The Fulkerson Family Pages
The June 27, 2004 edition of the New York Times carried an extensive article on the history of the property where the World Trade Center was located.
The article stated that, "...Damen, for example, its first European owner, played a critical role in a decision by the early Dutch colonists to massacre Indians living at two nearby settlements, igniting two years of warfare."
"Damen died about 1650. His heirs sold his property to two men: Oloff Stevensen Van Cortlandt, a brewer and one-time soldier in the Dutch West India militia, and Dirck Dey, a farmer and cattle brander. Their names were ultimately assigned to the streets at the trade center site. Damen's was lost to history."
Agreement:
Dirck Volgersen Noorman and Ariaentje Cevelyn, his wife's mother, came before us in order to enter into an agreement with her children whom she has borne by her lawful husband Willem Vienje, settling on Maria Vienje and Christina Vienje, both married persons, on each the sum of two hundred guilders ... and on Resel Vienje and Jan Vienje, both minor children, also as their portion of their father's estate, on each the sum of three hundred guilders; with this provision that she and her future lawful husband, Jan Jansen Damen, shall be bound to bring up the above named two children until they attain their majority, and be bound to clothe and rear the aforesaid children, to keep them at school and to give them a good trade, as parents ought to do.
This agreement was dated "the last of April 1632," but was not recorded until 7 May 1638. [New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch, Volume 1, ed. and trans. by Arnold J. F. Van Laer. Baltimore, 1974, The editor, Van Laer, was of the opinion that the year 1632, given as the date of the document, is probably wrong and should be 1635 or later. The document was certified by William Wyman, blacksmith, and Jan Thomaisen Groen, and witnessed by Jacob Albertsen Planck who arrived in New Amsterdam in 1634 on the "Eendracht."]
Upon moving into the Vigne household, Jan Damen found he had married into an extended family. Christina and Dirck were living there with their two young daughters. Adrienne and Guillame's daughter Maria had been widowed--her husband Jan Roos had died in 1632, and she had married to Abraham Ver Planck in 1634. By mid-1638 they had 3 or 4 children. Altogether the household consisted of six adults and 7 or 8 children, and possibly a few slaves.
On June 21, 1638, Damen sued to have Abraham Ver Planck and Dirck Volckertszen "quit his house and leave him the master thereof."
Dirck countered with a charge of assault and had witnesses testify that Jan tried to "throw his step-daughter Christina (Dirck's wife) out of doors." Accounts are a most violent altercation had occurred, in which Damsen had slashed Christine's dress. In defending her (and himself) in a knife attack, husband Dirck had picked up a board and given Jan Damsen as sound thunk to the head with it.
In the following year, the third Vigne daughter, Rachel, married and left the household. She was only 16 when she married the reportedly loathesome Cornelis Van Tienhoven, the 28-year-old Secretary to the Director.
Step-parent Drama
Dirck had sold some of his Greenpoint land even before he moved there: 45 acres to Peter HUDDE and Abraham JANSEN in 1651. This sale was witnessed by Peter STUYVESANT. He sold 62 acres to Jacob HAIE/HAY in 1653. (Indians burned down Hay's house at Greenpoint just two years later, on November 8, 1655, during the second great uprising.) The sale to Hay is also recited in a confirmatory patent granted by British Governor Lovelace, on 1 May 1670, to David Joehems (who had married Christina Cappoens, the widow of the said Hay), in the following words:
"Whereas, Dirck Volkertse [the Norman], did, by virtue of a ground-brief granted to him, bearing date ye 3d of April, 1645, transport and make over upon ye 9th day of September, 1653, unto Jacob Hay, a certain piece of land upon Long Island, lying and being at Mespath kil, beginning from ye hook or point of ye said kil, and so going along by ye river South-west and by west, 75 rods, then stretching alongst Mespath kil, south-east and by south, 200 rods from Mespath kil into ye woods, striking south-west and by west 75 rods, then going back to ye river side almost upon a north-west and by north line, 200 rods: it contains about 50 acres or 25 morgens. And, also, a parcel of valley or meadow ground in ye tenure or occupation of ye said Dirck Volkerse, at ye end of ye said land in breadth, and in length 90 rods, making about 12 acres, or 6 morgens."
One of the later "official" records of Dirck's wife Christina appeared in 1647:
NYHM: Declarations of William Cock and others that George Holmes’ wife accused the wife of Robert Butler of having an illegitimate child: "William Cock, 27 year of age, attests at the request of Robbert Bottelaer that last Saturday afternoon the wife of Gorge Home said that Robbert Bottelaer’s wife was a whore and that she had a whore’s child. Willem Cock offers to confirm this on oath. This is the X mark of Willem Cock. Christina Vienje and Maria Vienje attest the same. This is the X mark of Maria Vienje. Adam Mat attests that Gorge Homs and his wife reviled Robbert Bottelaer’s wife, calling her a whore, which he offers to confirm [on oath]. Done at Manhatans, the 30th of September Ao. 1647."
Christina last appeared in the records of the Dutch Reformed Church on 5 Jun 1650, at the baptism of Jochem KIER's twins "Michiel and Dorothe." The witnesses were listed as "Dirck de Noorman and his wife Chrystyn, Pieter ANDRIESZEN, Daniel SERGIANT, Elisabeth CREGIERS, Claertie EBELS." Her name appears one more time, according to the Holland Society Year Book, 1901, in which it lists conveyances of land, 1654-1658: "155. Vinge, Christina, to Augustyn Heermans."
