New Netherland Ancestry: The Family of Gerrit Stryker and Wyntje Boomgaert

The Family of Gerrit Stryker and Wyntje Boomgaert

In an ongoing effort to identify one of my ancestors, a review of the family of Jacob³ Williamson (William², William¹) and his wife, Mary, was undertaken. Though that effort did not attain its goal, some useful information about the family was obtained. It now appears that Jacobus’ wife, Mary, was the daughter of Gerrit Stryker and Wyntje Boomgaert.

In Gerrit’s will,[i] written in 1693, he names sons, Jacobus and Cornelius, and his daughters Ida, Geesje, Maria, Catheine, and Jannetje. Gerritje was born after his will was written.[ii] The 1698 census of Flatlands, NY,[iii] under the Widow Stryker, lists 1 woman and 8 children. It appears all their children as listed below, except Gezina, were alive then.

The first step in identifying Mary’s ancestry was identifying the husbands of the daughters of Gerrit Stryker and Wyntje Boomgaert. William Stryker in “The Stryker Family in America” identified Thomas Lake[1], son of Daniel Lake and Martha Griggs, as the husband Jannetje. He also identified Jan Wyckoff as the husband of Gerritje[2]. However, Gerritje's husband was shown to be incorrect in “The Dorland Enigma Resolved[3]”.

The identification of Jannetje Stryker as the wife of Thomas Lake comes, in part, from the witnesses at the baptism[iv] of their son, Thomas:

1718 Oct 19; Thomas Leake, Jannetje Stryker; Thomas; Cornelis Stryker, Gerritje Stryker

The witnesses were the child’s maternal uncle and maternal aunt.

In his will[v] Thomas Lake names among his children, order uncertain, John, Ellen, Garret and Winifred, named after their grandparents.

That William Golden was the husband of Geesje Stryker can be seen from the witnesses for the baptisms of their children and the naming of their children.

The witnesses in the baptismal records of their children are:

11 Mar 1711[vi]; Nicholas; Jochem Gulick, Jacomintje Gulick

9 Mar 1714;[vii] Jacobus; Jacobus Styker, Catrijntie Gregs;

9 Jan 1716;[viii] Neeltje; Theunis Bergen, Marritje Bergen

18 Apr 1718;[ix] Catrintje; Cornelis Stryker, Gerritje Stryker;

3 Apr 1720;[x] Anna; Richard Stillwell, Catrina his dau

12 May 1723[xi]; Nicholas; Isaac Van Hoeck, Catalyn Van Hoeck

5 Mar 1727;[xii] Jacobus; Jacobus Stryker, Marretie Stryker

22 Mar 1730;[xiii] Jacob; Johannes Polhemus, Geesjy Polhemus

The witnesses include both of her brothers, Jacobus and Cornelius, and two of her sisters, Gerritje and Mary. The also include Catherine Griggs, probably her sister, and Richard Stillwell, probably husband of her sister, Ida.

William and Geesje had another son, Joseph, born about 1707, mentioned in his will.[xiv] They had another daughter, Wyntje, born about 1712, also mentioned in his will. No baptismal record has been found for either of them. Wyntje married Abraham Hendricksen with license dated 14 Apr 1737.[xv] Her oldest son, William, was named after his maternal grandfather,[xvi] his maternal grandparents being the witnesses at his baptism. Thus it appears that their oldest two sons and their oldest two daughters were named after their grandparents.

Catherine Stryker’s marriage to Daniel Griggs is uncertain. She is probably the Catherine Gregs mentioned earlier.

Ida Stryker’s marriage to Richard Stillwell is uncertain but likely. From the list of the children in her father’s will, she appears to be the eldest, born about 1675. Richard first married Maria Golder.[xvii] Maria may have only been the mother of his eldest son, Daniel, born about 1702.[xviii] His later children, Catherine, Nicholas, Maria and Richard, all had children named Ida,[xix] presumably after their paternal grandmother. Richard Stillwell and his daughter, Catherine, appear as witnesses for his wife’s presumed niece, Anna Golden, mentioned earlier, in 1720. Given her presence as a witness, Catherine was born by 1708 or earlier.

Mary is presumed to have married Jacobus Williamson, based on the witnesses for the baptism of Jacobus[4], son of Jacobus and Mary Williamson.[xx] One was Thomas Lake, probably the husband of Jannetje Stryker, mentioned earlier. The other was Catherine Stillwell. By process of elimination, she was almost certainly the daughter of Richard Stillwell, probably the husband of Ida Stryker. See the blog post on Jacobus Williamson[5] for their probable children, including two named after their paternal grandparents and one, Gerrit, named after his presumed maternal grandfather.

Genealogical Summary

The children of Gerrit Stryker and Wyntje Boomgaert were:

1) Ida, b. abt. 1675, named after her paternal grandmother, m Richard Stillwell

2) Gezina, bap. 9 Dec 1677,[xxi] named after her maternal grandmother, died young.

3) Jannetje, bap. 26 Dec 1679,[xxii] named after her maternal aunt, m Thomas Lake

4) Jacobus, bap. 27 Aug 1682,[xxiii] named after his paternal grandfather, m Martha Griggs

5) Geesje, bap. 11 Jan 1685, [xxiv] named after her sister, m William Golden, died after 1717.

6) Maria, b. abt. 1686, named after her maternal aunt, m Jacobus Williamson

7) Catherine, b. abt. 1688, m Daniel Griggs, died before 1718

8) Cornelius, b. abt. 1692, named after his maternal grandfather, m Rebecca Hubbard

9) Gerritje, bap. 14 Nov 1694 at DRC of Brooklyn, named after her father, d aft 1717

[1] William Stryker, The Stryker Family in America, vol. 3, page 19

[2] William Stryker, The Stryker Family in America, vol. 3, page 20

[3] Barbara A. Barth, The Dorland Enigma Resolved, page 155

[4] Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, PNJHS, vol. 11, p. 207

[5] The Probable Family of Jacobus Williamson, New Netherland Ancestry, online at https://newnetherlandancestry.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-probable-family-of-jacobus3.html

[i] Page 473. GERRITT STRYCKER. In the name of God, Amen. I, Gerritt Strycker, of the town of Flatlands, in Kings County, being weak in body, my will is that my wife, Weyntie Strycker, shall remain in full possession of all estate, houses, and lands, but if she re-marry, then she shall deliver up one half before the solemnization of her marriage. And after her decease, all the estate is to go to my children, Eyda, Jacobus, Geesie, Maria, Catharine, Jannettie and Cornelius. My eldest son, Jacobus Strycker, is to have £12 10s as a free gift. Dated at the house of the testator, May 24, 1693, and signed, sealed and published in the presence of the underwriters, the testator being in his full witt and understanding, for so much as we could see.~ Jacob Strycker, Coert Stevense, Jacobus Vandewater.

Abstracts of wills on file in the Surrogates Office, City of New York (Volume I. 1665-1707), Abstracts of wills liber 7, pg 458

[ii] 14 Nov 1694; Gerritje; parents: Gerrit Strijker, Wijntje Bogaart; witnesses: Hendrik Wijcof, Ida Strijkers [maternal uncle, paternal grandmother][DRC of Brooklyn]

[iii] Documentary History of the State of New York, vol 3, pg 133.

[iv] Collections of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Vol 4, Staten Island Church Records, p. 20.

[v] Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey, Vol 33, Calendar of Wills, Vol 4, p. 238

[vi] Records of the First Reformed Dutch Church of Jamaica, Long Island, transcribed by Kenn Stryker-Rodda, RECORD 105:97

[vii] Records of the First Reformed Dutch Church of J