Theiss (Matthias) Doors and Agnes (Neess) (Hillekrin) Op den Graeff
Husband Theiss (Matthias) Doors
Born: 18 Sep 1614 - Kaldenkirchen, Germany Christened: Died: After 1663 - Kaldkirchen, Germany Buried:
Father: Peter Doors (1609-1638) Mother: Lysgen Grietes ( - )
Marriage: Abt 1640 - Kaldenkirchen, Germany
Wife Agnes (Neess) (Hillekrin) Op den Graeff
Born: Abt 1614 - Crefeld, Germany Christened: Died: Abt 1691 - Kaldenkirchen, Germany Buried:
Father: Herman Op den Graeff (1585-1642) Mother: Gritje Pletjes (1588- )
Children
1 F Gertrude Doors
Born: Abt 1645 - Kaldenkirchen, Germany Christened: Died: 23 Feb 1707 - Germantown, Pennsylvania Buried:Spouse: Paulus Kuester (1640-1707) Marr: 16 Oct 1668 - Reformed Church, Kaldenkirchen, Germany
2 F Entgen Anna Doors
Born: Abt 1641 - Kaldenkirchen, Germany Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Heinrich Kurlis ( - ) Marr: Abt 1663 - Kaldenkirchen, GermanySpouse: Johann (Jan) Strepers ( - ) Marr: 12 May 1669 - Kalenkirchen Reformed Church, Kaldenkirchen, Germany
3 M Peter Doors
Born: Abt 1643 Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Judith Preyers ( - ) Marr: 1666-1668 - Kaldenkirchen, Germany
4 F Johanna Doors
Born: Abt 1649 - Kaldenkirchen, Germany Christened: Died: Buried:
5 F Helen Lentgen Teisen
Born: Abt 1650 - Kaldenkirchen, Germany Christened: 20 May 1670 - Goch Mennonite Church, Goch, Germany Died: Buried:Spouse: Theunis Koenders ( - ) Marr: 31 May 1677 - Krefeld Reformed Church, Krefeld, Germany
6 F Elizabeth Doors
Born: Abt 1647 - Kaldenkirchen, Germany Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Peter Kurlis ( - ) Marr: 17 Mar 1675 - Kaldenkirchen REformed Ch, Kaldenkirchen, Germany
7 F Margarita Doors
Born: 4 Jan 1655 - Kaldenkirchen, Germany Christened: Died: Buried:
8 M Reiner (Reinert) Theissen
Born: Abt 1656 - Kaldenkirchen, Germany Christened: Died: 27 Jul 1745 - Fitzwatertown, Montgomery Co, Pennsylvania Buried:
9 M Cornelius Theisson
Born: Abt 1652 - Kaldenkirchen, Germany Christened: Died: 1716 - Kaldenkirchen, Germany Buried:Spouse: Margaret ( - )
10 F Maria Theissen
Born: 1660 - Kaldekirchen, Germany Christened: Died: 1742 - Kaldenkirchen or Germantown Buried:Spouse: Johann Lucken ( - )
11 M Hermann Doors
Born: 16 Sep 1663 - Kaldenkirchen Reformed, Kaldenkirchen, Germany Christened: Died: 1739 - Germantown Buried:
General Notes (Husband)
Theis Doors bp 9/18/1614 Kaldenkirchen, Germany d after 1663. Theis Doors was a parent or parent in law to most of the founders of Germantown. Three of his sons, who went by the Dutch form Theisson, came to Germantown, and their descendants are known as Tyson. He m around
1635-40, prob in Kaldenkirchen, Neesgen/ Nees/ Neesen/ Agnes.
A shopkeeper or "retail merchant", lived in a little house on a small piece of land near the town wall. Mennonite records of village and parish of Kaldenkirchen of 1652 describe him as a retail merchant, with a building lot with a small house and a quarter acre of arable land and alongside it a quarter acre of fishery rights, worth together about 350 Reichstalers.
Sometime bef 1655, Theiss Doors left the Catholic Church and became a Mennonite. The Mennonites were Anabaptist. An effort was made to expel him from Kaldenkirchen. He was fined 100 gold guilders for some violation. He was unable to ay th fine, and the authorities confiscated the goods in his shop to meet it. The bailiff of Kaldenkirchen entered the Doors home, and got into an argument with Agnes Doors, who was soon to give birth to a baby, abused her, and struck her hard in the face. Charges were filed, and the case was eventually taken before Elector Philipp Wilhelm, Duke of Julich, who decreed that Theiss could stay on in Kaldenkirchen and was not to be further molested.
