Steven (Coerts) van Voorhees
Privacy Level: Open (White)

Steven (Coerts) van Voorhees (1600 - 1684)

Steven "Stephen" [uncertain] van Voorhees formerly Coerts aka Voorhees, Koerts, Koorts, Coerte, Koers
Born in Ruinen, (Hees), Drenthe, Nederlandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Brother of and
Husband of — married 1638 (to 1649) in Netherlandsmap
Husband of — married 1649 [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Died at about age 84 in Flatlands, Brooklyn, Kings County, Long Island, New York colonymap
Profile last modified | Created 20 Oct 2016
This page has been accessed 6,176 times.
The Prince's Flag.
Steven (Coerts) van Voorhees was a New Netherland settler.
Join: New Netherland Settlers Project
Discuss: new_netherland

Contents

Biography

§ Steven Van Voorhees (1600 – 16 February 1684) was an early Dutch settler and the patriarch of the Voorhees family line and namesakes. In 1664, he was a magistrate and founder of the Dutch Reformed Church in present day Flatlands, He emigrated with his family in April 1660 to the New Netherlands in the ship Bontekoe.

§ Steven Coerten Van Voorhees, b. in 1600 at Hees, Holland. "The meaning in English of the name Van Voorhees is 'from before Hees'; Van meaning 'from', Voor meaning 'before' or 'in front of' and Hees being a small village about a quarter of a mile south of the town of Ruinen in the Province of Drenthe, Holland, which contained in 1660 nine houses and about fifty inhabitants." He emigrated with his family in Apr, 1660 to the New Netherlands in the ship Bontekoe (Spotted Cow)and d. Feb. 16, 1684, at Flatlands, L.I. His wife's name is unknown." - Concerning the Van Bunschoten or Van Benschoten Family in America, p. 69.

§ Born in 1600 at the Farm of Voorhees in the Province of Drenthe, The Netherlands. Emigrated 1660 with second wife, children (except Marchien) and son in las Jan Kiers to Nieuw Amersfoort. He married (1) Willempie Roelofse Seubering, daughter of Roelof Seubering. She was born ca. 1619 and died ca. 1690. He married (2) Aeltje Wessel, no birth date known, died ca. 1642

§ Steven Coerte (VAN VOORHEES). Born ca 1599-1600 in in or near Hees, Netherlands. Steven Coerte died on 16 Feb 1684 in Flatlands, Kings Co., NY.

Ca 1649 Steven Coerte married Willempie ROELOFSE (SEUBERING).
Birth 1600 Voor Hees Manor, De Wolden, Ruinen, Drenthe, Holland
Death 16 Feb 1684 Flatlands, Brooklyn, Kings, New York
Arrival 1660 New York, New York

§ Steven Coerte Van Voorhees, son of Coert Alberts of Voorhees, was born in 1600 at Hees, Holland.

Steven Coerte at various times in Drenthe had rented farms in Ruinen, Hees, Oosterboer, and Meppel.

He emigrated from before the village of Hees in the province of Drenthe, Holland, in April, 1660, in the ship "Bonte Koe" (Spotted Cow), Captain Pieter Lucassen.

Steven Coerte with his wife, children aged 22, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and son-in-law, Jan Kiers, sailed on the ship 'de Bonte Koe' (the Spotted Cow) 15 April 1660. These were all his children except his two daughters, Hendrickjen and Merghin.

Drenthe was the most sparsely populated Dutch province, economically depressed but with rising taxes. Beginning in 1651, residents of rural southwest Drenthe began emigrating to New Netherland, where the largest town, New Amsterdam, was about the same in population as Drenthe's largest town of Meppel (ca. 1,200).

They were not venturing into the unknown: already in New Netherland were his wife's brother Jan and her sister Lambertje, wife of Jan Strycker, and several relatives of Strycker. In fact there were 19 people from southwest Drenthe in New Netherland before the Bonte Coe brought 39 more. In 1662, another 23 arrived. By 1664 there were 108, most of them on western Long Island, others along the Hudson River Valley as far north as Fort Orange (Albany), and a few as far south as Delaware.

He went from leasing a fouteen-acre farm at Voorhees to being a landowner, buying a farm in New Amersfort six months after his arrival in New Netherland. No penniless immigrant, he paid 3400 guilders.

He purchased, November 29, 1660, from Cornelis Dircksen Hoogland, "9 morgens of cornland, 7 morgens of woodland, 10 morgens of plainland and 5 morgens of salt meadow," in the Flatlands of Long Island, for three thousand guilders. Also the house and house plot lying in the village of "Amersfoort in Bergen" (Flatlands), with the brewery and all the brewing apparatus, kettle house and casks, with the appurtenances, as per page 37 of Liber B of Flatbush records. [1]

By 1675 he had 30 morgens (63 acres), 15 cattle, 4 horses and 2 hogs. He is listed on the assessment roll of Amersfort in 1676 and 1683 with 55 morgansof land. His son Coert had an even larger farm, as would the other sons in time.

He married, in Holland, a wife (name unknown), who was the mother of all his children. He married (second), prior to 1677, on Long Island, Willempie Roelofse Seubering. [1]

Both Steven and his second wife were members of the Dutch church of Flatlands in 1677.

His name appears as magistrate in 1664. His will is dated August 25, 1677. Children:

  1. Hendrickjen Stevense, married Jan Kiers; she came over from Holland several years after her parents.
  2. Merghin Stevense, married Remmelt Willemse; she resided in 1684 at Dwingelo, Holland, with her son-in-law, Jan Van Etchen.
  3. Coert Stevense, see forward.
  4. Lucas Stevense, of Hackensack, New Jersey; married Catherine Hansen Van Noortstrand.
  5. Jan Stevense, married Cornelia Reincers Wizzel-penning; (second), Femmetje Aukes Van Nuyse.
  6. Albert Stevense, a large landowner of Hackensack, New Jersey, and one of the organizers of the first Dutch church there, of which he was one of the two first elders. He married (first) Barentie Willemse; (second) Lilletje Reinniers Wizzel-penning; (third) Helena Van Der Dhure.
  7. Altje Stevense, married Barrent Jurianz Ryder, the ancestor of the Gravesend, Long island, family of Ryder.
  8. Jannetie Stevense, married (first) Jan Martense Schenck, (second) Alexander Sympson.
  9. Hendrickje Stevense, married (first) Jan Riverstead, (second) Albert Albertse Terhune, of Flatlands, Long Island, and Hackensack, New Jersey.
  10. Abraham Stevense, married Altje Strycker.

