Find-A-Grave Memorial #77382231
Material that was first published in the Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society By New Jersey Historical Society, Vol III, 1898-1900, pages 165-168.
Christiaen Barents, or Barentsen, a carpenter, came from Hoorn, in North Holland, with his wife. Jannetje Jans, and one child, it is supposed, in or perhaps previous to the year 1653. On August 3, of that year, he had a child, Cornells, baptized in the New York Dutch church. Another son, Jan, was baptized in the same church, March 18, 1657. Christaen Barentzen was admitted, April 17, 1657, to the Small Burgher right of New Amsterdam. He bought a plot of ground, February 17, 1654, on the west side of Broadway, opposite Wall street, to which he added another tract, July 30, 1657, by purchase from Lubbertus van Dincklage, having a frontage on Broadway of 12 rods 6 feet 7 inches, with a like width in the rear, and a depth of 8 rods 7 feet 7 inches on the north side, and 7 rods 7 feet 9 inches on the south side. These two tracts apparently comprised a goodly portion of the present Trinity church yard. Christiaen sold the premises, or a part thereof, Nov. 17, 1657, to Cornells Pluvier, for 1616 guilders 13 stivers in cash, and a mortgage for 1233 guilders 7 stivers, or about $1,140. The plot sold was thus described:
A house and lot on the west side of the broad highway, bounded east and north by said highway and the city wall; westerly by Dominie Drisius; and southerly by house and lot of Jacob Vis and the [West India] Company's garden. Width on east side 3 rods 4 feet 5 inches; depth north and south 7 rods 5 feet; on the west side 8 rods 6 feet, on which breadth the length on north side, which is the wall, is 8 rods 1 foot 7 inches; on the south side, 7 rods 7 feet 9 inches, being further wide in the rear, the west side, 8 rods 1 foot.
He bought another tract from Lubbertus van Dincklage, July 30, 1657, on the east side of Broadway, and on both sides of Wall street, having a frontage of 12 rods 6 feet 7 inches, and a depth of 8 rods 7 feet 7 inches on the north side, and 7 rods 7 feet 9 inches on the south side. To this was added a small tract by patent from the Director General and Council, August 1, 1657. He sold the combined plots, May 30, 1658, to Hendrick Hendricksen [Kip], tailor, for 600 guilders in cash, and a mortgage for 500 guilders, the deed describing them in these rather indefinite terms:
A house and lot in the Heere [wegh] by the land gate. Width on the west side, which is the Heere wejh, 3 rods 8 feet 4 inches, and on east side 1 rod 6 feet 4 inches; depth on north side, 11 rods 2 feet 8 inches, and on south side 11 rods 1 foot 9 inches. Being premises patented to said Barents, August, 1657.
Barents seems to have been drawn toward the South River (the Delaware), soon after coming to America, or perhaps he was employed by the authorities to go thither to follow his trade. When Director-General Petrus Stuyvesant sailed, September 5, 1655, from New Amsterdam with the expedition equipped for the purpose of conquering the Swedish settlements and forts on the Delaware, Barents was one of the artisans in the company. He must have returned very soon, for we find him appointed fire warden in New Amsterdam, January 18, 1656. His sales of land, November 17, 1657, and May 30, 1658, were probably with a view to settling permanently on the Delaware, whither he appears to have removed in the latter year, and presently we find him engaged in building a mill in the City of Amsterdam's unhappy Colony of Nieuw Amstel. Before he could complete the work he was seized with the fatal malady which swept like a besom of destruction through the settlement that summer, and from which he died July 26, 1658. Jacob Alrichs, Vice Director of the Colony, sent word of the death to the Orphan Masters at New Amsterdam, with an inventory of the estate, and the request that his widow might be assisted, this letter being laid before those officials August 28, 1658. The requisite "assistance," it will be observed, was promptly furnished by our friend Laurens Andriesen, who married the fair and not inconsolable young widow four months and a half after her sad bereavement. A petition presented by her to the Director-General and Council in relation to the estate of her deceased husband was by them referred to the Orphan Masters, the order bearing date the day of her marriage to Laurens. Was this merely a coincidence? The Orphan Masters thereupon, in behalf of the children, took these proceedings, December 18, 1658:
Before the Board appeared Burgomaster Olof Stevensen Cortlandt, who is informed by the Orphan masters of the inventory of the property of Cristiaen Barens, who died at the South River, and of the inventory of his propel ty here, made by the widow, wherein differences appearing, with which they do not know what to do, the widow of said Cristiaen Barens, called Jannetje Jans, is called and asked, whether the payment for the house near the Landgate had been received. She answers: Yes, by Hendrick van Dyck, who had power of attorney from her husband. Asked about the payment for the house where Hendrick Hendricksen, the tailor, lives, she says not to have received it, but it is still due and charged.
Jannetje Jans is ordered to send to the South River the last inventory, made here, as they have the case in hand. She says, she has asked the people on the South River to have the proceeds of the goods there forwarded to her, which was promised to her, if she can give bail or security. She is therefore advised to write to the South River that she will give security for the money, and offers as such a house.
It was nearly seven months later, or on July 8, 1659, that the matter again came up in the form of a letter from the New Amsterdam Orphanmasters to the authorities at South River:
At the request of Lauwerens Andriesen Van Buskirk a Draijer (that is a wood-turner by trade), who has married the widow of Christiaen Barens, deceased at the South River last year, we inform you herewith, that there are deposited in your Orphans' Court the goods, helonging to his children as paternal inheritance, while the children are here in this city, and we request, that following the usages of other places, said goods may be sent to the Orphans' Court here. You will find us in similar cases willing to reciprocate.
