Maryland and the judicial and land records of Kent County are remarkably complete for the seventeenth century.

There are gaps in the story. Papers of the Dutch West Indies Company that might have provided details of emig­ration and early settlement in America have been lost. Un­fortunately the circumstances under which Comegys bought and then lost a farm on Manhattan Island are not completely known. Few church documents for seventeenth century Kent County have survived, but very little can be found concern­ing Comegys' three wives. Dutch naming practice in the years before surnames had been firmly established and the vagaries of early Dutch and English spelling challenge one's

Dr. Robert G. Comegys is Professor Emeritus of History in California State University, Fresno.

understanding. But thanks to the generous assistance of the historical society Het Land Van Brederode of Vianen and the diligent scholarship of Drs. J. Heniger who researched Lexmond records housed in the General State Archives, The Hague, the family background and many details of the early history of Cornelius Comegys are now known.

Documents from Maryland, New Amsterdam and Lex­mond discussed in reverse chronological order prove that Cornelius Comegys, the Maryland planter, was born in year 1630, the son of a prominent Lexmond villager identified sometimes as Cornells Comen Ghysen; at other times as Cornells Gijsberts. But as the documents are reviewed one must keep in mind old Dutch naming practice and remember that in the years before family names had become common that men often identified themselves in two ways. Sometimes they combined their Christian name with the genitive form of the father's name. On other occasions they added the father's occupation or some other special identifying descrip­tion.

An Act of the Maryland Assembly dated October 10, 1671 links the Maryland planter to Lexmond/ In that year, Cornelius Comegys "borne in Lexmond" and his wife "Mil-limente" (sic) of Barneveld received all the rights of "natureall borne people" in the province. Another link be­tween the Dutchman and Lexmond can be found in the marriage records of New Amsterdam's Dutch Reformed Church. March 29, 1658 Cornells Cornelissen of Lexmond in the land of Vianen married Williamentje Gysbert from Barneveld on the Veluwe." The similarities of names prove that Cornelius Comegys of Maryland was the Cornells Cor­nelissen of New Amsterdam. Finally, the Baptismal Record of Lexmond's Reformed Church notes October 10, 1630

NOTE: Spelling of names vanes widely in the English and Dutch sources cited. For instance "Comegys" is spelled at least four ways- A uniform system of spelling has been used within the text, but names within quotations or in the footnotes are cited as found in the original source.

hollowing Old Dutch naming practice Cornells, son of Cornells Comen Ghysen is identified in text as "Cornells Cornelissen" until alter his marriage on March 2l). 165X. After that he is identified as "Cornelius Comegys." the way he signed his name.

"Eastern Shore" is a name in popular use for those parts of the states of Virginia and Maryland that lie on the eastern side of Chesapeake Bay.

"See U.S. Department of the Interior. Geological Survey. Maryland Kent County, Langford Creek Quadrangle: Centreville Quadrangle. "Comegys Creek" is also shown on Maryland maps as "Back Creek".

'Nancy Molder Poeter. The Comegys Family. Descendants of Cornelius Comegys and Willimenlje Gysbert on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. 1630-1981. (Baltimore: IC>K1). pp. 6, 21. 26. 27.

William Hand Brown, et al.. ed.. Archives of Maryland, 72 vols. (Baltimore: 1883--) Vol. 2. pp. 331-332. Hereafter cited Md. Archives.

"Collections of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. Marriages from 1639 to 1801 in the Reformed Dutch Church. New York. (New York: 1890), Vol. 1. p. 22. Hereafter cited Marriages. Dutch Reformed Church. New York.

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the baptism of Cornells, the child of Cornells Comen Ghy­sen.6

Remembering seventeenth century naming practice and the easy spelling of those times three pertinent bits of infor­mation can be drawn from the Lexmond baptismal record. First, the child's first name, Cornells, when combined with the possessive form of the father's Christian name explains the Cornells Cornelissen used in the New Amsterdam mar­riage record. Second, it clarifies the origin of the family name Comegys. This patronymic is derived from two good Dutch words—comen, sometimes spelled coman, meaning according to use trader, merchant or peddler, and Ghysbartus (Gilbert) shortened to Ghys and spelled variously Gis or Gys. Obviously Comen Gys reduced easily to Comegys. Third, the father's name tells us something about the grand­father of the little Marylander to be. The grandfather's name was Gijsbert, however spelled, and if comen describes his occupation then he was a trader. Lexmond's records support this conclusion. There are indeed references to a certain Gijsbert Janz in 1610 and 1611, further identified as kre-mer—a synonym for comen.7

That the references in Lexmond's records to Cornells Comen Ghysen refer to the father of Cornelius Comegys, the Maryland planter, there can be no doubt. But in those years of the seventeenth century Lexmond's records fre­quently refer to a prominent villager. Cornells Gijsberts whose father's name, o\~ course, was Gijsbert. Could Cor­nells Gijsbert and Cornells Comen Ghysen be the same man?

Two more records must be considered: the first, taken from a copy of the original Baptismal Book of Lexmond's church and housed in the Lexmond City Hall is the baptismal record dated "In Maitio" (May 6, 1626) of Garrike, the daughter of Cornells Comen Ghijsen (sic).s The second taken from Lexmond's judicial records is the attestation of Cornells Gijsberts dated May 30, 1634 in which he refers to his deceased wife, Jannegen Jans, and names his five children including a youngest son, Cornells, and a daughter, Ger-richgen." Gerrichgen is the diminutive form of Garrike. The Garrike of Cornells Comen Ghijsen is the same young girl as Gerrichgen of Cornells Gijsberts. In a little village of only a few hundred people Cornells Gijsberts and Cornells Comen Ghijsen have too much in common for the similarities to be a coincidence. Both men had a father, Gijsbert: a sen, Cornells, and a daughter, Garrike or Gerrichgen. The two names refer to the same man and therefore to the father of the young Lexmonder who made his way in Maryland.

Lexmond. the home village of the Comegys, lay on the south bank o( the river Lek in a Hat flood-plain called the Betuwe. Perpetual strife between the Counts of Holland, the Bishops of Utrecht and the various rulers of the Holy Roman Empire colors the early history of the region around Lexmond as each of the medieval rulers sought political and economic control ol' the land. By the thirteenth century the Count of Holland claimed the area and had given it in fief to the powerful Bishop of Utrecht who in turn sub-infeudated to local noblemen."'

As early as 1 133 Lexmond existed as a small fortified place, but in that year it was burned down in one of the wars between the Count of Holland and the Bishop of Ut­recht. Thereafter it was a little unwalled village of a few hundred people with houses grouped around the church. In these same years, or a little later, there are references to settlement at Vianen. This more important town was founded

THE NETHERLANDS

WEST ERMANY

in 1335. It lay about three miles upstream near the castle of the local lord who sometime in the late 1200's acquired Lexmond. After 1415 and until 1684 the aristocratic Van Brederodes were lords of Vianen and therefore of little Lex­mond. A typical medieval contest went on in these years with the Van Brederodes denying their dependence on the Bishop and the Chamber of Vianen demanding special privileges from the Van Brederodes such as sanctuary, safe conduct and freedom from tolls.

In 1630 when Cornells was born Lexmond was part of Landen Van Vianen en Ameide, a tiny principality about 3000 acres in size. From their impressive town-castle, Bates-tein, in Vianen the Van Brederodes provided a leadership based on law and custom for the respectful inhabitants of Land of Vianen. In Lexmond political administration lay in the hands of a board of seven aldermen headed by a schout, an official who exercised administrative, judicial and police powers and whose closest English equivalent is mayor. All

5The original reference stales: "Den 10. Octob. (Ao. 1630) Cornells Comen Ghysen kint Cornells luer over slonl de vader Claes van Linge Jan de Rie". English translation by Drs. J. Heniger: 'On 10th October (1630) Cornells, a child of Cornells Comen Ghysen, was baptized in the presence of the lather. Claes van der Linge. anil .Ian de Rie'. Baptismal. Marriage ami Rnnal Register ol' Lexmond, inv. no. I. Baptismal Register 1622-1659. folio 9. (General State Archives, The Hague.) Hereafter cited Gen. St. Arch.

Judicial Archives of Lexmond. inv. no. 2. Register of Transfers, unpaged. (Gen. St. Arch.).

^Baptismal Register, Reformed Dutch Church. Lexmond. unpaged No. 7S (6 May. I62d) In Maitio. From a copy of the original retained m the Secretary's Office, village of Lexmond.

Judicial Archives of Lexmond. inv. no. 5. Register of Transfer:, 1630-1640. folio 98-99, May 30, 1634 (Gen. St. Arch.)

"'I'he information given by Drs. .1. Heniger concerning the historical background of Lexmond ami Vianen has been supplemented b) a wide variety of standard secondary sources written in English. Three encyclopedias were useful: ('lumbers Encyclopaedia (Pergamum Press. Oxford: 1966); Enciclopedia Universal lllustrada (Madrid: Rio Rojas, !l)2l>) and Grote Nederlandse Larousse Encyclopedic (Scheltens & (iiltay N.V., 'S Gravenhage, n.d.). Miss Marian Goslinga kindly translated die historical sections of D.E. Boas and Drs R. Kok. Bestemminsplan Cannon Vianen. no 1489, August 1970.

"vianen Land-plat by Jacob van Deventer in possession of author and illustrations in Abraham Rademaker. Kahinel van Nederlandschc en Ezichtcn. . (Win. Barents: Amsterdam. 1725).

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these officials received appointment from the lord. When the storm of the Protestant Reformation and the

famous Dutch revolt against Spanish Hapsburg autocracy swept across the Low Countries the rulers and people of Land of Vianen moved with the winds. Count Henry Van Brcderode (1531-1568), an experienced cavalryman, witty and of easy morals, was an important leader in the initial Dutch resistance. As a result Vianen, identified as one of the centers of conspiracy and insurgency, suffered occupa­tion by a Spanish regiment and supervision by a Spanish intendant for nine years until 1576. During the brutal cam­paigns ol' seige, marching, counter-marching and sea raids of the Eighty Years War (1568-1648) Land of Vianen coop­erated closely with other rebellious Dutch states but never formally joined the so-called Dutch Republic. Meanwhile the fires of Calvinism leaped from village to village, from city to city. Brcderode removed icons from Vianen churches in 1566 and presumably from Lexmond as well. Fifteen years later, and with the Spanish intruders gone, Calvinist doctrines officially supplanted ancient Catholic ceremony in the Lexmond church.

