Arent Laurensen Toers (abt. 1618 - 1674)

Born about 1618 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Nederland

Husband of Anna (Claes) Toers — married 12 Mar 1639 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Nederland

Descendants

Died 8 Jan 1674 at about age 56 in Bergen, Hudson County, New Jersey

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Arent Toers was a New Netherland settler. Join: New Netherland Settlers Project Discuss: new_netherland

Biography

Arent Toers migrated from Amsterdam to New Netherland.

Father Laurens Arent

Mother Metje Arents^[1]

Toers Family.

Arent is the son of Laurens Toers. He came to the New World about 1653. He married Anna Claes in 1639^[3]and had three children: Lauren Arentsen, Claes Arentsen & Jan Arentsen.

We know that it was prior to 1655 Arent, his wife, and three sons, emigrated to New Amsterdam because on 15 October 1655, he volunteered to pay 6 florins in labor for the defense of New Amsterdam. On 13 April 1657, "Arent Lourissen Carpenter" was confirmed in his rights as a Small Burgher.

Roelof Jansen, a mason, died at the house of Arent Laurensen on 16 November 1657, and on the 28th he petitioned the Burgomasters and Schepens to authorize one or two persons to sell the property of Jansen at public auction "that thus might be paid the expenses of his funeral, his house rent and other known and unknown debts." Sieur Mattheus de Vos, Notary Public, and Arent Laurensen were appointed.

On 12 Dec. Anna Claes appeared before theOrphanmasters and by two affidavits proved that Roelof Jansen "had given her in his liftime everyday clothing, his gun, powder-horn and what belonged to it; she also produces an account for house rent, for care taking and money advanced, amounting to 99fl. 18 st., wherein are included 7 beavers, the balance being in wampum. Anna Claes was one of the "old Memebrs" of the Reformed Dutch Church in New Amsterdam, before 1660, and was one of the charter members of the Reformed Dutch Church of Bergen in 1664. Arent Laurensen was compelled to pay some money owing to the Orphanmasters in 1660.

Probably about 1661 he removed to Bergen, where in 1662 he signed the petition of the Magistrates of Bergen asking to be provided with a clergyman. He pledged 10 florins for the support of the clergyman. On 4 July 1663, he volunteered for the protection of Bergen, and on 21 Feb. 1664, he signed a petition for the erection of a blockhouse at Bergen. On 29 May 1664, he petitioned "that a piece of low land, close to his plantation, may be given and granted to him; he exhibits besides an extract from the minutes of the village of Bergen, whereby it appears, that the Court there has promised it to him subject to approval. The petition was granted.

He also had property in New Amsterdam, for on 31 January 1664, "Arent Lauwrenzen of the Village of Bergen declared, that by virtue of a patent on 10 May 1662, he cedes, conveys, and grants to Adam Onckelbagh, Burgher and inhabitant of this city, a house and lot in the west side of Smee Street." In November 1665, "Arent Lawrence," together with his sons, Claes and Laurens, signed the Oath of Allegiance to the English. On 10 Oct. 1670 six various pieces of property in and around Bergen were confirmed to Arent Laurensen. He joined the Reformed Dutch Church of Bergen 27 September 1672. ^[4][5]

Arent Laurensen, or Arent, the son of Laurens, was the progenitor of the Tuers family in America. In early records, this name was spelled Toers, Tours, Teurse, Tourse, Tuers, Tures, Turse, Tewess and sometimes Towers. The adoption of his name Toers suggests he may have been from an area in what is now Belgium. But, he must have lived in Amsterdam, Holland, for a while at least, as the marriage records of his two sons state they were born there. His wife name was Anna Claes. Claes is a name that is found in contemporary Belgium. Van Toers is also a name found in Ghent.

Arent Laurensen, his wife, and three sons immigrated to America before 1655, very likely at some time in the 1640’s, based on the early membership records of founders of the Reformed Dutch Church in New York (the name can be found only a page or so down from Peter Stuyvesant on the list).

While we know that prior to 1655 Arent, his wife, and three sons, emigrated to New Amsterdam, and owned property in the new settlement, we have not yet found a ship’s manifest showing their voyage.

On 15 October 1655, he volunteered to pay 6 florins in labor for the defense of New Amsterdam. On 13 April 1657, "Arent Lourissen Carpenter" was confirmed in his rights as a Small Burgher.

