Evert (Terwilliger) Dircksen was a New Netherland settler. Join: New Netherland Settlers Project Discuss: new_netherland

Biography

Extremely little is known about Evert, except that he apparently never used the Terwilliger surname; it’s first use not appearing in records until around 1710, when his grandchildren began using it.

Evert Dircksen was born in Vianen around 1630, however no birth or baptism record has been located. Although it isn’t known for certain who he married or when, Evert had at least two sons, Dirck and Jan, born around 1650 and 1657, respectively.

On March 15, 1663, Evert and his sons, along with his sister Annetje and her daughter, sailed from Amsterdam on the ship “De Arent”, arriving in New Amsterdam on June 2. Evert and Annetje both lost their spouse before departing the Netherlands, but nothing further has been discovered.^[1] According to the West India Company account books (the source for all the passenger lists), the cost of passage was 36 florins per adult, 18 per child, and infants were free. Therefore, it would have cost Evert nearly 130 florins to travel to New Netherland.^[2]

After spending a short time in New Amsterdam, Evert and his family briefly relocated to the vicinity of Albany before settling near Kingston, in Ulster County. He witnessed his grandson Evert’s baptism on May 23, 1686 in Kingston.^[3] Beyond that, nothing regarding Evert’s life has been discovered. It is believed he died in 1711 or soon after, but a clear source for his death hasn’t been located.

Sources

1. ↑ Banta, Theodore, editor. Year Book of the Holland Society of New York (New York, NY: Knickerbocker Press, 1902), p. 24
2. ↑ New Netherland Colonial Mss, Vol. 14, Book KK: West India Company Account Book
3. ↑ Hoes, Roswell R. Baptismal and Marriage Records of the Old Dutch Church of Kingston, Ulster County, New York, 1660-1809 (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing, 1997), p. 26 #468

Acknowledgments

• Terwilliger-151 created through the import of EED1.ged on Sep 15, 2011 by Richard Draper. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Richard and others.
• Terwilliger-220 was created by Sheldon Sickler through the import of Nelson Rodney Sickler.ged on Apr 17, 2014.