Individual Notes
Note for: Thomas Vandermark, 1643 -
Index
Individual Note: America's First Families
Ancestor Roll Of Honor
THOMAS VAN DER MARK
NEW AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK
(1643-c1724)
The name of Thomas VAN DER MARK, the progenitor of the VANDERMARK family in America, first appears in the public records of Ulster Co., N.Y., in the Spring of 1667, when he joined a few of his neighbors in what has become known as the “Mutiny of Esopus,” which was an uprising against the continual brutalities and oppressions of the British soldiers, for which no redress could be obtained. (For details see DHNY, Volume 4, pages 148 to 154 and Volume 22, pages 21 and 33). Esopus was the early name for what is now the city of Kingston.
He is next heard of in April 1668 in a court action for wages as follows: “Thomas VAN MERCKEN, Complt. Tjerk CLASSEN, Deft. Complt. Demands of Deft. 12 Sch. Of wheat for wages and complains that instead of payment he receive a beating. Deft. Says he hired Complt. One month for nine Sch. Of wheat, and four months at 7 ½ Sch. Of wheat per month, and says that when he beat him he acted very improperly and first threw a cup of beer in the fire, and protested not to owe him any more because he left about six weeks before the expiration of his time. Complt. Says he hired himself out by the month and contracted to received his wages monthly, which Deft. Denies. The honorable court orders Complt. To serve out his legal time and Deft. To pay Complt. His earned money as per contract.” (See Liber 1, page 517, Ulster County Sessions of Court, April 7 – 17, 1668).
June 7, 1663, Esopus was burned by the Indians, who killed 18 whites and took 42 away into captivity, and destroyed all the outlying settlements. Dominie BLOM wrote that 24 were killed and 45 made prisoners. Apparently Thomas VAN DER MARK was not there at the time. There were only a few inhabitants and he is not mentioned in the detailed account of that calamity which is available. It is reasonable to assume that he settled there sometime between 1663 and 1667. The date of his arrival in this country is not known. All available passenger lists of immigrants have been searched for any one named VAN DER MARK, but none was found. The he was Dutch and came from Holland, now officially known as The Netherlands, is certain. The records of all the early Dutch settlements in New Netherlands have been searched without finding a single mention of any other VAN DER MARK in any of its various spellings. He seems to have been the only person bearing that name in this country. That fact has simplified and aided greatly in the preparation of this genealogy.
In 1676 Thomas, who was a Roman Catholic, headed a list of 49 in a petition to Governor General Edmond ANDROS to send them a minister of the gospel. (See DHMY, Volume 3, page 583). This proves that he was broad minded and tolerant. That he was a Catholic is shown by the entry in the Kingston Reformed Dutch Church records of the baptism of his son Frederick, Dec. 16, 1688, where the parents are described as “Thomas VAN DER MERCK, Papist, and Jacomyne JACOBS, Reformed,” (See KgB 597).
“May 31, 1686. Description of a survey of a lot of land containing 64 acres, lying upon ye north side of Esopus Kill, within the limits of Marble towne, in the county of Ulster, laid out for Tho: VANDERMARKE, by Philip WELLES, (with draught).” (See CLP, p.42).
In 1687 Thomas served in the Ulster County Militia, according to entries in DHNY. volume 35, page 68 and CMR, volume 2, page 449, which are here given verbatim as a good illustration of the spelling and capitalization in use at that time: “List of Soldiers in Esopus. A list of the fottman of Capten Tomas GERSONES company, Leftenantt John BIGGS, Insine Charles BROADHAD. Tomas FAN DEAMARKEN.”
September 1, 1689, when the inhabitants of Ulster county were required by Governor General Thomas DONGAN to take the oath of allegiance to the British government, 189 took the oath, 29 were absent and “These ffowing persons were present when ye oath was A given, but Did Refeues to take it Vizt Antony tilba, Thomas Van der Marrick, Joseph ffocker, Jacob Horne,” making a total of 222 persons. (See DHNY, Volume 1, page 282)
September 23, 1703, Thomas VAN DER MARK desires a conveyance for his land now in his possession on both sides of Esopus Kill, to be measured with the full breadth of the low lands, to make complement of 160 acres. Granted.”
While nothing is known of the parents of Thomas VAN DER MARK, a recent letter from P. R. Van DER MARK, of Amersfort, Holland, to Percy F. VAN DER MARK, of Schenectady, N. Y. contains an interesting suggestion. It is quoted as follows:
“There exists a large German book about the ancestors of the different families of our mutual name in Germany, Belgium and Holland. The Dutch affiliations however are the least complete. In that book I did not find a Thomas VAN DER MARK mentioned about 1660, but there was a Pieter VAN DER MARK who had three sons, namely: Jan Pieter, born about 1640; Jacob, born at Alphen about 1675, and Arie, born near Leyden about 1678. Now it bespoke me, that your forefather Thomas baptized his two sons also Jacob and Arie. I am sure that Thomas who went early to America was an elder brother of the above named Jacob and Arie. Thomas baptized his daughter Jannetje (as you wrote me) which is the feminine for Jan, the name of his supposed elder brother.”
The question naturally arises: What reasons are there for believing that this humble man of Kingston descended from the nobility described in Part One of this book? If it seems strained and far-fetched to connect him with them the following facts should be borne in mind:
During the Reformation and Spanish Inquisition the members of the nobility of the Netherlands were decimated and scattered by every cruelty that devilish ingenuity could devise. Many of them came to America as the Promised Land of civil and religious liberty. The same thing has happened in recent years to the nobility of many European countries, Russia is a shining example. They are scattered throughout the world and many of them are thankful to have any humble employment by which to earn a meager subsistence.
Mr. Dingman Versteeg, of Holland, former historian and archivist of the Holland Society of New York, author of The Sea Beggars, etc., frequently expressed the belief that Thomas VAN DER MARK was descended from the Dutch nobility.
The family had a tradition that great wealth was left in Holland. Many members of the Van DER MARK family who are unknown to one another have this tradition, which is also held by many other American families of Dutch origin. It would seem that there was some ancient justification for it.
From the book "VAN DE MARK OR VAN DER MARK ANCESTRY" Compiled by John W. Van Dermark, Walter B. Van Dermark, Kate Koon Bovey, Loretta M. Hauser, and Clarence E. Hauser Published by Kate Koon Bovey, 400 Clifton Avenue, Minneapolis, 1942
The following narrative is edited from a publication titled Van De
Mark or Van Der Mark Ancestry originally published in 1942
by Kate Koon Bovey.