On January 1, 1666, Dirck made a contract with his son Volkert, in which the son was to have the land, stock, and equipment for a period of five years for half of the grown products: maize, tobacco, rapeseed, etc. In 1677 he transferred more of his land to his sons and daughters, apparently anticipating that his end was near:
NYHM: "I – CONVEYANCE, April 24, 1677, DIRCK VOLCKERSE TO JAN LESQUIER, for the reason that Lesquier has married Rachel Dircks, Dirck’s daughter, of eleven morgens of land at Boswyck to whom, Rachel, he had before this given the land, and in addition another ten morgens which he, Jan Lesquier, had bought from another of Dirck’s daughters, i.e. Magdalena, for from her husband Harmen Hendrickse, making in all twenty-one morgens of land and meadow, at Green Hook near Mespatt Kill, south-west of David Jochemse and northeast of Dirck Volkerse. Witnessed by Jost Kockuit, Jasques Cossert, Pieter Janse Wit and P. Clocq. "1685, Sept. 17 – Jan Lequer declares he cedes and transfers to Volkert Dircksen the above lands conveyed to him by Dirck Volckerse.
"II – CONVEYANCE, April 24, 1677, DIRCK VOLCKERSE TO HIS SON VOLCKERT DIRCKS, resident of Boswyck, ten Morgens of land next to land of Charles Houseman, and also ten morgens which he had heretofore given to his daughter Ariantie Dircks, married to Charles Housman, with one morgen of meadow over the Wood Point which land and meadow he, Dirck Volckerts had purchased of Charles Housman. Subscribed to by Dirck Volckertse and Charles Housman. "III – CONVEYANCE, April 24, 1677, DIRCK VOLCKERSE TO HIS SON JACOB DIERCKS, resident of Boswyck, ten morgens land between land of Jan Lesquier and other land of Dirck Volckerse, and also one morgen of meadow. Witnessed by Pieter Janse Wit, Jacques Cossart and P. Clocq. [90] "IV – CONVEYANCE, April 24, 1677, DIRCK VOLKERSE to PIETER SCHAMP, his son-in-law of Boswyck, husband of Dirck’s daughter Jannetie Dierckse, ten morgens of land on north side of Volckert Dirckse, the said land and a piece of meadow having already been given to his daughter Jannetie Dierckse. Witnessed by Jost Kockuit, P. Clocq and Pieter Jan Wit. "1688, April 17 – ‘The above land conveyed by Pieter Schamp to David Jochemse.’ …
A tax assessment in 1683, after Dirck's death, showed that his son Volkert owned 200 acres. Volkert sold some of it to Jan MESEROLE and to Peter PRAA. On January 19, 1701, part of the land was surveyed and recorded as belonging to the "Widow of Folkert DIRKSEN." On March 16 of 1718 or 1719, the land was divided among her three sons, Dirck, Philip and Klaas, each receiving a third of the 164 acres. On the same date they made a joint sale to Peter PRAA, and the land passed out of the family.
The Mystery That Remains:
The Thrill of History, the Agony of Patronymics
Chinese and Bumerkes
Dirck didn't help us out by signing his name...in the early days he signed with an X. He did sign his name later on, but one family researcher said his signature "looks like Chinese." Decide for yourself. Here are his "signatures" from 1651, 1658 and 1661:
It appears possible from the first two signatures that he signed his name using a bumerke, which was a written symbol that served as a family mark in Norway, similar to a cattle brand. That 1661 signature is more or less open to interpretation, but it still has some of the line elements seen in the first two. Copy of signatures courtesy of cousin Marcie.
Dirck and Christina's children are listed in The First American-born Generation of Fulkersons.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Historical manuscripts and other references:
"New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch; Vol. IV, Council Minutes 1638-1649," translated by Arnold J.F. Van Laer, edited by Kenneth Scott and Kenn Stryker-Rodda, Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., Baltimore, Md., 1974.
"New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch; Register of the Provincial Secretary, Volume I, 1638-1642," translated and annotated by Arnold J.F. Van Laer, edited by Kenneth Scott and Kenn Stryker-Rodda, 1974.
"New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch; Volume II, Register of the Provincial Secretary, 1642-1647," translated and annotated by Arnold J.F. Van Laer, edited by Kenneth Scott and Kenn Stryker-Rodda, 1974.
"New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch; Volume III, Register of the Provincial Secretary, 1648-1660," translated and annotated by Arnold J.F. Van Laer, edited by Kenneth Scott and Kenn Stryker-Rodda, 1974.
"Collections of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Vol. II, Baptisms from 1639 to 1730 in the Reformed Dutch Church, New York," by Thomas G. Evans, 1901, reprinted by The Gregg Press in 1968.
"New York Historical Manuscripts, Dutch, Volume V, Council Minutes, 1652-1654," translated and edited by Charles T. Gehring, The Holland Society of New York, Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., Baltimore, 1983, page 16.
"Council Minutes, 1655-1656," translated and edited by Charles T. Gehring, The Holland Society of New York, Syracuse University Press, 1995, page 3.
"The Records of New Amsterdam from 1653 to 1674 anno Domini," edited by Berthold Fernow, published under authority of the City of New York.
"Colonial Charters, Patents and Grants of the Communities Comprising the City of New York," by Jerrold Seymann, the Board of Statutory Consolidation of the City of New York, 1939.
"Early Settlers of Bushwick, Long Island, New York," Vol. 1, by Andrew J. Provost Jr., 1949, pages 85-94.
"Scandinavian Immigrants in New York, 1630-1674," by John O. Evjen, 1916, pages 68-79.
"New Amsterdam and Its People," by J.H. Innes, New York, 1902.
"Historic Green Point," by William L. Felter, 1919, pages 17-19.
"A History of the City of Brooklyn and Kings County," by Stephen M. Ostrander, 1894, page 100.
End of an Empire--Otherwise Known as the WORST Real Estate Investment Mistake in the History of the World!!!
(Leaving Behind the Fulkerson Family New York City Land Holdings)
