The Long Island Boerum family descends from Willem Jacobsz Van Boerum of Flatbush, who stated in 1687 that he hd been in this country 38 years, placing his date of arrival circa 1649 (DHNY 1:659). It has been stated, without proof, that the name was "almost certainly derived from the town of Burum in Friesland" (Hendrick Booraem Jr, "Boerum Family Genealogy," typescript, 1983 the Holland Society of New York Library).

In his will drawn in 1687, Willem Jacobse Van Boerum named his wife Geertie Hendrickse and four children: Hendrick, Geertruy, Jacob, and Hillegont (Kings co. Deeds 1:110, abstracted Rec. 47:230). When Jacob was married in 1684 he was called "van Amsterdam" (Flat. Fr. Marr. 1:21), and the archives of that city confirm that the family had lived there. Using the Amsterdam DTB indexes, the following marriage intention was found (DTB 459:120, FHL 113202, 3 April 1643):

Willem Jacobss van Burum snydergezel, out 26 jaer woonende in de St Jacobstraet is opgeteeck[en]t op de acte van Joannis Crucius pre[dikan]t met Geertie Heyndrix van Goch tot Haerlem (Willem Jacobss from Burum, journeyman tailor, age 26 years, living in St Jacobstraet, is registered on the attestation of Joannis Crucius minister, with Geertie Heyndrix from Goch, at Haarlem)

Willem Jacops j.g. van Burum woon[ende] toe Amsterdam met Geertje Heyndricx j.d. van Gogh woon[ende] inde Schachestraet testes Jan Janssz woon[ende] inde Schachestraet Styntje Jacops huys[vrouw] van Roelof Janss woon[ende] inde Hoochstraet (Willem Jacops young man from Burum, living in Amsterdam, and Geertje Heyndricx, young woman from Gogh, living in the Schachestraet [in Haarlem], witnesses Jan Janssz in the Schachestraet, Stynje Jacops wife of Roelof Jans, living in the Hoochstraet).

Willem and Geertje had three children baptized in Amsterdam, in the same order as named in Willem's will:

1. Hendrick, 23 Oct 1644 in the Nieuwekerk, [of] Willem Jacobsz {&} Gitrje Henrix [wit.] Grietje Henricx (DTB 42:431, FHL 113145)
2. Gertruyt, 26 Dec 1645 in the Oudekerk, [of] Willem Jacobss [&] Giertje Henrix [wi.] Giertje Heindrix en Lysbet Davets (DTB 8:75, FHL 113133)
3. Jacob, 5 Feb 1647 in the Oudekerk, [of] Willem Jacobsz [&] Giert Heindrix [wit.] Abram Claes [&] Willem Rutjes (DTB 8:117, FHL 113133)

Nothing found to date has shed further light on the family in "Burum." Church records for the Friesland village of the name do not begin until 1680.

Geertje Hendricks van Goch was probably the daughter of the Heyndreck Gerets van Goch weduwaenar van Wees, who married in a civil ceremony at Haarlem 22 July 1627 Gritgen Jans weduwe van Goch (Haarlem DTB 151:7, FHL 115584). No other record of him has been found, but Grietje Jans might be the Grietje Henricx [i.e., wife of Hendrick] who appears as a baptismal witness above. Hendrick may also have been the father of a Cornelis Hendricx van Goch who was buried at Haarlem 23 November 1657 (Haarlem DTB 72:15). His previous wife remains unidentified.

Goch (Gogh) is a town in Germany next to the Dutch border, and Weeze (Wees) lies about five kilometers to the south. However, this area was part of the Netherlands province of Gelderland until 1715. Mr Otto Schutte states that the painter Vincent Van Gogh's surname derives from the same place. While church records for Goch and Weeze begin too late to be of help in this case, there are other extant records for the area which may prove useful.

Footnote: It is not at all clear whether "van Goch" (or "Van Gogh") should be read merely as "from Goch" or as a surname. The marriage record for Geertje's father cited here suggests the use of "van Goch" as a surname, since he is also called "widower from Wees."