Grietje (Von Rotmers) Borsboom (abt. 1632 - abt. 1719)

Wife of Pieter Jacobsz Borsboom — married 1655 in Schenectady, New Netherland

Descendants

Died about 1719 at about age 87 in Schenectady, Schenectady, New York

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Grietje (Von Rotmers) Borsboom was a New Netherland settler. Join: New Netherland Settlers Project Discuss: new_netherland

Biography

The first name of the wife of Pieter Borsboom has only been positively identified from a court case that took place on 04 Oct 1681.

"Idem, plaintiff, against Grietie Borsbooms and her son, defendants." ^[1].

Richard Pretty, the sheriff, complains that Grietje and her son resisted search and committed violence upon him in his lawful duties. The sheriff suspected they were illegally dealing in beaver pelts, which he thought they were hiding on their persons. He accused them of grabbing his throat and collar and yelling obscenities. The court heard from witnesses and agreed to fine Grietje with an admonition against further resistance to lawful commands.

This remains the only known record from Grietje's life. All else is inferred by her roles as wife and mother.

First Origin Speculation

Is is suspected that her patronymic was Barents based on the following entry from the Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscript:

"Gijsje Berents [Barents], wife of Pieter Jacobsz; is charged with board on den Waterhondt in 1640, and credited with 28 days' work done by her husband on the house of Arent van Curler. It is not unlikely that her husband was the same person as Pieter Jacobsz, constapel of Fort Orange, who on April 15, 1652, by order of Johannes Dyckman tore van Slichtenhorst's proclamation from the house of Gijsbert Cornelisz, the tavern keeper." ^[2]

There are at least 3 Pieter Jacobsz indexed in Janny Venema's book, Beverwijck. If one assumes that the above entry did describe the wife of Pieter Borsboom, that she was the daughter of "Barent von Rottmers" appears to be based simply on the patronymic.

Looking for actual residents of Ft. Orange who might be the Gijsje and Pieter referenced in 1640, two records were found by an unidentified poster on an Ancestry message board:

• Geesje Barents died by 1662; Pieter Jacobsen died by 1663:
  • "… Jan Claesssen (Backer) van Osanen (aka Jan Claesz van Oostsanen rec. 1664), husband of Lysbeth Donneur, widow of Pieter Jacobsen van Rinsborgh, accepts the Inheritance of Pieter minus 100 guilders that Pieter furnished to the Company on his sickbed… 23 Nov. 1663.. Administrators are Jan Verbeek and Evert Wendel" ^[3]

• In 1642: Pieter Jacobsen of Ft. Orange, born in Rendsburgh, and Gesje Pieters, all to daughter Tunitje Alberts^[4].

It is also widely repeated that Pieter Jacobsz Borsboom had come to Fort Orange by 1639, per Pearson^[5]. Pearson cites no evidence, but we may assume it is based on the same 1640 record above, again assuming that the Pieter Jacobsz referenced in 1640 is Pieter Jacobsz Borsboom, which he could not have been. The first actual evidence Pearson cites for Pieter Jacobsz Borsboom in Albany is dated 1657.

The entire Van Rotmers speculation seems reducible to confusion caused by twice assuming too much from common patronymics - Grietje Berents and Pieter Jacobsz.

Second Origin Speculation

Their daughter Anna (via her husband Jan Pieterse Mebee) received an extraordinary deed of gift^[6] from the Mohawk Indians. The language of the deed is clear; the gift was "in Consideration of ye said Jan Pieters wife (Anna), by reason that she is something Related to ye family of the Christian Castle". This would imply that Grietje was to some degree a Mohawk woman of some means, and that the deed of gift was in accord with the matrilineal rights to certain lands which descended to oldest daughter Anna through her mother's lineage.

There are two possibilities for Mohawk ancestry, that Grietje was full Mohawk, or the descendant of a mixed marriage earlier at Fort Orange. Full Mohawk might be possible because marriages between Dutch men and Indian women were considered reputable and of no disgrace to either party (at least in the society if not in the Church). Then It is possible that Grietje chose or was given her 'Dutch name' to honor Pieter's paternal grandmother.

If Grietje were daughter of a Dutch man and Mohawk woman, perhaps the following speculation would explain it. "Grietje could be daughter of Cornelis Anthonisz van Slyck (1603 to bef. 3 Nov. 1676) and unknown Mohawk woman (NOT Ots-Toch). Grietje would be sister to Jacques Cornelis van Slyck (died Jun. 1690), who also has daughter Grietje. Pieter Jacobse Borsboom's and Grietje’s only son is “Cornelis”."^[7]. Pieter Jacobsz and Jacques Cornelis were both among the 15 original patent holders of Schenectady, and likely knew each other well. Note, no daughter Grietje is documented for Cornelis Anthonisz, but the possibility of other children is sometimes implied in references to his recorded children.

A further connection between Grietie Borsboom and the Mohawk might be found in a 1670 land patent to her husband Pieter jacobsz: On the 9th Nov., 1670, Pieter Jacobse Bosboom received a patent " to "confirm to him a small island belonging to him, which hath heretofore been " given to him by the Indians, lying in the river there next to the island of " Sweer Teunise and Akes Cornelise [Van Slyck] containing about six acres or three morgens." The Van Slyck family also claimed Varken Island, a claim confirmed in 1694 by Rode, the Mohawk sachem^[8].

When Pieter wrote his will in 1684, he did not mention his wife^[9].

