Barbara Breedlove Rollins' Family Files

THE DUTCH ANCESTORS, INCLUDING De JONGH, ROOSA, KUNST, CORNELIUS, SLECHT, AND BOZ

These are ancestors who preceded or were immigrants from Holland to New Amsterdam, many coming to the new world very early, around 1620. The line goes to our ANDERSON line through the PAWLING and BULL families.

I get confused about who these people are, perhaps because most of the women are named Jacomyntie, then men's names don't sound masculine to me, surnames hadn't fully come into use and varied from generation to generation, and either the men are obviously interrelated or there was an extreme dirth of names to give. Because I assume it's worse for the reader, I'm enclosing the following chart showing how each leads to Elizabeth PAWLING, wife of Richard BULL (I).

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A.)   The De JONGH Family of Holland.

The earliest known ancestor in this family is Adrian De JONGH who was born about 1500 in Holland. He was the father of another Adrian De JONGH, born about 1530, in Holland. He in turn was the father of Meerten Adrians De JONGH, born about 1560-70, in Gelderland, Holland. He was the father of Adrian Meertensen De JONGH, born about 1600, also in Gelderland. Adrian Meertensen De JONGH had two children of whom we are aware: a daughter whose name is variously spelled as Wintie, Weyntie, Wyntie, and Wilhelmina Aren or Ariense De JONGH, the wife of Alert Hymansen ROOSA, who is more fully described in the following section, and a son, Arien Ariensen De JONGH, burgomaster of Herwijnen, who held the power of attorney of his brother-in-law, Alert Hymansen ROOSA.

This brother of Wintie's was probably also the father of Dominus (Reverend) Martinus Adrianuse De JONGH, born in 1704, a grandson of Adrian Meertensen de JONGH. This man was a very noted Dutch Reformed minister and was the minister of the Dutch church in London for many years. The Rev. De JONGH and a son, grandson, and great-grandson of his were all great preachers in their day. The great grandson of Ds. Martinus Adrianuse De JONGH described the physical characteristics of his forefathers as of the large and well-built type, keen-minded men, of a zealous and crusading nature. Longevity was common among them, and they had a fiery delivery as ministers. Wintie's father died before June 29, 1664, in Holland.

The De JONGH family owned large fowler preserves in Hellouw (a mile or so from Herwijnen in the Province of Gelderland) in the seventeenth century.

Proof that this was the ancestry of Wintie follows:

• June 29, 1664. Arien Ariensen de JONGH (the brother of Wijuntje Ariens) conveyed land in Herwijnen to Peter Jans BEUSCHEM, by virtue of a power of attorney given him by Alert Hymensen ROOS (husband of Wijntje) on February 28, 1660, and the security given to bind the transaction was Alert Hermansen's interest in the estate of the late Arien Meertensen De JONGH, to assure the buyer that any taxes on the same back as far as 1626 would be paid. The estate mentioned was apparently that of the father of Wilhelmina De JONGH, wife of Alert Hymansen ROOSA, as he would have acted for her. This document also indicates that Arien Meertensen De JONGH was the owner of the land as early as 1626, and it reveals that the father of Arien Meertensen De JONGH was Meerten. [COMMENT-1]
• March 3, 1660. Alert Hymensen ROOSA, living in Herwijnen, conveyed half of a tract of land as yet undivided between the heirs of Govert Ariensen De JONGH, in Hellouw (a mile or so from Herwijnen), and again he pledged his interest in the estate of the late Arien Meertensen de JONGH as security for the fulfillment of the contract. It is further proof that the wife of Alert or Aldert Hymansen Roosa was the daughter of Arien Meertensen De JONGH.
• March 20, 1637. Jn Cornelliuse van MUNSTER conveyed land in Hellouw to Meerten Arien's DeJONGH, from which we may infer that Meerten De JONGH, of an earlier period in that locality, was the father of Arien Meertensen De JONGH, the father of Wilhelmina De JONGH. [COMMENT-2]

Although the name of this family of De JONGHs was sometimes spelled "de JONG" or "D'JONG", in the judicial archives italmost always spelled "De JONGH" and the signatures were invariably written "De JONGH." Dirk P. De YOUNG stated: "I have tried so far in vain to trace the origin of this De JONGH family back to the De JONGHE family of Ghent and Bruges, where their arms were registered as early as 1280, one of the patrician families of Flanders. It is my belief, however, that we do spring from that origin, where the letter 'h'. In Herwijnen, and elsewhere, these de JONGHs generally held official positions where they resided."

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B.)   The ROOSA Family of Holland and New Amsterdam.

