The Family of John Vandervoort and Magdalena Huysman

The Family of John³ Vandervoort (Paul², Michael¹) and Magdalena Huysman

Wilson V. Ledley’s article on the Vandervoort-Vanderford family[1] unfortunately only goes through the third generation.  The section on the family of John³ Vandervoort[2] is incomplete, listing only five of their ten or eleven children, misidentifying the spouses of two of them and did not identify the second marriage of Magdalena Huysman.

When Ledley wrote his article in 1977 it was not known the 1738 Census of Kings Co., NY[3] was actually taken in 1731.[4]  When he reviewed the census he assumed that the family of John’s son, Charles⁴ was living with John in Brooklyn and suggested that Charles’ children may account for the large number of people in John’s household.  There were five males above 10, one male under 10 and five females over 10.  The residents were probably:

1. John³ Vandervoort, witnessed a baptism in 1735[5].
2. Magdalena Vandervoort, his wife, witnessed the same baptism in 1735
3. Charles⁴ Vandervoort, their son
4. Maria, his wife
5. Jan⁵, Charles’ son, baptized 29 Aug 1731[6].
6. Three undocumented sons
7. Three undocumented daughters

The undocumented sons and daughters could not be the children of Charles as they were all over the age of 10, so born by 1721, when Charles would have been only 18..  Magdalena Huysman was baptized 21 Mar 1675/76,[7] so she would have been 45 in 1721.  It is unlikely the male under 10 was her son.

Besides Charles, Ledley lists two other sons of John and Magdalena, who were not living with their father in the 1731 census.  The first was Paul⁴, listed in the 1731 Census of Brooklyn, NY, just before his father.  The second was John⁴, listed in the 1731 Census of Flatbush, NY.  John was of Flatbush when he purchased land in Bushwick, NY on 11 Apr 1728.[8]

Ledley assumed their supposed daughter, Elizabeth⁴, married George Rapalje.  However, as shown in an earlier post, Elizabeth⁴ married Francis Titus,[9] about 1725, so she is an addition to the undocumented children listed above.  The Elizabeth Vandervoort who married George Rapalje was the daughter of Peter Vandervoort and Metje Vanderhoven.  She married George Rapalje on 4 Oct 1746,[10] where both are mentioned as being previously unmarried.  As Elizabeth Rapalje, she married second John Gerritsen on 16 Sep 1749,[11] where he is designated as not previously married, while she is not.  She is mentioned as “my daughter Elizabeth, wife of Johanes Gerrittse” in Peter’s will dated 19 Feb 1761.[12]  John Gerritson’s will[13] mentions “my brother-in-law, Michael Vandervoort of Bedford, in Brookelin”. Michael was the son of Peter Vandervoort and Metje Vanderhoven and his will was written in Bedford, Brooklyn, NY on 16 Mar 1781.[14]

Ledley assumed their supposed daughter, Magdalena⁴, married Benjamin Vandewater, presumed third son of Benjamin and Engeltje Lieverse, with license dated 13 Apr 1737.[15]  Ledley did not know that Benjamin Vandwater, husband of Engeltje Liverse, testified in a case in 1741, at age 71,[16] so the listing of Benjamin Vandewater in the 1731 Census of Brooklyn, NY was him, not a presumed son, Benjamin, Jr.  Besides the marriage record, Ledley found no other records of the presumed Benjamin, Jr.  Benjamin Vandwater, husband of Engeltje Liverse, was baptized on 17 Feb 1668/69.[17]  The baptismal record that Ledley cites for Jan and Magdalena's supposed daughter, Magdalena⁴ reads:

 1715 Jul 20; Johannes Pouwelse, Antje Huysman; Magdalena; Barent de Freest, Maria Ten Yk wife of Jurian Witvelt[18]

John Vandervoort never used his patronymic name and the mother’s name is not Magdalena, so it is highly unlikely this is a baptismal record for Magdalena⁴ Vandervoort.  Given that Magdalena Huysman Vandervoort was baptized on 21 Mar 1675/76, it is almost certain she is the woman who married Benjamin Vandewater on 13 Apr 1737.

Further articles will identify most of the presumed undocumented children of John Vandervoort and Magdalena Huysman, being Michael, Abraham, Jacob, Styntje, Adrianna and Magdalena.  The family can be summarized as appears below.

Genealogical Summary

Generation No. 3

1.  JAN³ VANDERVOORT  (PAUL², MICHAEL PAULUSZEN¹) was born Bef. 01 Apr 1678 in Bedford, Kings, NY, and died Aft. 1734.  He married MAGDALENA HUYSMAN 05 Apr 1701 in Reformed Dutch Church of Hackensack, Bergen Co., NJ, daughter of CHARLES HUYSMAN and MARRIETJE DIRCKS.  She was born bef. 21 Mar 1675/76 in near NYC, NY, and died aft. 1736.