Agnes had entered their children in the Reformed Church school but to ease the stress and pressure from the officials, they changed their children to the Catholic school and had their infant Margarita baptized CAtholic in 1/4/1655. ARnold Kosters/ Kusters and his wife Catharine von Haren, parents of Paulus Kuster, were sponsors.
But by 1/20/1656 the fmaily had changed to the Reformed Chruch and attended there for three months. The trial record said that "Theis Gohrs or Peterschen (Doros) b at Kaldenkirchen of CAtholic parents, later adhering to the Anabaptist sect (joined the REformed Church three mos ago but did this only to escape persecution." (Charles Custer)
Charles Kusters follows Wm Niepold's listing of the Doors children; neither is sure that all were children of the same parents.
================================
Some genealogists think the following also belong to this family
(Custer);
Agnistan/ Agnes doors said to have maried Leonard Arents, among the
1683 emigrants. John L Ruth calls Lenart ARets as Jan Streyper's
brother in law (nothing was ever vaguer than being designated
Jan Streyper's in-law, nearly everyone was at some point. In-law
had a loose meaning.) Jan Streypers, writing his brother Wm in
Germantown, wanted Wm to see that Jan's five families were porvided
land in that village. The families were Jan Streeper's brother,
Willam Streepers, Reiner and Herman Tyson were Jan Streper's wife's
brothers. Thomas Conradt/ Kudners, Leonart ARets, and Paulus
Custers were their brothes in law." No ref made to Peter Kurlis
as a brother in law.
Merken/ Maria Theissen by BEcker and others. b c 1659 d 1742
Mary Tyson.
White has "?married Jochim Huiskens", she wasn't sure?
She cites an entry in 1675 in the Reformed Church in Kaldenkirchen
of the baptism of "the little daughter of Jochim Huiskens
and Maria Doors w witnesses Thonis Huiskens and Nys Doors. (Niess?)
HOwever, no marriage record for this couple. White has "Maria
did marry Jan Lykens around 1683 at the time of their leaving
Germany to come to Germantown" (White, 1683)
Many think she is the wife of Jan Luckens/ Luykens / Lukens
who came to America.(Custer) (Krefeld Immigr) Jochim Huiskens/
Johann Lucken of Dahlen or Wickerath (:WHite, who thinks they
m around 1683)
But though American writers state that Jan Luckens' wife was Maria
Theissen, a sister to Reiner, (?)he found no indication that Jan m
more than once. He noted that Niepoth said Jan Luckens m Merken/ Maria
Gastes. Gudo Gotthoff wrote that Jan Luckns m lst Merken Gastes but
that he left her in Germanyu, just as Wilhelm Strepers had left his
wife, and shortly after coming to America he m Maria Theissen.
Jack Bowman, who is of this line, says "Earliest records say that
he married Marie Thiessen, sister to Reynier Thiessen...Many of
the documents refer to Jan's wife as Mary, but there are no
records of their marriage. Niepoth... concludes that his wife
was Mercken Gastes. This comes from a written document dated
6/15/1683, which was drwon up by the Lucken siblings in Krefeld."
"In 1995 a 'conclave' of Lukens researchers got together to decide
on their interpretation of all documents relating to Jans wife's
name. They concluded that she had to be Marie Tyson. Niepoth
may be correct if Jan was married bef leaving Krefeld and his
wife died. But they could not find any documentation for the
Gastes name. "
Niepoth says that Maria or Mercken is not mentioned among the sisters
of Reiner Theissen. He also presents evidence on who Johann Lucken
did marry. Bans published on 12 Sep 1679 in REformed Church in
Crefeld for "JOhann Simes of Gladbach and Merken Wilhelms of
Gladbach". A Rheydt power of attorney in 1683 says Merken Lucken
is daughter of married couple Wilhelm Lucken and Adelheid, and
her name appears in the Quaker wedding as Merken Willems. So she
definitely was not the daughter of Theiss Doors! Nieboth also
mentions that Wilhelm was related on his motgher's side to the
Ther Mehr family.
