USA > New York > Nassau County > Oyster Bay > A documentary history of the Dutch congregation of Oyster Bay, Queens County, Island of Nassau (now Long Island) "het Nederduijtsche gemeente" > Part 10
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My compliments To all Friends & Acquantances to Mac- queen & his Wife.
But remain your Onred father
JOHN VAN NOSTRAND. (John Drawyer)
Egbertie & John Rowe
Their is Two sides of Leather that I tand for You that I shall send by Mr Roads.
Mrs Jo Row. Wolver hollow, Long Island to the care of An- tony Van Noostrant.
Digby Nov 20th 1786.
Dear Wife: This is to inform you that I am in good health at present, and am sorry to hear that you have been unwell I received your letter of Date the 26th of October with a Barrell of flour from John Smith. I have not as yet got into my houses but shall in a short time. I have got my chimney pretty well up and shoud have had it up but cold weather set in with snow which is about 2 inches deep at present. Your things is all as you left them, your fowls and ducks is all well. You can have your opportunity to send a letter by Capt Bayer, as he will return this winter. I had no more at present but remain your loving husband JOHN P. Row.
(Mr. Row writes on the next page a letter for Mrs Row's daughter and husband.)
Dear Mother, Sisters and Brothers
I embrace this opportunity of informing you that I and my famely is well as when you left me. I should be very glaed if you could gaiet me some flax seed to sow and a Letle yarnee for stokings.
(Then follows the usual form of remembrance to all relations.)
JOHN and JEEN MCQUEEN.
Mrs E. Row at Norredg on Lonisland, New York Hon by Stephen Dodge.
Digby March 16th 1787.
Dear wife: I Embrance this oppertunity To inform that I
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A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY.
am well at present & have had my health Exceeding well sense you have been absent from me. I should be glad to hear from you the first oppertunity. we have had a very severe winter Indeed, much more so than comon. Mr McQueens Is all very well at present. I have nothing particular to relate to you at present. Only Remain with the Greatest Esteem your most affectionate Husband untill Death.
JOHN PETER ROW.
Mrs Ecobet Rowe be so good as to bring or send one Peck of flax seed
(This letter was written by some one else for Mr Rowe)
To Mr John Peter Row and Ecbertie Row at Digby in Nova- scotia. These with Care & speed.
Oysterbay May ye 28 Ad 1787. Queens Co State of New York.
Loving Daughter. I received your letter ye 20 of May and I understand you are all well and that you arrived there safe in Six days, and I hope thes few Lines may find you all in Good helth. the wench is come again and Sold. the flower and Things Thomas Cock Left at New York in store. We are all Well and the Best of our friends and Nighbours. the Spring is cold and Back Ward and ye ? worms are Very bad, they eat up Almost All ye flax & other things-So nomore at present, But my Kind Love to you and your husband and family and MacQueen and his Wife and family and all Enquiring friends and so Remain your Loving Father and Well wisher
JOHN VAN NOORSTRANT.
(Thomas Cock, m. Johns' granddaughter Jane. b. Oct. II, 1780. and he it is said was the first person who went to the Dutch church in a spring wagon).
To Mr John Peter Row at Digby in Nova Scotia. these with care.
Wolver Hollow August the 22d Day 1787.
Loving Father and Mother.
I received your letter dated July the 6. which informs me of your safe arrival and you and your sonnes in present health and that Mr Row was onwell. But we hope with Gods help he may have got better as it leaves me and my family all in good health
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A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY.
at present, and your two daughters Mary & Hanke are both well and Mary lives with me and Hanke is at work at Sedar Swamp, and your wench is sold to Charles Simonson for £22. ten shilling, but not got the money for her yet. Your father has got a bond for the money. You wrote to me for some dried Apples and Dorothy says that she will try and dry a few. Our apples have dropped off very much so that we shall not have so many as we expected xx xx xx Remain your loving son and daughter till death
THOMAS MITCHELL &
DOROTHY MITCHELL
(Hanke afterwards married Ram Cashow, his first wife.)
The letters were all folded into squares of about three inches and sealed with red sealing wax. This one was addressed on the outside, viz:
For
Mr.
John Peeter Row at Digby in Novescotia these with care.
Quens County Oesterbay den 28 Ao 1788. Eerwaerd En Seer
Queens County Oyster Bay the 28 1788. Honored and well Beminde Vrienden ick Verstaen dat gy nagh Allegaer Redelick beloved friends. I understand that you are all reasonably
Gesont Syn en ick en min famielie Sin nogh allegaer Redelick well and I and my family are all reasonably
Gesont, en of Seder Swamp Sin se Ock Redelick gesont. De well, and of Cedar Swamp they are also reasonably well. The mazies croppen sin heelicht en slecht en de Bouwock maer Licht. grain crop is light and bad and the produce also more light.