Roelof Jansen, a mason, died at the house of Arent Laurensen on 16 November1657, and on the 28th he petitioned the Burgomasters and Schepens to authorize one or two persons to sell the property of Jansen at public auction "that thus might be paid the expenses of his funeral, his house rent and other known and unknown debts." Sieur Mattheus de Vos, Notary Public, and Arent Laurensen were appointed.

On 12 Dec. Anna Claes appeared before the Orphanmasters and by two affidavits proved that Roelof Jansen "had given her in his liftime everyday clothing, his gun, powder-horn and what belonged to it; she also produces an account for house rent, for care taking and money advanced, amounting to 99fl. 18 st., wherein are included 7 beavers, the balance being in wampum. Arent Laurensen was compelled to pay some money owing to the Orphanmasters in 1660.

Anna Claes was one of the "Old Members" of the Reformed Dutch Church in New Amsterdam, before 1660, with her name appearing on the members list just a few down from Peter Stuyvesant. She also was one of the charter members of the Reformed Dutch Church of Bergen in 1664.

Probably about 1661 Arent moved to Bergen and with other Dutch families bought land in the Carteret Patent in Bergen, near Paulis Hook, across from Manhattan where in 1662 he signed the petition of the Magistrates of Bergen asking to be provided with a clergyman. He pledged 10 florins for the support of the clergyman. On 4 July 1663, he volunteered for the protection of Bergen, and on 21 Feb. 1664, he signed a petition for the erection of a blockhouse at Bergen. On 29 May 1664 he petitioned "that a piece of low land, close to his plantation, may be given and granted to him; he exhibits besides an extract from the minutes of the village of Bergen, whereby it appears, that the Court there has promised it to him subject to approval. The petition was granted.

He also apparently maintained his property in New Amsterdam while moving to Bergen, for on 31 January 1664, "Arent Lauwrenzen of the Village of Bergen declared, that by virtue of a patent on 10 May 1662, he cedes, conveys, and grants to Adam Onckelbagh, Burgher and inhabitant of this city, a house and lot in the Westside of Smee Street."

In November 1665, "Arent Lawrence," signed the Oath of Allegiance to the English. On 10 Oct. 1670 six various pieces of property in and around Bergen were confirmed to Arent Laurensen. He joined the Reformed Dutch Church of Bergen 27 September 1672.

Arent owned considerable land in and around Bergen (now Jersey City). Tuers Avenue in Jersey City is named after the family. He donated land for the church and original church cemetery in Jersey City. There is a map of the 1854 Tuers Estate in the Jersey City Library (copy in my personal collection is too large to scan to file for web publishing at this time).

Notes

From the early history, it may be that Laurens settled in Saddle River. According to the local history:The first attempt to settle lands west of the Saddle River was made in 1681, when a patent was issued by Governor Carteret and his council to Jacob Cortelyou, Hendrick Smock, Rutgert Joosten, and others, for 3,525 acres of section 29, adjoining the Saddle River on the east and south, partly on the Passaic River and partly on a brook, on the west. This patent was declared forfeited for non-settlement.

The second attempt was made seven years later (March 25, 1687), when section 18, containing 5,320 acres, described as lying between the Passaic and Saddle Rivers,-" beginning at the meeting of the said rivers and running northerly along the Passaic River, its several turns, reduced to a straight line,. four miles and thirty-six chains to a white oak tree marked on four sides at the Bound Brook, thence from the Bound Brook north east by a great Rock of Stone, eighty four chains, thence north east along the line of the Indian purchase, one hundred and eight chains, thence along Saddle River southwesterly to the place where it began. Being in length, reduced to a straight line, six miles and a half,"-was patented by the proprietors to nine persons, to wit: Colonel Richard Townley, of Elizabethtown, N. J.; Captain Elbert Elbertsen (Stoothoff), of Flatlands, L. I. ; Jaques (James) Cortelyou, of New Utrecht, L. I.; Richard Stillwell, of Staten Island, N. Y.; William Nicholls, of the City of New York; Catharine IHoagland, of Flatlands, L. I.; Peter Jacobus Marius (Morris), of the City of New York; and Roloff Joosten (Van Brunt) and Hendrick Matthiesen, of New Utrecht, L. I. The survivors of these persons, and the heirs of those deceased, partitioned the tract, May 16, 1692, and thereafter sold it to settlers as follows : Joshua Bos (Bush), Thomas Jurianse (Van Reipen). John Van Horn, John Post, Halmagh Van Houten, Garret Jurianse (Van Reipen), Garret Garretson (Van Wagoner), Garret Garretson (Van Wagoner), Jr., John Garretson (Van Wagoner), Peter Garretson (Van Wagoner), Dirck Barentsen, Thomas Fredericksen, Warner Burger, Abram Van Varrick, Laurence Toers, Peter Jacobsen Morris, David Laurencen Ackerman, Dirk Van Zyle, Hendrick Vandelinda, Jacob Marinus, Thomas F. and Andries F. Cadmus, and John Billfield. This section is sometimes called in deeds " Acquackannock " and sometimes " Slotterdam," and comprised the greater part of the present Township of Saddle River. The "Rock" referred to is supposed to have been what is now Glen Rock.