Jan Lykens was b in 1650/1, son of Wilhelm and Adelheid Lucken, and
grew up in Gladbach.
Luykens was one of the pioneer settlers of GErmantown in 1683. He
was constable of the town 1691-5, sheriff 1694-5, d. 1744. Brought
a Dutch Bible from Krefeld, one of his descendants still owns it.
His will dated 9th of 8th mo 1741 in Philadelphia's registry
of wills, his property includes the trappings of a linen weaving
profession and some books, a house and lot in Germantown, and
two hundred acres of land joining Spipenk.
Derrick (Dirck) Tyson
Reiner Tyson supposed to have brought back to him from Europe a
younger brother, Derrick (Dirck) who d unm a few yrs after his arrival
Krefeld Immigr article argues that if not the brothers of the above.
Cornelius and Derrick Tyson were atleast cousins..
Cornelius Doors/ Thiessen b c 1652 emigr to Germantown in 1684 or by 1703. In 1684,
he might have travelled w his brother, Herman Doors. He m Margaret.
He was a Mennonite and not a Quaker. Reason to think he is Reynier's
brother but no proof.
Children:
Matthias (lst born) same name as Reiner, which might indicate that
Theiss (Matthias) and Agnes were his poarents.
DAughter supposed to have married sonof Tonis Kunders and Helene Thiessen
Daughter supposed to have married son of Tonis Kunders andHelene Thiessen.
Derrick Doors/ Tyson, cited in the GEnealogy of the Maryland Branch of
the Tyson Family, by Malcolm Van Vechten Tysen in 1902, there was a
brother of Rynier, Derrick, who came to PA w Tynier in 1683, converted
to the Quaker religion, and died unmarried soon after getting to PA,
this is the only source that mentions him.
Bibliography and sources:
Custer, Chester E., The Kusters and Doors of Kaldenkirchen, Germany,
and Germantown, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, July 1986,
pp 24-31.
"Are the daughters of Hermen Op den Graff the Mennonite Bishop the
Key to the RElationships of our early Germantown Families? in
Krefeld Immigrants, 14, pp 51-54
Niepoth, Wilhelm. The Ancestry of the Thirteen Krefeld Emigrants of
1683. The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 1980, 31 (3), 191-207.
William Penn and the Dutch Quaker Immigration to Pennsylvania
http://www.enter.net/~smschlack/gen.html. Sue Schlack
[email protected]
Judy Douglas [email protected]
Jack Bowman [email protected]
General Notes (Wife)
Her name is known to be Agnes or Neess; most people think she was Hillekrin Op den Graeff the daughter of Herman Op den Graef the Mennonite bishop of Crefeld, and a sister of Isaac Hermans who was father to the three Op den graeff brothers who came to Germantown, but I haven't seen on what this is based, and it appears not to be proven.
Her identity is unknown,
and extremely controversial. Three known copies exist of
a 17th century Krefeld family genealogy called the
Scheuten manuscript. One of these copies, which were all
handmade, was altered in an attempt to both make the
Op den Graeff's ancestral to ALL of the founding families
of Germantown, and give the Op den Graeff's royal ancestry.
The Op den Graeff's have always been intense, mystical,
and over the edge, and in this country, prone to various mental health
problems, and they remain so to this day. No other
evidence exists for any of it, and indeed, the other two
editions of the Scheuten manuscript give Hermann Op den
Graeff, the mystic and Mennonite leader of Crefeld, quite
commonplace albeit possibly prominent among Mennonites,
Mennonite ancestry. The altered edition of the Scheuten
manuscripts states that this Agnes/ Neesgen, which is a
Dutch diminutive form of Agnes, was Hillekren, a daughter
of Herman Op den Graeff. The names don't even match up.
