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Our Dutch Ancestors
Van der Grift, Van Zandt, Van Horn
and
The Lee (Lea) Family
of
North Carolina and Virginia
by
Ralph H. Dean
1637 Truckee Way
Woodland, California 95695
(Published privately August 1978)
Page(s) 8-11
THE VAN DER GRIFT FAMILY
The progenitor of the Van der Grift family in America was Jacob Leendersten Van der Grift who, with his brother Paulas Lenertsen Van der Grift, came from Amsterdam, New Netherlands, now New York City, N.Y. Both were in the employ of the West India Company. Paulas was skipper of the ship "Neptune" in 1645, and of the "Great Gerrit" in 1644, was Council Member 1647-48. Burgomaster 1657-58, and again 1661-64. Orphan Master 1656-60 and member of Convention 1653 and 1663.
I.
1. Jacob Leenderstein Van der Grift, "Bottler, of New Amsterdam, in the service of
the West India Co." on 11 Sep 1648 granted a power of attorney to Martin Martense
Schoenmaker of Amsterdam, Holland. "To collect from the West India Co. such amounts
of money he, (Van der Grift), had earned at Curacao on the ship Swol. Employed by that
company to ply between the island of Curacao and New Netherland." The early records
of New Amsterdam give a considerable account of the ship "Swol". It carried 22
guns and 76 men. In 1644 it was ordered to New Amsterdam to be sold.
Jacob Van der Grift married 19 Jul 1648 Rebecca, daughter of Frederick Lubbersten, at New Amsterdam. On 7 Mar 1652 Jacob sold, as attorney for his father-in-law, fifty morgens and fifty-two rods of land on East River. On 19 Feb 1657 Jacob Lendersten Van die Grift was commissioned by the Burgomasters and Schepens of New Amsterdam as a Measurer of grain. In 1656 he was a resident of Bergen N.J. where he subscribed to the salary of a Minister. On 9 Apr 1664 he and wife, Rebecca, were accepted as members of the church at Breuklen, upon letters from Middlewort.
Their residence on the west side of the river was of short duration for on 29 May 1664, then living under the jurisdiction of the village of Brueklen, Long Island, he applied to Council for "Letters of Cession with commitunis to the Court to relieve him from his creditors on his turning over his property in their behalf, he being burdened with a large family and on account of misfortune befallen some years ago and not having been able to forge ahead notwithstanding all efforts and means tried by him to that end." There are records of a number of suits, prior to the above, in which he appeared either as plaintiff or defendant.
In 1665 Jacob was living on the Strand of North River, New Amsterdam, where he was assessed toward paying the expenses of quartering 100 English soldiers on the Dutch burghers. On 3 Oct 1667 he received a patent from Gov. Nicolls for land on Manhatten Island, on the north side of Great Creek, which he sold in 1668 to Isaac Bedloe. Jacob then moved to Noordwyck, on the North River where he purchased, in 1661, the land of his brother, Paulas, who had returned to Holland. In 1686 Jacob lived in New Town, Long Island, where he probably died. His widow, Rebecca, moved with the children to Bensalem Township, Bucks Co. Pa. circa 1697 and was living there in 1710. Jacob and Rebecca Van der Grift had eight children, all baptized at the Dutch Reformed Church at New Amsterdam. Note: Over the years the name began to be spelled "Vandegrift."
1. Martjie Van der Grift, bp. 29 Aug 1649, m. 11 Mar 1666 Cornelius Corson, son of Cornelius Piterse and Trentjie (Hendricks) Vroom, bp. 23 Apr 1645 at New Amsterdam.
2. Christina Van der Grift, bp. 26 Feb 1651 m. (1) a widower by whom she had two sons. She m. (2) 14 Apr 1681 Daniel Veenvous from Beuren in Gelderland by whom she had five children: (1) Wilhelmina, (2) Rebecca, (3) Constantina, and two others also named Rebecca, who died in infancy.
3. Anna Van der Grift, bp. 16 Mar 1653 m. 29 Sep 1674 Jacob Classen, son of Nicholas and Elizabeth Groesbeck. They had five children: (1) Rebecca, bp. 23 Jun 1676, (2) Elizabeth, bp. 4 Sep 1677, (3) Leah, bp. 11 Feb 1680, m. 17 Dec 1702 Johannes Van Zandt (for more see the Van Zandt Family account), (4) Rachel Groesbeck, bp. 2 Nov 1682, m. 8 Nov. 1704 James Biddle, (5) Johanna, bp. 9 Aug 1685.