A rural routine of living, little changed from one year to another, continued during these times in the low lying land along the Lek. Land-plats of Vianen and vicinity plus seventeenth century sketches portray natural and man-made features of the terrain and well illustrate the pastoral life." Cattle and horses grazing, resting or standing at alert in the moist pasture land testify that cattle breeding was the chief occupation of these Dutch farmers and that the area drew praise for its splendid horses. Orchards with their regularly ranked trees reveal that the Betuwe soil raised good fruit. Orderly rows in narrow strips of land suggest cereal produc­tion and quite probably hemp for the rope walks ol' Vianen. Small garden plots where the peas, beans, cabbages and other vegetables for the seventeenth century table could be raised lie around the outskirts of Vianen and behind houses within the city.

In this scene of centuries old buildings and of orderly, cultivated fields that contrast so sharply with the tangled American wilderness Cornelis, later to be Cornelius Com-egys, and his family made their home. The father, Cornelis Comen Ghysen (Cornelis Gijsbert) was obviously a man much respected in the little unwalled village of Lexmond. At the baptism of the little Marylander to be Claes van der Linge, alderman between 1620-1628 and schout in 1631, stood sponsor.1' The father also held alderman's office at least four times between 1631-1654 and served six times as warden in the church where the pious and God-fearing families worshipped.

Young Cornelis was certainly a member of an extensive family although names are not always given in the documents and precise relationships cannot always be determined. Be­sides his father Cornelis and his mother Janegenn Jans, he had three brothers (Jan, Remmert and Gijsbert), a sister, Garrike and an uncle Heyndrick Gysberts Koos. The grave­stone of a child who may well have been a younger half-brother, Hermen Comelissen, who died August 21, 1640 the son of Cornelis Gysbertsen can be seen today in the Lexmond church. The mother died sometime before May 30, 1634 because on that date "Cornelis Gijsbert/., widower of Janegen Jans" promised that his children would receive their maternal inheritance and that "Cornelis Cornelisz" his fifth and youngest child would receive "the sum ol' three

hundred Carolus guilders as soon as he will attain his major­ity." According to common practice this would be when the four year old youngster had turned twenty-five in year 1655.

Some details of family life and business affairs can be found in the records. The brothers Cornelis Gijsberts and Heyndrick Gijsberts Koos lived in houses side by side in the northwestern part of Lexmond; in 1635 Jan, eldest son of Cornelis, occupied a third house. The record of five mortgages showed that each brother owned more than one property and were willing and able to borrow. It is also clear that they cooperated from time to time in business matters. In 1613 Cornelis Gijsberts described as a "skipper" purchased a fishing boat for 454 guilders. Nine years later in 1622 Heyndrick took it over and must have fished or shipped or both for many years because thirty years later in 1652 he was described as a "skipper." The brothers mortgaged their houses jointly in 1627 for 100 guilders—a debt liquidated twenty years later. In 1654 Heyndrick gave a bond of 37 guilders to his brother and on two other occa­sions mortgaged his house. Cornelis Gijsberts gave one other mortgage and his son Jan also mortgaged his house.

From father, uncle and older brother young Cornelis Comelissen had an opportunity to observe and learn from men willing to borrow, to exchange property, to fish, trans­port and trade along the river. Vianen's weekly market and three annual fairs where the people haggled and bantered with friends, neighbors and tradesmen also provided oppor­tunity for practical education. In addition Cornelis, like most Dutch children, received some formal schooling in his early years. At a later date he occasionally wrote letters, a skill that distinguished him from many of his Maryland neighbors who were unable to write their names and were obliged to sign documents by making their mark. Vianen along with Utrecht dominated this section of the Low Countries and Cornelis knew and admired both of them. Many years later in far off Maryland he named his two choicest tracts after these two cities.

Until Cornelis was eighteen years old the Dutch Revolt, now entwined with the wider Thirty Years War, dragged on. Land of Vianen escaped battles and campaigns during these years but the inhabitants were well situated to hear stories of disease, fire and death. At least seven cities within an eighty-five mile radius of Lexmond sustained seige be­tween 1632-1644."The lord. Johan Wolfert van Brcderode, commanded Dutch Republic artillery forces in 1636 and six years later served as field marshal and second in command of all forces. The more distant exploits of Dutch sea-raiders on the coast, shipping losses suffered at the hands of Dunkirk privateers, the naval victories of Admiral Tromp or fighting in Brazil also provided tales for a sea-faring people.

Strange as it may seem the war gave a mighty boost to Dutch maritime and financial enterprise. A Golden Age of economic expansion dawned as Dutch traders, especially those from Amsterdam and the northern cities, pushed their

"In addition to the references lo the baptisms of Cornelis and Garrike already cited the section concerning the family of Cornelis draws from the following references: Judicial Archives of Lexmond, Invoice No. 2. Register of Transfers, unpaged. Jan. 30, 1610; March 17. 1611; Feb. 14, 1623 with marginal note dated May 12, 1622; Invoice No. 3, Register of Transfers 1618-1628, unpaged. May IS. 1620; Oct. I1). 1626; Feb. I I. 1627; Invoice No. 5, Register of Transfers, folio 12. NX. 96, 98-99; May 30, 1634. 115 May 20. 1635. 116 May 28, 1635; Invoice No. 7. Register of Transfers, folio 46 May IK. 1652. 90, 107 May 17. 1654. 146. 176.

1 See David Maland, Europe at War 1600-1650 (Rowman and Liltleficld) Totowa, N.J.: 1980.

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low, fast frigates along the African coast, around the Cape of Good Hope, to the East Indies, westward to the Caribbean Islands, to North America or wherever these sharp-witted navigators hoped to turn a profit. Not all cities gained equally in this commercial explosion. While Amsterdam in the north became the most important commerical and banking center of Europe, Utrecht and Vianen like other southern cities remained relatively dormant. In consequence many of the "southerners" followed a classic pattern of migration and moved to where work could be found—northward to Amster­dam, to England, to France or to Dutch enterprises around the globe. News of New Netherland and of its chief trading center. New Amsterdam, circulated in the Land of Vianen as proved by the many people from Utrecht who settled in New Netherland.11 Against this mixed background of over­seas adventuring, general Dutch economic vitality along with local "southern" stagnation, Cornells came to manhood. For an ambitious younger son greater opportunities and perhaps adventure lay elsewhere. He left Lexmond.

By 1658 Cornelis was in New Amsterdam as can be conclusively proved by the record of his marriage to Will-imentje and four documents that give the name Cornelius Comegys and pertain to the purchase and subsequent mortgage of a farm on Manhattan Island. But a reference to Cornelis Cornelissen and another reference concerning the land which we know that Cornelis had acquired by 1658 show that he may have arrived in New Amsterdam by 1655 or earlier and may have received his inheritance of 300 guilders. March 8, 1655 a certain Cornelis Cornelissen and Tomas Lambaertsen disputed with a landlord concerning the terms of rent for a small house.15 June 7, 1655 Pieter Van de Linde, an old man, was called before the overseers of fencing "but sent another man who bought his land."" Since we know that Cornelis became the registered owner of the Van de Linde tract in 1658 it is quite reasonable that the other man here mentioned was Cornelis (Comegys) who had reached an agreement with Van de Linde but had not yet made full payment. Common sense (and Comegys' later career in Maryland proves that he possessed it in abundance) indicates that if he received 300 guilders of his inheritance he would apply it in different parts to the purchase of land, cattle or perhaps trade in furs or tobacco. Additional evi­dence that the Lexmonder had arrived prior to 1658 comes from the records of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1657 a Cornelis Cornellissen stood sponsor at the baptism of the child of Jan Gerritszen Van Boxtel.17

The New Amsterdam to which Cornelis came was a wretched little town of about 1000 inhabitants and some 120 brick and wood houses huddled at the lower tip of Manhattan Island. Pigs rooted in streets made nasty by offal and privies. Goats destroyed gardens laid out in Dutch style behind step-gabled houses. A polyglot population of sol­diers, traders, seamen. Company servants and settlers dic­kered in the streets and roistered in the seventeen taverns. Indian men and women, ever-ready for trade, moved within the town. But outside the town and in the nearby forest the European colonist dared not forget that renegade savages or hostile tribesmen threatened murder, capture or robbery. When Peter Stuyvesant, Governor of New Netherland, sailed in 1655 with seven ships and 600 soldiers against the Swedes on the Delaware River, about 1200 Mahicans, Pachemis and other aborigines rampaged through New Amsterdam and outlying farms, killing fifty persons and capturing ap­

proximately 100. Another outbreak occurred in 1658 and still another six years later.

But sporadic depredations halted neither the intruding Europeans nor Indian tribesmen from trading with each other. New Netherland's official seal showing a beaver en­circled by a string of wampum beads appropriately sym­bolizes the dominant interest of New Amsterdam's busy population. Despite some efforts by the directors of the West Indies Company to broaden commercial exchange and to encourage more farming, most immigrants traded all or part of the time. The documents are replete with references to the fur traders described as peddlers or occasionally as bosch lopers (wood runners) who swapped European made metal-ware and fabric for beaver and other pelts brought in by Iroquois middlemen and the nearby Algonquin tribesmen. Beaver and trade could never have been far from the minds of New Amsterdamers.

Certainly young Comegys plunged directly into the com­mercial hurly-burly of New Amsterdam. January 1 1, 1658 Comegys borrowed from Wilhelmus Beeckman in order to purchase the 59'/J acre tract of Pieter Van de Linde on Manhattan Island. As was true in all North American col­onies, little specie circulated and commercial transactions were commonly negotiated in tobacco, furs or some other commodity. Comegys received from Beeckman tobacco worth 650 guilders and promised to repay "on the arrival of the first ship next year". . ."with wares purchased in Holland."" The "last of May" he borrowed an additional 121 guilders from Jan Aarsen van Nieuhoff promising to repay in "good picked tobacco."1" June 12, 1658 Comegys recorded his deed to the Manhattan farm.'" By September 20 he had repaid Aarsen and on the day following gave security for the January contract by a mortgage covering land, dwelling and cattle/1 October 28 Beeckman petitioned the Burgomasters and received an order from them permit­ting him to lease land and house belonging to Comegys.::

In due time Beeckman became the owner.'1

"Oliver A. Kink. "The People of New Netherland: Notes on Non-English Immigration (d New York in the Seventeenth Century", New York Hisiorx. VOL 62. pp. 5-42: sec also Willi,mi Huffman Soles. Genealogical and Biographical Society of New York (New York. N.Y.). l5Michell Paulisscn vs. Tomas Lambaertsen and Cornells Cornelissen. March X. 1655. Minutes of the Burgomasters and Schepens of New Amsterdam from 1653 to 1674 in Berthold Fernow. ed.. Records of New Amsterdam (New York: IXl)7). Vol. I. p. 293. file ease was referred to two arbitrators

"'ibid.. June 7. 1655. Vol. 1. p. 320. n Marriages. Reformed Dutch Church. New York June 13. 1657. Vol I. p. 46 l8Sec vol. Burgomasters A Schepens. 1654 - 1660. No. 2. p. 68. (Cit) Clerk's office. Department of Financial Disclosure, Municipal Building, New York City. Stored in vault "Ancient Municipal Records".) Hereafter cited Burgomasters. Translated in Edmund B. O'Callaghan, Mortgages of Lots and Pieces of Land in the City of New

Amsterdam, 1654 - 1660. (New York: 1X60). pp. 109 - I 1 I. Hereafter eited O'Cal­

laghan. Mortgages of Lots. etc.