Nieuwe Drentsche Volksalmanak

Steven Coerts, a Drenthe emigrant from 1660
By J. Poortman, for the Nieuwe Drentsche Volksalmanak 1943 (the writer used brief historical information for writing this novel, so it's a mix of facts and fiction (romanitcized)

Facts: in Amersfoort there lived at least one Drenths family, Steven Coerts Voorhees, who lived here on a farm under Voorhees, municipality Gelderland. Six months after his arrival to New Amsterdam he bought a farm, house or bouwerij from Comelis Dircksen Hooglant. Shortly after his arrival, he was already a deacon of the church at Flatlands (Nw.-Amersfoort).
Three letters were preserved, where they wrote the Drenths family in 1684, 1687 and 1699, so the contact with the homeland was preserved.
This is clear even from Volume XXXIII of New York Colonial manuscripts, folio 136, containing a statement on Jan Elten Kingston NY, who wanted to leave the country, and received an attestation for it.
Elten according to the document originating from Zwiggelte and five signatures of men who all were "alt natives of Drenthe." So they were entitled to take action and had knowledge of the residence of Jan's parents, who still lived in Zwiggelte. The first signature was from the now honorable Steven Coerten, 79 years old and his son Coert Stevensen, aged 42 years. Furthermore signed by William Roeloffs, Jan Strycker and Jan Suebering, who bears the same name as Steven Coerts wife. So the Drenth's in New Netherlands raise their voice in the middle of the eighteen languages that were spoken in those days.
Years ago I came in contact with one of the descendants of Steven Coerts and this is the cause of many investigations and much correspondence, which is now temporarily suspended. In addition, it was established, as I have already explained in brief, Drenthe took part and had a prominent place in the colonization of the New World .

What can we find in our own archives (Dutch) about the family of Steven Coerts?

Voorhees is a farm, which occurred earlier in the income tables of the abbey Dicninge alongside middle and back-Voorhees. There were so Voorhees three farms, which were leased under the then prevailing conditions.

Voorhees was a mixed company, as was to be expected in Gelderland. It was large 28 bushels of arable land and 71 bushels of hay and was leased for 38 bushels of rye (in our sizes so 7 ha building and ± 2 ha meadows). Jonker Van den Boetzelaar had since 1626 both as a Means Front Voorhees in rent, but he wore in 1632 the rent of Middle Hees to Jan Coerts. The rent was then 50 bushels of rye. From 1621-1626 Coert Voorhees Back to this place in rent. During that time, Albert worked Voorhees for a rent of 28 bushels. So there is already changing, because in 1626, Jacob hires East Inge "to Muscle" Behind Voorhees 35 bushels of rye. It is unnecessary to give any six-yearly changes. Therefore I Lay Me Down to the years to 1660, because during this period the departure to New Netherlands falls.

On 22 March 1658 Steven Coerts hires the farm Pol (Pol's erve) from the administrator of Dicninger goods. A Hilhert Coerts in this year lived on Achterhees, who renewed the rent on 14 March 1661. Also in this year, Albert lived in Voorhees, but in 1662 there was again a Hilhert Coerts living in Voorhees. Perhaps it was this hanky-panky with the rental conditions, and knowing that another who needed it, could, by offering a higher rent, just 'disown' land and house from the other, which made Steven decide to leave Drenthe ? It does not seem unlikely to me ! Anyway, he came up to an age at which nowadays people would leave things like starting a new life and emigrating to their children. This immediately raises the question of how "remote" Drenthe was, because like many others, one would imagine, the people there were unaware such a thing as a New Netherlands existed.

We know that the city of Amsterdam made much propaganda for this emigration. Known was the "Beschrijvinge of New Netherland" by Adriaen van der Donck, which appeared in 1655, and already had its second edition in 1656.

Meppel was an important link between Amsterdam and Holland with the Drenthe back (hinter) land. Trade with Amsterdam was more important than we think superficially. Whether such propaganda drawings were read here is hard to figure out, but that it could reach Drenthe very well, is proven by the fact that I, from one of the old families in the past, received work of Montanus about voyages of discovery to America, published shortly after 1650. Anyway, it is certain that Steven Coerts left Gelderland and his relatives at the age of sixty and left with his entire family on The Bontekoe, and travelled to New Amsterdam.

The passenger list of the 'Bonte Koe' has shown that besides the sailors and a detachment of soldiers, 49 passengers, viz. 21 men, 5 women with 23 children and three girls went along. Including a servile from Meppel there were 29 Drenth's, 4 Gelders and 1 Zeeuw. It's obvious that I gladly would have investigated this list of names in Drenthe, but it turned out that the abovementioned documents, after they were used ten years ago by American interested, can not to be found, despite the effort to recover them by the State Archives in Drenthe. Let's hope that these papers later will be retrieved, so it is possible to ascertain who emigrated and where they came from. (See footnote)

A whole enterprise it was undoubtedly. When the time of departure came, they traveled about Meppel to Amsterdam, using the Meppeler ferry. At the office of the West India Company they reported for the necessary inspection and for paying the travel. The price was 36 guilders for adults, with reductions for children. The agent of the Van Ruyven Compagnie after the inspection wrote Coerts Steven, his wife and their seven children at the passengerslist.

Stevens daughter Hendrikje and her husband Jan Kiers - a Ruiner name! - also went along. Only Coert, the eldest son, was an adult, the other children were ten years old or younger. A description of the Bonte Koe is not to be found, but this will have been the usual type of ship, the Company used for crossings with two decks, three masts and the known high rear deck. On April 15, 1660 - old style - began the journey that would take several weeks along the so-called southern route..

