Mathijs van Ceulen's parents are believed to be Jan van Ceulen and Annetje Jansz of Amsterdam. While unproven, this couple would be consistent with child names for Mathijs and Margriet in New York - First son named Jan and second daughter named Annetje.
Jan and Annetje baptized daughter Annetje in 1606. It was customary for a child to be named for a deceased parent, so Jan's wife, Annetje, may have died in childbirth. No other baptisms were found for this couple, which could also mean simply that they commonly used one of the smaller churches commonly, as opposed to the two main churches in Amsterdam, which are well recorded.
Annetje Jansen van Ceulen, b. 12 Oct, 1606, baptised St Niclauss DRC of Amsterdam. No other information is available on her at this time.
*****
Mathijs(Mathys,Mathias) Jansen van Ceulen,
born probably between 1590 and 1600,
died 16 Oct, 1648, Fort Orange(Albany) New York
married Margrietje Hendrickse in 1640 or 1641, probably Recife, Brazil
Margrietje may have been the daughter of Hendrik van Gout. Hendrik and Margriet were both sponsors for a child of Willem Hendrikse in Recife, Brazil, 1637. Margriet is believed to have accompanied Mathijs when he returned to North America in 1641.
Mathijs van Ceulen, Lord Director, signed the Dutch West India charter on 3 June, 1621, as a Principal Partner, Lord-Director. Under the Charter Agreement, the Principal Partners were "empowered with the Armorial Bearing of an Earl". He was payed on commission, 1% of trade and 1/2% of new gold/silver.
When we read of the Dutch West India Company in school, it is generally portrayed as a trading company, securing raw materials from the New World for Dutch Manufaturing. In reality, 75% of the company's profit in the first 10 years was from the pirating of Spanish and Portugese cargo ships. One such, the capture of the Spanish Plate Fleet in September of 1628, yielded a 'take' of some $5,000,000 worth of gold, silver, and trade goods. The "trading" fleet of the West Indies company in 1631 consisted of 14 new warships(32 cannon each) and 7 fully armed Yachts(17 cannon each).
In 1632, as war raged with Spain and Portugal, Mathijs van Ceulen was sent to take command of the Dutch forces in Brazil. Upon his arrival in December of 1632, he immediately began a more offensive campaign against the Portugese. Dutch raiding parties and 'flying columns'(Germans called it "Blitkreig") fell upon the Portugese outposts with repeated success. In less than one year, Mathijs Van Ceulen had taken the entire Brazillian coastline from the Portugese. Following the final victory in December of 1633, the last Portugese stronghold, Tre Reyes at Reis Magos, (at the mouth of the Rio Grande River) was renamed vanKeulensFoort, in his honor.
Mathijs was a co-patroon of the Zawaanendael Colony which was awarded in 1631. Unfortunately, the colony was destroyed by Indians in 1632, just as Mathijs was sailing to Brazil. Following a 2 year command in Brazil, he returned to his Directors Chair in Amsterdam. In 1636 he was appointed to the Hooghen Secreten Raad(High and Secret Council) and became a co-Governor of the Dutch South American Holdings, under a 5 year contract. He departed Holland on 20 Nov, 1636 headed for Recife.
Mathijs Jansen van Ceulen permanently settled at Fort Orange @ 1641. In August of 1646, he secured a land Patens for 50 morgens of land on Manhattan Island, which became known as vanKeulens Bouwerie. On that land today is Columbia University's Bakers Field, near Route 9 in North Manhattan. He never had a chance to develop the lands, as he died at Fort Orange, 16 Oct, 1648
Mathijs' Children:4 -
1. Katryn (b. 1640, Fort Orange, d. aft 1686, Kingston) m. Jans Jansen Van Amesfoort. Their children assumed the name Van Steenberghen, after the father was exiled from the colony for abusing his wife and mother-in-law. On one occassion, Jan had beaten Katryn so badly that she was thought dead, and taken to her mother's house for last rites. She was 8 months pregnant at the time, and luckily she and child survived the beating. Jan was a heavy drinker and a "hothead", noting that he appeared as a defendant in court in more than 70 occassions between 1660 and 1678. He disappeared in 1678, and it assumed that he either died at that time, or left the area never to return. In later generations, the the Van Steenberghen name also became Van Steenbergh, Steenbergh, Steinburg, and one branch became simply 'Vann'.
2. Annatje (b. 1645, Fort Orange, NY;d.1733, Kingston) m. Jan Peersen Hendricks. Their children used the patronymic Peersen, which became the family name. Eventually this name would branch out to Person, Personius, and Pearson. Peer was among the soldiers of Col Cragiers Company that rescued the women and children taken captive by the Esopus Indians in 1663. Among those captives was Tjaatje DeWitt, future wife of Matthys Matthyssen, and Matriarch of the Van Keuren/VanCuren family.
3. Jan Matthysen (b. 1646, Fort Orange, NY;d.1724, Kingston) m. Madalena Blanchan (Blancon). Their children used the patronymic Jansen, which became their family name. Colonel Johannes Jansen of Revolutionary war fame was a member of this family.
to:
4. Matthys Matthyssen
(b. Aft 16 Oct, 1648,Fort Orange, NY;d.1730,Kingston, Ulster Co, NY)
married Tjaate DeWitt (b. 1659), daughter of Tjerck Claussen DeWitt, in 1677
Children: 12 - Sara, Lea, Matthys Jr, Tjerck, Thomas, Barbara, Klaes, Thomas, Haseal, Cornelis, Benjamin, Gerardus
note: The surname at this time was Matthyssen, in holding with Dutch Patronymic Tradition. British administrators pressured the Dutch to abandon the old patronymic and establish family names, thus making their lives easier. In 1716 the Matthyssen family surname was officially established as Van Keuren. It is believed they were trying to return to their Noble roots, but no explanation has been found as to why the 'L' was changed to an 'R'. Nicholas Matthyssen was the only one of this family to not change to Van Keuren. His family was still using a form of Matthyssen at the time of the Revolution.
to:
(the line from here leads to the Indiana Van Curens)
Matthys Matthyssen, Jr
b. 24 Apr, 1681, Kingston, N Y
m. Tryntje Slegt(b. 1683) on 5 Mar, 1704, Kingston
Children: 8 - Tiatie, Henricus, Absolom, Merytjen, Cornelis, Johannes, Petrus, Matheus
to:
Henricus Van Keuren (born Henricus Matthyssen)
b. 11 Sep, 1709 in Kingston (Ulster Co)
d. After 1785
m. Catharina Swart(b Mar 7, 1713) on 12 Oct, 1734, in Kingston
They had the following children:
1. Tryntjen, b. 25 Dec, 1738
2. Hendrikus, b. 10 Jul, 1743
3. Benjamin, b. 1 Jan, 1746
4. Metjen, b. 1 Jan 1748
5. Zara, b. 23 Jun 1751
6. Tjaadje, b. 19 Feb 1758
7. Jacob, b. 8 Feb 1761
Note: Henricus's Will left all Real Property and slaves to youngest son Jacob, personal effects to other children, and his rifle to Grandson Jonathon. His wife received a "slave wench" and the right to stay on the land the rest of her life.
b. 8 Feb, 1761, Shawangunk, N Y
have no info on his death date
Married Elizabeth Terwilliger, 1781, New Paltz, N Y
Their son, Henricus Van Keuren, became known simply as Henry Van Curen. Henry and family settled in Indiana in the 1840s.
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