The name Van der Mark or Van de Mark, to mention only two of
many spellings, is derived from the ancient mark or march
established on the boundary or frontier by Charlemagne in what is
now the County of Mark in the Province of Westphalia, Germany.
It was a district under the military control of a count of the mark
or march. In many cases these counts of the march founded
powerful families, became independent rulers, and made their
titles hereditary.
Thus it is seen that De la Marck, Van der Mark, Van de Mark, etc.,
all mean the same, that is "from or of the Mark" or boundary.
The earliest record found is Walter Count Teisterbant who died in
724 in the province of Betau or Petace, Dukedom of Gelders,
which is of the Dutch Netherlands. His daughter, Beatrice, married
Theodoric, Lord of Cleve. They had a daughter named Beatrice who
married Elias, referred to as first of the male line. Their son was
named Theodoric I.
Six generations after Theodoric I there was Theodoric, Count of
Altenah, Mark and Berg, who died 900 AD. He called his offspring
the Counts of Mark and Counts of Berg. These titles or names, in
the evolution or transition of custom and language then taking
place, became respectivly Van Der Mark and van de Berg, and in
French de la Marck and de berg or de la Berg; so that these two
branches of the same family became known by entirely dissimilar
names.
MARK is an ancient countship of Germany adjoining the Holland
line, now comprised in the province of Westphalia, Prussia, in the
government district of Arnesberg. The Countship arose in the
Middle Ages and became united with Cleve in 1368. In 1666 it
passed to Brandeburg. In 1807 it passed to France and formed
part of the duchy of Berg. In 1813 it was restored to Prussia.
Individual Notes
Note for: Andries DeWitt, 1 JAN 1656/57 - 22 JUL 1710
Index
Individual Note: Andries DeWITT b. abt 1657, New York, New York Co., NY, m. 7-Mar-1682, in Albany, , NY, Jannetje Egbertsen MEYNDERTSZEN, b. abt 1664, New Amsterdam, Montgomery Co., NY, (daughter of Egbert MEYNDERTSZEN and Jacobje (Jaepje) JANS) d. 25-Nov-1733. Andries died 22-Jul-1710, Kingston, Ulster Co., NY, buried: Churchyard at Kingston. For some years he lived at Marbletown, Ulster Co., on a farm given him by his father, but removed to Kingston previous to 1708. On July 22, 1710, "Captain Andries DeWitt departed this life in a sorrowful way; through the breaking of two sleepers (beams) he was pressed down and very much bruised; he spoke a few words and died." He was the first burial in the churchyard of the Old First Dutch Reformed Church, Kingston, NY
Children:
Tjerck DeWITT b. abt 1683.
Jacob DeWITT b. abt 1684, Marbeltown, Ulster, NY, d. In infancy. Witnesses at baptism: Claes DeWitt, Maritie Egbertse
Barbara DeWITT b. abt 1686, Marbeltown, Ulster, NY, d. In infancy. Witnesses at baptism: Cornelis Lamberts, Tiatje DeWitt
Klaes DeWITT b. abt 1688, Marbeltown, Ulster, NY, d. In infancy. Witnesses at baptism: Cornelis Swits, Jannetje DeWitt
Barbara DeWITT b. 30-Oct-1689, Kingston, Ulster Co., NY, m. 25-Mar-1715, Johannes VAN LEUVEN, d. 1 Nov 1715. Barbara died 1-Nov-1715. Witnesses at baptism: Cornelis Bogardus, Rachel Bogardus
Jacob DeWITT b. 30-Dec-1691.
Maria DeWITT b. 23-Jan-1693.
Helena DeWITT b. 7-Dec-1695.
Andries DeWITT b. 1-Apr-1697, Kingston, Ulster Co., NY, d. 2-Jul-1701, Kingston, Ulster Co., NY. Witnesses at baptism: Johannes Wyncoop, Cornelia Tenbroek
Egbert B. DeWITT b. 18-Mar-1699.
Johannis DeWITT b. 26-Mar-1701.
Andries DeWITT b. 20-Feb-1703.
Source: website http://www.en.com/users/drose/dewitt_family.htm#277
Individual Notes
Note for: Tjerck Claese DeWitt, 1620 - 17 FEB 1699/00
Index
Individual Note: Tjerck Claessen DeWITT b. abt 1619/1620, Saterland, Hesephalia, Netherlands, m. 24-Apr-1656, in Ref. Collegiate Dut. Ch., New Amsterda, Barbara ANDRIESZEN, b. abt 1630, Amsterdam, Noord Holland, Netherlands, (daughter of Andries LUYCAZSEN and Jannetje SEBYNS) d. 6-Jul-1714, Kingston, Ulster Co., NY. Tjerck died 17-Feb-1700, Kingston, Ulster Co., NY.
Tjerck Claessen DeWitt was born at "Groatholdt" in Zunderland, Westphalia, about 1620. He was probably the son of Claes or Nicholas DeWitt and his mother's name was probably Taatje. He had two sisters, Taatje and Emmeretie and a brother, Jan Claessen DeWitt.
Pronounciation of the name is as if written Cherrick; The form "Claeszen" used in the Dutch Record was the formal spelling. That as well as Classen, signifies that Tierck was the son of Claes or Nicholas.
"Groatholdt" signifies Great Wood; Zunderland is probably Saterland, a district of Westphalia on the southern border of East Friesland. Tierck is a Frisian form of Theodoric. In the New York Dutch record of the baptism of at least two of his children, the form Tierck is used. In Dutch, the letters i and j, at least when preceding a vowel, are interchangeable. Tierck Classen himself wrote id Tierck as appears from signatures in Albany County Clerk's Office; the parties themselves signed the early records of conveyance and other instruments. A signature of Tierck Claessen, in a firm hand, in which some of the characters resemble German script, appears in Book of Deeds No. 2, Page 263, Albany County Clerk's Office.
The first mention in this country, of Tjerck Claessen DeWitt, the ancestor of the DeWitt family, is found in the "Trouw Boeck" or Register of Marriages of the Reformed (Collegiate) Dutch Church, of New York City, where it is recorded that on the 24th day of April, 1656, "Tjerck Claessen DeWitt van Grootholdt' en Zunderlandt," married "Barbara Andriessen van Amsterdam." Zunderlandt has not been definately located, but is probably Saterland, a district of Westphalia, on the southern border of East Friesland.
