When it was first learned that a Mathijs van C(K)eulen had been baptised at the Austin Friars Dutch Church of London on 2 Feb, 1602, some believed this might be the Mathijs who became immigrant ancestor of the Van Keuren family in America. An earlier researcher, Chester Van Keuren, was convinced that it was, though his exact reasons for being so convinced are unknown. When the original was examined however, the father is listed as "Mathijs", which is inconsistent with the patronymic "Jansen", which in turn suggests that Mathijs' father was named "Jan". The question is then: Is this another Mathijs, about the same age as the American immigrant but unrelated, or was the name of the father a record keeping error of the time and this truly is the baptism of Mathijs Jansen van Ceulen? Those of us who routinely search these old baptism records know that errors do occur frequently, and for a variety of reasons. Chester may have stumbled onto something, but neglected to share the discovery. Or maybe it was just hopeful/wishful thinking. The handwritten record, with date and names clearly readable, is shown below. You be the judge.
