Slave Name Roll Project: Releasing Nancy

Lawrence Van Hook was my 1st cousin seven times removed and the great grandson of Arent Van Hoeck, who came to the Dutch New Amsterdam colony with his second wife on 19 April 1655 aboard the De Bonte Koe. Lawrence's grandfather, Laurens Van Hook was a lawyer and a judge in Freehold, New Jersey, dying 50 years before the Revolutionary War. Lawrence's father, Aaron Van Hook, moved his family to Orange County, North Carolina before he wrote his will in 1760.

Lawrence, who was born in 1723 in the city of New York made the move to North Carolina with his father. He married Bridget Loyd in 1787 in Caswell County, North Carolina, and remained in that county until his death in 1801.

Caswell County, North Carolina, slave quarters; courtesy of NSCU Libraries

Another Ancestry member found and transcribed Lawrence's will, which was written on 6 April 1797.

The will was interesting in that he left a fairly extensive estate and appeared to have disinherited one of his daughters. Only one slave was listed by name in the will, though there are references to others:

3rd Item -- I appoint that in case Zachariah Jones and his wife Elizabeth die without issue either begotten by the two above mentioned, or by death and after intermarriage none begotten, then in that case a certain negroe woman named NANCY which I lent to said Zachariah and Elizabeth shall return and belong to my five children, or successors...

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Slave Name Roll Project

Shippen-Blair House

Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr., was my six times great uncle and son of Samuel Blair and Franjinke "Frances" van Hook, who were my six times great grandparents. Like his father, Samuel Blair, Jr., was an accomplished Presbyterian minister. He was a graduate of what is now Princeton University and had been a pastor at the Old South Church in Boston. During the Revolutionary War, he served as the chaplain of an artillery brigade and later as the chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives.

He married Susan Shippen on 23 September 1767 in Germantown, which is now a historic district in northwest Philadelphia. Susan was the daughter of Dr. William Shippen and Susan Harrison. Dr. Shippen was a physician, civic and educational leader, who represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress. Upon the marriage of his daughter, Susan, Dr. Shippen gave the couple the house at 6403 Germantown Avenue together with 57 acres.

The Shippen-Blair House, 6403 Germantown Avenue, undated lantern slide
courtesy of Bryn Mawr College

The house came to be known as the Shippen-Blair House. It was three and a half stories, stone with wood trim in the Federal style. The Revolutionary War battle of Germantown left traces in the woodwork and Mrs. Washington was entertained here when George Washington was in Germantown. The original property was thought to also house another two story building, a large greenhouse, a wash house, and a barn complex including cow and horse stables, a dung shed, a threshing floor, a wagon house and a coach house.

In 1832 the house was purchased by James Ogilbe, who operated it as Congress Hall, a hotel. When Chief Black Hawk stayed at the hotel the next year. In 1851 the house was owned by actress Charlotte Cushman and in the later part of the 1800s was a popular boardinghouse known as The Laurens.

The exterior of the house has been much altered since it was originally built.

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Pray Together, Stay Together 
Revolutionary War Chaplain, Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr. 

Revolutionary War Chaplain, Rev. Samuel Blair (Jr.)

Rev. Samuel Blair (1712-1751) was my six times great grandfather. He was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Philadelphia in 1730. Eventually, he became the minister at Faggs Manor, where he began a college for the classical and theological studies for pastoral training. One of his students, Samuel Davies, considered the Apostle of Virginia, thought Blair the finest preacher on two continents -- "none was better than he at the exposition of God's word."

Rev. Blair took as his wife and helpmate, the granddaughter of an early New Amsterdam settler, Francijnke "Frances" Van Hook. Their first son, Joseph Blair, died at the age of 13. Their second son, also named Samuel Blair followed his father into the ministry. He was considered by many to be the "most accomplished and promising young minister in the Presbyterian church" and known as Dr. Blair.

Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr.; courtesy Wikipedia

Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr., attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton,) and graduated with honor at 19 years of age. He remained in Princeton where he tutored for several years before being licensed to preach by the Presbytery of New Castle.

He was called to Old South Church in Boston in 1764. On the journey north, he was shipwrecked. Though, he survived, he lost all his clothes and sermon manuscripts and suffered health problems as a result. He remained one of two pastors at Old South Church for two years until ill-health forced him to resign.

Old South Church, circa 1835; courtesy of Wikipedia

He moved to Germantown (now part of Philadelphia), Pennsylvania, planning to devote the rest of his years to study and married Susan Shippen in 1767. She was a descendant of Edward Shippen, considered the first mayor of Philadelphia under William Penn's 1701 charter.

But Rev. Blair's active, public life was not yet completed. During the Revolutionary War, he served as a chaplain to a brigade of artillery. From 1790 through 1792, he was the chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives, the second minister to ever serve in that capacity. Rev. Blair died on 23 September 1818 and was interred at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr., headstone; courtesy of Find A
Grave member Crypt Tonight

Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr.'s older sister, Mary Blair was my five times great grandmother. She married another Presbyterian minister, Rev. David Rice, who became known as the Apostle of Kentucky.

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[1]Sprague's American Presbyterian Pulpit, The Log College, by A. Alexander

Apostle of Kentucky

New Holland Society

As I was learning about my newly discovered eight times great grandfather, Arent Van Hoeck, I looked for a lineage society for descendants of New Netherland or New Amsterdam descendants. The New Holland Society is such an organization. It was founded in 1855 in New York City and its mission is to collect and preserve documents relating to history and settlement of New Netherland. Their library is now on my list of places to go to conduct research.