On board were also 18 soldiers, of which one with his wife and three children. A total of 5 families traveled along; four of them together had 23 children; further, there were nine single men, including a tailor and a shoemaker. Three of them were hired by Roelof Swartwout, from Gelderland . Swartwout had visited his birthplace and it is not impossible that he had done it in order to get work forces. The New World had a large deficit of workforces, so the great colonists were recruiting "servants" throughout the country and even in East Friesland, as appears from the papers of Killiaen of Rensselaer. The Company worked namely worked in many way against the independent settlers, and we get a bad impression of the petty mercantile spirit of the Directors of the Company. However, it must be noted that fortune seekers even then did everything to the detriment of whatever for a soon and rich repatriation. Director General Kieft crashed on the way back to the homeland with his capital of fl 400.000.- he had scraped together.

It is certain that Steven Coerts intention was to buy himself a farm and that he had the means or credit to do so. Arriving in June he first will have looked around for a place that looked like fine to him. It worked out soon, because there is a contract of 29 November 1660, which shows that he for fl 3400.- - a large sum for that time - a house with barn, brewery and 24 acres bought land from Cornelius Diercksen Hooghlant to New Amersfoort . The deed is written in Dutch and comes with the English translation of a book B of the Flatbush acts on p. 27. The sale deed is as follows: (abridged) Blessed be God. In Midwout published on 29 November 1660 for me, Adrian Hegernan, now secretary of Midwout and Amersfoort in New Netherlands witnesses listed below, Corneles Dercsen Hooghlant on one side and Steven Coerts on the other side. Said C.D. Hooghlant declared that he had sold and Steven Coerts that he had bought a piece of corn land located in Amersfoort, between the brewery (cropland) Wolfert Gerritsen van Couwenhoven and French Jensen, carpenter, ........ .. together with the house and area lying in Amersfoort, the haystacks, with the construction home with all brewing tools as boilers, tanks, vats and what belongs more, with a wagon, a plow and an iron harrow, two oxen whether the metastatic grain, four bushels of peas and 4 bushels of buckwheat. All this is sold with which Earth and is permanently fixed, with the joys and burdens, as the seller has owned .......... For the purchase of the above land etc. Steven Coerts promises to pay if buyer on C.D. Hooghlant, mentioned above or his assigns the sum of NLG 400.- in cash and 3,000 Dutch guilders in good Sewan (ie the beaver skins used by the Indians as money). Everything in four installments: the first term of fl 400 .- in Dutch money (after selling "t Sewan) summer 1661, the second-term large fl 1000.- May 1662, the third and fourth terrnijn to equal amount consecutively May 1663 1664.De deed was registered on 4 December 1660 and was signed by Comelis Diercksen Steven Coerts, Nicholaes de Meyers and Aucke Jans.

Thus Steven sat on the place where since immemorial time an Indian village named Kaskachague was located at the intersection of two Native American migration routes and he would pay most of the purchase in Indian currency, as was used along the entire Atlantic coast. That things went pretty well, is evident because he was appointed as a member of the local government in 1664, the year in which the British overpowered New Netherlands. This change of government gave a lot of uncertainty about the ownership, rights to lands, houses etc. Therefore, the residents requested in 1665 to the British governor for confirmation of the old rights.

Governor Nicolls gave eight residents of Amersfoort or Flatlands, the so-called Nicolls Charter, whereby existing rights were recognized. Steven Coerts and his eldest son Coert Stevens are two of the eight mentioned. Throughout the rest of his life it went well with the family. Although in 1673 the municipal papers were burned, yet we know that Steven created or bought more and more land. his children married into the finest immigrant families.

On 16 February 1684 he died at the ripe old age of 84 years.[1]

Even after the transfer of administrative population retained its own language, customs and church first and grandchildren began to write their name according to the rules and customs of English law and added as a surname "Voorhees" to increase theirs.

According to the custom of the country, Steven was buried in the founded church, as was the case with the other founders among the colonists. The other residents were buried at the church.

When he died he had thirty grandchildren living in the New World. He lived like a patriarch, a family man, with great authority in the colony. He had worked hard for the church, which he loved, to flourish, and his work was blessed . In Drenths way he 'doggedly' worked the better soil in the new country, where conditions still were much in line with those from his birthplace, but where he could live more free and could succeed better. In the afternoon of his life he pulled away - one out of many, as Picardt tells - and he knew his children were salvaged when he died. These thirty grandchildren all had inherited something from his Drenths will and fortitude, workforce, strength and character and came in the foreground (were prominent) in their new homeland more than once.

Name

  • Stephen Coerte [Van Voorhees] | Steven Coerts |Coerten Van Voorhees| Steven Coerte Voorhis |Steven Coerte Van Voorhees

Birth

  • Steven Coerte Van Voorhees was born in 1600 in Hees, De Wolden, Drenthe, Netherlands, to Mergin Hendrickje, age 30, and Coert Albertse, age 40.[1][2][3] [4][5][6][7][8][9]

Marriage

  • He married (1) Aeltje Wessels, married cir 1630 in Holland, b. cir 1605, d. bef 1647 in Holland who bore him 3 children. He married (2) Willemtje Roelofse Seubering, married 1648 in Holland, b. 1619, d. 1690 in Long Island, NY. who bore him six children.[4][5][6][10][11][7]

Immigration

Property

  • On 23 November 1660, Steven bought Cornelius Hoagland, 9 morgens of cornland, 7 morgens of woodland, 10 morgens of plainland, and 5 morgens of salt meadow in Flatlands, L. I., for 3,000 guilders, also the house and houseplot lying in the village of "Amesfoort en Bergen" (Flatlands), with the brewery and all the brewing apparatus, kettle-house and casks.[2][6][9]

Will

Death

  • Steven Coerte Van Voorhees died on February 16, 1684, in Flatlands, Brooklyn, New York, when he was 84 years old.k[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Burial

  • Steven is buried in the Flatlands Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York.[8]

Family

  • The following tree is from descendant Gail Smith, and needs to be independently verified:
  • Children by Aeltje Wessels:
  • Coerte Stevense Van Voorhees b. 1638, d. aft 1702.
  • Hendrickje Stevense Van Voorhees b. abt 1640.
  • Marchien Stevense Van Voorhees b. abt 1640, d. 28-Oct-1702.
  • Wessel Van Voorhees b. 1640, d. -Jan-1641.
  • hildren by Willemtje Roelofse Seubering:
  • Lucas Stevense Van Voorhees b. 1650, d. aft 28-Dec-1724.
  • Jan Stevense Van Voorhees b. 1652, d. aft 20-Nov-1735.
  • Albert Stevense Van Voorhees b. 1654, d. aft 14-May-1727.
  • Aeltje Stevense Van Voorhees b. 1656.
  • Jannetje Stevense Van Voorhees b. 1656, d. bef 19-Sep-1709.
  • Hendrickje Stevense Van Voorhees b. 1658, d. abt 1692.
  • Abraham Stevense Van Voorhees.

