Louris Jansz (abt. 1605 - 1659)

Born about 1605 in Hüsem, Friesland, Nederland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1659 at about age 54 in Gravesend, Long Island, New Netherland

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Biography

Louris Jansen was a settler in New Netherland, where he appears in records between 1653 and 1659, the year he died. He is sometimes called Louris Jansen Opdyck because his descendants used the name Opdyck, but he never used the name.^[1][2]

He entered the fur trade at Beverwyck, the head of navigation of the North River (later known as the Hudson River), where the Dutch had built Fort Orange at their first discovery, and where is now Albany.^[3]

Birth & Youth

Records

As is often the case with early immigrants to the American colonies, it is difficult to gather any information about their age and origins due to the lack of ship manifests, or any documents in particular. However, in the case of Lourens Jansz, burgher and inhabitant of Beverwyck, some information is available through hearings in court records.

Lourens is summoned twice before the court of Beverwyck, on 23 December 1653^[4] and 17 February 1654 ^[5]. In both cases, he is listed as being born in Hoesem, and a 48 year-old burgher and inhabitant of Beverwyck. This is often translated as Husum, one of the German Frisian Islands ^[6].

Sadly, this leaves us with little way of verifying this hypothesis: church records in Husum only start in 1605, and Louris would have been born slightly before these records start. However, no-one named Laurens Jansen and no variation of Louris as a first name was spotted in the church books between 1605 and 1610 ^[6]. Despite there being no way of verifying this hypothesis, this means other hypotheses must be considered as well, such as Huizum in Friesland ^[6] (despite this being less likely as it would require an unlikely vowel-shift).

Conclusion

Louris Jansen was born in Hoesem, most likely between 17 February 1605 and 23 December 1605. However, nothing is currently known about his parents, and the current-day location of origin is hard to verify.

Earlier Research

"Laurens (Louwris) Jansz; lived with his wife Stijntje Pieters on 't goet [farm on the fifth creek?] of Adriaen Huybertsz, in Jan. 1650. The same year a garden was granted to him north of the large garden of Sander Leendertsz, according to resolution of the court, dated April 1, 1650." ^[7]

Louris Jansen Opdyke was from Holland. The names of his parents and the exact location of his birth are not known. He only wrote his name, following the Dutch tradition, as Louris Jansen, meaning Louris the son of Jan. Louris is known to have sailed from Holland by about 1650. He was a well-educated man of some means. After settling, he entered the fur-trade near Fort Orange (now Albany).

In 1653 Louris bought lot No. 34 at Gravesend, Long Island. In that year an Indian War broke out which the band of settlers was able to thwart. In 1655 a second Indian War broke out. The Indians swept Manhattan Island down to Fort Amsterdam, killing or capturing most of the settlers at Hoboken and Pavonia and laid waste the Jersey shore. When the Indians arrived at Gravesend the settlers were in dire need of help. Louris and five others wrote a desperate letter requesting the help of the Governor Stuyvesant. Troops were immediately dispensed and drove off the Indians from the town.

In 1656 and '57 there is evidence in court records showing Louris was residing in New Amsterdam (New York). There is also a record in Flatbush of "Louweres Jans" in 1659. Researchers of the early Holland families believe that Louris' family lived most of the time in New Amsterdam from 1653 to 1657. He frequently left to tend to his fur-trading business. Louris apparently then moved his family to Gravesend where he resided until his death.His estate was assessed at 2100 guilders at the time of his death; a considerable sum at the time.

See also The Op Dyck Genealogy

Marriage & Children

As not much is known about the origins of Louris, not much is known about his early marriage as well. As far as American records tell, his wife was named Styntie Laurens (though this name might very well just be an indication that she was Laurens' widow)^[8]. The estate division after his death shows that the couple had three children who were alive at the time: Peter, Otto and Johannes ^[8]. While a record registered on 16 March 1660 shows Peter was not of legal age (21) at the time, a record registered on 3 July 1664 does. This implies that Peter was born between 1639 and 1643, which means that Louris and his wife probably married before 1643 ^[8].