It seems, from the records, that he was connected with the distinguished DeWitt family of Dordrecht, Holland, but the line of connections doesn't appear yet. He had a wax seal engraved with the coat of arms borne by Jan (John or Johan) DeWitt, the Grand Pensionary of Holland. Undoubtedly, he brought this seal over with him, and it may have belonged to some forefather.
For a short time after his marriage he lived in New York (his first child, Andries, was born there), but in the spring of 1657 he moved to Albany, where he had purchased a house and lot. In accordance with Dutch custom, the first son was named Andries, baptized in New York 1657, for Barbara's father; the second son was Klaes, baptized 1664, for Tjerck's father; a younger son Lucas, for her brother.
In September, 1660, he exchanged his Albany property with Madame de Hutter, for land in Wiltwyck (now Kingston), "possession to be given May 1, 1661." He probably took possession at that time, as in September, 1661, he appears as plaintiff in an action at law before the Schepens Court of Wiltwyck, and on October 11th the same court ordered the Sheriff (Roeleff Swartwout) to pay him three and a half schepels of wheat in eight days and seven more in one month.
From this time until his death, he resided in Kingston and Hurley, and some of the land which he purchased is still in the hands of his descendants.
That he was a man of considerable means is shown by the fact that in 1661 he was taxed 125 guilders (about $50) to pay for building a church in Esopus.
In 1662 he owned No. 28 of the "new lots."
June 7, 1663, when Kingston and Hurley were almost entirely destroyed by the Indians, his eldest daughter, Taatje, was taken prisoner, but was soon rescued. She afterward married Captain Matthys Matthyssen.
During the winter of 1664 there was much sickness in Esopus [Kingston]. Fever took hold of the people and prostrated half the place. But this did not prevent men from gathering their money. Roeloff Swartwout sold a horse to Tjerck Claessen DeWitt, which was taken to the latter's barn, but the ex-sheriff, becoming dissatisfied, took it away secretly. He was sued for the property."
In 1667, when the British sent Capt. Broadhead and 13 soldiers to take possession of Kingston, he was one of those who opposed British occupation and among the complaints made afterward by the burghers was the following: "Capt. Braodhead has beaten Tjerck Claezen DeWitt without reason and brought him to prison. Ye reason why Capy. Broadhead abused Tjerick DeWitt was because he would keep Christmas day on ye day according to the Dutch and not on ye day according to ye English observation." He refused to take the Oath of Allegiance required of heads of families by the English in 1668. He appears to have been well to do; he brought servants to Kingston. The records of Ulster Co., NY, show that he owned negro slaves and possessed two sloops which sailed the Hudson and along the Atlantic coast, carrying on trade at various places, and that he left about $8,000 in personal property. On 8 Apr 1669 he was given permission to build a house, barn and stables on land between Kingston and Hurley.
Because he refused to pay an Indian wages due, the court banished him and fined him 600 guilders; but the banishment was rescinded, the fine remitted and he was ordered to pay a reasonable sum to the complaining Indian - about 80 cents.
June 25, 1672, Governor Lovelace deeded him "a parcel of bush-land, together with a house, lot, orchard, and calves' pasture, lying near Kingston, in Esopus."
October 8, 1677, Governor Andros deeded him a piece of woodland, containing about fifty acres, at Kingston in Esopus, "to y' west of y' towne."
February 11, 1679, he was one of the signers of a renewal of the Nichols treaty with the Esopus Indians.
In 1684 he signed "the humble petition of the inhabitants of Esopus in the County of Ulster," praying that there might be "liberty by charter to this county to choose our owne officers to every towne court by the major vote of the freeholders." This petition was addressed to Col. Thomas Dongan, Governor-General. It greatly offended the authorities, and the signers were arrested and fined. Thus early in the history of the country arose the questions of local self-government and the right of suffrage. They were easily answered then.
February 13, 1685, one hundred and eighty-nine acres of land were conveyed to DeWitt by the Trustees of Kingston.
June 6, 1685, he claimed two hundred and ninety acres of land lying upon the north side of Rondout Kill, and known by the name of "Momboccus" (in the town of Rochester) in Ulster County. This was laid out for him by Phillip Welles, a surveyor, and was granted to him by patent, May 14, 1694.
March 4, 1689, he was chosen one of the magistrates of Ulster County, having previously held other offices.
Tjerck Claessen DeWitt died at Kingston, February 17, 1700. By his will, which bears date the 4th day of March, 1698, and which is written in the Dutch language, he leaves his property to his wife for life; at her death one-half to go to his oldest son, Andries, and one-half to his youngest son, Tjerck, in trust, "provided that the same shall be appraised by impartial persons on oath," and divided into twelve equal shares, one share to be given to each of his children, their heirs or assigns. In addition to the equal share he gave to Andries some lands at Koksinck and Kleine Esopus, to Jan and Jacob each five hundred bushels of wheat, and to Lucas the one-half of a sloop which he had built the year previous. The legacy to his daughter Rachel is subject to the condition "that my said daughter's share shall be decreased one hundred pounds for the benefit of my heirs, which is what my daughter's husband, Cornelious Bogardus, owes me for the one-eighth of a brigantine, desiring, however, that the child of the said Bogardus, named Barbara, shall receive, out of the foresaid hundred pounds, fifty pieces of eight." The legacy to his daughter Jannetje, the wife of Cornelius Swits, is "with these conditions, that if my aforesaid daughter shall die without leaving any children, then all the said part shall be the property of my heirs, to be equally divided between them."
A copy of his will appears in Volume 8 (1912), pg 18 of "Olde Ulster" (10 volumes) in library of Holland Society, 90 Wall Street, New York, NY.
----- per DeWitt-Peltz, A Supplement to Peltz-DeWitt (1948), p. 346: Mr. A.J.F.van Laer, a native of Holland, for many years State Archivist, recently retired, supplies the following valued information-
"When I revised Jonathan Pearson's translations of the two volumes of Notarial Papers in the Albany County Clerk's Office (published in 1918 by the State Library under the title 'Early Records of the City and County of Albany, Vol. 3 - History Bulletin 10'), I made an effort to locate the birthplace of Tjerck Claessen De Witt, which in the marriage records of the Dutch Reformed Church of New York is given under date April 24, 1656, as 'Grootholt in Zunderlandt', and which according to Schoonmaker's History of Kingston, p. 477, is 'supposed to be Saterland, a district of Westphalia, on the southern border of East Friesland.'