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Van Voorhis, Elias William. A genealogy of the Van Voorhees family in America: or The descendants of Stephen Coerte Van Voorhees of Holland and Flatlands, L.I. (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons: The Knickerbocker Press, 1888), pg. 10-11.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Wikipedia contributors, "Steven van Voorhees," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steven_van_Voorhees&oldid=885964491 (accessed April 5, 2019).
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Van Voorhees Association, Genealogy Vanvoorhees.org
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "DESCENDANTS OF COERT VAN VOORHEES." Accessed April 5, 2019. http://www.angelfire.com/ny/chickened/vanvoorheesfamily.html.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 HUGHES, THOMAS PATRICK. AMERICAN ANCESTRY: Giving the Name and Descent, in the Male Line of Americans Whose ... Ancestors Settled in the United States, Previous to... Joel Munsell's Sons, 1889. Vol III, Page 59. Multiple volumes. Digitized and reprinted by FORGOTTEN Books, 2016
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Van Voorhis, Elias W. Notes on the Ancestry of Major Wm Roe Van Voorhis, of Fishkill, Dutchess County, New York, For Private Distribution. 1881. Page 10. Digitized by Archive.Org.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Stoutenburgh, Henry A. A Documentary History of the Dutch Congregation of Oyster Bay, Queens County, Island of Nassau (now Long Island). The Knickerbocher Press, New York, 1905. Volume 8, page 650. Digitized ny Internet Archive, Archive.org,
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 05 April 2019), memorial page for Steven Coerte Van Voorhees (1600–16 Feb 1684), Find A Grave Memorial no. 76620510, citing Flatlands Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York, USA ; Maintained by Marc Truitt (contributor 46865936) .
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Lee, Francis Brazley. 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, Volume 1. Pge 74. Lewis Historical Publishing Company; New York; 1910 https://archive.org/details/genealogicalmemo01leef_0/page/n9/mode/2up
  10. Bergen, Teunis G., Register in Alphabetical Order, of the Early Settlers of Kings County, Long Island, N.Y.: From Its First Settlement by Europeans to 1700 ; With Contributions to Their Biographies and Genealogies, Page 380. Compiled from Various Sources. New York: S. W. Green's Son, Printer, Electrotyper and Binder, 1861.
  11. Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
  12. https://www.geni.com/projects/Bonte-Koe-Spotted-Cow-Passengers-1660/43689
  13. HUGHES, THOMAS PATRICK. AMERICAN ANCESTRY: Giving the Name and Descent, in the Male Line of Americans Whose ... Ancestors Settled in the United States, Previous to... Joel Munsell's Sons, 1889. Vol III, Page 59. Vol I, Page 90. Multiple volumes. Digitized and reprinted by FORGOTTEN Books, 2016
  14. Van Voorhis, Elias W. Notes on the Ancestry of Major Wm Roe Van Voorhis, of Fishkill, Dutchess County, New York, For Private Distribution. 1881. Page 4. Digitized by Archive.Org.
  • Van Nice Family History 1661-1979, or Vannice, Van Nuis, Van Nuys. A Record of the Family of Isaac Van Nuys (or Vannice) of Harrodsburg, Kentucky son of Issac Van Nuys of Millstone, New Jersey by Carrie Allen 1916
  • Chester, Chris. "The Brouwer Genealogy Database." freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~brouwergenealogydata. Accessed May 23, 2016. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~brouwergenealogydata/index.htm Stephen Coert Van Voorhees
  • Source: Concerning the Van Bunschoten or Van Benschoten Family in America: A Genealogy and Brief History, Second Edition, by William Henry Van Benschoten (West Park on Hudson, New York, 1907) p. 69.
  • Source: Christoph, Florence A. Van Voorhees Family in America: The First Six Generations. (Baltimore, MD: Van Voorhees Association, 2000), p. 1.
  • Source: D.J. Wijmer ("Steven Coerts, His Family and His Dutch Background," in Through a Dutch Door, 20-23) thinks he is probably a son of Coert Alberts te Voorhees (d. ca. 1620), grandson of Albert Coerts (d. 1581), and great-grandson of Coert to Heess (d. 1544) and his wife Gese (d. 1537).
  • Albert L. Stokes, The Van Voorhees Family, pg. 45.
  • Source: A biography of Steven Coert by Daniel Voorhis Grinnell can be found in "de Halve Maen," April-July 1966.]
  • Source: Passenger list in Holland Society "Yearbook," pg. 13. The New Netherlands Register, Vol. 1, Jan 1911, pg. 11 provides information on the Bonte Koe.
  • Source: Documentary History of New York, Vol. 2, pg. 490 & 497, Vol. 4, pg. 155. F. Van Wyck,
  • Source: "Long Island Colonial Patents," lists Flatland patents and records of "Steven Coerten" and "Coert Stevens."
  • Source: "Through a Dutch Door," one by D.J. Wijmer, cited above,
  • Source: J. Folkerts, "Drenthe and New Netherland, Two Outer Provinces at the Time of Emigration," and "Emigration from Drenthe to America in the 17th Century."
  • Source: ["Misc. Records of Flatbush Ch.," pg. 43 Frost Collection at Brooklyn Historical Society.]
  • Source: Document provided to me by Barbara Voorhees Ellis That document is: "Descendants of Steven Coerte Van Voorhees" which I believe is a publication of the Voorhees Association. I am listed as a descendant of Kenneth J. Voorhees who is in the 11th generation. He is generation 1
  • Source: Millennium File Author: Heritage Consulting Publication:
  • Source: Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s
  • Source: S26 Abbreviation: Ancestral File (R) Title: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (R) (Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998) Subsequent Source Citation Format: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (R) BIBL The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ancestral File (R). Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998. TMPLT TID 0 FIELD Name: Footnote VALUE The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (R) (Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998) FIELD Name: ShortFootnote VALUE The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (R) FIELD Name: Bibliography VALUE The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ancestral File (R). Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998. Repository: #R1 Repository: #R1 TMPLT FIELD Name: Page Repository: R1 Name: Family History Library Address: 35 N West Temple Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 USA Address 1: 35 N West Temple Street Address 2: Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 USA Ancestral File Number: X0BJ-BW

Research Notes

  • 1. From newsletter of the Van Voorhees Association; Vol 6, No 1; 1988: The name of the first wife was found on the marriage certificate of daughter of Marchien. She was mentioned on the certificate as a daughter of "Steven Cours and the late Aaltjen Wessels." [www.angelfire.com/ny/chickened/vanvoorheesfamily.html]

Why did Steven Coerts go to America?