4. Leendert (Leonard) Van der Grift, bp. 19 Dec 1655 d. 1725 Bucks Co., Pa., m. (1) 20 Nov 1678 Styntjie Ellsworth. Leonard purchased 241 acres of land in Bensalem Township in 1697 and later bought 74 more acres. He was an elder in the Bensalem Church and was commissioned Justice of the Peace 3 Dec 1715. He died circa 1724-25, as his estate as administered 18 Feb 1725. Styntjie died prior to 6 Oct 1721, as on that date Leonard m. (2) in the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, Christina Garretsen. Leonard and Styntjie (Ellsworth) Van der Grift had seven children:
1. Jacob Van der Grift, bp. 20 Sep 1679 d. Newcastle, Del. His will, dated 12 Apr 1750 and proved 16 Jan 1754, named wife, Sarah, and five children. The children:
(1) Leonard, bp. 29 Sep 1718, (2) Jacob, (3) Christina, (4) Ann, (5) Elizabeth.2. Christoffel Van der Grift, bp. Aug 1681 d. before 1743 New Castle Co., Del., m. 7 Apr 1704 Sarah Druitt. They had one son, Leonard, bp. 2 Jan 1709 who married Marya, daughter of Lewis Jeton.
3. Rebecca Van der Grift, bp. 15 Dec 1683, m. 8 Sep 1804 Albert Van Zandt (for more on this family see the Van Zandt Family account.)
4. Abraham, son of Leonard and Styntjie (Ellsworth) Van der Grift, bp. 4 Jul 1686 m. 17 Oct 1716 Martjie Van Zandt, at the Abington Presb. Church, Montgomery Co., Pa. His will was probated 13 Mar 1748. They had six children:
(1) Leonard, (2) Garret, (3) Abraham, Jr., (4) Christina, who married Yost Miller, Salem Co., N.J., (5) Mary, m. Matthew Corbet, and Jemima, m. George Taylor, Chesterfield, N.J.5. Annaken Van der Grift, bp. 7 Apr 1689. Records of her marriage are contradictory so are not recorded herein.
6. Elizabeth Van der Grift, bp. 8 Oct 1691 at Brooklyn, N.Y., m. 23 May 1710 Francis Kroesen.
7. Annetjie Van der Grift, bp. 12 Jun 1695 m. 27 Oct 1715 Cornelius King. Their children:
(1) Cornelius King, Jr., (2) Catharine King, (3) Christina, wife of William Williams.All of the above children of Leonard and Styntjie (Ellsworth) Van der Grift moved to New Castle Co., Del. prior to the death of their father, except Abraham, to whom they conveyed their part of the estate in 1748 and Abraham conveyed the same to his son Abraham, Jr., in 1761.
II
5. Nicholas, son of Jacob and Rebecca (Lubbersten) Van der Grift, bp. 5 May 1658 at
New Utrecht, Long Island, m. 24 Aug 1684 Barentjie Verkirk at New Utrecht, L.I., daughter
of John Verkirk. They settled in New Utrecht where he took the oath of allegiance to King
James II in 1687 and purchased land in 1691.
Nicholas moved to Bucks Co., Pa., with his father and in-laws
in 1697, where he purchased 214 acres in Bensalem Township. The Dutch Reformed Church of
New York recorded the baptism of their three children. Nicholas moved to Sussex Co.,
Delaware, conveying his Bucks Co. land in 1713 to Jacob Kollock whose widow, Mary, in 1722
conveyed the land to Folkert Vandergrift.
The three children of Nicholas and Barentjie Van der Grift:
III
1. Rebecca Van der Grift, bp. 26 Jul 1685, m. 7 Nov 1787 Jacobus, son of Garret Stoffles and Lysbeth (Gerrets) Van Zandt. (For more on this family see � II-7 Van Zandt Family Account.)2. John (Jan) Van der Grift, bp. 1 Jan 1691 d. 1765, m. 5 May 1721 at Abington Presb. Church, Hannah Backer. They had seven children:
(1) Nicholas, (2) Jacob, (3) Joseph, (4) Catharine, m. _____ Sands, (5) Esther, m. 19 Jun 1746 at Abington Presb. Church, John Houten, (6) Rebecca, m. _____ Vanscriver, (7) John Van der Grift, Jr., d. 1777, m. 28 May 1761 Ann Walton. Five children: (1) Joshua, (2) Joseph, (3) John III, (4) Mary, (5) Jonathon.3. Deborah Van der Grift, bp. 1 Apr 1695, m. Laurent Jansen.
6. Frederick, son of Jacob and Rebecca (Lubbersten) Van der Grift, bp. 20 Aug 1661. He purchased 1 Jul 1697, 106 acres adjoining his brothers in Bensalem Township, part of which he conveyed a year later to his brother, Leonard. If ever a resident of Bucks County he did not remain long.
7. Rachel, daughter of Jacob and Rebecca (Lubbersten) Van der Grift, bp. 20 Aug 1664 at New York, m. 1689 Barent, son of Jan Verkerk and brother of Barentjie, who married Nicholas Van der Grift. Barent Verkerk bought land in Bensalem Township, adjoining his brothers-in-law, on 1 Jul 1697. He died in 1739, leaving six children: (1) Jacob, (2) John, (3) Mary, who married Niels Boon, (4) Constantina, who married James Fitchet, (5) Dinah, who married James Keir, (6) Name Unk.