New Holland Society logo

Unfortunately, it is society whose membership is only open to men. To date, I have found no comparable society for women to join. If anyone is familiar with such a society, please leave a comment below.

How I descend from Arent Isaaczen Van Hoeck (1623-between 1696 and 1697):

• Arent Isaaczen Van Hoeck married (3) Stynie "Christina" Laurens, widow of Jan Hendricks (unknown-1682); their son,
• Laurens "Lawrence" Van Hoeck/Van Hook (about 1670-1724)  married Johanna Hendricks Smith (1673-1747); their daughter,
• Francinke Van Hoeck/Van Hook (1714-about 1785) married Reverend Samuel Blair (1712-1751); their daughter,
• Mary Blair (1739-1806) married Reverend David Rice (1733-1816), their daughter,
• Frances Blair Rice (1766-1861) married Reverend James Mitchell (1747-1841); their son,
• Daniel Mitchell (about 1781-1860) married Sarah "Sally" Wood (1792-1864); their daughter,
• Barbara Ann Mitchell (1841-1890) married David Fleming Beard, Sr. (1812-1878); their daughter,
• Effie Beard (1871-1906) married Charles Edward Jennings (1843-1917); their son,
• Marvin Edward Jennings, Sr. (1901-1961) married Alice Muir (1903-1993); their son,
• Charles Theodore Jennings, Sr. (1931- ) married Dorothy Ailein Lange (1930-2014), their daughter,
• Schalene Jennings is me!

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Discovering a New 8 Times Great Grandfather: Arent Van Hoeck

Discovering an 8 Times Great Grandfather: Arent Van Hoeck

A few weeks ago a new DNA match enabled me to push part of my tree back three more generations to an eight times great grandfather, who was born in the Duchy of Oldenburg and immigrated to New Amsterdam in 1655. His name was Arent Isaaczen Van Hoeck, which was later anglicized to Van Hook. A descendant wrote about book about Arent and his descendants in 1998, which I have ordered.

Arent Isaaczen Van Hoeck was born in 1623 in Hookseil, Duchy of Oldenburg (now in Lower Saxony, Germany). He was born during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), one of the most destructive wars in European history. Entire regions were decimated with famine and disease significantly reducing population. Arent moved to Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic as young man. Perhaps he did so for a chance at better opportunities.  The 17th century was considered the Dutch Golden Age because the tiny republic dominated world trade. Arent became a Dutch citizen in January 1652 and that same year married Sara Van Cliet on 30 March 1652 in Amsterdam. I suspect she died sometime before 1655 as Arent married Geertje (Sophronia) Everts in January 1655. Both his marriages took place in Dutch Reformed churches. Arent and Geertje immigrated to New Amsterdam in the spring of that same year.

View of New Amsterdam circa 1664; courtesy of Wikipedia

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Brief History of New Amsterdam
The colony of New Netherland had been established in 1624 and grew to encompass all of present-day New York City and parts of Long Island and New Jersey. The largest town was New Amsterdam, located on the tip of Manhattan Island. On 27 August 1664 several English frigates sailed into the harbor of New Amsterdam and demanded the surrender of the colony. The articles of capitulation were signed on 8 September and New Amsterdam was renamed New York, in honor of of the Duke of York, who later became King James II, in June 1665.

England and the Netherlands were quickly at war after the take over of New Amsterdam. The Treaty of Breda ended the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1667. The Netherlands did not press their claims for New Netherland and England administered the former Dutch colony. Peace did not last long, however. The Third Anglo-Dutch War broke out in 1673 and the Dutch military briefly occupied New York City and named it New Orange and installed their own governor. The 1674 Treaty of Westminster ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War and the former Dutch territory reverted back to English control and New Orange became New York City again.

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After being a citizen for a year and six weeks and paying 20 guilders, Arent was awarded small burgher-rights and became a shoemaker. Only great and small burghers and employees of the West India Company could practice a profession or work at trade. Arent moved his family to Albany, New York, in 1659. The colony was called Beverwijck. Geerjte died in 1663 or 1664. Shortly after her death, Arent returned to New York City with his three children.

Blockhouse (for protection against Native Americans) also served as a church
in Beverwijck, c1650; image courtesy of Real Estate New York

After the English take over, the citizens of New Amsterdam/New York City swore an oath of allegiance and became citizens of England. Arent married Stynie (Christina) Laurens, widow of Jan Hendricks, the year of the official English takeover. The couple had five children and I descend from their son Laurens (Lawrence), who was born about 1670. Arent moved his family to Brooklyn in 1676. Sometime before Stynie's death in 1682, they had moved again to Kingston, New York.

Arent married for the fourth time in 1685 to Lizbeth Stevens, widow of Abraham Valdinck. Lizbeth died sometime in the early 1690s and Arent married yet again to Maria Jan Van Hobocken, widow of Otto Laurenzen, on 12 January 1696. Arent died before October 1697 when Maria appeared on a tax list as Widow Van Hoeck.

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I am much indebted to Ancestry member boconnell179, who wrote a wonderful 23-page narrative of Arent Van Hoeck's life, which was exhaustively researched, and shared via his family tree.