Another year and a half dragged slowly by, ere the desired accounting was received from the South River. That it was a disappointing one is clearly shown in the statement to the Orphanmasters, on January 30, 1660:
Lauwerens Andriezen appearing declares, not to have received more from the estate, left by Cristiaen Barens, deceased, his wife's former husband, than 574 fl. from Salomon Hanzen. He also says, that there are still outstanding at the South about 13 or 14 hundred florins, heavy money at the rate of 10 beads of wampum for one stuyver, and shows an account of the estate with what it owes and what is due to it. The Orphanmasters reply, that a copy of the account shall be made by Secretary Nevius and the original shall be returned to him: they further order him to bring to the next session the statement and inventory shown to the Director General and Council, with their marginal order thereon.
There is now an addendium article published in TAG V47, pages 173-175 that changes the European Origin of our immigrant Christian Barentsen Van Hooren as presented below.
European Origin of Christian Barents Van Horn
TAG V47, Pages 173-175
The present article serves as an addendium to Mr. George Olin Zabriskie's fine series, Christiaen Barentsen Van Horn and Some of His Earlier Descendants which began in TAG 43:193 and continued for six Whole Numbers. Mr. Zabriskie has now kindly contributed the results of some successful searching on his behalf of the Dutch expert of the Genealogical Society in Salt Lake City, Mr. Hendrick O. Slok, whose address is 233 East Capitol, Salt Lake City, Utah 84103.
Mr. Slok began with examination of the Reformed Dutch registers of Amsterdam and in particular the marriage intention registers 1645-1650. Almost at once he discovered the following under the date of 20 April 1647:
"Compareerden als voren, Christaen baerentsz. van Hoorn in [Oo]stland Huijs timmergesel out 22 Jaer geen ouders hebbende woon op de Lindegracht geasst met zijn swaeger Jan Janse & Jannetie Jans van Uijtrecht out 18 Jaer, woon bijde cathuijsters, geasst net mer moeder Neeltje Jans" [signed by marks M and X]
[Translation: "Appeared as before, Christiaen baerentsz from Hoorn in [Oo]stende House carpenter journeyman age 22 years having no parents residing on the Lindegracht assisted with his brother-in-law Jan Janse & Jannetje Jans, from Uitrecht age 18 years, residing at the cathuijsters, assisted with her mother Neeltje Jans (Film Call No. 113.204.)]
This most important record agrees entirely with our knowledge of Christiaen Baerentsen Van Horn in America: he was a house carpenter and his wife was named Jannetje Jans. The word "cathuijsters" is an allusion to a former Carthusian monastery that once stood in the northwestern part of Amstersdam where the Lindegracht is.
Mr. Slok then searched the baptismal registers of the same church for baptisms of their children but found none. Knowing that descendants of this couple were Lutherans, he searched the corresponding registers of the Lutheran church (Film 113.416), and again struck gold:
9 Mey 1649, Jannetie, Va. [father] Christiaen Barents; Test. Stijnte Jans.
14 Mey 1651, Barent, Va. Christiaen Barent; Test. Mactelt Engels
This gives us a new child, the only daughter, hitherto unsuspected because she doubtless died soon, but the baptism of Barent is precisely what we should expect since such a child was the eldest son of this couple in America and the date of baptism fits the age very nicely. Moreover, we may suggest that Stijntje Jans may have been a sister of Jannetje Jans. No other children were found, though Mr. Slok searched until 1660, but this was encouraging, since a baptism dated when the family was in America would have dashed our hopes.
Neither the Reformed not the Lutheran registers contain an entry of the actual marriage, and the names of Christiaen and his wife are likewise missing from the Lutheran membership records (Film 16149, pt. 9). A Stintje Jans, wife of Barent Barents, was listed on 23 March 1667l at an earlier date she was simply mentioned by name.
The Utrecht Reformed registers were searched for a Neeltje Jans married to a Jan, with perhaps two children, Jan and Jannetje, but the search of the baptismal register was negative. There was an index but it is useless since it was based on the father's family name or patronymic (Film 121, 754-5). The marriage registers for the period 1616-1630 contained the following (Film 121,783):
Jan Gosensz van Schaij & Neeltje Jans, 18 June 1617.
Johan Bastiaense & Neeltje Jans, 18 June 1623.
Jan van Monsiou & Neeltjen Jans, 30 May 1626.
Jan dela Moulje & Neeltgen Jans, 18 Nov. 1627.
One of these four couples may be the right one but so far as we can see, there is no evidence to the point to the true father of our Jannetje.
The results are very heartening. For the first time we now know that Jannetje Jans' mother was Neeltje Jans, and that she was born in Utrecht. Also we now know what has been long suspected, that the Hoorn from which our Christiaen came was not from the Hoorn in Holland but the one in East Friesland. We also get the important baptismal date for Barent Christiaensen Van Hoorn -- the fact that his mother was not identified in the record should give us no pause.
Moreover, all this information is germane not only to the members of the Christiaen Barents Van Hoorn family but also to all the Van Buskirks, since the second husband of Jannetje Jans was Lourens Andriesen, at times called Van Boschkerck, from which his four sons derived their surname. In conclusion I may be pardoned for calling attention to my own article in TAG, supra, 38: 65-69, in which I showed that Evjen's statement that Jannetje Jans was "daughter of the Norman" is in error, this clearing the stage for Mr. Slok's happy discoveries. -- G.E. McC.