He married Christina (Stijntje). ^[9]

Children according to Opdyke, were:^[10]

1. Peter, born before 1643.
2. Otto, born about 1646.
3. Johannes, born 1651, died 1729.

Death

Louris died at (probably) Gravesend, Long Island, New Netherland, probably sometime after a 1659 Flatbush court record named "Louweres Janse" as owing money (but this allegation may have been filed after his death) and before 1661 when he was called deceased in another record.^[11]

Church Records

Children's baptisms

1. 1644. 10 April. Plaats: Oost-Vlieland
   Bijzonderheden: De ouders zijn Amsterdammers, de dopeling is in het schip geboren.
   Dopeling Otto
   Vader Louwerens Jans, Moeder Stijntjen Pieters ^[12][13]

Sources

1. ↑ The Op Dyck genealogy, containing the Opdyck--Opdycke--Updyke--Updike American descendents of the Wesel and Holland families Author Opdyke, Charles Wilson, b. 1838,Opdycke, Leonard Eckstein, 1858-1914
2. ↑ Opdyke: Page 136
3. ↑ Opdyke: Page 140
4. ↑ Van Laer, Minutes..1652-1656.: Page 88
5. ↑ Van Laer, Minutes..1652-1656.: Page 111
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} https://lists.rootsweb.com/hyperkitty/list/dutch-colonies.rootsweb.com/thread/2125164/
7. ↑ Kiliaen Van Rensselaer and A. J. F. Van Laer. Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts: Being the Letters of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, 1630-1643, and Other Documents Relating to the Colony of Rensselaerswyck. Albany, N.Y.: University of the State of New York, 1908. 841.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Opdyke, Charles. The Op Dyck Genealogy, containing the Opdyck--Opdycke--Updyke--Updike American descendants of the Wesel and Holland families (Weed, Parsons Co., Albany, New York, 1889) page 152.
9. ↑ Opdyke: Page 136\\
10. ↑ Opdyke: Page 154
11. ↑ Opdyke: Pages 144 and 152.
12. ↑ Source: Alle Friezen Baptism 10 April 1644 Baptism Bronvermelding Doopboek Herv. gem. Oost-Vlieland, archiefnummer 28, Collectie doop-, trouw-, lidmaten- en begraafboeken - Tresoar, inventarisnummer 741, aktenummer 519 Gemeente: Vlieland Periode: 1635-1746
13. ↑ "Netherlands, Friesland Province, Church Records, 1543-1911," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89W2-9Q8G?cc=2040000&wc=SBN7-3TT%3A382150501%2C382352201%2C954378401 : 30 January 2015), Nederlands Hervormd > Oost-Vlieland > Dopen 1635-1812 Trouwen 1661-1669, 1694-1696, 1708-1732, 1746-1809 Lidmaten 1675-1711, 1717-1850 Overlijden 1634-1657, 1680-1682, 1702, 1709-1725 > image 30 of 874; Nederlands Rijksarchiefdienst, Den Haag (Netherlands National Archives, The Hague).

• Van Laer, Arnold J. F. Minutes of the court of Fort Orange and Beverwyck, 1652-1656 (University of the State of New York, 1920)
• Gehring, Charles T. Fort Orange Court Minutes, 1652-1660. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1990.
• Opdyke, Charles. The Op Dyck Genealogy, containing the Opdyck--Opdycke--Updyke--Updike American descendants of the Wesel and Holland families (Weed, Parsons Co., Albany, New York, 1889)
• Venema, Janny. Beverwijck a Dutch Village on the American Frontier, 1652-1664. Hilversum, the Netherlands: Verloren ;, 2003.
• Ancestry Family Trees.: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.
• "Netherlands Births and Baptisms, 1564-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X1FR-VTG : 10 February 2018), Louwe Jansen in entry for Mette Jansen, ; citing NEDERLANDS HERVORMDE KERK, ELBURG, GELDERLAND, NETHERLANDS; FHL microfilm 108,701.