8. Johannes, youngest son of Jacob and Rebecca (Lubbersten) Van der Grift, bp. 26 Jun 1667 at New York, d. 1745 Bucks Co., Pa., m. (1) 23 Sep 1694 Nealkie Volkers who died ante 1740, m. (2) 1 Jul 1741 in the Presb. Church Churchville, Pa., Elizabeth Snowden, a widow.
Johannes will, proved 28 Mar 1745, devised to son, Abraham, the farm he lived on, for life, and if he dies without issue it is to go to his surviving brothers and sisters. Johannes and Nealkie Van der Grift had seven children:
1. Fulkert Van der Grift, b. 1695 d. 1775, m. (1) 6 May 1719 Elizabeth, daughter of Harmon and Elizabeth (Brouwers) Van Zandt, in Abington Presb. Church, m. (2) 10 Aug. 1742 Maritjie Hufte. Fulkert and Elizabeth (Van Zandt) Van der Grift had eight children:
(1) Fulkert, Jr., (2) Harmon, (3) Abraham, (4) Cornelius, (5) John, (6) Alice, m. ----- Larue, (7) Elizabeth, m. ----- Krusen, and (8) Elinor.Most of these people left descendants in Bucks Co.
2. Jacob Van der Grift, bp. 14 Oct 1696 at New York, d. 1771, Bucks Co., Pa., m. 23 Oct 1716 Choyes Touley, in Abington Presb. Church. They had five children:
1. John Van der Grift, d. 1805, leaving five children: (1) Jacob, (2) Rachel, (3) Jane, m. ----- Johnson, (4) Bernard, and (5) Absolom, who married Catherine Van der Grift.
2. Bernard Van der Grift.
3. Jacob Van der Grift, Jr., d. 1800, m. (1) 19 May 1755 Catarentjie Hufte, m. (2) 5 Feb 1775 Sarah Titus. Children by first marriage: (1) Jacob, Jr., (2) Alfred, (3) Mary, (4) Elizabeth, m. 8 Feb 1798 David La Rue, (5) William, d. 1854, m. Christina Saunders. They had six children: (1) Sarah Ann, m. Charles Tomlinson, (2) Eliza, m. Jacob Johnson, (3) Eleanor, (4) Alfred, (5) Charles S. who was the father of Senator C.S. Vandegrift, (6) William Van der Grift, m. Eliza Boucher.
4. Charity Van der Grift, m. 20 Jan 1757 John Praul.
5. Elinor Van der Grift, m. Harmon Vansant.
3. Abraham Van der Grift, b. 1698 d. 1781.
4. Rebecca Van der Grift, d. 1789 m. 20 Apr 1718 John Van Horn.
5. Christiana Van der Grift, m. 8 Nov 1722 Joseph Foster.
6. Lenah Van der Grift, m. ----- Fulton.
7. Esther Van der Grift, bp. 1710 Bucks Co., Pa.
Note to reader
The following messages were received from Susan Martin-Rott regarding this publication
From:
Susan Martin-Rott [email protected]
To:
<[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2000
1:10 AM
Subject: Error in one of the items on your website-you may
want to note it so others don't copy this error.
There is a glaring error in the "Our Dutch Ancestors" extract by Mr. Ralph H. Dean on your website which I would like to bring to your attention.
In this article it states:
3. Jacob Van der Grift, Jr., d. 1800, m. (1) 19 May 1755 Catarentjie Hufte, m. (2) 5 Feb 1775 Sarah Titus. Children by first marriage: (1) Jacob, Jr., (2) Alfred, (3) Mary, (4) Elizabeth, m. 8 Feb 1798 David La Rue, (5) William, d. 1854, m. Christina Saunders.
There's a BIG boo-boo in this. Both Elizabeth who married David LaRue and William who married Christina Saunders (correct spelling is Sounders) have been listed therein as children of Jacob and Catarentjie Hufte; this is not correct. They were the children of Jacob and Sarah Titus, who were married in 1775. Elizabeth was born in 1777 and William Bloomfield was born in 1881. I cannot state with any certainty that any of the others were Sarah's, but I don't think Catarentjie came back from the dead to have Elizabeth and William.
From:
Susan Martin-Rott [email protected]
To:
<[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2000
7:40 PM
Subject: RE: Error in one of the items on your website-you
may want to note it so others don't copy this error.
I know it is verbatim from his work, so you can't really alter that. You might just put in parenthesis after it to see note at bottom of page or something and then add the extract. I was cruising around some last night and found at least 2 other researchers who used this as a source and had copied Mr. Dean's info. I will be more than happy to assist anyone you point to me on the topic. My information is primarily on the Dutch Titus line, which I've been researching extensively for many years.
Please
contact Susan Martin-Rott
if you are pursuing this lineage.
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