The Largest Dutch Family in America
by Manning W. Voorhees
(© 2008, Published here by permission of the author.)
Steven Coerts (Coerte, Coerten or another patronymic version) was the common progenitor of the Van Voorhees Family in America. It was usual for Dutch people in the United Provinces of the 17th Century to add a toponym to their name; thus, Steven’s full name became Steven Coerts van Voorhees, or Steven, the son of Coert, from the farm in front of the village Hees. This village was in Drenthe, the poorest region of the United Provinces. There were three contiguous farms occupied by relatives of the same family: Voorhees, Middlehees and Achterhees. These farms continue to be tilled today. When Steven and his family emigrated to New Netherland, he rented a farm known as Pols erve, or the area around Pols’ farm, in Ruinen, which is near Hees.
We most likely will never know definitively why Steven Coerts van Voorhees emigrated to New Netherland in 1660. Thoughtful presumptions have been made and will continue to be made, but there is no generally recognized documentation that can be used to support any one presumption over another. While information can always be uncovered in a dusty archive that will reveal Grandpa’s thinking, it would appear that the odds of this happening are remote. Nonetheless, there is a rationale that can be constructed from an assessment of probable influences. The danger, of course, is that we will apply our 21st Century rationale to Steven’s 17th Century decisional process.
The critical question is why would a sixty-year-old man with a sizeable family leave his accustomed surroundings, board a small, crowded bouncing ship and embark on a two-month voyage to the wilderness?1 Steven had some wealth, at least relative to his neighbors in the poorest area of the United Provinces (then the Netherlands), and probably could have enjoyed a life that was known to him for the balance of his time on earth. Can you imagine uprooting like this? Today, it would be comparable to shedding our American way of life and departing to start over in a fourth world country - oh yes, leave behind all of your possessions, credit cards, medications, television programs and the cell phone.
Steven Coerts was not the only emigrant to the New World with his attained age and family responsibilities. However, a large number of settlers, say in New England, came for religious reasons. Steven did not emigrate for religious freedom. The Dutch Reformed Church (the "DRC") was the acknowledged form of Christianity in both the old country and New Netherland, and Petrus Stuyvesant was a vigilant supporter of the DRC in Steven’s new land. The Classis of Amsterdam controlled the church in New Netherland. In this sense, Grandpa was "right at home" when he disembarked at New Amsterdam. Indeed, he was a faithful adherent of Dutch Calvinism in New Netherland and passed this faith to his children. Religion was very important to our forebears.2
Steven Coerts probably shared a motivation common to most immigrants to the New World, namely "better opportunity" for him and his family. A strong ingredient in this "better opportunity" scenario began on October 31, 1517 when Dr. Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Saxony, protesting against the evils that he perceived in the then practices of the Roman Catholic Church. This historical watershed launched the Protestant Reformation and resultant religiously oriented civil and economic upheaval and organized warfare.
"People from all walks of life, some of them hungry, others variously dissatisfied, and all affected by a grave economic crisis, vented their anger on the [Roman] Catholic Church in an unparalleled iconoclastic fury. The rebellion traveled like a heathland fire from western Flanders to Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands."3 The Catholic Spanish King, Philip II, ruler of the low countries, appointed the infamous Duke of Alba "to stamp out heresy. ... He set up a Council with the authority to indict and judge all participants in the recent events. Over twelve thousand Netherlanders of every station in life were victims of this ‘Council of Blood’ as it was known to its enemies."4 Philip II recognized the severity of Alba’s rule and replaced the Duke in 1573. Earlier, however, in 1568, the Dutch revolted against their Spanish rulers5 and Drenthe supported the uprising in 1580.6
War raged, and in 1592 Maurice of Nassau succeeded in capturing "Steenwijk and Koevorden."7 The city of Groningen, in the province of the same name, also fell to the States army in 1594 as well as cities in the neighboring province of Overijssel in 1597.8 The Dutch uprising against the Spanish ran until 1609 and termination of the Thirty Years War, which was partly religious in scope, ended the warring scene for the moment in 1648.9 Drenthe was obviously a battlefield during much of this long period of conflict. "Only from 1627 onwards the situation improved little by little, and after 1630 Drenthe was completely safe again."10 Remember when reading these dates that Steven and his two brothers were born in the latter years of the 1500's - Steven being the last in either 1599 or 1600.
An example of the religious animosity can be seen today in Mariakirk (St. Mary’s Church) in Ruinen, which is town nearest to Hees. Steven Coerts was probably baptized in Mariakirk in 1599 or 1600. 11 The congregation dates from the 12th Century and became DRC in 1598. A plaque in the sanctuary today lists the many pastors of Mariakirk, but includes only the Dutch Reformed domines starting with 1598. The earlier Roman Catholic pastors are not mentioned. Reformation sensibilities are still evident today.
The economy of Drenthe suffered during the period of conflict. "Many farms laid waste for years (in 1600 about 33%!)."12 Eventually, the economy entered an improving trend from around 1625 to 1650.13 However, this economy was dominated by a basically monolithic agricultural industry of grains and cattle, and peat extraction. Relative to our contemporary world, there was not a broad diversity of economic endeavors which would have had the potential of spurring economic growth in some sectors while other sectors improved slowly. Further, there was no beneficent government as we have today that could have pumped financial assistance into the economy and created incentives toward economic growth. While "things" improved after 1625, I wonder if this equates to our understanding of really better times. It is probable that economic life was healthier during the twenty-five years to 1650, but how much better was it? Then came a long-term downturn. "The results show a decline starting about 1650 ... The break about 1650 marked the beginning of a long depression lasting until 1750, with declining earnings, increasing costs of production and a growing burden of taxation."14 "The tax burden in Drenthe definitely increased since the introduction of the land taxes of 1643."15