^Burgomasters, p. 66; O'Callaghan. Mortgages of Lots, etc., pp. 106 - 107.

2°Deed. Peter Win di Linde to Cornells Commegis. June 12. 1658, Calendar Histor­ical Manuscripts. English. 244. Cited in I. N. Phelps Stokes. Iconography oj Man­hattan Island, (reprint New York: 0)67). Vol. 6. p. 111. Hereafter eited Stokes. 21 Burgomasters, p. 66: O'Callaghan, Mortgages of Lots. etc. pp. 106-107. "Order. Permitting William Beeckman to lease house and land belonging to one Commegys. . .. Edmund B. O'Callaghan. Calendar of Dutch Historical Manuscripts in the Office of the Secretary of State. Albany. N.Y.. 1630 - 1664. (reprint. Ridgewood. N.J.: 1968), Vol. X. p. 1015. The Dutch original of this order was damaged by fire-in 0)1 I and is illegible.

"Petition of William Beeckman to Benjamin Fletcher, Governour lor Patent of Con­firmation, March 7. 1695. New York Colonial Mss.. Vol. 40: 7. (New York Stale Library. Albany. N.Y.); Patent. Benjamin Fletcher, Governour to William Beeckman. March 7. 1695. Cited in Stokes. Vol. 6. p. 1 14.

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The farm that Comegys purchased whether in 1655 or 1658 was three and one-half miles north of the houses of New Amsterdam near the periphery of untouched brush, trees and rocks that still covered most of Manhattan. It lay roughly between modern day 34th Street and 27th Street and stretched inland from the beach "till to the footpath in the woods" (near 3rd Avenue.):J Today the United Nations building lies one-half mile to the north and the lofty Empire State Building and Chrysler Building are within an easy walking distance of where Comegys and his bride started their home. However valuable the area is today, in 1658 it was a poor piece of farm land—marshy in spots, rock out-croppings elsewhere. What is more, 1658 was a bad year for business. The burgomasters and schepens speak of the "sober condition of trade," loans of long standing that have not been repaid."2'

Whether the terms of the contract with Beeckman were reasonable or no, Comegys could not repay the cost of the farm in one year's time. He failed to make payment and moved south to the tobacco producing colonies of Virginia and Maryland. He settled first in Virginia near Jamestown, but his experience here was also unsatisfactory. Years later he spoke disparagingly of Virginians/" Once again he moved with family, increased by Cornelius, his first child, and had arrived in Maryland by 1661. In the meantime, Beeckman had taken possession of the Manhattan farm. He obviously cared little for the Manhattan tract and no doubt hoped to use the courts of one or another of the two English colonies to the south to enforce payment of the debts in goods from Holland according to the January 1658 contract. He turned for help to Augustine Herrman, an influential New Amster­dam merchant, a skilled cartographer, and a man of affairs. Herrman, who was about to move to Maryland and had friends in both Virginia and Maryland, could not assist. At an uncertain date, probably the spring of 1661, he wrote to Beeckman:

"Nothing could he done about Cornelius Comegys this year. It will hove to he done next year."2'

July 30, 1661, Comegys, accompanied by Willimentje and little Cornelius, was admitted as a denizen of Maryland, a legal status that permitted him to acquire and to bequeath property."" Ten years later he and his family, now increased by a second son, William, and two daughters, Elizabeth and Hannah, received citizenship.1" Willimentje died some­time prior to 1679 and Comegys married two more times, first to an English woman named Mary who may have been the mother of his third son, Nathaniel. His third wile, the widow Rebecca Smith of Cecil County, brought to the mar­riage two tracts of land totaling 250 acres and bore him two sons, Edward and Ghysbert, and four daughters, Rebecca, Martha, Mary Ann, and Sarah.10

Comegys was thirty-one years old when he arrived in Maryland. In the next forty-seven years he acquired enough land to give a total of approximately 1500 acres to three of his children during his lifetime and to bequeath some 3340 acres plus £332.09.04 to his wife and children on his death. He served frequently as one of the appointed Gentlemen Justices or commissioners of Kent County after 1676 and in 1689 amidst the crisis of the Glorious Revolution, was appointed Captain of a militia company. He performed jury duty many times and from time to time served in other civil capacities. There can be no certain measure of social status

but the adage that the Atlantic crossing raised one's position seems to be confirmed by Comegys' story. In his last years the word gentleman frequently followed his name on public documents.

The province or palatinate of Maryland to which Com­egys had come was controlled by the Roman Catholic Calvert family, Lords Baltimore, who in an effort to protect their fellow religionists offered religious freedom to all Christians and had established no state church. From the now vanished settlement of St. Marys on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay these English aristocrats and their henchmen controlled the Provincial Council and appointed the leading officials of the province.

The Eastern Shore, at mid-seventeenth century, provides an example of American frontier conditions to be repeated many times in the future, and Cornelius was only the first of many Comegys who followed the frontier line westward converting wilderness to farms and towns. Europeans, perhaps 360," had just begun to penetrate the Chester River area where they inevitably displaced the Indians who farmed, fished and hunted along the streams. Maryland did not suffer a general Indian uprising as did Virginia in these years but this did not spare isolated settlers from occasional depreda­tion and murder by small wandering bands of aborigines.

The most serious threat to the incoming Whites in Kent County came from the little known Wicomisses, but in 1669 an expedition of perhaps 410 men mercilessly hunted them down and shipped the remnants to the Barbadoes. Except in 1676 when Marylanders marched against the Nanticokcs, the provincial government maintained a precarious peace. For most settlers Indians were a small hazard that did not

"Ground-brief. William Kieft to Peter Van der Linden (sic), August 2. 1640. Liber GO: 36 (Albany. N.Y.). Cited m Stokes, Vol. 6, p. 1 14. 25See references to September 1 I and September l(). 1658. Stokes, Vol. 6, p. 191.

" Bartlett, Burleigh .lames and James F. Jameson. eds.. Journal of Jasper Danckaerts, 1679 - 1680, (New York: 1913), p. 120. Hereafter eiled Danckaert's Journal

Letter. Augustine Herrman to William Beeckman. Papers Relating to the Dutch and Swedish Settlements. Pennsylvania Archives. Vol. 7. p. 6l)7. The standard account of llcrtman's life is Earl L. W. Heck. Augustine Herrman, (Englewood, Ohio: 1941). :sAW. Archives, Vol. 3, pp. 431 - 432. 19Ibid., Vol. 2. p. 331.

The foregoing statement concerning Comegys' second and third wives and his family is based on the following considerations. Danckaerts referred in 1679 to Comegys' English wife which indicates that Willimentje died sometime after 1671 when her name appeared on the document transferring title of The Reward from Comegys and Evetts to Hans Hanson and before 1679. In 1680 Comegys and Lvett sold a tract of land named New Forest to William Harres. Comegys' wife Mary is mentioned in this transaction and must be the English woman to whom Danckaerts referred. Confusion arises at this point because Comegys' eldest son Cornelius was also buying and selling in these years and his wife was also named Mary, but he consistently signed his name Cornelius Comegys. Jr., and cannot be the Cornelius Comegys of the New Forest transaction.

The information concerning Rebecca has been drawn from an indenture made in Cecil County. November 22. 1713. transferring title to two tracts of land. The Dividing and Rumford. Here reference is made to her first husband. Benjamin Smith, who died after October 26, 1687. Rebecca, therefore, cannot have been married to Comegys in 1679. Rebecca's third husband was "John Evans, Clothier". I am indebted to Marie Keith Williams for directing my attention to the Cecil County indenture.

The conclusions concerning the mothers of the children rest on information taken from Comegys' will. The children are listed according to the seniority of males and according to the seniority of Rebecca's daughters. (Willimentjc's daughters are not mentioned.) The will places the minor children under the "tuition" of their mother. The minor daughters are Rebecca, Marthy, Mary Ann. Sarah. The sons in order of seniority are: Cornelius. William, Nathaniel, Edward. Gysbartus. Edward is men­tioned as a minor and the son of Rebecca. Gysbcrt's name follows Edward and he is therefore Rebecca's youngest son. The mother of Nathaniel is in doubt, but he is certainly not the son of Rebecca and therefore his mother is cither Willimentje or Mary.

Arthur I-;. Ka rinen, "Maryland Population 1631 - 1730: Numerical and Distributional Aspects", Maryland Historical Magazine, Vol. 54, (1959), p. 381.

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deter settlement or planting.32

Kent County, far removed from the country gentleman's fox-hunting world that emerged one hundred years later, was at this early period an unkempt and primitive area of tall trees, shrubs and vines. European first-comers lived in wooden one-room houses, perhaps 500 square feet in size, that lay scattered along the creeks and rivers. Here and there a few acres lay bare where the first farmers or planters had occupied fields abandoned by the Indians or had painfully removed the trees and grubbed out the underbrush in order to cultivate the great cash crop, tobacco, a commodity that also served as the principal medium of exchange.

Land was abundant. Labor was dear in this new country a typical frontier condition that offered special opportunities for enterprising men. Planters sold their tobacco or purch­ased tools, cloth and other goods from skippers whose ships glided up the rivers to private landings or negotiated with merchants who had briefly rented houses for that purpose. Tobacco prices generally declined from 1661 to 1708,'1 but shrewd and forceful planters could profit from seasonal vari­ations or evade provincial dues and English trade regulations by reaching an agreement with one or another of the Scottish and Dutch traders who moved aggressively into Chesapeake waters. Land, the source of profits and the badge of status, was coveted above all else by these men who dreamed of living like English country gentlemen. From the Council they claimed the right to acreage according to provincial land policy and regularly bought and sold from each other, transactions made them more complex because land warrants granted by the Council, served, like tobacco, as a medium ol~ exchange.

