Abraham Abrahamszen (Rijcke) van Lent (1655 - 1746)

Born 23 Dec 1655 in Newton, Long Island, New Netherland

Ancestors

Husband of Grietje Janse Van Buytenhuysen — married 10 Jan 1682 in New York Colony

Descendants

Died 20 Aug 1746 at age 90 in Newton, Long Island, Province of New York

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Abraham Abrahamszen (Rijcke) van Lent was a New Netherland settler. Join: New Netherland Settlers Project Discuss: new_netherland

This profile is part of the Ryker Name Study.

Biography

Abraham Riker was born on Long Island, New York in 1655, to Abraham Riker and his wife, Grietie Harmensen. He married Margaret Van Buytenhuysen on January 10, 1682, in Queens, New York. They had eight children in 19 years. He died on August 20, 1746, at the impressive age of 91, and was buried in Queens, New York.

Abraham was baptized on the day after Christmas, at the New Amsterdam Reformed Dutch Church, in the year 1655, the son of Abraham Rycken and Grietje (English = Margaret) Hendricks. The witness for his baptism was Sara Sanders. ^[1]

His birth coincides with the time that his father was building a home in East Elmhurst, which is according to some accounts the "oldest private residence" still in existence in Queens, New York. In 1729, Abraham Lent, a descendant of Abraham Riker, made major additions to the original Dutch farmhouse. The house stayed in the Riker-Lent family until the 20th century when it was passed to William Gooth, the personal secretary of the last Riker to own the house.^[2]

Abraham married Grietie Van Buytenhuysen, and they are buried in the Riker-Lent Burial Ground. The inscription on his headstone indicates that he lived to a ripe age of 91 years.^[3] In 1879, Jane Margaret Riker put up in the family cemetery the cenotaph, a memorial attesting to the fact that Guybert Riker was the immigrant to America of the Riker family.^[3]

“The grave of ABRAHAM RIKER, son of Abraham & Margaret Riker; born 1655; died Aug. 20, 1746, in the 91st year of his age. And in Memory of his grandsire GUYSBERT RIKER, a native of Holland, who came to America in 1630 obtained a patent for his lands at Bowery, L.I., bearing date 1632. In Memory of JOSEPH LAWRENCE, eldest son of Samuel & Anna Riker; born March 26, 1770; died at Kingston, Jamaica, July 20, 1796; aged 26 years. ‘The well beloved & early lost.’ In Memory of Capt. ANDREW RIKER, second son of Samuel & Anna Riker; born Sept. 21, 1771; died at Port Au Prince, St. Domingo, Oct. 17, 1817; aged 46 years. ‘An honest man the noblest work of god.’ In memory of Capt. ABRAHAM RIKER, son of Andrew and Jane Riker; born 1740. Served his country nobly in the war of the Revolution and died at Valley Forge May 7, 1778 in his 38th year.” ^[4]

Nutt, Edgar Allen.The Rykers: Their Island, Homes, Cemetery, and Early Genealogy in Queens County, New York. Chapter 5:

"Abraham in 1689 inherited his father's homestead property on Bowery Bay in Newtown plus Riker's Island. His older brothers had moved away and he had remained in Newtown, no doubt helping his father and eventually running the family farm. At some time after his father's death he built and lived in the house that much later was the Riker Mansion (named Astoria?), that eventually passed into the Rapalye family and that is discussed in [Part 6]. In the mansion's yard was a pear tree that near the end of Abraham's life was featured in a family legend: Abraham had become blind and had not ever seen his great-grandchildren who also lived in the house, and, while sitting under the pear tree musing that, if he could only see them he could die in peace, he suddenly could see again; he hurried into the mansion, saw his great-grandchildren for the first and only time, and then returned to his chair under the pear tree and died. Subsequently the pear tree was thought by some to have special power."

In Chapter 4, Nutt discusses the sale of Abraham's real estate as follows:

"Perhaps his deteriorating eyesight and his decreasing ability to work his farm and to oversee his property, together with his advanced age and the presence of the two sons, constituted the reason why he sold properties, including the island, to sons Abraham and Andrew on November 10, 1733. The deed states that the brothers paid £300 to their father who, as his father before him had done, made his mark instead of his signature. The properties conveyed by the deed were described as follows in Chapter 6: "that certain messuage or tenement dwelling house barn and plantation consisting of fifty-two acres upland & fresh meadow in a place commonly called & known by ye name of ye poor Bowry." This was the homestead property of which the westward boundary was the land and meadow of Abraham Lent. Riker's Island was included with this parcel. "that messuage or tenement & plantation on which ye said Abraham Rycken Junr now dwells scituate & being near adjacent of poor Bowry aforesaid the said plantation (last named) consists of two tracts or parcels of land one of which was transferred... to the said Abraham Rycker Sr... by an indenture of conveyance.., of John Tuder & Elizabeth wife bearing date ye second day of November....one thousand six hundred & eighty-eight... being one equal & undivided third part" of the Tuder patent... Note that this first tract is the farm that included the third of the four Riker homes being considered, "the other tract... of said plantation contains twenty eight acres & three-quarters of land & meadow as ye same was conveyed on or about the month of January 1712 to ye said Abraham Rycken Ser... by an indenture under the hand of John \emdash enson deceased...""