Arie Heymans ROOSA was born in Holland and married there Maria PELLS. His children included Allert Heymans ROOSA. I presume that Arie Heymans ROOSA and his wife died in Holland. [COMMENT-3]

Allert Heymans ROOSA (also Albert or Aldert Hymansen ROOS and ROOSE and several other spelling variations of any of the three names) was born in 1621 in Holland, probably Herwynen, Gelderland, Holland, the son of Arie Heymans ROOSA and Maria PELLS ROOSA. He married Wintie/Weyntie/Wyntie Ariens De JONGH in Holland. She did not become known as Wintie ROOSA after marriage. Names were in a state of flux, and instead she was Wintie ALLERTS, meaning Wintie the wife of Allerts [Heymans ROOSA]. Allert Heymans ROOSA died at Kingston, Ulster County, New York in 1679. Wintie died after that date, probably also at Kingston, New York.

Allert Heymans ROOSA and wife and eight children came from Herwynen, Gelderland, Holland on the Bontekoe ("Spotted Cow") to New Netherlands in 1660. The passenger list is dated April 15, 1660. They settled at Hurley, Ulster County, New York, almost immediately, being there by September 12, 1660. He was not one of the first settlers in Ulster County as were your SLECHT ancestors described in section V.D. The first arrived between 1652 and 1655. Allert was, however, one of the first three schepens (roughly translated to mean members of judges council), appointed May 6, 1661. He was an overseer in 1669, was sergeant of the militia company in 1670 and a captain in 1673. His widow, Wyntie Ariense, received a grant of 320 acres in recognition of his public service.

When the town of Hurley was first being built, ROOSA was commissioned to go to New Amsterdam to obtain two hundred pounds of lead for the protection of the old and new settlements. On March 30, 1663, he was commissioned to lay out and fortify with palisades for the protection of the settlers against the savages. On April 7, 1663, he reported to the governor that the savages would not allow the building of the fortifications because the land was not included in the treaty of 1660 and that the purchase had not been paid for. His report reads, "praying that the gifts promised the savages be sent at once that your good and humble subjects may remain without fear and molestation from these barbarous people, for if rumors and warnings may be believed it would be too dangerous for your humble petitioners and faithful subjects to continue and advance their work otherwise."

Evidently the requested help was not delivered or sufficient, since this letter preceded the massacre of the village of Hurley on June 7, 1663, by the Indians, when two of the children of ROOSA with 43 others, women and children, were taken captive.

In September, 1665, soon after New Netherlands had become a Province of Great Britain, the English Governor, Richard NICOLLS, visited Kingston and placed Captain Daniel BRODHEAD in command. Captain BRODHEAD was tyrannical, as were the soldiers under his command, and the inhabitants rose in open hostility in 1667. In their petition to Governor NICOLLS, they set forth deeds of cruelty by the soldiers, including the following. This was during a period of time when the Dutch had not settled into the use of surnames, and they were sometimes used and sometimes not used. It seems that this man is called Allert Heymans much more often than he is called by his full name in the records.

1. CORNELIS BARENTSEN SLEGHT is beaten in his owne house by his Souldr. George PORTER, and after this by the other Souldrs. forced to prison, and was by some souldrs. at his imprisonment used very hard.

6. Albert Heymans ROOS, going with is plouw yron towards the Smits, was assalted by five souldrs. whoe wounded him very much, whereupon

7. The souldiers said the sd. Albert Heymans going wifhout any Reason brought him to Imprisonment was most griviously wounded by Richard HAMER.

14. CORNELIS BARENTSEN SLEGHT, being by Capt. BROADHEAD very ill Treated, in his owne house, was afterwards by the sd. Capt. forced to prison, and his armes by force taken out of his house, wch. still doe Remaine by the sd. Capt. BROADHEAD.

The commission appointed by the governor to look into the matter reported, "Albert Heymans and Anthony D. ELBA have spoken most malicious words, and I look upon them as great incendiaries and disaffected persons; if their words be proved they shall not be suffered to live in this government; if they have been actors in the late riot, pitch upon them two for ringleaders, and give order to inventory and secure their estates by the Schout and Commissaries." Albert Heymans ROOSA, one of his sons, Cornelis Barentsen SLECHT, and one other were found guilty and sentenced to be banished. All the sentences were later modified and they were allowed to return.

