Dirck Gorisszen Storm (16301716) was an early colonial
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
who recorded the first official history of the
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
community at
Sleepy Hollow. His book ''
'' is a rare document of life in colonial times.
Sometimes referred to as ''Het Notite Boeck'', the five-part book is one of the few surviving records of
Dutch Colonial American village life in English-occupied
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
province.
[Reproduced as: ]
Birth and early life
One line of data provides that Dirck Storm was born in
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
,
The Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, in 1630 and his family resided in
Leyden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
,
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
, where they dealt in fine cloth.
R. W. Storm states that historical records carry this Storm line back to Dederick Storm, who lived in Wyck, near
Delft
Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...
, in 1390.
The family may have been of
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
stock since so many settled in the province of
North Brabant
North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the we ...
when the Vikings overran the
Low Countries
The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
before the year 1000.
move from the low countries to Brabant before the year 1000 and a move to Brabant from there by Dirck in the 1600s do not support the internal logic of the latter statement.
At the age of eighteen Dirck Storm went to
Den Bosch
s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...
to be clerk in his uncle's commercial office. On May 13, 1656 he married, in the church of St. Gertrude in
's-Hertogenbosch
s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...
, Maria van Montfoort, daughter of Pieter van Montfoort, a
Walloon Calvinist
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
. By 1660, Storm was named Town Clerk of
Oss in the Mayorate of 's-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch). Public service was part of the Storm family history, as Dirck's father was the City Clerk of
Leiden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
and his grandfather was a lawyer in the Court of Justice of
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
,
West Friesland and
Zealand
Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020.
It is the 1 ...
.
rimary sources for all of these ancestral data are neededWhen
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
Holland was hit by a recession after the
overthrow of Cromwell in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, Dirck Storm set sail for the
New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...
.
A different line of research is based significantly on records from the Province of Noord Brabant, including records of the town of Oss. It would welcome evidence of primary documents to show ancestry in Utrecht or Zuid Holland, and provides in the meantime that Dirck Storm's ancestors may have been from the Oss area of Noord Brabant (North Brabant), The Netherlands instead, and he may have been born there. There are many source citations for data in this research provided below, including primary sources. The town of Oss (aka Osch) lies in the Eastern part of the Province of Noord Brabant. Oss is a suburb of the city of Den Bosch, separated by hamlets such as Lith and Lithoijen.
Many sources also quoted in the first line of research say that the immigrant Dirck used the patronymic middle name “Gorisz” or variations thereof, short for Goriszoon, meaning “son of Goris”, strongly suggesting his father’s first name was Goris (aka Gregorius) and not Dirk as suggested by some. Primary sources give the place of birth and marriage of one Dirck Goris Storm as Oss and give his wife's name as Maria (or the diminutive Marijke/Mariken/Maritje) Pieters (Peter's) without any reference to a surname Montfoort or alternatively van Cortenbosch. For instance, archives in the Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (BHIC) have a record of the marriage at Oss of Derck Goris Storm, born in Oss, Groom on Sunday 20 June 1655 to Marijke Peters, born in Oss, Bride, daughter of Peter Teunissen. Source:''Rijksarchief Noord-Brabant, NG (Gereformeerd ) register 34 folio 45 r/v: A, Bron: Oss trouwen, 1651-1661 / 1680-1810. DTB Oss inventarisnummer 29-30, 34 and 36, Retroacta van de Burgerlijke Stand. ''No primary sources seem to use the surname "van Montfoort" for our Dirck's wife.'' It would be very helpful to find the church record of the marriage of Dirck Storm, as it should provide some missing ancestral data.
Another BHIC record gives a Baptism on Sunday 24 Apr 1661 at Oss, father Dirck Gorisse Storm, child Peternella, mother Maria Peters. Winess 2, Derken Peter Anthonissen is daughter of Peter Anthonissen. ''Source: Oss NG dopen, 1651-1661 / 1806-1811(1825) Archief: DTB Oss inventarisnummer 34 en 36 (cite: Plaats: Oss; bron: RANB; gezindte: NG; register: 34; folio: 10 ) Retroacta van de Burgerlijke Stand. '' This is consistent with a child aged 1 1/4 years when embarked on trip to America. one of three children shown on a passenger list.
The parentage of Maria Peters is arguably as found in Archival Records in Den Bosch referring to division in 1660 of an Estate at Lithoijen, apparently of the deceased parents of Dirck’s wife and her sister. Source:''‘s Hertogenbosch, Erfdelingen 1629-1709'' (, R 1615 , f 163 ) (translated by Cos van Wermeskerken ) provides:
"Dirck Goris STORM, husband and guardian of Marike his housewife, daughter of Peter THONISZ by Dircxken his housewife, of the one part; Marcelis Anton HUIJBERTS and Lenart Jacob LENARTS guardians of Eercke (), dependent daughter of Peter THONISZ by Dircxken beforementioned of the other part, will make division to heirs of the goods of their late parents, at Lithoijen."