The religious turmoil had a further important impact upon our Family. The Roman church owned extensive farm land in Drenthe and was the landlord for Steven’s father, Coert, and grandfather, Albert. They paid rent for the farm of Voorhees at the Abbey of Dikninge 16 Relatives rented the contiguous farms of Middlehees and Achterhees.17 Their rent was also paid to the Roman Church at Dikninge. One of the results of the Reformation was the secularization of land. "Not until 1598 did ... William Louis, stadtholder of Drenthe, Groningen and Friesland, secularize the Drenthe property of the former orders, which had moved out of the county during the Reformation period."18 Rent continued to be paid at Dikninge, but to the civil authorities. While not totally inconsiderate, these officials exacted high rents and were not overly prompt with building repairs. Steven’s brother, Albert - the oldest of the three sons of Coert - assumed the land lease for Voorhees around the time of secularization and occasionally experienced difficulties with paying the rent. "Time and again Albert requested the governing body of Drenthe for reduction of rent: he did so in 1635, 1645,1647,1653,1654 and 1659. The request of 1659 - remember, this is the year before Steven’s emigration - sent by the steward of Dikninge on Albert’s behalf to Drost and Deputies of Drenthe, shows us the bad state of affairs at Voorhees. Speaking of the farm, the request states: "‘... (that) his house, barn and sheepfold need urgent repairs, before it falls totally into decay ..’"19
Steven Coerts was apparently economically successful, renting a succession of generally larger farms until his emigration to New Netherland. Albert rented the farm of Voorhees. Jan, the middle brother, rented Middlehees until his death in 1637 or 1638, after which his sons rented the farm - the tenant when Steven emigrated was Jan’s grandson, Hilbert. Achterhees was rented by members of the family. Arable land in Drenthe of the 17th Century was controlled by a few large owners with little opportunity for small farmers to own their land. The future for Steven’s sons and the husbands of his daughters would likely be the same as his experience and that of his immediate family: land renter subject to the economic decisions of landlords. They would not be able to own their farms and would probably be limited to renting small farms like their elders. Today, we would call this the inability to accumulate assets.20 Further, Drenthe was still recovering from the long-term affects of the Reformation-stimulated warfare and its economy was not terrific. It was tough to make a living. The dominance of agriculture characterized by a few basic products would probably not lead to strong economic growth. This local environment contrasts with the economic success of the United Provinces, which was the world’s financial power at that time, the wealth of the Amsterdam merchants and the growth of the national economy.
Steven probably took all of the foregoing, stirred several times and decided to emigrate seeking a better opportunity - for himself, perhaps, but certainly for his family. One daughter, Hendrickje (Steven had two daughters named Hendrickje, one with each wife), was married to Jan Kiers, who emigrated with Hendrickje and her father. Daughter Marchien remained in Drenthe and married Roelof Oostinge in 1664.21
They set sail for New Netherland on 15 April 1660 on the good ship de Bonte Koe, or Spotted Cow. According to Dr. Oliver Rink, this was the second of three trips for de Bonte Koe to New Netherland: 1656 from West Africa with a cargo of slaves and 1660 and 1663 with settlers from the United Provinces.22 Ms. Lorine McGinnis Schulze, on the Dutch Colonies web site, added a trip in 1655.23
It is reasonable to assume that Steven Coerts knew about New Netherland, his family’s future homeland. Wouldn’t all of us have given some thought to the fundamental question of what’s what over there? The answer is apparent. In 1650, Cornelius van Tienhoven, Secretary of the New Netherland colony, "published a pamphlet intended to encourage families to migrate thither." There were descriptions of the land, crops, planting times, building plans and so on.24 Five years later in the year of his death, Dr. Adriaen van der Donck’s Description of the New Netherlands (sic) was published.25 Van der Donck’s work gave glowing descriptions of New Netherland - it was a paradise. Tales of this wonderland depicted by van Tienhoven and van der Donck must have attracted the attention of farmers and others in Drenthe. (For information about van der Donck’s work, see the Van Voorhees Reading List on this web site.)
It is noteworthy, in this regard, that Steven probably knew of these opportunities directly from correspondence with his brother-in-law who went to New Netherland before him. We know that the greater family were letter writers by the eleven letters written from Drenthe after 1660 that are reproduced in Through a Dutch Door. (See the section Publications on this web site for information about purchasing Dutch Door.) Jan Gerritszen Strycker was born in 1615 in Ruinen and arrived in New Netherland in 1652.26 His first wife was Lambertje Roelofszen Seuberinge, the sister of Steven’s second wife, Willemtje Roelofszen Seuberinge. Having emigrated eight years earlier than Steven and Willemtje, there was more than sufficient time to relay favorable thoughts about the new homeland back to Drenthe. Jan was a leader with the formation of Midwout or Flatbush in today’s Brooklyn.
Jan Roelofszen Seuberinge was the brother of Lambertje and Willemtje. He was born circa 1631 in Beyle, Drenthe, and arrived in New Netherland in 1658.27 Thus, there was more "family" across the ocean. In addition, Willemtje also had brothers Jacob and Daniel, who had settled in the Raritan area.28
Willemtje must have had a strong desire to reunite with her siblings across the ocean. Was there "pillow talk" about these feelings with husband Steven?
Aside from being the brother of Steven’s wife, Jan joined with another name in our list. He married Adrianna Polhemius circa 166029 the year that Steven and family arrived in New Netherland. Adrianna was the daughter of Domine Johannes Theodorus Polhemius. The domine is an interesting character in our story. Do. Polhemius was a Palatine by birth in 1598. After graduating from the University of Heidelberg in 1620, he became a preacher in Gieten.30 There were doctrinal differences between the domine and his congregation. In 1627, he left Gieten for a pastoral post in Meppel. Difficulties developed again, and Do. Polhemius left Meppel in 1634. The West India Company subsequently assigned him in 1636 to a preaching position in New Holland, Brazil. Time passed, and in 1654 the Portugese evicted the Dutch from mainland Brazil and the domine fled to New Netherland, subsequently preaching in both Midwout (Flatbush) and Nieuw Amersfoort (Flatlands). Adrianna was born in IItamaracá, Brazil.31