A description of the inventory of his own estate at that time follows:

Inventory taken of the property and effects of Allert Heymans ROOS in the presence of the hon. HEER William BEECKMAN, schout, Thomas CHAMBERS and Roelof SWARTWOUT, commissaries, in accordance with the order of the hon. Heeren Commissioners. Capt. Robert NYDHAM, Thomas DELAVAL and Cornelis Van RUYVEN, and the wife of Allert Heymans ROOS has shown: A farm with its growing crops, a dwelling and a barn, seven heads of horses - young and old, eight heads of cattle (cows) young and old, wagon and plow and other farming implements, and further the necessary furniture consisting of beds and pillows, dishes, kettles, and so on. This done at Wildwyck, this April 30/May 10, 1667.[COMMENT-4]

Allert ROOSA spoke Dutch, and was a very litigious person. He certainly didn't get along so well with the English soldiers that one would have expected his daughter to marry one of their officers, specifically Capt. Henry PAWLING described in Chapter IV. The court records are full of references to ROOSA - a few of the more colorful are set out here and in the passages quoted on the PAWLING page.

November, 1664: [What follows is the account of a confrontation between Dutch speaking colonists and English speaking soldiers.] Samuel OLIVIER, Joris PORTER, Eduard CHATTELTON, appearing before the hon. court, say that on last Thursday, being Nov. 3/13 (they being stationed on the redoubt as a guard), ALLERT HEYMANS came with his people for the purpose of taking a canoe from the shore which canoe they had been ordered to watch by the guard which they relieved. Ariaen HUYBERTSEN then came and took hold of the canoe for the purpose of shoving it in the water, whereupon Samuel OLIVER came with his gun for the purpose of preventing the same, and threatened to shoot said Ariaen HUYBERTSEN. Ariaen ALBERTSEN, in the meantime, took the small shot out of his gun, and reloaded it with ball, and ALLERT HEYMANS also challenged the guard to fight them, man against man, and even raised his axe and threatened the soldier Eduart CHATTELTON to hit him with the same, and make a complaint about the violence committed against them in their quality of guards at the redoubt by the aforementioned persons. ALLERT HEYMANS answers that he arrived on the bank with his people, for the purpose of launching their own canoe, and to use it for hunting, whereupon Samuel OLIVIER, coming from the redoubt, with his gun cocked, spoke to them. They not being able to understand him, Ariaen HUYBERTSEN, nevertheless, intended to float the canoe, whereupon Samuel pointed the gun at his chest, whereupon he, Ariaen, pushed the gun out of the way, and took hold of his arm, and, this happening, Eduard CHATTELTON approached Ariaen, aforementioned, with an oar and struck at him, whereupon Joris PORTER drew his swoard for the purpose of separating parties. Thereupon ALLERT HEYMANS called from the wagon "Keep quiet, I shall immediately come over to you to get the canoe afloat." When he came near the canoe, Eduard CHATTELTON also came with his gun, holding the thumb on the trigger and pointed to him to let the canoe alone. In the meantime, he [HEYMANS] took up the axe from the canoe and threatened him with the same, whereupon Eduard reversed his gun and threatened him with the butt end. In the meantime Ariaen ALLERTS, seeing this, also took hold of his gun and loaded it with ball. ALLERT HEYMANS further went with the others to the redoubt, and there they were better informed by each other. The English, then understanding them a little [and understanding] that it was their own canoe, thereupon gave them the oars, and allowed the canoe to follow, and even Eduard CHATTELTON himself assisted them in getting the canoe afloat. They also deny having challenged the English soldiers, and further deny having taken the small shot out of the gun, but [say] that they simply loaded it with ball, becaue it was unloaded.

December 9, 1664: Henderick ALBERTSEN, Plaintiff vs. ALLERT HEYMANS, Defendant. Plaintiff says that he contracted with defendant about threshing his grain, from doing which he has been prevented. Denied by defendant, having prevented plaintiff from threshing, but defendant says that plaintiff did not proceed fast enough with it. The hon. court, having heard parties, orders plaintiff to properly attend to the threshing, and to continue with the same, so that defendant may not have cause for complaint.

Extraordinary Session, May 27, 1665. In regard to the quarrel which broke out yesterday between Allert Heymans ROOSE and Daniel BOTTERWOUT, the soldier quartered with him, appeared Mr. BERRISFORT, who requests that the Heer [i.e., honorable] Officer shall deposit in the storehouse the gun which he [BERRISFORT] took last night from some free people who, though not being on guard, carried the same through the street.

It is proposed to the hon. court that said gun may be returned to said persons, out of consideration that in case of alarm on account of the savages or other cause, they may immediately be able to use their gun, and also because they have to mount guard, and further that owing to the dangerous times, they may be provided with a gun, when working on the land. And in consequence said persons were called and reprimanded for what had happened. They promised that it would not occur again, and the hon. court becomes surety for the gun of said persons, so that, at the order of the Gov. Genl. it will be surrendered.