Thonis/Theunis is a common Dutch first name, short for Antoni()s (Anthony). "Thonisz." is Thoniszoon, which like "Anthonissen" means “son of ()Thonis”. Maria Peters or Marike Peter Thonisse would in translation be Maria, daughter of Peter, son of Anthony.
Other records in North Brabant show lands owned or leased in the Lithoyen area by various Dirck Storms, possibly ancestors, as early as 1392. The following sale may well relate to our subject Dirck, recorded in Oss a few years before Dirck Storm's travel to North America: Derrick Goress Storm, as husband of Maryken, sold land on 1 May 1656 to Jan Theunisz living at Heesch, 1 ½ morgen land, situated at Lithoyenbroeck, at a place called Parsyck. [Source: Schepenbanken, Oss, Index schepenprotocol Oss (7365.69), Datering: 1-5-1656, Pagina (Page): 856-856. Plaats: Oss, Toegangsnummer: 7365, Inventarisnummer: 69 -accessed through BHIC, supra, translated by Cos van Wermeskerken] Other transfers occurred as late as 1660 and 1661, found in the same archive using variable spelling versions of Dirck Goris Storm. These are consistent with preparations for emigration.
New Amsterdam
In the fall of 1662 Storm emigrated, with his wife Maria and three children, ages six, four and one from the
Mayory of Den Bosch to
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...
in
New Netherland
New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...
onboard ''De Vos'' (''The Fox'').
De Vos sailed from Amsterdam after 31 August 1662 and arrived New Amsterdam 14 November 1662 with a total of 54 emigrants.
During the voyage, Maria gave birth to a daughter. The ship landed at the foot of
Wall Street
Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
, in what is now
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
.
Town clerk and farmer
Storm held real estate, owned a
tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that h ...
on
Beaver Street, and dabbled in inn-keeping. Later he was appointed Town Clerk in several communities in
Breuckelen (today's Brooklyn);
New Utrecht
New Utrecht ( nl, Nieuw Utrecht) was a town in western Long Island, New York (state), New York encompassing all or part of the present-day Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Borough Park, Brooklyn, Borough Park, Dyker Heights and Fort Hamilton n ...
,
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
, and
Flatbush. Many land titles and hundreds of genealogies are based on the community records he kept. He also served as a teacher in some of these communities. He farmed land in
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
and New Lots, and served as
precantor to two of the Dutch churches in Breuckelen. In 1670, he was appointed Secretary of the Colony.
Sleepy Hollow
In 1691 Storm was sent to
Tappan by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
, who were setting up new governments at the time. There, he became the first Secretary and Clerk of the Sessions for
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen. This county was first created in 1683 and reorganized with its present boundaries in 1798.
Orange ...
. He was also the Voorleser of the Tappan Church. In 1693, he joined his old friend
Frederick Philipse
Frederick Philipse (born Frederick Flypsen;Appleton, W.S. ''The Heraldic Journal, Recording the Amorial Bearings and Genealogies of American Families'', Wiggen & Lunt, Boston, 1867 1626 in Bolsward, Netherlands – December 23, 1702), first Lord ...
, and acted as tax collector for the
vast manor held by Philipse. Storm and his wife were recorded as members of the
Old Dutch Church at
Sleepy Hollow as early as 1697, soon after the church was constructed.
Writer
On November 3, 1715, the church members selected Storm to begin recording the history of the church retroactively from 1697. Historic records show that they decided that Storm was "the best informed and most competent member be chosen to make up a statement of events that led to the founding of the church."
Abraham de Revier, Sr. was the first elder of the church and evidently kept a private memorandum book that is now lost to history. However, it was heavily drawn upon by Storm in composing ''Het Notite Boeck''.
Legacy
Storm was of the
yeoman
Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...
class and under Dutch law, was allowed to buy his farmland in Sleepy Hollow outright from the lord of the Manor, his friend, Frederick Philipse. All his sons were farmers but many descendants were captains of their own boats on the
Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
. Descendant Capt. Jacob Storm lived in the
Philipse Manor house which is now a museum. The old mill house was once his office.
Death
In May or June 1716 Storm died at
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North ...
. He is buried at the
Old Dutch Church Burying Ground in
Sleepy Hollow, New York
Sleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States. The village is located on the east bank of the Hudson River, about north of New York City, and is served by the Philipse Manor stop on ...
.
Dirck Storm is the ancestor of many notable Americans, including the famous clergyman
David Storm
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
, deacon and elder of the
Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow
The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow ( nl, Oude Nederlandse Kerk van Sleepy Hollow), listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Dutch Reformed Church (Sleepy Hollow), is a 17th-century stone church located on Albany Post Road ( U.S. R ...
. Many Americans with the last name "Storm" or "Storms" can trace their ancestry to him.
References
External links
''Storm Family History'', research notes prepared by Morilla Garrison in 1917
{{DEFAULTSORT:Storm, Dick
1630 births
1716 deaths
Dutch emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies
American Christian clergy
History of New York City
People of the Province of New York
People of New Netherland
Colonial government in America
Dutch civil servants
Writers from Utrecht (city)
American members of the Dutch Reformed Church
People from Tappan, New York