So dat it maer hart is voor de arme boer de nieuwe constitutie So that it more hard is for the poor farmer. The new constitution heeft plates gemomen en of het nu Beter of Erger weesen Sal dat has been adopted and of it now better or worse to be shall that is ous Onbkent. En de teit sal het Leren die het beleven magh. is to us unknown, and the time shall it teach those that live long
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A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY.
Sommige menschen stellen het Beter en sommige stellen het enough. Some people set it better and some set it
slimmer. Daer schint en groot Rumoer van orlogh to wesen in worse. There seems great rumor of war to be in
de * * Landen. So wat het wesen sal en weten wy nogh niet. So the countries. So wat it to be shall and know we not yet. So niet meer voor Dese. Als de hertelike groetnisse van my en myn no more for this. Than the kindly greetings from me and my famielie aeu U en U familie.
family to you and your family.
Van Uwen Welwenschenden vrient,
From your well wishing friend,
ANTHONIE VAN NOORSTRANT.
(By the Compiler.) The old man had probably heard the talk about war in Europe, and the insurrection in Massachusetts, and the troubles over the adoption of the Constitution, and as he had just been through one war he felt a little uneasiness of mind over the outcome. Why he should write this letter in Dutch when the previous and subsequent ones were written in English is hard to determine. It will be noticed he does not commit himself on the subject of the Constitution, but talks on both sides of it.
To John Peeter Row at Digby in Nova Scotia. these Queens County. Oysterbay April ye 26 Ad 1790.
Sir: I take this oppertunity of writing to you to let you know that we aree all well at present, and I hope that these my few Lines may find you and your famyly all in Good health at present. the Rest of your friends and Neighbores are all well at present. the winter has been very favorable. Very little snow. the Spring backward as yet. I should be glad to heere from you, for I have not heard from you sence Last Sommer, and I would be glad if you would write to me the first oppertunety you have. the winter grain is very poor on the Ground and Grain is very Deer, and is shipt of to frans. So no more at present But my Kind Love to you all from your friend and well Wisher
ANTHONY VAN NOORSTRANT.
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A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY.
To Mr John MacQueen at Digby In Nova Scotia. these with care.
Queens Co. Oysterbay ye
26 of April Ad 1790.
Sir: I take this xx xx xx xx xx we have had very little snow here this winter. The winter grain looks very poor on the ground and it has been a very moderate winter. Altho ye spring something backward with considerable of thunder. xx xx xx the letter sent you last fall of your grandfathers decease xx xx xx xx Grain is shipped off very much & likely to be very dear. XX X X XX
ANTHONY VAN NOORSTRANT.
£. s d
Wheat 0. 13 0
Rye o. . 5 0
Corn
o. 4 6
The grandfather mentioned above was John Van Nostrand (Drawyer), he died Sep. 7, 1789. His wife died March 8, 1804 aged 87 years.
To John P. Row. Digby. Nova Scotia (but written to his wife.)
Cedar Swamp. May 24, 1790.
Dear Mother.
This is to inform you that I am safe arrived here and in good health and my family. your mother is well and lives in the Hollow, Isaac has built a house on his father in laws land. Thomas Mitchell and all his family are well. They have a young son whose name is John. This is a very sickly time, there is more or less in every family in the Hollow. xx xx xx xx I landed yesterday and got to Cedar Swamp with my family. The farm at Norrodge is let out Masey is very sick. Doctor Townsend has lost three of his children and is very ill himself. It is a very sickly time, There were 39 Bodies carried to the church yard in one night in New York. xx XX XX XX
JOHN MCQUEEN JEAN MCQUEEN.
(The young son John was bap. Dec. 13, 1789 and was a great uncle of Wm. Mitchell now living on the Old Hoogland farm at Stony Town.)
With the close of the letters, the Compiler thought it would
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A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY.
be fitting to give the family record, as it embraces a great many people.
Isaac Van Nostrand son of John and Jane, b. Jan. 21, 1762, d. May 23, 1834. m. Mch. 16, 1780. Martha Simonson daughter of Charles and Phebe. b. Apl. 24, 1761, d. Feb. 16, 1826. They lived on the farm in Wolver Hollow now owned by Mr. Meehan. They had issue:
Jane who m. Thomas Cock of Mill Neck, and lived near the old mill now standing just as the road turns on the meadow.