When Comegys began his climb up the economic ladder he was neither one of the English aristocrats who received grants of 6,000 acres and more plus manorial privileges, reminiscent of an older feudal period, nor a penniless inden­tured servant forced to rely on his muscles for the clothes on his back. He fits nicely into a position midway between these two extremes. Comegys was, to use an old English phrase, a middling man.35

What were his assets in 1661? First. He came as a freeman and certainly with some

resources remaining from his earlier New Amsterdam or his Virginia experiences. He was thus spared the customary four years of indentured service required of the less fortunate

and was ready for immediate production of tobacco. Second. In contrast with most newcomers he came with

wife and son, a comfort, and when one remembers the multitudinous tasks of farming in a wilderness and the hand labor required for raising tobacco an economic asset."

Third. He was blessed with good health. At a time when forty-one percent of immigrant men were carried off by diseases such as malaria or other grim killers, the bloody flux (dysentery) and the fevers (typhoid), before they reached forty and seventy percent before their fiftieth birth­day, Comegys lived to be 78 years old.5" An able man he thus had a longer than average time to increase his holdings and to remain available for appointment to local government office.

Fourth. He was a person of considerable personal force possessed of at least the rudiments of an education, and he brought to the Eastern Shore a family tradition of buying and selling. For what was required to get ahead in seven­teenth century Maryland it was entirely appropriate that his name derived from an old Dutch word meaning trader.

On a modest middling scale Comegys moved ahead by the conventional means of advancement in the colonial Chesapeake world: acquisition of land, tobacco planting coupled with trading, political preferment and finally a for­tunate marriage that increased his resources, (to he con­tinued)

'Christian F. Feest. "Nanticoke and Neighboring Tribes". in William C. Sturtevant. ed.. Handbook of North American Indians. Vol. 15. pp. 240 - 242. See also Mil. Archives. Vol. 5. pp. II - 12: 21 - 23.

"Russell R. Menard, "Farm Prices of Maryland Tobacco. 1659 - 1710". Maryland I Magazine. Vol. 68 ( 1973), p. 85. By 1700 a plainer could expect a price

ove ami below a penin per pound.

The word "middling" implied more than economic position. It also suggests some refinement of manners.

"Tobacco seeds were germinated in a carefully prepared seed-bed and transplanted into hills. Thereafter production required much weeding. Lower leaves, the tops and suckers had lo be removed during growth. The final process included stripping the plants and hanging the leaves to dry. One man could tend about one acre. Estimates of production vary widel) from about 4.000 pounds per acre lo about 2.500 pounds.

Carville V. Earle, "Environment, Disease anil Mortality in Earlj Virginia", in Thad W. Tate and David I,. Ammerman, eds.. The Chesapeake in the Seventeenth Century. (Chapel Hill. N.C.: 1979), p. 99. Hereafter cited Tate and Ammerman. Lorena S. Walsh and Russel R. Menard. -Death m the Chesapeake: Two Lite Tables lor Men in Earl) Colonial Maryland". Maryland Historical Magazine. Vol. 69, (1974). pp. 214 - 217. yiMd. Archives. Vol. 44. pp. 95 - 96; Vol. 54. pp. 374 - 381.

Hist fluctuating sliehth

How Stuyvesant Sold A Ship In September 1647 Peter Stuyvesant, Director-General

of the New Netherland colony, sold the ship Swol for the account of the directors of the chartered Dutch West India Company chamber at Amsterdam to Steven Goodyear, de­puty governor of Roodeberch (the New Haven colony in Connecticut). By the terms of the sale, Stuyvesant was "bound only to furnish a sufficient crew to assist in conduct­ing the ship. . .by the inner way (up the East River and through Long Island Sound) to Roodberch." The sale price was "nine or seven thousand guilders" depending upon the number of guns furnished with the ship. Payment was to be made "one-fourth in good peas, one-fourth in good wheat and the remaining two-fourths in white strong seawan (wam­pum)."

Dutch Sleeping Quarters The homes of New Netherland settlers, according to one

source, usually contained one of two types of beds com­monly used. In some "belotes", closed-in bedsteads built into the house framework like a cupboard and having doors which were closed during daytime hours, could be found. Other homes had simple "slaap-bancks" or sleeping benches in a room on which were placed large feather-tick mattresses to provide for sleeping comfort.

( 1 1 )

The Genealogy of a Dutch Mead Family

by David M. Riker

There are numerous Mead families in America but only one whose progenitor was a Dutchman. That Dutchman, Pieter Jansen Meet, his wife Styntje Jacobs, two step­daughters, a son and daughter arrived in New Netherland in the Spring of 1663 aboard the ship "de Rooseboom" having departed from the Netherlands on 15 March 1663.' Pieter, who appears to have been in the service of the West India Company as a drummer soldier, was from Amcrsfoort in the province of Utrecht.

Pieter Meet had married Styntje on 25 August 1654 at the Dutch Reformed Church at Amcrsfoort.: She was prob­ably older than Pieter being the widow of Rutger Woutersen of Amcrsfoort whom she had married 25 May 1639 as spins­ter from Eemnes, a village in Utrecht near the Zuider Zee. By this previous marriage, Styntje had two daughters who grew to adulthood: Maria Rutgers, baptized 29 October 1643; and Weyntje Rutgers, baptized 25 September 1645; and a son Wouter Rutgers, born about 1648 who apparently died young. The two younger children who accompanied their parents on the voyage were Kniertje Pieterse and Jan Pieterse.

Our knowledge concerning the Netherlands origin of Pieter Jansen Meet was for many years based on a family tradition recorded one hundred and twenty-five years ago by the Rev. Garret C. Schenck, pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church at Pompton Plains, New Jersey.1 According to Schenck, "The tradition is that the Mead family is of English origin, and that the forefather in time of persecution fled from England to Holland. The first of the name that occurs in the records is that of Pieter Meet who with his son Jan Pieterse Meet emigrated from Amersfoort in the province of Utrecht to this countey". Family traditions are often unreliable but this one appears to have some truth. The records of Amersfoort were recently searched and reveal that a John Mead (spelled Jan Meet in Dutch), Englishman from Essex, soldier under Sir Vere, garrisoned in Amersfoort, and Cunertgen Lambertsen, spinster from Amersfoort, were married 25 September 1625. (English sol­diers under the command of Sir Horace Vere had been sent to the Netherlands by Queen Elizabeth to help the Dutch fight off the Spaniards.) Another Amersfoort church record reveals that a child named Pieter was baptized I March 1627 with the father listed as Jan, rider under Captain Hese. The fact that Pieter Jansen Meet's first daughter was named Kniertje, a form of the name Cunertgen, helps in the iden­tification of John Mead, English soldier, as the father of our emigrant Pieter Jansen Meet.

After arriving in New Amsterdam it must have become apparent to Pieter that he needed to use his hereditary sur­name to distinguish himself from the many Pieters using the Jansen patronymic. He swore allegiance to the English

David Riker is a member of the Society's Committee on Genealogy.

King in October of 1664 by signing his name as Pieter Meet. On 8 July 1667 he received a confirmatory patent for two lots in Brooklyn at the Ferry where he apparently made his residence as seventeen years later he sold these two lots with two houses to Jan Gerritse van Couwenhoven.4 The properties were too small to qualify as a farm. After leaving the military, presumably Pieter gave up drumming for some other occupation which apparently earned him a modest living.

Pieter Meet seldom appears in court records except once in 1675 when he was imprisoned for a short time for acquir­ing a second-hand iron stove and certain other moveables belonging to the Fort.' Pieter produced a certificate under the hand of two Dutch officers stating that they gave or sold the articles, but the court ruled that he should return the stove, set it up in the same place in working order and pay a fine of 40 guilders and costs. These items had been given away by the Dutch during the reoccupation in 1673 and the English, upon regaining the Fort, had advised all persons to return these items but Pieter had failed to comply.

Pieter Meet may have been forced into debt to pay the fine and costs resulting from the stove incident for soon afterwards he was forced to borrow 49.10 florins from the moneylender Asser Levy and a few years later he borrowed another 5 1 florins."

About the year 1680, Pieter managed to accumulate enough resources to purchase land from Albert Hendricksen in the neighboring community of Bushwyck and was listed there on assessment rolls in 1683. He was the drummer for Captain Jacob Leisler's troop of fifty militiamen who took over the Fort in 1689 supposedly in support of King William and Queen Mary.7 Pieter was included on the membership rolls of the New York Dutch Church in 1687 with the nota­tion that he was of Bushwyck. Another notation was later added that his membership had been transferred on 19 May 1694 to the Hackensack (New Jersey) Dutch church, al­though he may have been in the Hackensack area prior to 1694. His acceptance into the Hackensack church occurred 22 September 1694, although he signed a request by the congregations of Hackensack and Acquackanonk, dated 14 March 1693, that Gulliam Bertholf, their voorlezer, be or­dained and made Domine of the churches.

'l.isi of Passengers to New Netherland 1654 to 1664 Year Hook of the Holland Society of New York 1902.

Centraal Bureau Voor Gencalogie, Research in the records of Amersfoort, Province of Utrecht; Margaret A. Riggin. The Mead Family ofNorthern New Jersey, manuscript dated 1979 (hereafter called Mead Manuscript).

Garret C. Schenck, Early Settlements and Settlers of Pompton, Pequannock and Pompton Plains. Manuscript circa I860.

^Henry R. Stiles. History of The City of Brooklyn, Vol. I. pp. 80-81; T. G. Bergen. Early Settlers of Kings County. Long Island, pp. 202-203.

Kenneth Scott, ed.. New York Historical Manuscripts - Minutes of the Mayors Court of New York 1674-1675. 1983, p. 21.

'Harriet Stryker-Rodda, Asser Levy's Estate, The New York Genealogical and Biog­raphical Record, Vol. 102. pp. 132.244.

Kenneth Scott, Jacob Leisler's Fifty Militiamen, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. Vol. 94, p. 67.

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Pieter Jansen Meet's second marriage to Gerritje Man-deville, daughter of Giles Jansen de Mandeville and Elsje Hendricks, occurred about 1690 shortly before his move to the Hackensack area. Pieter and Gerritje had one child, Maria, born about 1691. Gerritje Mandeville was the widow of Wiert Epke Banta by whom she had four children: Wiert, Henricus, Elsje and Jacob. Pieter Meet died between 1696 and 24 July 1699, the date of Gerritje's third marriage to Increase Power, by whom she had five additional children: Tryntie, Sara, Jacob, David and Isaac.

The oldest of Pieter Meet's step-daughters, Maria Rut­gers, married first on 1 1 March 1666 (at New York), Joris Jansen Van Hoorn, the ancestor of a Van Horn family. Their children were: Rutger, Jan, Hillegond, Styntje, Aefje and Assuerus. Maria married second on 29 February 1692 (at New York), Jan Andrieszen, widower of Margaret Doorens. The other step-daughter, Weyntje Rutgers, married about 1668 Jan Wouterse van Bosch, the ancestor of a Johnson family. Their children were: Rutger, Benjamin, Jacob, Judith, Jan, Sara, Cornelis, Styntje and Antje.