Meppel is approximately ten air miles southwest of Hees. Steven Coerts probably rented a farm in the Meppel area during at least part of Do. Polhemius’ preaching tenure in that city.32 Steven’s first child, daughter Hendrickje - she married Jan Kiers mentioned above - was born circa 1634. The domine departed from Meppel on 10 February of that year.33 Aaltjen Wessels was Steven’s first wife and mother of Hendrickje.34 We do not know when Steven and Aaltjen married, but it may not have been earlier than a year or two before Hendrickje was born. Thus, there appears to be a good possibility that Steven listened to Do. Polhemius’ preaching in Meppel for at least a few years and perhaps the good domine baptized Hendrickje, although he left Meppel early in 1634. Steven would probably remember him many years later when he heard that his former pastor was now in New Netherland serving the Midwout community where brother-in-law Jan Strycker was an important figure - and so, another personal attraction to New Netherland existed. The Polhemius connection would thicken, of course, when the domine’s daughter married the brother of Steven’s second wife.
Some writers on New Netherland speculate that the West India Company (the "WIC") offered financial incentives for farmers and tradesmen to emigrate and settle in the colony. Settlement was flagging and people were needed. New England was growing nicely, which was discomfiting to the Dutch. The English menace on the contested border with Connecticut was a continuing issue. WIC records are unavailable so it is not known what their incentives were - deferred costs of passage, loans for the costs of passage, loans or aid of some sort for the purchase of farms, or what? Then, maybe there were no financial incentives. "The surprising surge in immigration after 1657 ... may have reflected an all-out campaign by the West India Company and the Dutch government to provide New Netherland with the people it had long needed."35 Steven Coerts surely must have heard this call by the WIC - maybe the WIC sent recruiters into Drenthe. It is noteworthy in this regard that there were two sizeable (for those days) emigrations of Drents to New Netherland: in April 1660 on de Bonte Koe and in 1662 on de Hoop.36 Steven was not the only Drent to decide that the time had come to start again in the New World.
There was a confluence of many factors that motivated Steven Coerts to start over again in New Netherland at the age of sixty. I have concluded that they can be distilled into a single consideration: altruism. He wanted better economic futures for his sons and the husbands of his daughters and he acceded to his wife’s probable desire to be with her siblings. Although Steven was clearly successful in his new homeland, this was probably a concomitant result rather than an objective purely for himself.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 In the Summer/Fall 2000 Nieuwsbrief, the newsletter of the Van Voorhees Association, pp. 19-20, Marilyn Voshall described de Bonte Koe, the ship that carried Steven and his family across the Atlantic.
2 See Firth Haring Fabend, "Church and State: Compassionate Calvinism in New Netherland," de Halve Maen, Spring 2002.
3 Wim Klooster, The Dutch in the Americas 1600-1800, The John Carter Brown Library, Providence, 1997, p. 4. The present day province of Groningen abuts Drenthe to the north.
4 Ibid, p. 4.
5 Encyclopaedia Britannica 2001, Deluxe Edition CD, copyright Britannica.com Inc.
6 D. J. Wijmer, "Steven Coerts His Family and His Dutch Background," Through a Dutch Door, Van Voorhees Association, 1992, p. 4.
7 Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1961 Edition, Volume 11, p. 648. Steenwijk is eleven air miles west of Hees and Coevorden is sixteen air miles east of Hees.
8 D. J. Wijmer, op.cit., p. 4.
9 Encyclopaedia Britannica 2001, op. cit.
10 D. J. Wijmer, op. cit., p. 4.
11 There is no documentary proof of Steven’s baptism in Mariakerk or anywhere else. However, the Dutch Reformed Church was clearly dominant among the population at this time, parents baptized their newly born children as a matter of faith and obligation, and logic would seem to indicate that he was baptized in the Ruinen church because it was the closest congregation. The congregation originated about 1211 as a Benedictine monastery. The monastery moved to Dikninge in 1325 and a congregation comprised of lay people grew thereafter; the building was constructed and reconstructed over the next few centuries. Source of Mariakerk basic data: De Mariakerk te Ruinen, published in Dutch by the congregation in Ruinen, 1991, third unnumbered page.
12 D. J. Wijmer, op. cit., p. 4.
13 D. J. Wijmer, op. cit., p. 49.
14 Ibid, p. 49.
15 J. Folkerts, "Drenthe and New Netherland Two Outer Provinces at the Time of Emigration," Through a Dutch Door, Van Voorhees Association, 1992, p. 107.
16 See endnote 11.
17 Dr. Wijmer raises the possibility that Middlehees and Achterhees were "destroyed and or deserted" in the latter 16th Century as a result of the warfare although they were inhabited again around 1600. See p. 5, op. cit.
18 Historical Handbook, Van Voorhees Association, 1935, p. 14. Dr. H. P. Schaap, on p. 148 of Through a Dutch Door, suggested that secularization in Drenthe occurred after 1603.
19 J. Folkerts, op. cit., p. 109.
20 Assets were also measured in 17th Drenthe as "X horses and Y cattle/cows." Steven Coerts was apparently successful in accumulating a number of animals and thus had some visible wealth. However, substantial wealth and independence came with ownership and control of land.
21 D. J. Wijmer, op. cit., p. 33.
22 Oliver A. Rink, Holland on the Hudson, Cornell University Press, 1986, pp. 163 and 165.
23 Lorine McGinnis Schulze, <Dutch-Colonies -rootsweb.com>, 17 August 2002, with hyperlink to <http://olivetreegenealogy.com/nn/ships>. Ms. Schulze acknowledged the contributions of Mr. Howard Swain.
24 Historical Handbook, op. cit., p. 17.
25 Reprinted by Syracuse University Press, 1968, edited by Thomas F. O’Donnell.
26 David M. Riker, New Netherland Vital Records, 1600s, CD 11, copyright The Learning Company.
27 David M. Riker, op. cit.
28 David M. Riker, op. cit.
29 David M. Riker, op. cit.
30 Gieten is about 25 air miles northeast of Hees.
31 Herbert J. Seversmith, "The Dominy (sic) Johannes Theodorus Polhemius of Flatbush, Long Island," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, December 1955, pp. 125-130, CD 210, copyright The Learning Company. Dr. Seversmith stated that Jan Seuberinge married Adrianna Polhemius in 1661 (vs. 1660) in Midwout. Data about Do. Polhemius are taken from Dr. Seversmith’s article.
32 D. J. Wijmer, op. cit., p. 28.
33 Herbert J. Seversmith, op. cit.
34 Florence A. Christoph, Van Voorhees Family in America, Van Voorhees Association, 2000, p. 1.
35 Oliver J. Rink, op. cit., p. 171. Dr. Rink makes no mention of financial incentives.
36 J. Folkerts, "Emigration from Drenthe to America in the Seventeenth Century," Through a Dutch Door, Van Voorhees Association, 1992, pp. 122-125.