Phebe who m. Isaac Cashow and lived on the farm lately owned by Daniel K. Lawrence in Cedar Swamp and on the turn- pike a short distance west of the blacksmith shop.
John who m. Phebe Van Wicklen and lived in the Hollow.
Leah who m. Joseph Hegeman of Cedar Swamp, (Farmer and Blacksmith) and who lived on the corner as the Cedar Swamp road turns west towards the R. R. depot.
Isaac. Not m.
Charles who m. Jane Nostrand (daur of John) and lived in the Hollow on the farm now occupied by Garret Van Cott.
Maria, who m. James Luyster and lived on the old farm in Cedar Swamp bought by Peter Luyster the first settler in 1717.
Thomas Mitchell m. Oct. 28, 1783. Dorothy Hegeman b. June 7, 1763. They had Issue: Eight children Adreyaen (Orryon) the oldest bap. June 5, 1785, m. Catherine daur of Joseph Meers and Janatye Van Kates (Cott.) "Orryon" being the grandfather of the present Oyster Bay Mitchells.
Thomas d. in July 1815. Will recorded L. C. F. 440 Ja. The witnesses to the execution of the Will were Isaac Van Nostrand and Morris M. Rogers (the Jericho doctor).
Rem Cashow, b. Feb. 19, 1768, m. Ist Hendericke (Hanke) Hegeman and had issue: Three children.
Margariete who m. Thomas Wood of Roslyn. Maria who m. Benjamin Wilson of Glen Cove. Peter who m. Ann Bailey.
Benjamin Wilson was one of the soldiers in the 1812 War. A son of his, Alason, is in the U. S. Assay office in New York. Rem m. 2d Maratye Bennet a dau of Nicholas and had issue: Five children a dau Jane, m. Voorhees Duryea of East Woods, and Febe m. Geo. Bogart an uncle of John L. of Wolver Hollow.
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A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY.
NAMES.
There were some very peculiar features about the "Old Names. "
In the Duryea family was often heard the name "Roelof" and this was spelled in many ways. It was not a family name and did not appear until about the fourth generation and then it came from the Terhune family. the Duryea boys married a number of Terhune girls. The name Joost being the Duryea name.
Aaron, Albert and John were the names of the Van Nostrands and they were carried along through every generation.
Garret, Daniel and Peter were the names of the Nostrand family.
Peter, John and Jacobus were Luyster names and Johannes, Tunis, Nicholas and Cornelius were Van Cotts.
The Simonsons had Frederick, Mouris, Johannes and William.
There was something peculiar also as to the association of the name with the family. The names were euphonous.
When we attempt to change the names around they loose their association, and symmetry. Roelof Van Cott would loose all its peculiar charm beside Roelof Terhune, and so would Rem Duryea. Many 'of the Dutch emigrants came to this country with only one name. John from Wickele, Stephen son of Coert from before Hees.
Jacob from Noordstrandt, Dirck son of Jan (Hoogland) from Maarssenveen, and many others; the result being the taking the name of the place from whence the emigrant came.
Then again those who were so fortunate as to have two names were made peculiar by the different manner each scribe wrote it. Peter Luyster and his son John signed one of the church records and one wrote his name Luyster and the other Luister.
The name Brinckerhoff was subject to these changes by the peoples themselves.
Diana Brinkerluf of Newtown Will dated Sep. 7, 1749, gives to each one of her children a slave.
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A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY.
To her son Joris the negro boy Cesar.
Anntie 66 girl Lucy Aeltye
Lybe Sarah 66 Dyaan
Abraham Brickluff of Newtown Will dated Apl. 19, 1763, gives to his five children.
Then we have Jan of Wheatly b. Jan. 7, 1723 down as Brinkelhof.
Here we have three generations spelling the name different and they being all of the same family.
The correct pronunciation as the Compiler has heard it given by the Old People is or was, as if it was in two syllables Brink luf.
The significance of birthdays as taught the Compiler by his grandmother .:
Mondays baaren is fair of face Tuesdays baaren is a child of grace Wednesdays baaren is a child of woe Thursdays baaren has far to go Fridays baaren is loving and giving Saturdays baaren works hard for a living And the child that's born on the Sabbath day is lucky and bonny and blithe and gay.
DATE DUE
JAN 0 2 1991
JUN 1 9 2005
JUN 2: 2005
OCT 2 2 1996
AL6 17
DEC 2 3
1996
MAY 2 7 1998
JUN 1 2 398
FED 21 2000
FEB 2 3 2000
REC 0 9
LOUZ
NOV 2 0
DEMCO 38-297
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY 3 1197 20590 7865
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