Pieter Jansen Meet and his first wife Styntje had chil­dren:8

1. Kniertje Pieterse Meet, b. c. 1656 (at Amersfoort in the Netherlands); m. 5 July 1676 (at New York) Laurens Jeuriaenszen Haff, son of Jeuriaen Half from Augsburg, Germany and his wife Teuntje Straetman. Jeuriaen Haff had died in the military service in Brazil so Laurens and his mother had immigrated to New Netherland prior to 15 June 1657, the date his mother married at New Amsterdam, Gabriel Corbesye. The children of Laurens Haff, the ancestor of the Hoff family, and Kniertje Meet were: Pieter, Jeuriaen. Theunis, Styntje, Maria, Johannes, Jacobus, Theuntje, Margrietje, Sara and Laurens.

2. Giertruit Pieterse Meet, bp. 24 December 1657 (at Amersfoort in the Netherlands); died young.

+ 3. Jan Pieterse, hereafter called Mead, (see below) Pieter Jansen Meet and his second wife Gerritje had a

child: 4. Maria Pieterse Meet, b. c. 1691; m. 14 May 1709 (at

Hackensack) Pieter De Maree (Demarest), son of Jean Des Marest and Jacomima de Ruine. Their children were: Jacquemina, Maria, Leah, Pieter, Rachel, Trientje and Sara. Maria Meet died prior to 15 October 1722, the date Pieter married his second wife Maria Batton at Hackensack.

3. Jan Pieterse Mead, the only son of Pieter Jansen Meet, bp. 17 February 1660 (at Amersfoort in the Netherlands), came with his parents to New Netherland in 1663. A weaver by trade, Jan married 1 I May 1687 (at New York) Grietje, daughter of Giles Jansen de Mandeville and Elsje Hendricks. Initially he resided at Flatbush, Long Island where on 18 February 1689 he purchased from Adriaen Lambertse a lot next to Thcodorus Polhemus and Jan Harmense. On 25 February 1693, he conveyed to Rutgert Albertsen, one of the witnesses to the earlier deed, a house and lot in Flatbush on the east side of the highway and north of the land of Pieter Strycker. Perhaps this was the same lot he purchased in 1689.

Between the years 1695 and 1702. Jan Mead divided his time between his official residence in New York City and his homesteading activities in New Jersey. In the Spring of 1695, Jan was part of an association of eight men from

the New York City area who purchased from the Indians 7,000 acres of land on both sides of the Pompton River, the present boundary between Passaic and Morris Counties, New Jersey. This association comprised Captain Arent Schuyler, Major Anthony Brockholst, Samuel Bayard, Joris Ryerson, Jan Mead, Samuel Berry, David Mandeville and Hendrick Mandeville. Captain Arent Schuyler, a trader who was experienced in Indian affairs and had explored the area several years prior to the purchase, acted as agent in these transactions. A patent was issued by the East Jersey Prop­rietors on 1 1 November 1695 with the major financial con­tributors Bayard, Brockholst and Schuyler forming one party to the patent while the two Mandevilles, Mead, Ryerson and Berry made up the second party. The area east of the river was then divided into the Lower Pequannock Patent (2,750 acres), the Upper Pequannock Patent (1,260 acres), and the Pompton Patent (1,250), extending from the Passaic River in the south to Pompton (present Pompton Lakes, New Jersey) in the north. The Mandevilles, Mead, Ryerson and Berry as the second party realized a total of 2,000 acres located partly in the Lower Pequannock Patent and partly in the Pompton Patent, for which they paid 200 English pounds.''

Jan Mead's portion of the land was about 500 acres, two-thirds of which was in the Lower Pequannock Patent, where he and his sons eventually founded a settlement at Meads Basin, now known as Mountain View, New Jersey. The other third was five miles north near present-day Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. On 4 August 1710 Jan and three partners purchased 1000 acres west of the Pompton River in Morris County where some of his descendants later settled.

Jan Mead was received into the membership of the Hack­ensack Dutch Church on 8 April 1699, but did not settle permanently at Pequannock until 1702 or shortly thereafter. Early in 1701 he sold a house and lot in New York City bordering the Wall to the Dutch Reformed Church, allowing room for the churchyard to be enlarged and for construction of a new poorhouse.

Jan Pieterse Mead made his will 1 November 1709 but did not die until about 1714 although the date is uncertain because the will was not proven until 27 April 1745. His wife was still living in 1745 and qualified as sole executrix. Their children were: + 5. Peter Mead (sec below) + 6. John Mead (see below) + 7. Jacob Mead (see below)

8. Christina Mead, bp. 27 October 1695 (at New York); m. Elias Thomas, son of John Thomas and Feitje Vreeland.

9. Elsje Mead, bp. 12 August 1697 (at Hackensack); m. 18 December 1728 (at Acquackanonk) Joris Vre­eland, son of Michiel Vreeland and Marietje Joris Van Elsland.

10. Maria Mead, bp. 31 May 1700 (at New York); died young.

+ 11. Giles Mead (see below)

5. Peter Mead, bp. 20 October 1689 (at New York); in. c. 1730 Jannetje Cadmus, daughter of Thomas Thomasen

' Mead Manuscript.

"William E. Berce, Under The Sign of The Eagle, pp. 18-20

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Cadmus and Sara Van Deusen. She was the widow of Marten Bruyn by whom she had two children, Hendrick and Martha. They lived near present Mountain View, New Jersey, where Peter died in 1747, his will dated 22 June 1747 and proven several months later. In his will he left land in Morris County to his son John and step-son Hendrick Bruyn. Their children were:

12. Margaret Mead, bp. 23 April 1727 (at Hackensack); m. Conrad Beam, son of Anthony Beam and Mar­garet Lines.

13. Sara Mead, b. c. 1734; m. 31 March 1754 (at Acquac-kanonk) Abraham Beam, son of Anthony Beam and Margaret Lines.

14. Mary Mead, b. c. 1736. She was living in 1747 as she was named in her father's will.

+ 15. John P. Mead (see below) 6. John Mead, bp. 25 Mar. 1691 (at New York); m. Maria

Blanchard, daughter of John Blanchard and Susanna Rezeau. They lived at Pompton (Pompton Lakes, New Jersey) where John diedc. 1769, his will dated 12 August 1762 and proven 4 May 1769. Their children were: + 16. John Mead (see below) + 17. Peter Mead (see below) + 18. Jacob Mead (see below)

19. Isaac Mead, b. 13 September 1730, bp. 1 1 October 1730 (at Acquackanonk); m. Maria Waldron, daugh­ter of Benjamin Waldron and Mary Debevoise. Their children were: Maria and Margrita who m. John Gil­bert .

20. Giles Mead, b. c. 1732; m. 16 October 1783 (at Bergen) Elizabeth Van Sise. A Captain in the Amer­ican Army during the Revolution, Giles died prior to 12 February 1795 when letters of Administration were issued in Bergen County.

7. Jacob Mead, bp. 18 Jan. 1693 (at New York); m. 23 June 1738 at New York) Maria Maul (Moulyn), daughter of Johannes Maul and Anna Elizabeth Drischen of Driedorf, Germany. Jacob Mead lived near present Mountain View, New Jersey where he farmed and operated a distillery and tannery. He died between 1774 and 1781. Their children were:

21. Elizabeth Mead, bp. 16 June 1739 (at Pompton Plains); m. 23 March 1762 (at Pompton Lakes) Dirck Van Riper, son of Juriaen Van Riper and Aeltje Simonse Van Winkle. They lived at Preakness, which was then in Bergen County.

22. Margaret Mead, b. 9October 1740, bp. 19November 1740 (at Pompton Plains); m. 30 June 1764 Jacob Berry, son of Martin Berry and Maria Roome.

23. Maria Mead, bp. 9 January 1742 (at Pompton Plains); died young.

+ 24. John Mead (see below) 25. Maria Mead, bp. 16 Feb. 1746 at Pompton Plains);

m. prior to 1772 Jacob Van Ness, son of Hendrick Van Ness and Catherine Jacobus. After Maria's death, Jacob Van Ness m. Maritje Van Wagoner.

+ 26. Henry Mead (see below) 27. Christina Mead, bp. 11 September 1748; m. (1) 22

January 1769 Abraham Ackerman, son of Jacobus Ackerman and Dirckje Van Giesen. Christina m. (2) Benjamin Romeyn, son of Roelof Romeyn and Lydia Demarest.

11. Giles Mead, bp. 14 October 1702 (at New York); m. 3 February 1731 (at Acquackanonk) Jannetje Bruyn, prob. daughter of Johannes Bruyn and Rebecca Van den Boog. They lived at Two Bridges, near his brother Jacob. Their children were: + 28. John Mead (see below) + 29. Giles Mead (see below) 15. John P. Mead, bp. 17 May 1738 (at Pompton Plains); m. (1) c. 1771 Geertruy Jacobusse, daughter of Jacobus Jacobusse and Teytje Van Ness. After Geertruy's death in 1784, John m. (2) Sarah, surname unknown. They lived in Pequannock. Twp., Morris County, where John died 16 March 1827. Their children were:

30. Peter Mead, b. 7 January 1773; m. Rebecca Post. They lived in Newark, New Jersey where Peter died 22 January 1861.

31. Henry Mead, b. 19 Dec. 1775; m. 13 September 1798 (at Pompton Plains) Elizabeth Doremus, daugh­ter of Peter G. Doremus and Catrina Van Wagener. They lived at Pompton Plains where Henry died 26 August 1848. Their children were: Catherine, Eliza, John, Henry, Peter, Caroline and Ann.

32. Hester Mead, b. 26 October 1770; m. 15 May 1796 (at Pompton Plains) Goline Doremus, son of Thomas G. Doremus and Elizabeth Young. She died 28 June 1841.

33. James Mead, b. 2 January 1780; m. Bridget, surname unknown; died 5 September 1849.

34. John Mead, b. 30 December 1781; m. 4 July 1805 (at Pompton Plains) Anna Burnet. They lived at Newark where John died 22 February 1828.

35. Isaac Mead, b. 4 February 1786; m. Susan Courter, daughter of Peter Courter and Jannetje Jacobus. They lived south of Hook Mountain in Pequannock Twp., Morris County.