"I conclude this is a mistake and the Zunderlandt has nothing to do with Saterland, but is a misreading of Emberland. In the first place, Tjerck Classen had a sister Emmerentje DeWitt, who in the record of her intended marriage in 1664, at New Amsterdam to Marten Hofman is given as 'from Esens in Embderlt', and secondly, in a power of attorney, dated June 9, 1661, given to his brother-in-law Jan Albertsen, Tjerck Claessen speaks of land inherited by him at 'Oosterbemus in Oost Vriesland.'
The latter is a small place on the coast of East Friesland, opposite the island of Baltrum, which on the map of 'Emden & Olderborch, Comit,' in Mercator's Atlas of 1619, is given as 'Oosterbeus'. This place is situated near Esens, only a few miles N.E. of Emden, and accounts for all the places mentioned in the various documents and also accounts for the fact that the first known ancestor of the DeWitt family had the Frisian name 'Tjerck,' which is equivalent to the Dutch name Dirck, or Diederick.
"It would be interesting to see whether the original marriage record of 1656 in the Dutch Church at New York actually has the name 'Zunderlandt,' or whether this mistake was made by the clerk who transcribed the record for the printer.
"Emden, the seaport in East Friesland which was heavily bombed in the last war, was in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries a place of refuge for Dutch Protestants, who fled there from Spanish inquisition. The place was under the protection of the States General of the Netherlands, who maintained a Dutch garrison there. The place looks like a Dutch city and has a large Dutch Reformed Church, where some of my own ancestors, the immediate descendants of Hohan van Laer, who in 1533 fled from Oldenzaal, in the province of Overyssel, Netherlands, are buried. I visited their tombs in 1910, but fear that they were destroyed in the last war.
"The Frisians early in the Middle Ages settled all along the Dutch coast. They were predominant in the northern part of the present province of Noord, Holland, which for a long time retained semi-independence and became known as West Friesland, in contradistinction to the province of Friesland on the east side of the Zuider Zee, of which Leewarden is the capital, and the territory in Germany, which is known as East Friesland. In the 17th century West Friesland was combined with the northern part of the province of Holland, but still retained administrative independence and became officially know as 'Holland and West Friesland'.
When the Netherlands became a kingdom, in 1813, the name West Friesland was dropped and the territory of 'Holland and West Friesland' was named 'Noord Hooland', the remainder of the ancient county or province of Holland, in which the cities The Hague, Rotterdam, Leiden and Delft are located, being named 'Zuid Holland'.
"West Friesland, therefore, was never a separate province of the present Kingdom of the Netherlands."
Children:
Andries DeWITT b. abt 1657.
Taatje (Charity) DeWITT b. abt 1659.
Jannetje DeWITT b. cir 1662, m. Cornelius SWITS, b. July 1651, (son of Cornelis Claessen SWITS and Ariantje TROMMELS) d. 1730. Jannetje died 1744. Jannetje lived Tn of Rochester, Ulster Co., NY on a 60-acre farm purchased from her father; no issue. Witnesses at Baptism: Jan Jansen, Jannetje Sebyns, Elsie Jans
Klaes DeWITT b. cir 1664, d. 1698, Prior to this date. Baptismal sponsors were Luykas Andrieszen, Geetruyd Andrieszer, Tryntje Thyssen
Jan DeWITT b. cir 1666.
Geertruy DeWITT b. 15-Oct-1668.
Jacob DeWITT b. abt 1671.
Rachel Sjircke DeWITT b. abt 1674.
Lucas DeWITT b. abt 1676.
Peeck DeWITT b. abt 1677.
Tjerck DeWITT b. abt 1678, Kingston, Ulster Co., NY, d. 2-Dec-1762. Mentioned in his father's will as the youngest son. No other record. The DECKER GENEALOGY says he M. 1719 Ariantje (b 1698) d/o Gerret Jansen and Margaret (Decker) Decker.
Marritje DeWITT b. abt 1680.
Aagje DeWITT b. cir 1684.
Source: website http://www.en.com/users/drose/dewitt_family.htm#277
Name: Tjerck Claessen DeWitt
Sex: M
Birth: 1629 in Saterland, Westphali, Friesland, Holland
Death: 17 FEB 1699/00 in Wiltwyck, Ulster, NY
Note:
or George Nicholson De Witt of Van Grootholdt, Zunderland
Tjerck Claessen (Claes is a short form for Nicolas) de Witt van Grootholdt en Zunderlandt married in the Dutch Reformed Church of New Amsterdam (present day NY City) Barbara Andriessen van Amsterdam, on 24 april 1656. Visit THE OLIVE TREE GENEALOGY for more marriage records and to view Tjerck's marriage: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/rdcmarr1656.htm Sep 1999
It is related that Tjerck and Barbara DeWitt started up the Hudson River in their sloop "of about fifty Dutch feet by the keele," a year after their marriage. They settled at Kingston following a stay at Albany. The substantial stone house he built in 1669 was still standing in 1922. The story of Tjerck DeWitt is intriguing and is else where recorded in some detail.¹ As of interest there are appended an account of the "Massacre at Esopus," a translation of Tjerck's will, and a short commentary on the DeWitt relatives who were active in European politics in the mid-17 century. There is also appended information on the DeWitt Coat of Arms.
It is claimed that all DeWitts in the Americas originated with Tjerck Claessen. However one reference mentions several DeWitts having come from Holland about the same time. In any event, Tjerck Claessen prospered, and raised a family of thirteen, who, in turn, increased rapidly.
http://www.mrjumbo.com/contents/genealogy/dewitt/tjerck/index.html
includes a great deal of info on this family.
http://www.en.com/users/drose/dewitt_family.htm also includes more on this family.