Perhaps of note, no well-regarded history of Schenectady assigns Grietje a specific ancestry.

Name

Grietje Barentse /Von Rotmers/^[10]

Grietje Barentse VanRotmers

Grietje /Mohawk Clan of the Wolf/ ^[11]

Birth

ABT 1632 Fort Nassau (Albany), New York^[12]

1632 Mohawk Clan of the Wolf, Valley, near Schenectady, New York, US^[13]

Born 1637 in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Marriage

Wife of Pieter J. Boorsboom — married about 1655 in Schenectady, Schenectady, New York, USA

1659 Schenectady, New York, United States^[14]

Husband: Pieter Jacobse Borsboom

Wife: Grietje Mohawk Clan of the Wolf

1. Child: Annetje Pieterse Borsboom

Death

1680 Schenectady, Albany, New York, United States^[15]

ABT 1719 Schenectady, Schenectady, New York, USA^[16]

1719 in Schenectady, Albany, New York, United States

Research Notes

On 10 May 2021, Barry Smith detached the profiles that had been attached Grietje's parents, Barent von Rotmers and Geesje Unknown, per a comment on her profile and a G2G post, having received no objection. See also the case against these parents presented on a freespace page.

Sources

1. ↑ Van Laer, Arnold J. F. van Laer. Minutes of the Court of Albany, Rensselaerswyck and Schenectady, 1668–1685. Vol. III. Albany, New York: University of the State of New York, 1932. p. 169-170.
2. ↑ New York State Library, Kiliaen van Rensselaer, Arnold J. F. Van Laer, Nicolaas de Roever, and Susan de Lancey Van Rensselaer Strong. 1908. 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. page 822
3. ↑ Fort Orange records 1654-1679)
4. ↑ Berthold Fernow, Calendar of Wills; 1896; Google Books; # 956, p. 219;
5. ↑ Pearson; p. 91
6. ↑ From Book 5, page 230, of the Albany County deeds (a photocopy is located in the Mabee Family Papers collection held by the Schenectady Historical Society; a copy of the image has been ordered and will be added to the site).
   Know all men by these Presents that Rode, ye Indian, Called by Christians Dirk, who by and with ye the Consent of the Rest of Christian Indian Castle in ye mohoggs Country doth give & grant unto Jan Pieterse Mebee of Schinnachtady his heirs & assign a Certain peece of grounde scituate lying and being upon Tionnondorogoes Creek on both sides Commonly known by the name of kadarodae, all which land the sade Rode doth Convey with the appurtenances thereunto belonging in Consideration of ye said Jan Pieters wife by reason that she is something Related to ye family of the Christian Castle. In wittnesse whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals this 17th day of Sept. 1697
   Signed sealed & Delivered by the :
   Rode Indian,
   in the Presence of Christians called Dirk, Dellius Pr. Schuyler
   his marke
   Recorded ye 10th of Sept. 1714 by Philip Livingstone. The "marke" of Rode was a wolf, drawn upside down on the deed.
7. ↑ Unidentified author on an Ancestry message board.
8. ↑ Pearson; p. 79
9. ↑ William S. Pelletreau Abstracts of Wills on File in the Surrogate's Office, City of New York, Unrecorded Wills. New York: [Printed for the Society], 1893. p. 3.
10. ↑ Pearson, Contributions for the Genealogies of the Descendants of the First Settlers of the Patent and City of Schenectady, from 1662 to 1800
11. ↑ GEDCOM file submitted by Robert A Bradshaw
12. ↑ Pearson, Contributions for the Genealogies of the Descendants of the First Settlers of the Patent and City of Schenectady, from 1662 to 1800]]
13. ↑ GEDCOM file submitted by Robert A Bradshaw
14. ↑ GEDCOM file submitted by Robert A Bradshaw
15. ↑ GEDCOM file submitted by Robert A Bradshaw
16. ↑ Pearson, Contributions for the Genealogies of the Descendants of the First Settlers of the Patent and City of Schenectady, from 1662 to 1800

• Chester, Chris. "The Brouwer Genealogy Database. Accessed May 23, 2016.https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~brouwergenealogydata/genealogy/p11.htm#i183947 Grietje

• Pearson, Jonathan; edited by J. W. MacMurray. A History of the Schenectady Patent in the Dutch and English Times. Albany, NY: J. Munsell's Sons, Printers, 1883. Archive.org.

• Wardell, Patricia A. Early Bergen County Families, B: (poss) Grietje; File: BCFam-B.pdf . Accessed 06 Jul 2016.

• Pearson, Jonathan. Contributions for the Genealogies of the Descendants of the First Settlers of the Patent and City of Schenectady, from 1662 to 1800. Albany, N.Y: J. Munsell, 1873, Pages 16-17.

• Ancestry Family Trees (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Pages: http://www.Ancestry.com Text: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/28064322/family and Ancestry.com Address: [https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/52032573/family

• GEDCOM file submitted by Robert A Bradshaw, bradshawra at cableone.net. Imported on 30 August 2014.

Acknowledgments

• This person was created through the import of Austin_Alfred_2011-03-28.ged on 28 March 2011.

• VanRotmers-3 was created by Sheldon Sickler through the import of Nelson Rodney Sickler.ged on Apr 17, 2014.

• Mohawk Clan of the Wolf-1 was created by Robert Bradshaw through the import of bradshaw-wiki-9012014.ged on Aug 30, 2014.