 Children of JAN VANDERVOORT and MAGDALENA HUYSMAN are:

        i.  PAUL⁴ VANDERVOORT, b. circa 1701, NY; d. aft. 1765; m. JANNETJE VANDEWATER; b. circa 1702, NY; d. Aft. 1765.
       ii.  CHARLES VANDERVOORT, b. bef. 12 Sep 1703, NY; d. aft. 1730; m. MARIA UNKNOWN.
      iii.  JAN VANDERVOORT, b. circa 1705, NY; m. (1) MARIA UNKNOWN; b. 1700 - 1712; m. (2) ANNETJE STILLWELL; b. circa  1714, NY.
      iv.  ELIZABETH VANDERVOORT, b. circa 1707, NY; d. aft. 1763; m. circa 1725 FRANCIS TITUS; b. circa 1702, NY; d. bef. 15 Jun 1764,                              Bushwick , LI, NY.  She was discussed in an earlier post.
       v.  STYNTJE VANDERVOORT, b. 1709 - 1714, NY; m. circa 1730 ABRAHAM VAN VOORHEES; b. circa 1694, NY; d. Bef. 15 Aug 1777,                             Bridgewater, Somerset Co., NJ.  To be discussed in a later post.
      vi.  ADRIANNA VANDERVOORT, b. 1709 - 1717, NY; m. ALBERT VAN VOORHEES; b. circa 1692, NY; d. bef. 24 Mar 1784, Somerset  Co., NJ.                 To be discussed in a later post.
     vii.  DAUGHTER, b. 1709-1717, NY.  She appears to be included in the 1731 census.  No further trace.
    viii.  MICHAEL VANDERVOORT, b. 1709 - 1717, NY; d. 1758 - 1762, NJ; m. MARY FONTEYN, Bef. 1745; b. bef. 04 Dec 1726, New Brunswick,                NJ; d. 1789, Hunterdon, NJ. To be discussed in a later post.
      ix.  MAGDALENA VANDERVOORT, b. circa 1716, NY; d. aft. 1793; m. JOHN MESEROLE; b. circa 1715, NY; d. 06 May 1767, New Brunswick,                Middlesex, NJ. To be discussed in a later post.
       x.  ABRAHAM VANDERVOORT, b. circa 1718, NY; d. Aft. 1776; m. (1) MARGARET CALJER; m. (2) SARAH CONSELJE, 04 Aug  1750, Reformed                 Dutch Church, NYC, NY; b. 1720 - 1730; d. aft. 1767; m. (3) ELIZABEH GIBSON, 21 Dec 1768, NY. To be discussed  in a later post.
      xi.  JACOB VANDERVOORT, b. circa 1720, Kings, NY; d. 17 May 1791, Fishkill, Dutchess, NY; m. METJE MULFORD; b. bef. 04 Apr  1731, New             Brunswick, NJ; d. aft. 1773. To be discussed in a later post.

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[1] The Vandervoort-Vanderford Family, by Wilson V. Ledley, RECORD 108(1977):199ff.

[2] The Vandervoort-Vanderford Family, by Wilson V. Ledley, RECORD 109(1978):157-159.

[3] Documentary History of New York, E. B. O'Callaghan, (c)1849, Vol. IV, p. 188-200.

[4] Harry Macy, 1738 Census‘ of Kings County Was Actually Taken in 1731, NYGBR 123 (1992):85–86

[5] Records of the New Utrecht Reformed Church, Baptisms, RECORD 113(1982):13

[6] Records of the New Utrecht Reformed Church, Baptisms, RECORD 112(1981):211

[7] Collections of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Vol II, Baptisms from 1639 to 1730 in the Reformed Dutch Church, New York, p. 122.

[8] Kings County, New York, Deeds, Vol 5, folio 55.

[9] New Netherland Ancestry, The Family of Francis Titus and Annetje Fonteyn.

[10] Marriages at the Reformed Dutch Church of Flatbush, NY, Frost Collection. vol. 1, p. 74

[11] Marriages at the Reformed Dutch Church of Flatbush, NY, Frost Collection. vol. 2, p. 2

[12] Abstracts of wills on file in the Surrogate's Office, City of New York (Volume VI. 1760-1766), p. 65

[13] Abstracts of wills on file in the Surrogate's Office, City of New York (Volume VII. 1766-1771), p. 2

[14] Kings County, NY, Wills, Liber 1, p. 413.

[15] "The Van de Waters of New York" by Wilson Ledley, RECORD 98(1967):96

[16] The Bergen family; or: The descendants of Hans Hansen Bergen, by Teunis G. Bergen, p 534 ff

[17] Collections of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Vol II, Baptisms from 1639 to 1730 in the Reformed Dutch Church, New York, p. 93.

[18] Collections of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Vol II, Baptisms from 1639 to 1730 in the Reformed Dutch Church, New York, p. 383.