Marten Van Alstyne was born circa 1591. He was of Meppel, Drenthe, Netherlands and married circa 1617 to an unknown woman. They had at least three children, one of whom was Jan Martense Van Alstyne.

VAN ALSTYNE FAMILY

First Generation

Marten VAN ALSTYNE was born circa 1591. He was of Meppel, Drenthe, Netherlands and married circa 1617 to an unknown woman.

Second Generation

The children of Marten Van Alstyne included:

(1) Catalyntje Martense VAN ALSTYNE born about 1618 and died 1648. She married 1635 Gelderland, the Netherlands to Cornelis Maessen VAN BUREN, son of Bartolomeus aka Maes Van Buren.

(2) Jannetje Martense VAN ALSTYNE married to Jan Thomas MINGAEL from Wedbek, Holstein.

(3) Jan de Wever aka Jan Martense VAN ALSTYNE was born about 1623 Meppel, Drenthe Province, the Netherlands. He was the immigrant ancestor of the Van Alstyne family in America. He and his wife, Derckien Hermanse BOERTGENS and at least two children came to the New York area from Drenthe Province in 1655. On 18 Jul 1655, a son Marten was baptized at New Amsterdam.

Jan came to Wildwyck [Kingston] New York and his name appears on Albany court records 4 Apr. 1656, then in October the same year, he is found living in Beverwyck [Albany]. Jan became a trader, and on 1 May, 1658 he purchased the yacht HOPE from Pieter Lourensen.

He and his wife were fined on several occasions for selling beer to the Indians, and once he was fined for selling brandy "after the ringing of the bell and during the sermon". Jan's wife was in charge during her husband's many absences and she often gave mortgages, made sales and bought land, always signing as "Derckien Hermanse" which means Derckien, daughter of a man named Herman.

On 10 Feb. 1657 Andreis Harpersn gave to Jan Martense alias de Wever, a right and title to a house bought at auction from Jurriaen Theussen/Tappen.In 1660 Jan mortgaged his house, lot and garden in the village of Beverwyck to Nicholas de Meyer and Jan Bastiaensen Van Gudsenhoven, owing the former 576 guilders in beaver skins and to the latter 1042 guilders, 2 stivers and 8 pennies. Jan's Albany real estate was held until 7 Feb. 1694 when he sold it to Mees Hogeboom for 15 pounds. This property was described as being without the north gate, bounded west by the street to Rensselaer's mill, north by the creek, east by the Marselis property and south by the road to the river.

On 28 March 1662 Jan was raising corn and grain in Wildwyck. Anna Blom demanded payment of 20 beaver skins from him, as did Herman Vedder who demanded 100 schepels of oats. Harmen seized the grain belonging to Jan and the parties agreed about a future settlement. The following spring Jan was back in Albany, selling to Goosen Gerritse Van Schaick 7 head of cattle for 580 guilders payable in beaver skins.

By 25 April 1663 he owned land at Esopus [Kingston]. On 11 June 1667 Jan patented land near Hurley. On 10 Sept. 1684 both parcels of land sold to the heirs of Cornelius Wyncoop. On 7 June 1663 the Indian massacre of Wildwyck occured, and Jan Weever signed on to a military company as a cadet.

Next Jan became a tenant of Volkert Janse Douw and Jan Tomassen Mingael on the Island Schodack. In the summer of 1671 it was recorded that milk and butter had been stolen from the farm of Jan Martensen at Catskill. Around this time Jan was found living at Kinderhook, where with Hendrick Meesen Vrooman, he was made supervisor of roads on 10 Feb. 1670. On 21 Feb. 1671, Derckien Hermanse BOERTGENS, Jan's wife, acknowledged owing Goosen Gerritse 318 guilders or beaver skins, for which she pledged her "winter wheat, house, barn, ricks, land, and soil behind Kinderhook".