Father: Nicholas DeWitt b: BET. 1590 - 1594 in Of Grootholdt, Westphalia, Prussia
Mother: Tjaatje Van Leuven b: BEF. 1601 in France
Marriage 1 Barbara Andriessen b: ABT. 1635 in Amsterdam, Holland
Married: 24 APR 1656 in Kingston, Ulster, NY
Children
Andries DeWitt b: BEF. 12 JAN 1656/57 in NY
Tjaatie DeWitt b: ABT. 1659 in Beverwyck, Albany, NY
Jannetje DeWitt b: BEF. 12 FEB 1661/62 in Kingston, Ulster, NY
Klaes Nicholas DeWitt b: BEF. 17 FEB 1663/64 in Kingston, Ulster, NY
Jan DeWitt b: BEF. 14 FEB 1665/66 in Kingston, Ulster, NY
Jacob DeWitt b: ABT. 1670 in Kingston, Ulster, NY
Sjircke 'Rachel' DeWitt b: 1672 in Kingston, Ulster, NY
Lucas DeWitt b: 1674 in Kingston, Ulster, NY
Peerck DeWitt b: 1676 in Kingston, Ulster, NY
Tjirck George DeWitt b: 1678
Ragel DeWitt b: ABT. 1681
Aefje DeWitt b: ABT. 1682
Aagje DeWitt b: BEF. 14 JAN 1683/84 in Kingston, Ulster, NY
Geertruy DeWitt b: BEF. 15 OCT 1668 in Kingston, Ulster, NY
Marritje DeWitt b: BEF. 1683 in Kingston, Ulster, NY
Source: gedcom at WorldConnect Project: "Mostly Southern"
He owned a 50 foot sloop named St. Barbara, which he sold to Captain Daniel Hobart in 1698.
Individual Notes
Note for: Jan Aldertse Roosa, 15 APR 1646 -
Index
Individual Note: On October 19, 1708
Jan was listed as a town officer in Hurley. This settlement was
first known as New Dorp.
It is unknown when Jan died however it was likely in Hurley.
Individual Notes
Note for: Aldert Hymanse Roosa, 1621 - 27 FEB 1678/79
Index
Individual Note: Aldert Roosa and his wife, Wyntje De Jongh arrived in New Amsterdam from their village in Herwynen in Holland on the ship called De Bonte Koe (The Spotted Cow) about April 15, 1660. Their eight children were with them ranging from ages 2 to 17. Shortly thereafter the family settled in Esopus and later removed to the New Village (Hurley).
Within several months the Roosa family were attending services at the local Dutch Church. Aldert eventually became an elder and a member of the Consistory of the Dutch Reformed Church in Kingston. It is there that he is buried.
The settlement of Hurley was first known as Nieuw Dorp. As early as 1662 several patents were granted upon this territory. Included among the names were Aldert Hymanse Roosa. The town of Hurley lies just west of the territory of Kingston and is one of the interior towns of the county. It is bounded on the north by Woodstock, on the east by Kingston, south by Rosedale and Marbletown, west by Marbletown and Olive. The town was named for the Baron Hurley of Ireland which was the paternal estate of the Governor Sir Francis Lovelace.
By 1661 a formal charter was granted for Wiltwyck. In it was written, ".......and with him three schepens, who for the present time and ensuing year, beginning with the last of May next, are elected by the Director-General and the Council aforesaid, and confirmed after they shall have taken their oath, Evert Pels, Cornelis Barentsen Slecht and Elbert Hymanse Roosa. Before whom all cases relative to police, security and peace of the inhabitants of Esopus, so, too all suits between man and man shall be brought, heard and examined....."
When the city of Kingston was first laid out, the director-general of the New Netherlands issued a notice on March 30, 1663 : NOTICE - All persons who have obtained lots are warned, for the second and last time, that they shall forward expert workmen to fence the farm lots within two months, and to complete the palisades around the village within 6 months, on the penalty of forfeiture of lands and a fine of 25 guilders. And that this work may be done properly and quickly, Albert Heymans Roosa, Jan Joosten and Jan Gerritsen are appointed overseers with authority to expediate a work so necessary, to correct the slothful and exact the penalties. Done at Wyltwyck.
Indian trouble, which had started as early as 1659, became a greater threat. In 1663 Albert was commissioned to go down the Hudson River to New Amsterdam to obtain 200 pounds of lead for protection of the settlement. By April 7, 1663 Albert, Jan Joosten and Jan Gerritsen sent a petition to Director-General Pieter Stuyvesant asking for a military force against the Indians. No significant help arrived. As the Indians were pretending peace negotiations, they attacked Esopus on June 7, 1663.
Here is an accounting:
"....They surprised and attacked us between the hours of 11 and 12
o'clock in the forenoon on the Thursday the 7th instant;entering in
bands through all the gates, they divided and scattered themselves
among all the houses and dwellings in a friendly manner, having with them a little maize and some beans to sell our inhabitants, by which means they kept them within their houses, and thus went from place to place as spies to discover our strength in men. And after they had been about a short quarter of an hour within in this place, some people on horseback rushed through the Mill gate from the New Village, crying out, "The Indians have destroyed the New Village " With these words, the Indians here in this village immediately fired a shot and made a general attack on our village from the rear, murdering our people in their houses with their axes and tomahawks and firing on them with guns and pistols. They seized whatever women and children they could catch and carried them prisoners outside the gates, plundered the houses and set the village on fire to windward, it blowing at the time from the south. The remaining Indians commanded all the streets firing from corner houses which they occupied and through the curtains along the highways so that some of our inhabitants on their way home to get arms, were wounded and slain. The greater portion of our men were abroad at their field labors, and but a few in the village. The Esopus Indians burned 12 hourses at Wiltwyck, killing 18 persons and taking 10 prisoners (including two of Aldert's children and his oldest daughter, Eycke). Between the two villages, 20 settlers were killed and 45 prisoners taken.
Aldert must have had revenge on his mind as Pieter Stuyvesant in a letter dated June 30, 1663 to Capt. Creiger at Wiltwyck stated that Aldert had "uttered several unsufferable and threatening words" against the Council of War and Magistrates. He had threatened to shoot the two arrested Indians in they were released. After some months of rearmament and indecision on September 5, 1663 the Dutch settlers led by Lt. Pieter W. Van Couwenhoven attacked the Esopus Indian Village killing several and recapturing 23 of the 45 prisoners. Eventually almost all the hostages were freed.
After the English took the Colony in 1664, Albert Roosa was one of the most active and articulate protestors against the arrogant and overbearing behavior of the English commander, Captain Brodhead, and his soldiers. He was arrested together with several other leaders including his son, Arie, and taken to New York City, where as the principle leader, he was sentenced to banishment for life from the colony. The others received lesser sentences. However the newly arrived Governor Lovelace remitted the sentences, and the accussed were able to return home. This affair is known as the Esopus Mutiny.