Sources

1. ↑ bronverwijzing:DTB 5, p.254 opmerkingen:Ber. va. Varensman
2. ↑ Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey edited by Cornelius Burnham Harvey, page 212
3. ↑ Marriage inschrijvingsdatum:12-03-1639 naam bruidegom:Lourenss, Arent naam bruid:Claes, Anna bronverwijzing:DTB 450, p.204 opmerkingen:Huwelijksintekeningen van de KERK Source: "Netherlands, Noord-Holland Province, Church Records, 1523-1948," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-31147-32662-71?cc=2037985 : accessed 17 October 2015), Nederlands Hervormde > Amsterdam > Huwelijksaangiften, Trouwen 1638-1640 > image 109 of 657; Nederlands Rijksarchiefdienst, Den Haag (Netherlands National Archives, The Hague).
4. ↑ Toers - Tuers Family New Jersey
5. ↑ The Toers - Tuers Family by Howard Randolph. Reprinted from the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey 1926. Edited by Jim Turse, 2005.

• Children's Baptismal Records:

1.kind:, Laurens doopdatum:17-01-1640 kerk:Nieuwe Kerk godsdienst:Hervormd vader:Laurensz, Arent moeder:Claes, Annetje bronverwijzing:DTB 42, p.176

2. kind:, Lijntje doopdatum:10-09-1641 kerk:Nieuwe Kerk godsdienst:Hervormd vader:Laurensz, Arent moeder:Claes, Anna bronverwijzing:DTB 42, p.272

3. kind:, Claes doopdatum:29-10-1643 kerk:Oude Kerk godsdienst:Hervormd vader:Lourensz, Arent moeder:Claes, Anne bronverwijzing:DTB 7, p.378 opmerkingen:Ber. va. Huistimmerman

4. kind:, Margriet doopdatum:13-08-1645 kerk:Nieuwe Kerk godsdienst:Hervormd vader:Laurensz, Arent moeder:Robbers, Maritje (different wife) Possibly not a record for our Arent

• The Toers- Tuers Family, Howard SF Randolph, LDS#16, Holland Yearbook Society, Turse.Org

• The Toers - Tuers Family by Howard Randolph. Reprinted from the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey 1926. Edited by Jim Turse, 2005.

• U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current about Arent Louersen Toers

Name: Arent Louersen Toers Death Date: 8 Jan 1674 Cemetery: Old Bergen Churchyard Burial or Cremation Place: Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States of America Has Bio?: N Find A Grave: Memorial #10726660 Source Information: Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Find A Grave. Find A Grave. Find A Grave: Memorial #10726660.

• Marriage to Anna Claes

Speculative records for father

It could be the two fathers are actually one person & had two wives:

• named exactly the same,
• same profession ("varensman", someone working on or owning a boat, so skipper, deckhand, captain, any of those).
• The profession could mean events happened in other places...

• 1. kind:, Arent

doopdatum:12-08-1618

kerk:Oude Kerk godsdienst:Hervormd

vader:Arentsz, Lourens

moeder:Arents, Metje

bronverwijzing:DTB 5, p.254 opmerkingen:Ber. va. Varensman

• 2. kind:, Arent

doopdatum:13-04-1614

kerk:Oude Kerk godsdienst:Hervormd

vader:Arentsz, Lourens

moeder:Bartelmeus, Engeltjen

bronverwijzing:DTB 5, p.103 opmerkingen:Ber. va. Varensman

• Toers Wool