The wife of ALLERT HEYMANS requests that Mr. BERRISFORT be pleased to relieve her of the people he brought into her house. To which Mr. BERRISFORT answers, saying, as soon as her husband ALLERT HEYMANS will again allow himself to be found at home, he will then relieve her of this trouble. And he intends to arrest her husband and to take him to the redoubt until the arrival of a yacht then to send him to the Manhatans to the Governor General, for the purposes of there answering any accusation which they, the soldiers, may make against him.

The hon. court proposes to adjust the affair between ALLERT HEYMANS and his soldier here before the court, as per instructions, and in the mean time, to keep him under arrest in his own house, with orders for him to keep silent and quiet until the arival of a vessel, then to go to the Manhatans to answer there, in case the difference cannot be adjusted here, and in case he does not keep still and quiet during his arrest, that he shall be handcuffed and sent to the redoubt.

Mr. BERRISFORT permits that ALLERT HEYMANS shall, during his arrest in his own house, keep still and quiet until the arrival of a vessel. The aforesaid wife, having been called in, was acquainted with the foregoing, and [advised] to see her husband in regard to the same.

___________. Willem BEECKMAN, Schout, Plaintiff vs. Allert Heymans ROOS, Defendant. Plaintiff says that defendant was negligent in cleaning his chimney and consequently on the 18th inst. said chimney took fire and as a result there was a crowd, owing to the fire. Therefore demands of defendant a fine of 100 gldrs. Defendant answers not to owe the fine, because the bell was not rung, nor the drum beaten in the place of the bell here, on account of the same. The hon. court sentences defendant to pay a fine of one Flemish pound because he did not keep his chimney clean, and on account of the same took fire.

March 9, 1668/9. Madeleena BLANSJAN, Plaintiff, vs. ALLERT HEYMANSEN, Defendant. Plaintiff demands of defendant a sum of 7 sch. of wheat for having instructed their daughter in knitting, and they made a verbal agreement that they were to pay as much as she was paid by others, and she has received the same amount of BOERTIS' daughter. Defendant says that plaintiff called on them, and asked them if she should teach their daughter to knit, for the amount of four sch. of wheat, and that she would have several more children. Their daughter after having been there some time, she let her go, because she had no more woollen yarn, but she was to come back as soon as she should again have woollen yarn. The hon. court orders that parties shall respectively prove their assertions.

April 27, 1669. Madalene BLANCHAN, Plaintiff vs. W. ALLERTS, Defendant. [Note: This is Wyntie, wife of Allert Heymans ROOSA] Plaintiff demands that defendant shall pay her 7 sch. of wheat, as much as she has received of others, and says that she is willing to instruct her daughter in knitting, if she will let her come. The hon. court orders W. ALLERTS to let her daughter come, or else to pay as much as any other.

After ROOSA was restored to favor by Governor Francis LOVELACE, in 1669 the governor appointed ROOSA an overseer for the new village of Hurley.

Aldert Heymans ROOSA was an Elder of the Dutch Church in Wiltwyck for many years; and because of the energy with which he sought with Dominie BLOM (Dominie means pastor) to conserve the estates of the deceased for the benefit of the poor of the village, he was called "the consistory" of the church. Some complainted to the Dutch governor STUYVESANT about the zeal with which he performed his duties.

The children of Allert Heymans ROOSA and wife Wintie De JONGH include the following:

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C.)   Jan Barentsen KUNST and wife Jacomyntie CORNELIUS.

Jan Barentsen (or Barrentsen) KUNST married Jacomyntie CORNELIUS on April 29, 1663, in Ulster County, New York. The presidential genealogies list her name as Jannetje (Adriaens) KUNST, daughter of Adriaen PIETCSZEN and wife Elsje BRESTEDE. With the crazy Dutch names, I decline to declare that one is in error; they may simply be stating wildly divergent spellings or emerging surnames. One of the daughters of Jan Barentsen KUNST and his wife married a ROOSEVELT; a son was the father-in-law of Henry PAWLING (II) and my ancestors through Elizabeth PAWLING, wife of Richard BULL (I) and then through the ANDERSON line.

The children of Jan Barentsen KUNST and wife Jacomyntie CORNELIUS include the following:

This man and his wife were the fifth great grandparents of Franklin Delano ROOSEVELT, the sixth great grandparents of Theodore ROOSEVELT, and the seventh great grandparents of Eleanor ROOSEVELT, whose maiden name was also ROOSEVELT. This makes FDR a 5th cousin of my great great grandfather Thomas Wilson ANDERSON, Jr., Theodore ROOSEVELT a 6th cousin of my grandfather Joe ANDERSON, and Eleanor ROOSEVELT an 7th cousin of my mother, Alma Ellen ANDERSON BREEDLOVE. I am a sixth cousin three times removed from FDR, a seventh cousin two times removed from Teddy, and an eighth cousin once removed from Eleanor.[COMMENT-6]

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D.)   Cornelius Barentsen KUNST and wife Jacomyntie SLEIGHT.