In November 1664, Albert was in court again for threatening an English guard with an axe. The defendent was required to pay 20 guilders to the poor. Again on February 24, 1665, Albert was the defendent. The plaintiff demanded payment for 3 days of threshing, 1.5.days labor on the cellar, for assisting in grinding 16 schepels of malt. Albert disputed the amount of labor and stated that "his wife washed for the plaintiff and that he bought some woolen yarn of her, amounting both together to 45 stivers in sewan". The same day Albert was a defendent in another case involving a misunderstanding of the amount of a debt.
On May 25, 1665 Albert was back in trouble regarding a quarrel which broke out with an English soldier quartered at Albert's house. The attempt was made to arrest Albert, but he could not be located. The court proposed to keep him under house arrest until he could be transported to Manhatten by boat. His wife was instructed to keep him quiet during his arrest, or he would be handcuffed and sent to the redoubt. In cross-examination the next day, Albert Heymnase denied having challenged the soldier and said that the soldier "last Monday evening came drunk to his house, and that he noisely demanded pork and meat which Allert Heymans said not to have." Testimony was again taken June 1-2, 1666: "It was rumored that the soldier had chased Allert Heymans' wife and children out of the house". The cases were adjourned until the arrival of the Lord Governor-General from New York.
On January 26, 1666 Albert was again in court for being negligent in cleaning his chimney and consequently on the 18th instant 'said chimney took fire and as a result there was a crowd, owing to the fire'. He was ordered to pay a fine of one Flemish pound.
An extraordinary session of the Court was held on April 29, 1666 because Albert was attacked by five British soldiers with drawn swords. According to some of the depositions, Albert defended himself admirably against the attackers for some time with only a stick before he was finally overcome.
Later that year (1666) the Dutch at Wiltwyck petitioned the British Governor Nicholls at New York City to curtail the oppressive actions of the soldiers. On April 16, 1667 Nicholls appointed a commission to inquire into the problems. On April 30 an inventory of Albert Heymans' property was made. Albert was suspected to be part of the problem. The inventory included a farm with growing crops, a house and a barn, 7 horses, 8 head of cattle, a wagon and a plow, other farming implements and the necessary furniture......The British commandant was suspended, but Albert and three others were "found guilty of a rebellious amd mutinous riot" and were taken to New York City. On May 3, 1667 Albert was 'banished for life out of the government' and for a shortened term out of Esopus, Albany and New York.
Albert's wife, Wyntje, asked the local court at Wiltwyck on May 28, 1667 for a certificate concerning the conduct of her husband hoping to alleviate his sentence. The certificate was given but enumerated some of his past indiscretions. The sentence was later modified and the offenders allowed to return home. Governor Frances Lovelace restored Roosa to favor and in 1669 appointed him one of the overseers of Hurley. By 1673 he was a Captain in the local militia.
Additional sources are cited for the above narratives:
1. The Roosa Family of Ulster and Dutchess Counties, NY by Collins [1900]
2. Early History of Kingston and Ulster County, New York by Marc Fried
3. New York Genealogical and Biographical Record [Vol. 58, 1928; Vol. 31 & 69]
----- Original Message -----
From: Dolores Jeanne Russell
To:
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2001 11:48 AM
Subject: Roosa
Hello, this H. Roosa is one of my ancestors. Could you please tell me if he was Jewish. I have recently read of some dispute about him and I am curious. Thank you.
DJR,
I can not tell you for sure, but all indications I have run across leads me
to believe the answer is yes. The original name is Rosa. there are many
ancestors I have talked with via Internet, that say the Rosa's were a
Sephardic Jewish family, many of whom were driven from Spain in 1492, fled
to Portugal, and later escaped from there after being forced to become Roman
Catholics there in 1497. the main places I have heard of them settling were
Brazil, Puerto Rico, the Azores and the Netherlands, where my own line,
which came to Gelderland in the 1500's and changed the name to Roosa, being
Dutch for Rosa.
The family legend is that they were originally from the town of Rosas,
Spain, just south of the French border, and the the Sullivan Co., NY
historian, Bert S. Feldman, says they were a "rabbinical family". Gijsbert
Goertsen Rosa, who was born about 1560, was one of the founders of the Dutch
Reformed church in his town of Herwijnen. To this day, there is a debate in
the ROOSA family about this matter, mainly some of us feel is because of
religious prejudices. All of the circumstantial evidence seems to convince
me that the Roos's were originally Jewish.
I tried to contact Bert S. Feldman to get his resources, however he had
passed away shortly before that. I wrote a letter on April 14, 1999 to
John Conway, Historian Box 185 Barryville, New York 12719. He I believe was
a Historian for Sullivan co. New York. I requested information on Bert S.
Feldman's work concerning his quote about the Roosa family of early New
York. I never received an answer and I never followed up that lead any
more. Bert Feldman was the Historian of Bethel New York. I am out of the
loop on this research and am not active anymore. I suggest if you want to
continue it you could Contact the town clerk in or someone in Bethel, New
York and find out who the Historian is now and maybe they could help. I
have just not had time to that.
Sincerely,
Harry
From: "Harry and Melody Stillings"
To: "Dolores Jeanne Russell"
References: <2070-3A8C329A-174@@storefull-617.iap.bryant.webtv.net>
Subject: Re: Roosa
E-mail message from Annie Johnson, May 4, 2001
There has been considerable research for the roots of this family, going back to the town of Rosa in Spain and also the Courtright family were also from Spain originally and also suspected to be of Spanish Jewish roots as well, although to my knowledge not proven at this time. My line comes off from Maritje, Daughter of Albert who married a Laurens Jansen Louw, son of Jan Bastiensen Kortrijk or Courtright now. Larrens took the name of Lowe and his descendants are Lowes now. The Kortrijks or Courtrights are descended from Sebastian Y Cortez born aft 1550 in Navarre Region, Spain. There are many who feel that the ancestors of Albert fled to Portugal at the time of the Spanish Inquisition 1492 and then to the Netherlands appearing there in a region that had many Jewish refugees in early part of the 1500s. (you can go into the Sephardic Jewish Rootsweb and they have traced him and his family back to the 1500s in the Netherlands). Albert's brother was a money lender and into real estate at that time, he stayed in the Netherlands and two hundred years later some of Albert's family of Roosa and the D'Jong family came in the mid 18th century came over as the second wave of Dutchmen came here. -
Individual Notes
Note for: Wyntie Ariense De Jongh, 1622 - AFT 1682 Index
Individual Note:
One record indicates she was a
widower when she married Aldert. It is unknown if this is true. If
her birth year is correct, she married Albert at the age of 20.