16. John Mead, b. 31 January 1724, bp. 8 March 1724 (at Hackensack); m. c 1752 Margaret Slote, daughter of Peter Slote and Marytje Leyne. They lived at Pompton Plains where John died 25 February 1809. Their children were:

36. Margaret Mead, b. 6 September 1753, bp. 7 October 1753 (at Pompton Plains); died 1837.

37. John Mead, b. 22 October 1755, bp. at Pompton Plains; m. c. 1778 Elizabeth Van Buren, daughter of Beekman Van Buren and Elizabeth Gilbert. They lived at Pompton Plains where John died 18 May 1833. Their children were: Elizabeth, John, Beek­man, Maria, William, Peter, Margaret, Catherine, Isaac and Rachel.

38. Peter Mead, b. 14 October 1757, bp. 12 November 1757 (at Pompton Plains); m. c. 1779 Mary Van Buren, daughter of Beekman Van Buren and Elizabeth Gilbert. They lived near Hook Mountain in Pequannock Twp., Morris County where Peter died c. 1831. Their children were: Elizabeth, John, Beekman, Isaac, Catherine, Peter, William and Anna.

39. Maria Mead, b. 30 December 1759, bp. 12 January 1760 (at Pompton Plains); m. Giles Van Ness, son of Simon H. Van Ness and Elizabeth Mandeville. After Maria died in 1779, Giles m. (2) Hester Van Ness.

40. Prob. Jacob Mead; m. Anna Slingerland, daughter

( 1 4 )

of Nicholas Slingerland and Catalyna Roome, died prior to 1789.

41. Isaac Mead; m. 1 December 1793 (at Pompton Plains) Elizabeth Mandeville, daughter of Henry Mandeville and Margaret Jones. He lived at Pompton Plains near the church where Isaac died c. 1841, his will dated 6 April 1840 and proven 13 November 1841. Their children were: Henry, Maria, Margaret and Sarah.

17. Peter Mead, b. c. 1726; m. 18 November 1753 (at Acquackanonk) Jane Van Winkle, daughter of Simeon Van Winkle and Pryntje Van Giesen. They lived at Pompton (Pompton Lakes, New Jersey) where he died c. 1791, his will dated 4 November 1790 and proven 27 February 1791. Their children were:

42. Maria Mead, b. 15 August 1754; m. Cornelius Erwin. 43. Pryntje Mead, b. 27 May 1756, bp. 27 June 1756

(at Pompton Plains) 44. John P. Mead, b. 3 August 1758; m. 17 March 1785

Rebecca Curtis. They lived at Pompton where John died 21 January 1823. Their children were: Peter, Rebecca, Maria and Nancy.

45. Nancy Mead; m. 27 May 1781 Peter Ward, died in 1806.

46. Simeon Mead, b. 6 January 1764, bp. 28 January 1764 (at Pompton Plains); m. a woman named Haulenbeck. Simeon died 25 October 1832. Their children were: Peter, Eva, Jane, Mary, Isaac, Si­meon, William and Elizabeth.

47. Rachel Mead, b. 17 June 1766; m. Jeremiah Van Riper.

48. Jacob Mead, b. c. 1770; m. 14 June 1791 (at Tappen, N.Y.) Margaret Post. Their children were: John, Elizabeth, Mary Ann, Nancy, Jane and Charlotte.

18. Jacob Mead, b. 11 May 1728, bp. 10 June 1728 (at Acquackanonk); m. (1) 14 March 1756 Maria Post, daughter of Peter Post and Catherine Beeckman, and widow of Peter Durie. After Maria died, Jacob m. (2) Anna, surname un­known. They lived in Pequannock Twp., Morris County where Jacob died c. 1791, his will dated 22 November 1790 and proven 7 February 1791. Their children were:

49. Peter J. Mead; m. 23 October 1780 Sara Sisco, daughter of Richard Sisco and Margaret Cachlin. They lived in Pequannock Twp. where Peter died 1825, his will dated 22 November 1825 and proven 6 December 1825. Their children were: Jacob, Richard, Mary Barend, Margaret, Jane, Garret, Sarah and Henry.

50. Garret Mead 51. John Mead

24. John Mead, b. 1743; m. 1 January 1770 Margaret De-Mott, daughter of Hendrick DeMott and Jannetje Van Wage-nen. They removed to Saratoga County, New York c. 1787. John died 13 March 1818. Their children were:

52. Jacob Mead, b. 8 May 1771; m. Mary, surname unknown. He died 20 August 1814.

53. Jane Mead, b. 25 August 1772, bp. 20 September 1772 (at Pompton Plains); m. 13 July 1791 Abraham Wilkinson.

54. Henry Mead, b. 13 December 1774, bp. 15 January 1775 (at Totowa, New Jersey) m. Elizabeth Winne. They lived at West Charlton, New York where Henry died 24 October 1864. Their children were: Margaret, John, Hannah and Henry.

55. John Mead, b. 5 March 1776, bp. 7 April 1776 (at Totowa); m. Mary Scram. John died 6 December 1863. Their children were: Margaret, Mary, James, Alida and William.

56. Mary Mead, b. 5 July 1779, bp. at Pompton Plains; m. William Scram.

57. Michael Mead, b. 19 March 1781, bp. 16 April 1781 (at Pompton Plains) m. 24 December 1809 Dolly Thompson. Michael died 5 November 1849. Their children were: John and George.

58. George Mead, b. 13 December 1782, bp. 19 January 1783 (at Totowa); m. 1770 Alida Conde, daughter of Adam Conde and Catalina Truax. George died in 1867. Their children were: Cornelius, Abraham, George, Eliza, Joel, Margaret, Adam and Catalina.

59. Isaac Mead, b. 5 May 1785; died November 1816 unmarried.

60. Ann Mead; m. Samuel Brunson. 26. Henry Mead, b. c. 1747; m. (1) 22 August 1771 Mary Kline. After Mary died on 9 August 1788, Henry m. (2) 7 February 1789 Mary Jacobus. They lived near Mountain View, New Jersey where Henry died 11 February 1814, his will dated 29 April 1813 and proven 22 March 1814. His children by first wife were:

61. Maria Mead, b. 29 June 1772, bp. at Pompton Plains; m. c. 1790 Garret Van Ness, son of Simon Van Ness and Catherine DeBow.

62. Christina Mead, b. 7 June 1774, bp. at Pompton Plains; m. 10 October 1792 (at Acquackanonk) Jacob Van Ness, son of Jacob Van Ness and Maria Mead. She died 8 September 1851.

63. Elizabeth Mead, b. 25 December 1775, bp. 28 Jan­uary 1776 (at Totowa); m. 4 August 1793 Richard Neafie, son of John Neafie and Helena Dey. She died 2 November 1865.

64. Rachel Mead, b. 16 June 1778, bp. at Pompton Plains; m. 14 April 1800 (at Acquackanonk) Gerreb-rand Van Houten, son of Cornelius Van Houten.

65. Margaret Mead, b. 13 December 1779, bp. at Pompton Plains; in. 2 March 1803 (at Pompton Plains) Samuel P. Bogert, son of Peter Bogert. She died 9 October 1843.

66. Jacob K. Mead, b. 25 April 1782, bp. at Pompton Plains; m. (1) 28 April 1803 Martha Dodd, daughter of Samuel Dodd and Sarah Baldwin. She died 21 May 1848. Jacob m. (2) 14 April 1839 Phoebe Dodd, daughter of Daniel Dodd and Esther Ward. Jacob removed to Bloomfield, New Jersey about 1814 where he died 21 May 1848. The children of Jacob by his first wife were: Louisa, Mary, Sarah, Augus­tus, Samuel, Caroline, Theodore and William.

67. Isaac H. Mead, b. 7 February 1784, bp. at Pompton Plains; m. Sophia Mercelis, daughter of Cornelius Mercelis and Maria Post. They lived on his father's place near Mountain View where Isaac died 23 Feb­ruary 1867. Their children were: Henry, Cornelius and Cadwallader.

68. Abraham Mead, b. 25 May 1786, bp. at Pompton Plains. He was living in 1813.

28. John Mead, b. 16 October 1731, bp. 14 November 1731 (at Acquackanonk); m. 17 January 1753 (at Second River) Mary Cadmus, daughter of Arien Cadmus and Elizabeth Bruyn. They lived at Gansegat (Fairfield, Essex

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County). Their children were: 69. Aaron Mead; m. Sarah Jacobus. They lived in

Newark, New Jersey. 70. John Mead, b. 1 November 1769; m. 14 January

1790 (at Caldwell, New Jersey) Sarah Dodd, daugh­ter of Caleb Dodd and Mary Harrison. They lived in West Caldwell. Their children were: Mary, Jane, Abigail, Anna, John, Allen, Aaron and Sarah.

71. Prob. Jane Mead, b. c. 1754; m. Ralph Jacobus. 72. Prob. Margaret Mead, b. c. 1756; ;m. Abraham

Steeger. 29. Giles Mead, b. 30 May 1745, bp. at Pompton Plains; m. Sarah Santford, daughter of Robert Santford and Catherine Pier. They lived at his father's place at Two Bridges. Giles died c. 1821, his will dated 9 June 1819 and

Here and There

Mark Lydecker and Carey Brauch were united in marriage on September 18th by the Rev. William J. F. Lydecker, uncle of the groom, in St. Luke's Chapel, Ringwood Manor State Park, New Jersey. Mr. Lydecker is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Leigh K. Lydecker, Jr., of Oakland, New Jersey while his bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Brauch of Wayne, New Jersey. In addition to Rev. Lydecker and the father of the groom, a third member of the Society, Leigh K. Lydecker, III, brother of the groom, acted as usher at the wedding.

Charles J. Voorhis, in partnership with Thomas W. Cramer, has formed an environmental planning firm of con­sultants. The new firm, Cramer, Voorhis & Associates, Inc., is headquartered in Miller Place, New York. Mr. Voo­rhis was formerly Director of Environmental Protection for the Town of Brookhaven, New York.

John H. Vanderveer and Mrs. Vanderveer announce the marriage of their daughter, Leslie Ann, to David Marshall Keneipp in the Community Church of East Williston, New York, on September 10, 1988. The bride, a graduate of Marietta (Ohio) College, is employed as a para-legal with the firm of Loeb & Loeb, Los Angeles, California. Her husband, a graduate of Southern Methodist University, re­ceived his law degree from Rutgers University and is Vice-President of Business Affairs for LBS Communications, Inc., also a Los Angeles firm. The couple are living in Los Angles following a honeymoon in France.

proven 30 July 1821. Their children were: 73. Catherine Mead, bp. 3 February 1770 (at Pompton

Plains); m. Abraham I. Van Duyne. 74. Jane Mead; m. 22 April 1798 (at Pompton Plains)

Henry Hopper, son of Jan Hopper and Feytje Doremus.

