Wolfert Gerritse Van Couwenhoven (1 May 1579 – 1662), also known as Wolphert Gerretse van Kouwenhoven and Wolphert Gerretse, was an original patentee, director of (farms), and a founder of the

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 ...

colony.

Wolphert gerrtison van couwenhoven signature

He also founded the first European settlement on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, called New Amersfoort,"Scannell New Jersey's First Citizens"
p. 99; retrieved 25 October 2009. and was a

Schepen A schepen (Dutch; . ') or échevin (French) or Schöffe (German) is a municipal officer in Belgium and formerly the Netherlands. It has been replaced by the ' in the Netherlands (a municipal executive). In modern Belgium, the ''schepen'' or ''éch ...

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 1654. He is noted as playing an "active role in laying the foundations of the communities of

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 ...

, Albany, Rensselaer, and

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

." The progenitor of the

Vanderbilt family The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthr ...

, Jan Aertszoon (1620–1705), also known as Jan Aertson, a Dutch farmer from the village of

De Bilt De Bilt () is a municipality and town in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands. It had a population of in . De Bilt houses the headquarters of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). It is the ancestral home and namesake for the pro ...

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 ...

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 ...

, emigrated to the Dutch colony of

as an

indentured servant Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an " indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repayment ...

to the Van Kouwenhoven family in 1650.

Life

Early life

Wolfert was born on 1 May 1579 in Amersfoort, Netherlands,"Keeping Up With The Joneses"
Jones NY History; retrieved 25 October 2009. one of three sons of Gerrit Suype Van Kouwenhoven and his wife, Styne Sara Roberts."First Record Book"
Society of the Daughters of Holland Dames, p. 103; retrieved 25 October 2009.

Farm description

A 1638 inventory for the farm named ''Achtervelt'', owned by Wolfert Gerritse and

Andries Hudde Andries Hudde (1608–1663) was a landowner and colonial official of New Netherland. Early life and New Amsterdam Andries Hudde was born in Kampen, Overijssel in the Netherlands in 1608 to Hendrick Hudde (himself son of the local burgomaster ...

in what is now Flatlands, Brooklyn, describes the estate:

''"...one house surrounded by long, round palisades; the house is 26 feet long, 22 feet wide, 40 feet high with the roof, covered above and all around with boards'' ... "

Hudde and Gerritse also had a 40 by 18-foot barn.

Career

Dutch West India Company

Wolfert ran a baking and clothes bleaching business, when in 1625 he was assigned as one of the first settlers to cultivate farms in the New Netherlands colony by the

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...

Director of Bouweries for Kiliaen van Rensselaer

In 1630, he returned to the Netherlands, where he entered into a contract with his cousin Kiliaen Van Rensselaer to return to the colony to manage his farms. Wolphert arrived back in the colony aboard the ship "Eendracht","Manhattan 1624–1639"
p. 5; retrieved 25 October 2009. where he proceeded in his duties as director for van Rensselaer's farms in Rensselaerwyck and Fort Orange."Conover Family"
p. 7; retrieved 25 October 2009. His contract was to run through 1636, but Gerretse requested it cancelled early so he could pursue his own interests. Rensselaer agreed. In 1632, Gerretse was released from his contractual obligations.

New Amersfoort

Shortly thereafter, he leased a in

and managed it until 1636, when he was granted a patent of several hundred acres on Long Island. He called his plantation "Achervelt"; later it served as the founding of the town of New Amersfoort, named after Gerritse's original home. Today the area is known as Flatlands. His plantation was located near the current intersection of King's Highway and Flatbush Avenue. In 2007 the deed of the granted land in Long Island was sold to a private collector for $156,000 becoming "one of the oldest Dutch documents in private hands". The deed dated 6 June 1636 is written in Dutch and outlines the purchase of the land (3,600-acre) from the Lenape Indians.

Public service

In 1637, he became a Freeholder in Midwout, and again in 1641. In 1653, he was sent by the colony to the States-General in the Netherlands as a Commissioner. In 1654, Wolphert served as a

of New Amsterdam, and in 1657 was made a

Burgher Burgher may refer to: * Burgher (social class), a medieval, early modern European title of a citizen of a town, and a social class from which city officials could be drawn ** Burgess (title), a resident of a burgh in northern Britain ** Grand Bu ...

. He served on the citizens council of

Eight Men The council of Eight Men was an early representational democracy in New Netherland. It replaced the previous Twelve Men and was followed by the Nine Men. Council In 1643 Abraham Pietersen Van Deusen who had served on the Twelve Men, council of twe ...

Death

Gerretse died in 1662.