Seventeenth century Dutch colonial women were much more
liberated than English colonial women. This came from the Dutch
laws concerning inheritance and ownership of property. Dutch
women could and usually did inherit both personal property and real
estate from their husbands. Usually there were joint wills leaving
property to the survivor. Women owned businesses and kept their
maiden name on all official documents.
After the British took the New Netherlands in 1664, the Dutch
laws were supposed to be respected, but slowly changes were made,
so that by 1725, British inheritance customs were in effect in New
York, even for those of Dutch descent. Women no longer used their
maiden names and had lost their rights to own property.
The name den Jongh is Dutch for Young. Wyntie was alledgedly a
widower when she married Aldert. She received 320 acres of land in
recognition of her spouse's public service. She was referred to as
Wilhelmina or Lavinia. Her first spouse's name is listed as Aagje
Krom.
NYG&BR IXX, January 1939 ; Notes of the Roosa-DeJongh Families by
Dirk De Young, former American Consul at Amsterdam,
Netherlands, page 33-34
.....The Oct. 1938 issue of the NYG&BR contains an article on the
Roosa-DeJongh families of America, of interest to all who descend
from Aldert or Alert Hymanse Roosa and wife Wilhelmina De Jongh,
early settlers of Ulster County, New York. There are noted references
to this family in previous issues. The author states he has authentic
material on the family the traces the ancestry of the wife of
Aldert/Albert back to 1500. This is the branch of President Franklin
D. Roosevelt's lineage also.
The Wyntje Ariens De Jongh lineage is :
V. Adrian De Jongh born about 1500
IV. Adrian De Jongh, born about 1530
III. Meerten Adrians De Jongh, born about 1560-70
II. Adrian Meertensen De Jongh, born about 1600
I. Wilhelmina (Wintje) Ariens De Jongh, born about 1630.
Her brother, Arien Ariensen De Jongh, was the burgomaster of
Herwijnen, and held the power of attorney of her husband, Aldert.
The following records to support the above were extracted from the
Gerechtelijke Archiven vande Gerichtsbank van Tuil of Gelderland,
1588-1681, the judicial archives of the District Court of the district
that embraces Herwijnen.
(1.) June 29, 1664 : Arien Ariensen De Jongh (brother of Wyntje)
conveyed land in Herwijnen to Peter Jans Beuschem, by virtue of
power of attorney given him by Alert Hymensen Roosa on Feb. 26,
1660, and the security given to bind the transaction was Alert
Hermansen's interest in the estate of the late Arien Meertensen De
Jongh, to assure the buyer that any taxes on the same back as
far as 1626 would be paid. The estate mentioned was apparently that
of the father of Wilhelmina De Jongh, wife of Alert Roosa, as he
would have acted for her. This documents also indicates that Arien
Meertensen De Jongh was the owner of the land as early as 1626. It
reveals that the father of Arien Meertensen De Jongh was Meerten.
(2.) March 3, 1660 : Alert Hymanse Roosa, living in Herwijnen,
conveyed half a tract of land as yet undivided between heirs of
Govert Ariensen De Jongh, in Hellouw (a mile or so from
Herwijnen) and again he pledged his interest in the estate of the late
Arien M. De Jongh as security for the fulfillment of the contract. It's
further proof that the wife of Aldert was the daughter of Arien
Meertensen De Jongh. The DeJongh family owned large fowler
preserves in Hellouw in the seventeenth century.
(3.) March 20, 1637 : Jan Cornelise van Munster conveyed land in
Hellouw to Meerten Arien De Jongh, from which we may infer that
Meerten De Jongh, of an earlier period in that locality, was the father
of Arien Meertensen De Jongh, the father of Wilhelmina De Jongh.
(4.) April 26, 1632 : Joris Ariensen De Jongh made a conveyance of
land in Herwijnen, and gave as security for the contract his interest
in the estate of his grandfather, Joris Ariensen De Jongh. This
document proves that the above conveyance was, as early as 1632, in
Herwijnen, had a great grandfather Adrian De Jongh, who must
have beeen born circa 1500 or earlier, and who was probably
the great, great grandfather of Wilhelmina. Other De Jongh families
in Holland claim that (Nederlandsche Leeuw, 1922, page 283, & Vol. I,
pg 457).
(5.) Jan. 11, 1631 : Adrien Evertsen Groot, an heir of Jan Adriensen
Groot, conveyed land in Herwijnen to Adrian Adriensen Joriszoon
De Jongh - Adrian, son of Adrian, son Joris, son of Adrian De
Jongh, which again throws the De Jongh ancestry of that locality
back to Adrian De Jongh born not later than 1500.
Although the name of this family of De Jonghs was sometimes
spelled de Jong or D'Jong, in the judicial archives it was almost always
spelled De Jongh. The signatures were invariably written De Jongh.
The name Adrian is also found in practically all branches of the
family.
The author states that he has tried in vain to research the family
origins to the DeJonghe family of Ghent and Bruges, where their
arms were registered as early as 1280, one of the patrician families of
Flanders. It's his belief, that this line does spring from that origin,
where the letter "h" in our name had its origin. The families of the
name of Holland origin rarely used the letter "h". In Herwijnen, and
elsewhere, the de Jonghs generally held official positions where they
resided.
The above was by Suzanne Law Hawes of Southampton.
Individual Notes
Note for: Mary Almyra Hobart, 1889 - 1967 Index
Individual Note:
Syracuse Herald Journal Oct. 31, 1967
Mrs. Myra H. Pitts, 78, of Cazenovia Road, Oran, widow of Herbert Pitts, died today in State University Hospital. A native of Goshen, Mrs. Pitts lived in Oran for 60 years. She was a member of Oran Community Church....Mrs. Pitts was affiliated with Oran Memorial Park Association and with the board of the Delphi Falls Cemetery association
Surviving are two sisters, Mrs. Gertrude Becker of Delphi Falls and Mrs. Helen Goff of Cortland....Burial will be in Delphi Falls Cemetery.
Individual Notes
Note for: Dubois Vandermark, 1827 - 1869 Index
Individual Note:
Dubois Vandermark
Residence not listed; 34 years old.
Enlisted on 8/21/1861 at New York City, NY as a Private.