There is better evidence for another claim made by the
altered version of the Scheuten manuscript, which is that
the wife of Isaac Herman Op den Graeff, who was the father
of all three Op dengraeff brothers who came to this country,
and thus ancestral to all Op den Graff's in this country,
was a sister of Theiss Doors. Her name was Margaret
Greitjen Peters. Krefeld had a larger thriving Mennonite
community than often comes across from descriptions of
the history of the group who left for Germantown, and they
had close relations with the Mennonite community in
Cresheim or Kriegsheim. A small group of families who
founded Germantown, had become Quakers. This Margaret was the daughter of
someone named Peter. It could have been any Peter, and it
could well have been a different Peter. Theiss' father was
Peter Doors, and he is the only Peter in the area I've seen
any mention of, anywhere. Of course, that would make
all of the Op den graff's in this country, with their
crotchety, intense temperament and tendency to alcoholism
similar to that of the Dehavens, descendants of the aunt of
Gertrude Doors, who had that bout of psychotic depression.
The records show the following about this family; Sometime
before 1655, Theiss Doors left the CAtholic Church and became
a Mennonite. An effort was made to expel him from Kaldenkirchen.
He was fined 100 gold guilders for some violation. He was
unable to pay the fine, and the authorities confiscasted the
goods in his shop to meet it. The bailfiff at Kaldenkirchen
entered the Doors home, and got into an argument with Agnes
Doors, who was soon to give birth to a baby, abused her, and
struck her hardin the face. Charges were filed, and the case
was eventually taken before Elector Philipp Wilhelm, Duke of
Julich, who decreed that theiss could stay on in Kaldenkirchen
and was nt to be further molested.
Agnes had entered their children in the Reformed Church school
but to ease the stress and pressure from the officials, they changed
their children to the Catholic schoo, and had their infant
Margarita baptized Catholic in 1655.
But by 1/20/1656 the family had chnged to the Reformed Chruch and
attended there for three months. The trial record said that
"Theiss Gohrs or Peterschen (Doors) b at Kaldenkirchen of
Catholic parents, later adhering to the Anabaptist sect (joined
the Reformed Church three mos ago but did this only to escape
persecution. (from Charles Custer)
===================================================
Agnes/Nessgen/Hillikren/Nie/Nees/Neessgen Op Den Graef b 1614 Germany
d 1691 m Theis/Matthias Doors, parents of Gertrude Doors married
Paulus Kester, son of a Roman Catholic who had converted to the
REformed faith (Niepoth). *** My ancestor. ***
Go to my Doors/ Kester (Kusters) page
According to Shirley Webb, some of Theiss Doors' children used the
surname "Theisson" (Tyson) while others retain Doors and variations.
References to Streypers brothers fooled people about Gertrude's
identity for a long time; they were brothers in law.
Hillikren is allegedly the form in which this name appears on assorted
peoples'lists of the 18 children of Herman the bishop.
The entire source of this idea turns out to be the Scheuten Manuscripts;
it is presented on the genealogical tables of the Op den Graeff family,
along with HErman's noble parentage and the notion that his wife was
a Plantagenet, all with no evidence to support it whatsover. It is
not even clear that the dates the author of the Scheuten manuscripts
provides for the birth and death of Hillekren are not borrowed from
the known atleast approximate dates of birth and death of Agnes/ Nees
Doors! Not everyone pays any attention at all to ANY of the information
in the Scheuten manuscripts, including most scolars of the Krefeld
emigrants, and White, author of the Castor genealogy.
I think it's an interesting idea, there are important reasons to
check into it, such as Herman's temperament and GErtrude Doors'
attack of serious mental illness following the birth of her son
Reinard; notice the accompanying idea that a sister of the father
of Gertrude Doors married Isaac Hermans Op den Graeff and thus
became the ancestor of all who bear the Op den graeff name in this
country with their legendary temperament and mental health problems.
But nothing exists to support it. As far as linguistic analysis,
I'm having trouble getting from Agnes/ Neess/ Nys/ Nes to Hillekren;
the only possible path I can see is via the name HElen, and this isn't
among the myriad forms of that name that I know of. Certainly there
are probably a very limited number of girls the right age who COULD
have married Herman, but on the other hand Mennonites were migrating
during that time and they also occasionally came over to the Krefeld
area from nearby towns like Goch.
From addenda in the fall 1998 issue of Krefeld IMmigrants, it becomes
evident that this connection is made only on one or two VERSIONS of
the Scheuten Manuscripts! Iris JOnes presents the tables of
Herman's immediate family from a different copy of the manuscripts;
specific rather than vague dates are provided for HIllekrin, and
WHO SHE MARRIED IS UNKNOWN - on all three charts dealing with her.
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