Acknowledgments

  • Paul Lee, Entered by Paul Lee, Dec 24, 2011. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Paul and others.
  • Erik Rasmussen, Entered by Erik Rasmussen, May 8, 2011. See the Voorhees-12 Changes page for the details of edits by Erik and others.
  • WikiTree profile Van Voorhees-44 created through the import of GerkeFam.ged on Jun 14, 2012 by Matthew Gerke. See the Voorhees-44 Changes page for the details of edits by Matthew and others.
  • WikiTree profile Van Voorhees-36 created through the import of Callahan, Wiley, Plotner, Powell Family Tree - 2009.ged on Dec 2, 2011 by Ron Callahan. See the Voorhees-36 Changes page for the details of edits by Ron and others.
  • Steven Van Voorhees as entered by John Turner, Wednesday, February 26 2012
  • Van Voorhees-112 was created by Robert Tomasko through the import of Tomasko Family Tree.ged on Jun 1, 20
  • WikiTree profile Van Voorhees-24 created through the import of Mimi.ged on Sep 15, 2011 by Richard Draper. See the Voorhees-24 Changes page for the details of edits by Richard and others. User ID: 1C480BB75D01D84E87CCEB73F0B5CFD1A04D Prior to import, this record was last changed 25 JAN 2005.
  • Thank you to Jenn Presutto for creating WikiTree profile Voorhees-111 through the import of Judith Chilton Family Tree.ged on Apr 22, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Jenn and others.
  • WikiTree profile Van Voorhees-17 created through the import of VORNLOCKER.ged on May 28, 2011 by Bob Vornlocker. See the Voorhees-17 Changes page for the details of edits by Bob and others.
  • This person was created through the import of Parker1778.ged on 25 March 2011. The following data was included in the gedcom. You may wish to edit it for readability. User ID: DAF539D7A3E8D41198E3AE66DB44842FB0F7 Prior to import, this record was last changed 01:00:00 25 Jul 2003.
  • Thank you to John Turner for creating WikiTree profile VanVoorhees-46 through the import of Turner Family Tree (1).ged on Jun 27, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by John and others.




Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com

DNA
No known carriers of Steven's DNA have taken a DNA test.

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



Comments: 23

Leave a message for others who see this profile.
There are no comments yet.
Login to post a comment.
I have entered a lengthy research note, removed from the profile of Johannes Theodorus Polhemus, and having no substantial relevance to him. It is probably largely redundant with this profile, but there may be useful additions. I leave it to those more immediately concerned to retain, revise or remove.
posted by John Miller Jr.
A good profile, although I have a couple of suggestions. It is shown here that Aaltjen married Steven in 1638 or 1649. The first child was born in 1636, and I have records that show a 1625 marriage, though I am leery of this date. Willwntje's marriage date is with mine and she had the remainder of his children. I have put a couple of footnotes into text and would like to continue, as I have many of the reference sources at my disposal to verify. This would help other researchers locate the data.

There is some material duplicated in the text, and to make things a little more understandable, I would like to combine to duplicates and make the bio a few lines shorter. Would like to continue with okay of profile managers.

posted by Arthur Van Riper Jr
My family document states his children were all from his first wife, whom he married in Holland. His second wife was not the biological mother to his children.
Family documents state John & Hervey Vories Vories-12 & Vories-13 are descendants of Steven Coerte Voorhees, the common ancestor of the Voorhees and Van Voorhees families in America, and who came to New Amsterdam in 1600 in the ship Bontekoe. I just can't find the right family member to link them together....
Hi,

Trying to sort out the Dutch part of this family/lineage now, so corrected his father now. His LNAB is Coerts, van Voorhees or Van Voorhees is the name he used after the immigration and referring to the place or farm in the Netherlands.

posted by Bea (Timmerman) Wijma
VanVoorhees-46 and Van Voorhees-12 appear to represent the same person because: Dates match, final LNAB "van Voorhees". Please check and merge.
posted by B. W. J. Molier
Vanvoorhies-1 and Van Voorhees-12 appear to represent the same person because: This is the oldest paternal ancestor in this chain in need of a merge into the NNS PPP. No tree conflicts. Thanks!
posted by Steven Mix
Van Voorhees-17 and Van Voorhees-12 appear to represent the same person because: This is the oldest paternal ancestor in this chain in need of a merge into the NNS PPP. No tree conflicts. Thanks!
posted by Steven Mix
Bob, if you really want out of it, then please just orphan the profiles so that we can merge them away.

That would be the least disruptive action to the community.

Or alternatively you can just choose to do nothing, and let us complete all the merging. We can do that after 30 day default approvals. That will be equally as easy for us, but just takes a bit longer, which is not a big deal.

This is the same man as Van Voorhees-12, the son of Coert. I am going to adjust the birth date here, and then propose the merge so that we can start to get rid of this duplicative line.

posted by Steven Mix
Can't delete the tree, but am not going to edit it.
posted by [Living Vornlocker]
Don't waste time on this. i am going to delete my tree from wikitree
posted by [Living Vornlocker]