75. Mary Mead, bp. 7 January 1775 (at Pompton Plains); m. Peter Courter, son of John Courter.

76. William Mead, b. 8 March 1779, bp. 11 April 1779 (at Totowa); He may have moved with family to Cayuga County, New York prior to 1820.

77. Rachel Mead; m. a man named Thomas. 78. Sarah Mead, bp. 10 March 1786 (at Pompton Plains);

m. 20 November 1805 (at Pompton Plains) William Smith.

With Members

Michael Otto Springsteen, son of the Rev. Louis O. and Mrs. Springsteen, was married to Heidi Mannik, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eino Mannik of Park Ridge, New Jersey, in Trinity Reformed Church, Old Tappan, New Jersey, Sep­tember 30, 1988. The bridegroom's father, who is the So­ciety's Secretary and Associate Domine, performed the cere­mony. The decor of the church's interior was enhanced by a unique banner especially created by the mother of the groom. On it were superimposed symbols relating to the personal interests of both bride and groom together with a border of tulips for the groom's Dutch heritage, a thistle for his mother's Scottish background and a blue cornflower, the national flower of Estonia, representing the native land of the bride's parents. After a wedding trip on Block Island, Mr. and Mrs. Springsteen are living in Wyckoff, New Jer­sey.

The Board of Trustees and the Scholarship Committee of The Holland Society of New York proudly announce that member David William Voorhees, has received his doctoral degree from New York University, April 26, 1988.

Mr. Voorhees' dissertation, entitled "In Behalf of the true Protestants Religion;" The Glorious Revolution in New York has been placed in the Society library. The subject matter deals with the Leisler Rebellion.

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Society Activities

Texas Branch

The fourth annual meeting of the Texas Branch took place on Saturday, September 10th, 1988, at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Houston. The meeting coincided with the Netherlands Public Day Festival, an event sponsored by the Institute for International Education and the Netherlands Consulate. The Festival included exhibits of Dutch art, food, crafts, and folk dancing. The luncheon meeting thereby afforded the Holland Society members the opportunity to enjoy both events. In charge of the arrangements for the luncheon were Mr. & Mrs. David Terhune.

After a hearty repast, the members discussed the need for a branch treasury and voted to establish one. They ac­cepted by acclamation the offer of Mr. DeForest Voorhees to serve in that post and endorsed Mr. David Terhune's suggestion that Texas members be invited to contribute vol­untary local dues of from $5.00 to $10.00. They concluded by making plans to meet in Dallas in 1989 and accepted Mr. & Mrs. Robert Van Siclen's offer to be in charge of the arrangements for that meeting.

In attendance were Lt. Col. & Mrs. Charles Van Siclen, Jr., Mr. Charles Van Siclen, III, Mr. Gregg Van De Mark. Mr. & Mrs. David Terhune and Miss Kim Terhune, Mr. & Mrs. DeForest Voorhees, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Van Siclen, and the Rev. & Mrs. Robert Terhune.

Potomac Branch Open House

An informal, open house reception of the Potomac Branch took place September 25th from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the home of Branch President and Mrs. David A. Voorhees at Herndon. Virginia, in the metropolitan Washington. D.C. area.

Branch President Voorhees arranged the informal, get-together affair during which branch members and wives mingled in an atmosphere of good cheer and enjoyment. Although the weather proved to be cloudy and cool, Dutch warmth and the common bond of fellowship prevalent among descendants of New Netherlands settlers wherever they gather overcame the natural elements.

Those present, in addition to the host and his wife in­cluded: Trustee and Mrs. John H. Vanderveer, Mineola, New York, former branch president John D. Van Wagoner, Mclean, Virginia, Mr. and Mrs. E. Hawley Van Wyck, III. Vienna, Virginia, and former branch president George F. Bogardus and Mrs. Bogardus, Bethesda, Maryland.

Ackerman Clan Holds Annual Meeting

A book and a house highlighted the annual reunion of the "David Ackerman Descendants - 1662" on October 15th at the Pascack Reformed Church in Park Ridge, New Jersey. The book was the newly-published Volume II of The Acker­man Family, a genealogy covering the sixth and seventh generations of the David Ackerman descendants.

Sharing interest with the second volume of The Acker­

man Family was a visit to the Ackerman-Zabriskie-Von Steuben House in River Edge, New Jersey, owned by the State of New Jersey and furnished by the Bergen County Historical Society. Family members were greeted by Kevin Wright, the site interpreter, who recounted the history of the house and some of the stirring events that took place there during the years of the War for American Indepen­dence.

Nearly 100 Ackerman descendants, many from states other than New Jersey, attended the one-day affair. New officers were elected and old acquaintances renewed during the successful meeting.

Old Bergen Branch

At its second meeting of the year, Old Bergen, which holds two meetings each year, one in the spring for members and male guests and a second one in the fall to which wives and other guests are invited, failed to attract its usually high attendance. In all only twenty persons were present for the dinner meeting held at the King's Ransom restaurant in Waldwick, New Jersey.

Preceding the serving of a delicious roast beef dinner, the Associate Domine, Rev. Louis O. Springsteen, gave the blessing which was followed by traditional toasts to the Queen of The Netherlands and the President of the United States. Society President Arthur R. Smock, Jr. greeted the diners, noting his pleasure at being present and urging the branch to enlist new members.

The tables were decorated with appropriate seasonal "jack-be-littles" (miniature pumpkins) which had been pro­vided by the Branch President, Rev. William J.F. Lydecker. Additional favors of Dutch tulip bulbs were generously supplied to those present by Trustee and Mrs. John H. Van­derveer. Trustee Vanderveer is chairman of the Branches Committee of the Society.

The evening's program was an illustrated talk by Branch President Lydecker on the first trip made by members of The Holland Society to the Netherlands a century ago. Com­mentary on the slides showing members on the voyage over as well as on their tour of The Netherlands included impre­ssions noted by Charles E. Lydecker, paternal grandfather of the Branch President, one of those on the 1888 trip.

Among those present in addition to ones already named were Trustee and Mrs. Robert D. Nostrand, Mrs. Arthur R. Smock, Jr., Trustee and Mrs. Frederick W. Bogert, Branch Vice President Peter LaB. Hoagland and Branch Secretary and Mrs. J. Warren Terhune.

Dutchess Branch Meeting

The annual dinner meeting of the Dutchess County branch took place October 3rd at the Brass Anchor Restau­rant in Poughkeepsie, New York. In an appropriate setting on the east shore of the Hudson River, recalling the days when Dutch sloops plied the river carrying their cargoes between Fort Orange and New Amsterdam, forty members, wives and guests, including contingents from the Ulster and Old Bergen branches, enjoyed a social hour followed by a delicious dinner.

Following the blessing by Domine Howard G. Hageman, traditional toasts to the Queen of The Netherlands and to

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the President of the United States were offered by Trustee Clifford A. Crispell, Jr. A large Dutch West India Co. flag on the wall provided a fitting backdrop for the dinner meet­ing.

The first order of business after dinner was the election of branch officers. Branch President Kevin A. Denton was re-elected together with Walter J. Crispell, Vice President, and Alfred Hasbrouck, Secretary and Treasurer. President Denton, after reading a letter of greeting from Society Pres­ident Arthur R. Smock, Jr., regretting his inability to attend the affair, suggested ways in which the branch could become more active in recruiting new members and building greater recognition of the Society through various community ac­tivities.

A program was presented by the Rev. William J.F. Lydecker with slides and commentary on the first trip of The Holland Society back to The Netherlands in 1888. Com­mentary for the old photographs was provided by excerpts from the journal of his grandfather, the late Charles E. Lydecker.

Reproducing old photographs from his grandfather's album and glass negatives of the trip in the Society archives. Rev. Lydecker presented a graphic account of the highlights of the voyage across the Atlantic and scenes in the various cities visited by Society members a century ago.

Favors were provided for the ladies by Mrs. Kevin A. Denton in the form of dainty, fragrant flower arrangements while Trustee and Mrs. John H. Vanderveer graciously dis­tributed sets of Dutch tulip bulbs to everyone present.

Third Annual Trustees Meeting

At their October meeting in New York City's Union Club officers and trustees considered an agenda of both new and old business in addition to regular committee reports.

President Arthur R. Smock, Jr., noted that in attending the Virginia and Carolinas branch meeting at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he had been encouraged by the turnout of members in that branch area. He urged the officers and trustees to note the forthcoming branch meetings and whenever possible to attend these affairs. He also presented the names selected for the Nominating Committee to choose the 1989 slate of officers and trustees to be headed by Past President Kenneth Demarest as chairman. Others on the committee are John R. Voorhis, III, John H. Vanderveer, David A. Voorhees and William Alrich. In his Secretary's report which followed. Rev. Louis Springsteen stated that the current membership now totals 917, a gain of three over last year's October figure.

Burgher Guard Captain Stephen Wyckoff requested gui­dance from the trustees and officers in helping to direct the Guard's activities. Specifically he asked that a committee be appointed to assist in the planning and execution of future events. After some discussion it was agreed that a review of the organization and its activities would be in order but that the Guard should have a program of its own.

Reports were received and approved from the Banquet Committee, the Finance Committee, the Branches Commit­tee and the Library Committee. In the latter report, the librarian listed the addit ion of 27 titles added to the shelves including a three-volume genealogy of the Strycker Family in America and transcriptions of baptisms from five New

York State churches and the records of eleven others. Trustee Clifford Crispell, for the de Halve Maen Com­

mittee, suggested that an associate editor be appointed to assist with the publication of the Society's magazine. In order to meet the deadline for four issues, it is necessary to have the copy and artwork at the printer's on time, a factor which he felt was now becoming difficult. The major prob­lem, however, is the lack of qualified writers, editors and others versed in publishing among members living in the metropolitan area. The search for a qualified member willing to undertake the position should be continued, he suggested, a decision concurred in by the trustees.

A request on behalf of the Holland Society Singers for an enlarged, printed songbook for use at the Memorial Church Service and other regular functions of the Society was presented, together with estimated costs, to the trustees by the Rev. William J. F. Lydecker. The proposal was referred to the Executive Committee for further action.

During the dinner session the New Netherland Festival and the building of the replica of Hudson's Half Moon, now taking place at Albany, New York, was discussed. It was felt that more encouragement and financial support was needed by the project on the part of the Society. A proposal was made, informally, that the officers and trustees should lead the way in providing this support although on a personal basis.