On 31 May 1671 Jan purchased from Robert Orchard and Jannecken Donckers "a certain parcel of land lying behind Kinderhook, adjoining to the south Dirck De Sweed [aka Dirk Hendrickse Bye] to the west Jacob martense and the kil and easterly a little brook dividing the same from the land of Andries Hanse [Sharp]" for the sum of 70 beaver skins. Derckine Hermanse acknowledged her debt to Jan Bruyns for that amount and promised to pay "thirty next spring, 1672, and the remaining forty beaver skins also in the spring". In default of this payment, she promised to pay as interest 4 beaver skins a year and if she could not pay in beaver skins then with good winter wheat "at beaver and market price, therefore pledging specially her land and bowery behind Kinderhook".

On 7 Feb. 1675, Herman Bastiaensen Visscher was given a contract to build a house at Kinderhook for Jan Martensen, and later on 14 March 1676 he received pay for building a barn and clearing land.

In 1683 the records of the Albany Dutch Reformed Church show that Jan Martensen, his wife and all of his children except Herman, were members. In Sept. 1682 Derckien de Wever was paid for board and care of Jan Cornelissen. Again in Sept. 1684 Jan Martense was paid 135 guilders for three months board of Jan Cornelissen.

On 16 June 1697 Jan de Wever was a resident in the Rensselaerswyck colony with two children and no women in his family. It would appear his wife was dead at this point, and whether the children were grandchildren or children is not known. Tradition states that Jan died about 1698 and both he and his wife were buried under the church at Kinderhook.

The surname VAN ALSTYNE does not appear until 1689 in Albany church records. Prior to that date, Jan used the patronymic Martensen, meaning son of Marten. His children used Janse or Jansen, meaning son of Jan. The surname has been found as Van Alstyn, Van Valsteyn, Van Aalstein, Van Aelstein and VAn Alstyne. Herman Jansen continued the name without the Van, and in some cases it became Alston.

Notes:

Further research of the following is indicated:

* Cornelis Kortright's great-great granddaughter Elisabeth Kortright apparently was married to James Monroe, then Ambassador to Paris, France, and later the president of the United States.
* A possible second connection to T.R. through Laurens Louw and Mary Roosa
* Wouter Quackenbos, Jr., the son of Neeltje Gysbertse Van Den Bergh was prob. b. abt. 1671. On 4 Oct. 1696 at the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany he mar. Cornelia Jans Bogaert, who was b. 21 Nov. 1676, a dau. of Jan Laurens Bogaert and Cornelia Evertse. Wouter died in 1736 and Cornelia died 18 Nov. 1735. See: http://users.crocker.com/~jcamp/gcvb.html. May reveal connections to the Vanderbilts and Quackenbush families.
* Also see: http://www.mindspring.com/~braniff/dutch.htm for a big list of links to Dutch genealogy pages.
See: http://users.crocker.com/~jcamp/jlfam.html for possible connections to other famous people of dutch ancestry.
Also see: http://library.thinkquest.org/C005615/data/english_text/famousdutch.html, entitled Famous Americans with Dutch Ancestors. The list includes: Thomas Edison, Cornelius Vanderbilt. Then, there's http://genealogy.about.com/library/authors/ucklaassen1a.htm, relating generally to the researching of Dutch ancestry.

Third Generation

The children of Jan Martense Van Alstyne and Derckien Hermanse Boertgens were:

(1) Jan Janse VAN ALSTYNE baptized 22 Aug 1647 Meppel, Drenthe, Netherlands, died young.

(2) Herman VAN ALSTYNE aka Van Mepplen baptized 9 Jul 1648 Meppel, Drenthe, Netherlands. He married 5 Jul 1682 to Brechtje ELSWAERT. His second wife was Geesje SHUUERMANS.

(3) Abraham VAN ALSTYNE baptized about 1650 Meppel, Drenthe, Netherlands. He married 8 Sep 1684 to a daughter of Jacob Janazen VAN NOESTRAND. His second marriage on 17 Jan 1694 was to Marritje VAN DEUSEN.