Abraham Riker was born on Long Island, New York on 25 December 1655 to Grietie Hendrick Harmensen, age 39, and Abraham (Rycken) Riker, age 40.^{[6][7][8][9][3]}

Abraham Riker was baptized on 28 Dec 1655 at the Reformed Dutch Church in New Amsterdam.^{[10] [11]}

• 1655 Dec 26; Abraham Rycken, Grietje Hendricks; Abraham; Sara Sanders. ^[12]

Abraham Riker married Margaret Van Buytenhuysen in Queens, New York, on January 10, 1682, when he was 27 years old.^{[6][7][9][10][13]}

Children

1. Catherine
2. Margaret
3. Mary
4. Abraham
5. John
6. Hendrick
7. Andrew
8. Jacob

Will

• Abraham Riker's will is dated March 9, 1688.^[6]

Abraham Riker died on August 20, 1746, when he was 91 years old at Long Island City, Queens, New York.^[6][8][9][3]

Burial

• Abraham Riker is buried at the Riker-Lent Burial Ground in Astoria, Queens, New York.^[6][3]

Property

• Abraham Riker purchased one third of the Tudor Patent from John Tudor on2 November 1688^[9]

Church records

• 1655 Dec 26 Abraham - Abraham Rijcken, Grietje Hendricks. Witnesses: Sara Sanders. ^[14]

• 1681 Dec 11 Abraham Abrahamszen Rijcke, j.m. Van N. Yorke, en Margrietje Buijtenhuijsen, j.d., Van N. Yorke, beijde woonende aan de armen bouwerije. Getrouwt 10 Jan (1682). ^[15]

Research notes

1. Rijcke is the surname that first appears in church records for Abraham, at his marriage to Margrietje. Quackenbush-118 10:19, 20 July 2017 (EDT).

Sources

1. ↑ http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/nn/church/rdcbapt3.shtml
2. ↑ http://www.6sqft.com/tour-the-lent-riker-smith-homestead-and-cemetery-queens-oldest-private-residence/
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 13 June 2019), memorial page for Abraham Riker (Nov 1655–20 Aug 1746), Find A Grave Memorial no. 16588050, citing Riker-Lent Burial Ground, Astoria, Queens County, New York, USA ; Maintained by Carole Elizabeth Nurmi Cummings # 47178231 (contributor 47178231) .
4. ↑ http://www.correctionhistory.org/html/chronicl/cw_units/html/rikersbook010.html
5. ↑ Nutt, Edgar Allen.The Rykers: Their Island, Homes, Cemetery, and Early Genealogy in Queens County, New York.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4} RIKER, JAMES. ANNALS OF NEWTOWN, IN QUEENS COUNTY, NEW YORK: Containing Its History from Its First ... Settlement, Together with Many Interesting Facts C. New York, NY: D Fanshaw, 1852. Digitiized by Forgotten Books,, 2015. Pages 302-303.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Reynolds, Cuyler. Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation. Vol. 2. New York: Lewis Historical Publ. Comp., 1913. 3 Volume set. Vol II, Page 728.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Lee, Francis Bazley. Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1910. Page 1434.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3} Pelletreau, William S. Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Family History of New York. New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1907. Multiple volumes. Reprinted by Forgotten Books in 2017. Vol III, Page 35-36.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Heritage Consulting. Millennium File [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003.
11. ↑ Nationaal Archief Nieuw-Nederland; Den Haag, Nederland; DTB Baptism. WieWasWie. https://www.wiewaswie.nl/personen-zoeken/zoeken/document/srcid/22415172
12. ↑ NA RDC indexed baptism records at www.ancestralcurios.com
13. ↑ Ancestry.com. New York City, Compiled Marriage Index, 1600s-1800s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: Genealogical Research Library, comp. New York City, Marriages, 1600s-1800s.
14. ↑ Collections NY Gen. & Biog. Soc.: 1901, Vol. 2, Page 40
15. ↑ Collections NY Gen. & Biog. Soc.: 1890, Vol. 1, Page 50

• Collections of the New-York Genealogical and Biographical Society (New York)
• Weaver, Gustine Courson. Welch and Allied Families, page 195. Powell and White; Cincinnati; 1932 https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/268000/?offset=#page=1&viewer=picture&o=download&n=0&q=
• Riker, James, Jr. A Brief History of the Riker Family from their First Emigration to this Country in the Year 1638 to the Present Time, page 6-7. D. Fanshaw, Printer; New York; 1851 https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/489444/?offset=0#page=1&viewer=picture&o=download&n=0&q=
• Riker, James, Jr., The Annals of Newtown, in Queens County, New York (D. Fanshaw, New-York, 1852) Page 302
• Weaver, Gustine Courson. Welch and Allied Families, page 197 and 208. Powell and White; Cincinnati; 1932 https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/268000/?offset=#page=1&viewer=picture&o=download&n=0&q=