The Fulkerson Family Pages
Fulkerson Family Matriarch--Christine Vigne
Christine is recorded in genealogies as having been born in 1610, 1612, or as late as 1615, but all genealogies claim she was born in the community of Saint-Waast (named for St. Vedastus) of Valenciennes.
Christine was a member of the first family in the New Netherlands colony to become closely associated with our New World progenitor, Dirck de Noorman. This associated family were the Vignes, headed by Guillame and Ariaentje Cuvijle (aka Ariantje), who had arrived among a group of Protestant Walloons. Family researchers believe the Vignes sailed to America on the in April of 1624, and began their farm - one of the first six on Manhattan Island - by 1625. Christine was aged between ten and fourteen years old when she arrived in the colony.
Why Did the Vignes Come to New Netherlands?
It is possible that Adrienne and Guillaume may have had advance information about the New Netherlands region, according to the "New Netherlands Connections" published by Dorothy A. Koenig:
"Nancy Fulkerson Hill wrote to the Algemeen Rijksarchief in the Hague [to find] whatever documents exist in The Netherlands about the ship Tijger [Tiger] known to be in New Netherland waters in 1614 under the command of Adriaen Block...[they referred her] to notarial documents held by the Gemeentearchief in Amsterdam."
"Pim Nieuwenhuis investigated these notarial documents only to discover that they had already been translated into English and published in 1959 by the City of Amsterdam Press under the title, The Prehistory of the New Netherland Company: Amsterdam Notarial Records of the First Dutch Voyages to the Hudson by Simon Hart ..."
On page 22 Dr. Hart asks rhetorically, Who were the merchants in the [Van Tweenhuysen Company] which sent Adriaen Block on his voyages? Besides Arnout Vogels and Francoys Pelgrom, there were Leonard, Paulus and Steffan Pelgrom -- brothers of Francoys ... [The] four Pelgrom brothers were children of Gheeraert Pelgrom ...[whose] first wife Anthonia van Dijcke died...[and who]... remarried to Susanna Cuvelier. From this marriage Paulus and Steffan Pelgrom were born..."
If Adrienne Cuvelier was related to Susanna Cuvelier, she and Guillaume could have had first-hand information about the DWIC's New Netherland settlement plans through her relatives.
How Did They Travel?
The Vignes are believed to have sailed from Holland in April of 1624 on the "Nieuw Nederlandt" [or possibly on the "Eendracht," which means "Unity"].
Some of the other colonists, including Joris Janszen Rapaelje, were also from Valenciennes.
The Vignes had three daughters, Christina, Maria and Rachel, when they sailed to America. Most of the 30 families must have had children, as the total number of new colonists was about 120.
Upon reaching the Hudson River in mid-May, they found a French ship that was trying to claim the territory for the king of France. With the help of a smaller Dutch ship that arrived from the West Indies, they not-politely aimed their cannons and escorted the French ship out to sea. Cornelis May, captain of the "Nieuw Nederlandt," became the first Director of the New Netherlands colony.
Little has been written about her, other than that she married Dirck in 1630 or 1631, and bore eight children. Dirck and Christina lived in her parents' household until 1638. She was a sponsor in baptisms at the Dutch Reformed Church in 1643 and 1650. The rest of her story must be inferred from what we know about her husband and children. Her last child, Jennekin, was born in 1653. There was no further record of her after 1663, although she may have lived into the 1670's.
This 1630 painting of a young woman by Franz Hals gives us some idea of how Christine and her sisters may have looked, and what types of clothing they may have worn. Jan Damen and Adrienne Cuvalier had a farm just north of what is today Wall Street in New York, New York. It is believed MAIDEN LANE was named for Christine Vigne and her sisters Maria and Rachel.
In that same year, 1664, Sarah Rapalje, born 9 June 1625 (the first child born in New Netherland), located in the area and became one of Dirck's neighbors.
Sarah Rapalje's husband, Teunis Guysbert Bogart, under the new British administration, patented some adjoining land that had been owned by Sarah's first husband Hans Hansen Bergen.
The name Willcocks may refer to William Cock, who, along with Dirck's wife, testified in a case of slander noted in settlement records.
NYHM: "Richard Nicolls, Esq. Whereas there was a patent or groundbrief heretofore granted by the Dutch Governor William Kieft unto Hans Hansen, bearing date the 30th day of March, 1647, for a certain parcel of land lying and being in the West Riding of Yorkshire upon Long Island, within the Kill then commonly called Jorse Rapalye's Kill,
whose bounds did stretch along by the said Jorse Rapalye's House northeast and by east unto the Plantation then appertaining to Lambert Huberts
Died Feb. 21, 1663
Bushwick Junction
Queens County
New York, USA