(4) Lambert Janse VAN ALSTYNE was born circa 1652 and died 16 Oct 1703. He married circa 1682 to Jannetje Thomase MINSAR, the daughter of Thomas Janszen Minsar and Marritje Abrahamse Van Deursen.

(5) Marten Janse VAN ALSTYNE was baptized 18 Jul 1655 New Amsterdam. He died 1765. About 1678 he married to Jannetje Cornelis BOGAERT.

(6) Isaac Janse de Wever VAN ALSTYNE was born 16 Jul 1657 Albany, NY. He died 4 Jan 1746. He married first 20 Oct 1689, Albany, NY to Marritje Abbedis VOSBURGH, daughter of Abraham Pieterse Vosburgh and Geertruy Pieterse Coeymans. He married second 20 Feb 1698 Albany, NY to Jannetje Jochemse Van Valkenburgh, the daughter of Jochem Van Valkenburg and Eva Hendrickse Vrooman.

(7) Dorothea Janse VAN ALSTYNE was born 1659 and married 7 May 1678 Kinderhook to Jacob Abraham VOSBURGH (~1654-), the son of Abraham Pieterse Vosburgh and Geetruy Pieterse Coeymans.

(8) Flammetje VAN ALSTYNE born about 1661 New Amsterdam, NY.

(9) Teuntje VAN ALSTYNE born about 1663 New Amsterdam, NY.

Fourth Generation

The children of Lambert Janse Van Alstyne and Jannetje Thomase Mingael included:

(1) Catherine VAN ALSTYNE was born about 1683. She married to Bartholomeus Van Valkenburgh, son of Jochem Van Valkenburgh and Eva Hendrickse Vrooman.

(2) Marritje VAN ALSTYNE was baptized 27 Dec 1685.

(3) Thomas VAN ALSTYNE was baptized 22 Aug 1688 and died Aug 1765. He married 12 Dec 1718 to Maria VAN ALEN, the daughter of William Van Alen and Marritje PATTEN.

(4) Johannes VAN ALSTYNE was baptized 11 Aug 1691.

(5) Dirckje VAN ALSTYNE was baptized 26 May 1695. She married 18 Feb 1717 Albany, NY to Pieter VOSBURGH, baptized 23 May 1686, the son of Jacob Vosburgh and Dorothea Janse Van Alstyne.

(6) Antje VAN ALSTYNE was baptized 16 Jan 1698 and died young.

(7) Annatje VAN ALSTYNE was baptized 28 Jul 1700.

(8) Pieter VAN ALSTYNE baptized 9 Aug 1702.

Selected Sources

Schulze, Lorine, Descendant Chart, Nov.1995.

Vosburgh, Royden, "Notes on a History of Old Kinderhook, Collier," NY Gen. Biog. Register, Vol. 46, Apr. 1915, pp 192-3. Notes that Lambert Jansen Van Alstyne's wife was Jannetje MINSAR and not Jannetje, the daughter of Abraham Pieterse VOSBURGH. His wife was Jannetje, the daughter of Thomas Janszen MINSAR and Marritje Abrahams VAN DEURSEN. Marritje Van Deursen was the daughter of Abraham Pietersen Van Deursen and Tryntje MELCHOIRS.

Vosburgh, Royden W., Pioneers and Founders of New Netherland: The Vosburgh Family, The New Netherland Register, Vol. 1, No.8.

Other Online Van Alstyne Descendants:

Lorine Schulze Don't miss her Olive Tree Genealogy homepage.

William Blackburn descends from Isaac Janse Van Alstyne and Marritje Abbedis Vosburgh through their daughter Grietje Van Alstyne who married Pieter Vrooman.

Don't miss his web site.

John F. King descends from Isaac Janse Van Alstyne and Marritje Abbedis Vosburgh through their daughter Grietje Van Alstyne who married Pieter Vrooman.

Kerry McLean descends from Jan Martense Van Alstyne through his son Herman Van Alstyne.