The Committee on Genealogy submitted the following applicants for membership, all of whom were approved by the trustees:

John Stuart Banta Delray Beach, Florida

Robert G. Comegys Fresno, California

Frederick DeBow Fulkerson, IV Tulsa, Oklahoma

Stephen Boyd Snedeker Rancho La Costa, California

Frederick M. Van Etten Houston, Texas

Geoffrey Alan Peter Grossbeck South Hamilton, Massachusetts

John Lawrence Riker Rumson, New Jersey

John Hobart Van de Mark, Jr. Southampton, New York

Harry Cadwallader van Home Nelliston, New York

John Hardwick van Schaick Schenectady, New York

Dutch Trading Venture with New Plymouth

Just a year after he arrived in New Amsterdam, Isaac de Rasieres, the new secretary of the Dutch colony, made three voyages in March, August and October of 1627 to the Plymouth colony in New England. On these voyages, de Rasieres freighted the bark Nassau "with a few articles for traffic (in trade) and manned it with a retinue of soldiers and trumpeters conformable to the fashion of the day." The Nassau sailed to Manomet (modern Monument Beach) and sent a letter to Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth colony asking that the Dutch be received and welcomed at Plymouth. Bradford greeted the Dutch with courtesy but also with some trepidation about the possibility of Dutch designs on his colony, de Rasieres brought with him some examples of seawant or wampum, the first ever seen at Plymouth.

The advantages of trading, however, overcame the dis­trust of the Dutch by the English colonists at Plymouth. Evidence of active trading between the two colonies can be seen as late as twenty years later when Jonathan Brewster

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received a shipment of duffel cloth from Dutch trader Willem Turck of New Amsterdam for which Brewster pledged his bond "to pay and deliver 51 whole and one half beaver skins" to Turck "on the island of Manhattan."

Trustee Roosevelt is Speaker at Arbor Day Ceremony Honoring "Teddy Roosevelt"

Trustee Tweed Roosevelt, who is also a trustee of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, represented the latter or­ganization at the celebration of the Centennial of Arbor Day, April 29th in Albany, New York. The occasion was the planting of a tree on the grounds of the Executive Mansion in honor of former Governor Theodore Roosevelt, who later became the 26th President of the United States. At the tree planting ceremony, Mr. Roosevelt, a great grandson of the late New York State Governor and U.S. President, recalled in his remarks entitled "T. R., Trees and Children" that "two of Theodore Roosevelt's favorite values (were) conser­vation and children."

Citing two anecdotes, he noted in one of these that "while T. R. was President, he traveled to California and spent four days alone with the naturalist, John Muir, explor­ing the great redwood forests—no reporters, no advisors. no secret service, nobody. The experience had a deep and lasting effect on him."

In the other, he pointed out a side of T. R. "which is somewhat at odds with his aggressive image; an incident which occurred a few years after his Presidency. One day he picked up one of his infant grandchildren who had been sleeping peacefully in her crib. 'Now Theodore," said his wife, 'do you know what you have done? Now someone will have to hold that baby the rest of the afternoon.'

'All right,' said T. R., 'I'll hold her." And he did. . .for several hours."

As further evidence of his great grandfather's high regard for conserving natural resources. Trustee Roosevelt noted that "during his Presidency, T.R. doubled the number of

In Memoriam

Cornelius H. Garretson

Cornelius Holt Garretson, a life member of The Holland Society of New York since 1968, died at the age of 57 years on March 9, 1988 in Marietta, Georgia. A descendant of Jan Garritszen (van der Hoff) who arrived in New Amster­dam March 6, 1652 and settled on the South River (the Delaware) at New Amstel (Newcastle) April 16, 1657. Mr. Garretson was born March 8, 1930 in London. England, the son of Cornelius M. Garretson and Juanita Holt.

A graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy and Junior College and of the Mclntire School of Commerce of the University of Virginia, he served with the U.S. Army Special Forces in Korea. For his service there he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

Mr. Garretson was a business consultant and had previ-

National Parks. He created the concept of Bird Reserves and established 51 of them. He established more National Monuments than any other President in history. He designed dozens of Reclamation Projects and Game Reserves. And he set aside a total of 150 new National Forests. All told he placed under public protection 230 million acres." And, he added, "this whole effort began right here in Albany."

In concluding his remarks, Mr. Roosevelt suggested that those who are engaged in the conservation movement today might well use as their motto these words from T. R.'s 1907 Arbor Day message to the school children of the United States: "A people without children would face a hopeless future, a country without trees is almost as hopeless."

Virginia/Carolinas Branch Meets in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Nineteen members and guests gathered at the Chapel Hill Country Club on October 7th, 1988 to enjoy a bountiful buffet dinner hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Henry N. Staats. Member Staats is a former president of the Holland Society's Mid-West Branch. Those attending were greeted by Branch President Kendrick Van Pelt, who introduced President Ar­thur R. Smock, Jr. who had come to North Carolina for probably the first Holland Society function in the state.

For members Carl Fonda and Jerome De Graff, this was their first experience in attending a congenial Society gather­ing. The program was informal, and featured a brief talk by member Andrew Hendricks who brought those present up to date on the status of "The New Netherland Festival" scheduled for 1989. A great deal of interest was expressed in the concept of building a full sized replica of Henry Hudson's ship "de Halve Maen".

Those present not mentioned above included Mr. & Mrs. Erskine Van Houten, Mr. George B. Schoonmaker, Mr. & Mrs. Richard Boddie, Mr. & Mrs. John McLean, Mrs. Van Pelt, Mrs. Smock and her mother Mrs. Anita Ste. Marie, Mrs. Fonda, and Mrs. Hendricks.

ously lived in Roanoke, Virginia, where he was President of the Roanoke Rotary, a Paul Harris Fellow and team leader of a Rotary Group Exchange to Australia, as well as in Union, South Carolina. In the latter place he was manager of quality control for Union-Buffalo Mills, a division of United Mining and Manufacturing. In 1970 he served a term as a member of the Board of Directors of the Valley Forge Alumni Association.

After moving to Marietta, Georgia, in 1977, Mr. Garret­son continued his association with Rotary and also served on the Atlanta Area Council for the Boy Scouts of America. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Marietta.

He is survived by his wife, the former Anna L. Hughes, a son Cornelius H. Garretson, a life member of the Society, and a daughter, Katherine Ann Garretson, both of Marietta, Georgia. Services were held March 12, 1988 at the First United Methodist Church with interment in Kennesaw Memorial Park, Marietta, Georgia.

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C. Clayton Hoagland James A. Williamson, J r .

Charles Clayton Hoagland, a member of The Holland Society of New York since 1948 died August 7, 1988 at the age of 85 years in his home in Rutherford, New Jersey. Descended from Dirck Janszen Hoogland who came to New Amsterdam in 1657, he was born April 19, 1903 in Brook­lyn, New York, the son of George F. Hoagland and Grace F. Melody. He had been a resident of Rutherford for over 50 years.

A graduate of Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, he taught at New York University before becoming editorial director of a monthly publication of its Institute of Economic Affairs. Before retiring in 1973 Mr. Hoagland was the editor of the Biddle Survey and the Biddle Blueprint, trade publications of Biddle & Co., New York, New York. He also served on the staff of the Rutherford (N.J.) Adult School and was a member of the Rutherford Art Association and the Friends of the Rutherford Library. In 1947 his book The Pleasures of Sketching Outdoors was published and has remained in print ever since. He was also a valued, contributing member of the Society's Publications Committee for 36 years.

Mr. Hoagland's wife, the former Kathleen Dooher, pre­deceased him in 1984. He is survived by a daughter, Patricia Costello of Warwick, New York, and three grandchildren. Services were held August 10th at the Collins-Calhoun Fun­eral Home in Rutherford with interment in Hillside Cemet­ery, Lyndhurst, New Jersey.

William L. Knickerbocker

William Lane Knickerbocker, a member of The Holland Society of New York since 1963, died at the age of 84 on August 2, 1988 in York, Maine. A descendant of Harmen Janszen (Knickerbacker) who settled near Albany, New York, about 1674, he was born at Marshall, Michigan, on March 13, 1904 the son of Dwight W. Knickerbocker, and Sarah L. Lane.

A career officer in the United States Navy and 1927 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he held a number of important positions in the Naval Supply Corps serving at various bases and posts throughout World War II. His last command prior to his retirement included the supply depots in Brooklyn, New York and Bayonne, New Jersey in the New York metropolitan area. Attaining the rank of Rear Admiral, he was awarded the Legion of Merit with a gold star for his administrative abilities. After retire­ment Admiral Knickerbocker became the executive director of the United States Foreign Visitors Association.

He is survived by his wife, the former Virginia M. Dalton, a daughter Anne Michaud of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a step-daughter, Phyliss McTiernan of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and a granddaughter. A memorial service was held August 6th at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Chapel, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with interment to take place at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery.

James Abeel Williamson, Jr., a member of The Holland Society of New York since 1979 died in his 82nd year of age on May 26, 1988 in Nashua, New Hampshire. De­scended from Willem Williamszen who came to New Netherland in 1657, Mr. Williamson was born August 1, 1906 in Newark, New Jersey, the son of James A. William­son, a member of the Society, and Helen Van Wyck.

A graduate of Rutgers University in the class of 1929, he started a career in administrative management in Hudson, New York, with the Van Wyck Co., later becoming Secret­ary and Treasurer of Delamaters, Inc. His last position before retirement was business manager of the Public School system in Hudson.

Mr. Williamson was active in a number of civic and voluntary organizations. He was for thirty-one years a member of the Boy Scouts of America, one of the directors of the Hudson Boys Club and a member of the Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church in Hudson. A member of the Rotary Club for thirty-eight years, he was also a Paul Harris Fellow. In Nashua he was named Volun­teer of the Year by the American Red Cross chapter as well as serving on the Board of Directors.

His wife, the former Carol Olozaga, predeceased him. He is survived by a son, David A. Williamson of Raleigh, North Carolina and a daughter, Gail Williamson-Hawes of Milford, New Hampshire. A memorial service was held at the Smith & Heald Funeral Home in Milford, New Hamp­shire.

Eric F. Storm

Eric Foster Storm, a member of The Holland Society of New York since 1954 died at the age of 91 years January 4, 1988. Descended from Dirck Storm, Jr. who came to New Amsterdam in 1662, he was born February 7, 1896 in Meriden, Connecticut, the son of Frederick K. Storm and Elizabeth Steinholtz.

A career officer, Colonel Storm was a member of the Corps of Engineers, United States Army prior to his retire­ment from the service. He served in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II and was awarded the Legion of Honor. He had lived in Milford, Connecticut before re­moving to Fair Haven, Vermont, his last place of residence. On February 12, 1951 he was married to Ethel Gorton of Bridgeport, Connecticut at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

No further details have been available for this obituary.

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