AMERICA THE GREAT MELTING POT

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Willem Gerretse Van Couwenhoven                                                                  see FAMILY TREE
Born: Jul 1636  Flatlands, Kings, NY

Married: 12 Feb 1665 Kings Co., NY to Jannetje Monfort

  Willem Gerretse married, secondly, on February 12, 1665, 'Jannetie Peters,' who was Jannetje, daughter of Peter Monfort.  (See below)

Died: 03 Jan 1723 Hopewell, Middlesex, NJ          

FATHER

Gerret Wolfertse Van Kouwenhoven

MOTHER

Aeltje Cornelis Cool

WIFE

Altje Brinckerhoff

Jannetje Monfort

CHILDREN with Jannetje Monfort

1. Cornelis Van Couwenhoven

2. Sarah Van Couwenhoven

3. Albert Van Couwenhoven

4. Jacob Van Couwenhoven

The Van Kouwenhoven-Conover Family by Lincoln C. Cocheu, 1939 NYB&G Record Vol LXXI , pg 69

"Willem Gerretse Van Kouwenhoven, son of Gerret Wolphertse Van Kouwenhoven an Aeltje Cornelis Cool, his wife, said to have been b. 1636, perhaps in Flatlands, L. I., although his father's purchase of land there was not dated until July 26, 1638; and said to have died about 1728 and apparently certainly after 1727 (K Co, 78, 80; hot, 437). His father's grant of land in Brooklyn was dated March 11, 1647 (KCo, 77) and the son spent his early life there and was a magistraste of that village, 1661, 1662, and 1664, and signed a petition as a schepen of Brooklyn on May 25, 1662 (KCo, 80; Stiles' Hist. of Brooklyn, I: 143). On the earliest surviving list of memebers of the Dutch Reformed Church of Brooklyn, Sept. 12, 1660, appear the names of Willem Gerritse Van Couwenhoven, his first wife, and her parents. Willem Gerretse was a deacon of this church in 1663 (KCo., 80; Brkn, I33). His name appears on the patent of Flatlands, 1667, and he apparently removed there about that time. he was an Elder of the R. D. Church at Flatlans, 1677; appeared on the assessment rolls, 1675, 1683, and 1693; and signed the oath of allegiance at some date between Sept. 26-30, 1687, being called a resident of 'fflackland,; and native-born (KCo, 80; DHNY, I; 661). He sold his farm in Flatlands to his son William, Nov. 1, 1709 (KCo, 80) and is supposed to have spent his last years in Monmouth county, N. J. Riker (AnN, 364) says he was 'living in 1727 at a very advanced age.' The records of the Brick Church, Marlborough, Monmouth co, N. J., originally known as the Reformed Church of Freehold of the Navasink, begin in 1709 and show that in that year seven children of Willem Gerretse were already memebers of that congregation, namely, cornelis, Pieter, Albert, Jan, Jacob, Neeltje (Nelke), and Sara. In 1717 appear as memebers two other children, Annetje (Auntie) and Jacomina (Jockamiinke). It was not until 1721 that the church shows as memebers 'Willem Ger Kowvenhoven and his wife,' and since the wife, Jannetje (Jannetke), appears alone on the list in 1723, it seems possible that Willem Gerretse died between 1721 and 1723.
Willem Gerretse, on behalf of his first wife, was one of the three heirs to the Brooklyn grant of his father-in-law, Joris Dircksen Brinckerhoff, and joined with the other heirs in selling this property on January 16, 1661 (KCo, 49).
The existence of the original bible of Willem Gerretse, with his own record of his marriages and the births of his children, greatly assists in determining his twelve children (NJMis, 2:P353). He states that he married 'Altieu Yoris' in the year 1660. She was Altje, daughter of Joris Dircksen Brinckerhoff, and was the widow of Cornelis Mattys (Matthews). She died on June 3, 1663, and Willem Gerretse married, secondly, on February 12, 1665, 'Jannetie Peters,' who was Jannetje, daughter of Peter Monfort. She was baptized as Jannetje on May 8, 1646, in the D. R. Church of New Amsterdam BDC, 20[; KCo, 210; Rec, 7; 153; doc. His. Dutch cong. of Oyster Bay, 347).