Cornelius Barentsen (or Barrentsen) KUNST, the son of Jan Barentsen KUNST and wife Jacomyntie CORNELIUS, married Jacomyntie KUNST as the first of her husbands. (Jacomyntie as a Dutch name was often anglicized as Jemimah.) Her parents were Cornelius Barentsen SLECHT and Tryntje Tyrse BOZ. Jacomyntie married first Cornelius Barentsen KUNST and with him had the child Jacomyntie KUNST PAWLING who, as the wife of Henry PAWLING (II) is described in the chapter on PAWLINGS, Chapter IV. She married second Gerrit FOECKEN and with him was the mother of Tryntje FOECKEN Du BOIS, wife of Soloman De BOIS of New Paltz. Her next two children may have been by this husband. She married third Jan ELTINGE or ELTEN, and he was the father of her last five children, beginning with her fifth child, Roelif ELTINGE, born in 1678 who settled in New Paltz and married Sarah Du BOIS. Her sixth child was Cornelius ELTINGE, born in 1681, who settled in Marbletown and married Rebecca Van MAETEREN. Her seventh child was William ELTINGE who settled in Kingston and married Janetje LESIER. Her eighth child was Grietje ELTINGE HALL, wife of Thomas HALL of Somerset County, New Jersey. Her youngest child was Aaltje ELTINGE GERRITSE, who married Aart GERRITSE of Kingston.

About the year Jacomyntie SLEIGHT KUNST FOECKEN ELTINGE married her third husband, he signed the treaty made by the Paltz Hugenots and the Indians, in the spring of 1677, as one of the witnesses. On June 8, 1686, he and Gerrit AERTSON and Arien ROOSA bought a lot of land at Rhinebeck, "Right over against the Rondout Creek" by a small creek called Quaanasosa. The price paid for the land was six suits of strremuater (a kind of coarse cloth), six duffels, four blankets, five kettles, four guns, five hoes, five axes, ten cases of powder, ten bars of lead, eight sheets, eight pairs of stockings, forth fathoms wampum, two drawing knives, two adzes, ten knives, half an anker of rum (anker is ten gallons) and one frying pan. [COMMENT-7]

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E.)   Cornelius Barentsen SLECHT and wife Tryntje Tyrse BOZ.

Cornelius Barentsen SLECHT was probably born at Woerdon, Holland. He married first Tryntje Tyrse BOZ or BOS, and they had four children before coming to America in 1652. He married second Elsje JANS, widow of Hendrich Jochemsen SCHOONMAKER, September 26, 1684, in Kingston, Ulster County, New York.

Cornelius Barentse SLECHT, founder in America of the family variously known as SLEGHT, SLEIGHT, SLAGHT, and SLACK, came from Woerdon, Holland with his wife and at least four children on or about the year 1652. He settled at Kingston, N.Y. where he is accounted as one of the founders of the city and the builder of its stockade, the outline of which may still be traced. He was appointed to the Board of Schepens as a representative by Gov. STUYVESANT. Some state that Cornelius was a brother-in-law to Peter STUYVESANT, but evidence for this seems debatable. The names of Cornelius and Tryntje SLECHT, with about a dozen others, appear on a marble plaque in the vestibule of the Old Dutch Church in Kingston as the list of first communicants there. On February 16, 1666, he took up arms against the English in revolt against their authority and was brutally and severely beaten by a small detachment of British soldiers. He was banished for three years. Where he went is not clear, although he seems to have gone of Flushing, N.Y. At least, in 1669, he purchased property and 3 years later sold it. The last major account of his life is an extensive and detailed document in the County clerk's office in Kingston which concerns the projected marriage of Cornelius, his first wife having died, and Elsje JANS who was the widow of Hendrrick Jochemsen SCHOONMAKER. Presumably, Cornelius SLECHT and his first wife, Tryntje Tysse BOS, were buried in the churchyard of the Old Dutch Church at Kingston, but there is no record to substantiate this.

See the earlier section on Albert Heymans ROOSA for a fuller account of the revolt and a quotation of the language of the Dutch settlers in complaining of the English soldiers.

Tryntje served as a mid-wife in the community of Esopus (later Kingston). She died before September 26, 1684, probably in Kingston, Ulster County, New York.

Children of the couple include the following:

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