Marriage and children

A member of the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

, on 17 January 1605, he married Neeltje Jacobsdochter at the church in Amersfoort, Netherlands. With her he had three sons: *Gerret (1610–1648), a Representative at the Council of Eight in 1643"Courts and Lawyers of New York: A History, 1609–1925". Alden Chester, E. Melvin Williams. The Lawbook Exchange, 2005. p. 235. *Jacob (1612–1670), assistant to Gov. Woulter Van Twiller, Representative at the Board of Nine in 1647, 1649–1650, sat on the Court of Arbitrators between 1649 and 1650, Delegate of New Netherlands to the Hague in Holland *Pieter (1614–1699), one of the first magistrates of New Netherlands, member of the Schepens Court 1653–1654, 1658–1659, 1661 and 1663, delegate from New Amsterdam to the Convention of 1653, Lieutenant in the Esopus War, signer of the peace treaty 1664 with the Esopus Indians His granddaughter, Marretje Gerretse, daughter of Gerret, married Coert van Voorhees.

Descendants

Later variations on surname

Some descendants of Wolfert anglicized the surname "Van Kouwenhoven" to "Kouwenhoven," "Kownover," "Conover," as well as "Crownover," with Dennis Conover (born 1764) being the first descendant (4th great grandson) to use "Conover" as his surname.

Notable descendants

*Figure Skating Coach Pam Gregory *U.S. Senator

Sidney Breese Sidney Breese (July 15, 1800 – June 27, 1878), a lawyer, soldier, author and jurist born in New York, became an early Illinois pioneer and represented the state in the United States Senate as well as served as Chief Justice of the Illinois S ...

*Astronomer

John Monroe Van Vleck John Monroe Van Vleck (March 4, 1833 – November 4, 1912) was an American mathematician and astronomer. He taught astronomy and mathematics at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut for more than 50 years (1853-1912), and served as ac ...

* Governor William A. Newell (New Jersey) (founder United States Life-Saving Service) *Nobel Prize winner

John Hasbrouck Van Vleck John Hasbrouck Van Vleck (March 13, 1899 – October 27, 1980) was an American physicist and mathematician. He was co-awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1977, for his contributions to the understanding of the behavior of electronic magnetism ...

*Cardiology pioneer William B. Kouwenhoven *Philanthropist Edward Harriman"Descendants of Wolphert Gerretse Van Kouwenhoven"
p. 1005; retrieved 25 October 2009. *Diplomat William Harriman *Railroad baron E.H. Harriman *Vice-Admiral

Arthur S. Carpender Arthur Schuyler Carpender (24 October 1884 – 10 January 1960) was an American admiral who commanded the Allied Naval Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area during World War II. A 1908 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Carpender sa ...

*Actress

Diana Douglas Diana Love Webster (née Dill; formerly Douglas and Darrid; January 22, 1923 – July 3, 2015) was an American actress who was known for her marriage to actor Kirk Douglas from 1943 until their divorce in 1951. She was the mother of Michael and ...

(née Diana Dill; mother of actor

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...

) *Actor

(by mother Diana) *Magicia
Tim Conover
*Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Denmark, Christopher N. Smith *Tennis Player

Andy Roddick Andrew Stephen Roddick (born 30 August 1982) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He is a major champion, having won the 2003 US Open. Roddick reached four other major finals (Wimbledon in 2004, 2005, and 2009, and the US Open ...

*Governor

Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, lobbyist, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 200 ...

*Inventor Lloyd Conover *Associate Supreme Court Justice

Willis Van Devanter Willis Van Devanter (April 17, 1859 – February 8, 1941) was an American lawyer who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1911 to 1937. He was a staunch conservative and was regarded as a part of the Four ...

*The Wright Brothers *Cyclist

Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong (''né'' Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist. Regarded as a sports icon for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 Tour de ...

*Football Player

Ryan Kalil Ryan Joseph Kalil (born March 29, 1985) is an American film and television producer and former NFL center. He played college football at USC, where he was a member of two national championship teams, was named a first-team All-American, and wo ...

*Football Player

Matt Kalil Matthew Francis Kalil (born July 6, 1989) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football at USC and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings fourth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. He was also a member of the Carolina Pan ...

*Actress Chrystie Crownover *Burton Jenner *Actress Casey Jenner * Catherine Mellon Warner *Actor

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

*President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

*First Lady

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

*Seth Conover, which

Conover, Wisconsin Conover is a town in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,235 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated community of Conover is located in the town. History The town is named after Seth H. Conover, a descendant of Wolphert ...

was named after.

Legacy

* Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn, New York *Kouwenhoven Lane, Brooklyn, New Yorkhttp://www.trulia.com/homes/New_York/Brooklyn/sold/1000102545-2650-2652-Kouwenhoven-Ln-Brooklyn-NY-11235%20%20 *

Conover, North Carolina Conover is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,421 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Hickory– Lenoir– Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area and Charlotte Metropolitan Area. History The City ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerretse, Wolphert 1579 births 1662 deaths People from Amersfoort People of New Netherland People from Flatlands, Brooklyn