On 8/21/1861 he mustered into "G" Co. NY 65th Infantry
He was discharged for disability on 5/10/1862
Intra Regimental Company Transfers:
* 9/1/1861 from company G to company C
Individual Notes
Note for: Anthony Vandermark, 1835 - Index
Individual Note:
Listed in the 1860 federal census, living in Kingston, Ulster, New York. "Stage driver." With him were wife Susan, son George, and sister "Elmira" also with infant "Antoinette Baggs."
Individual Notes
Note for: Jacob W. Broadhead, ABT 1819 - Index
Individual Note:
1880 federal census:
Census Place: Goshen, Orange, New York
Source: FHL Film 1254910 National Archives Film T9-0910 Page 276B
Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace
Jacob W. BROADHEAD Self M M W 61 NY
Occ: Wagon Maker Fa: NY Mo: NY
Elmira BROADHEAD Wife F M W 46 NY
Occ: Housekeeping Fa: NY Mo: NY
Nettie BROADHEAD Dau F S W 20 NY
Occ: At Home Fa: NY Mo: NY
George BEATY Other M S W 5 NY
Occ: Boarder Fa: NY Mo: NY
1850 federal census: was living with wife, Mary Ann, and sons James and John H. in Wawarsing, Ulster, NY. Occupation: wagon maker
According to some internet pedigrees, Jacob's first wife was Mary Ann Vandermark, a relative of his second wife. Mary Ann's ancestry is given as Sylvester, Sylvester, Jacob, Arie, Thomas (the immigrant).
Individual Notes
Note for: John Edward Hobart, 1891 - 1936 Index
Burial:
Place: Delphi Cemetery
Individual Note:
In 1920, John was still single and living with his parents in Auburn, Cayuga County, NY. He was a lineman for the telephone Company.
Individual Notes
Note for: Henry M. Sayles, ABT 1866 - BET 1896 AND 1900 Index
Individual Note:
1880 census
Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace
Madison SAYLES Self M Male W 44 NY Farmer NY NY
Elsey C. SAYLES Wife M Female W 42 NY Keeping House NY MA
Henry M. SAYLES Son S Male W 13 NY NY NY
Source Information:
Census Place Preston, Chenango, New York
Henry was the first husband of Ida. He was dead by 1900. She and their four children were living with his parents in Smithville, Chenango County, NY.
1900 New York Chenango Smithville
Madison Sayles Jul 1832
(Wife's name unreadable) Nov 1833 married 35 years, has had 1 child, not living
Ida daughter-in-law Jul 1870 widow, has had 4 children, 4 living
Madison Mar 1890
May Oct 1892
Estella Oct 1893
Robt or Roby Jul 1896
Individual Notes
Note for: Conrad Dumond, 5 JUN 1838 - 16 AUG 1864 Index
Individual Note:
Conrad W. Dumond, Jr
Residence was not listed; 24 years old.
Enlisted on 8/2/1862 at Hurley, NY as a Private.
On 8/22/1862 he mustered into "A" Co. NY 120th Infantry
He died of disease as POW on 8/14/1864
(Died of starvation in a Confederate prison)
He was listed as:
* POW 10/10/1863 James City, VA
Roll of Honor Information:
Date of Death listed as 8/16/1864.
He was buried at:
Andersonville National Cemetery, Andersonville, GA (Grave #5810)
Individual Notes
Note for: Hobart Pitts, 28 SEP 1908 - 2 MAR 1945 Index
Individual Note:
Pitts, Hobart E. Manlius (Oran, town of Pompey). Name appears on Oran Honor Roll. "A memorial service for Sergeant Hobart E. Pitts who was killed in action in Germany was held Sunday afternoon at 4 o'clock at the Methodist church here. Rev. Howard E. Adamy was assisted in the service by members of the local American Legion Post," The Eagle-Bulletin, 6/8/1945. "Pvt. Hobart Pitts, 36, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert E. Pitts of Oran, was killed in combat in Germany March 2, his wife, Mrs. Catherine O'Neil Pitts of Rome, has been notified by the War Department. Pvt. Pitts, an infantryman, was a graduate of Oran School and of Morrisville State Agricultural School. Before he joined the Army he directed the agricultural program at Rome Custodial School. Enlisting last autumn, Pvt. Pitts had been overseas less than a month," Herald Journal, 3/30/1945. Attended Manlius High School, according to Sue Goodfellow.
I wrote the following as a tribute to Hobart for Veterans Day, 2001.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------
Hobart lived in a tiny community called Oran, in the town of Manlius, Onondaga County, New York. His father, Herbert Pitts, owned and operated a small community store, selling all of the essentials. Uncle Herb was popular among the kids, being extremely generous with the ice cream and soda pop. He would always say, "Your money is no good here," and there was no charge for the ice cream cone or the bottle of grape soda.
Above the store was the living space, and it was divided into two apartments. Uncle Herb and Aunt Myra lived in one of those. A lady who rented lived in the other. Hobart, an only child, moved out when he married Kay, and they lived in Rome, New York.
Hobart graduated from Morrisville State Agricultural College and directed an agricultural program at Rome State School, also called Rome Custodial School, in those years an institution for intellectually retarded people.
Hobart was my mother's cousin. Her mother and Hobart's mother were sisters. I don't remember him at all, but I have a very clear image of him in my mind. There were several pictures of Hobart on the piano in Uncle Herb's and Aunt Myra's home. The most prominent photo was of Hobart in uniform.
Hobart was 36 years old when he enlisted in the army in the fall of 1944. I don't know why he waited until then, unless his job was important to him and then it became less so... He and Kay had no children. He went through whatever training the young soldier's received in those days, and he then was sent to Europe, about the end of January or beginning of February, 1945. The war was almost over in Europe. It was over for Hobart on March 2. "Killed in action."
What more is there to say? Hobart was killed in that last offensive, as the American Armies massed to cross the Rhine, which they did on the night of March 22/23, 1945. Hobart, husband of Kay O'Neil and only child of Herbert Pitts and Mary Almyra Hobart, was gone.
Aunt Myra lived to be seventy-eight, and she survived her husband by only a few months. Uncle Herb lived to be ninety. Hobart lived only in their hearts.
Veterans' Day is almost here again. If Hobart had been spared, if he could have lived for the past 56 years, he might have marched in the parade as a 92-year-old man. Not impossible.
But it is impossible, and most of the people who knew Hobart are dead. There are no children or grandchildren to honor him on Veterans' Day, 2001, so I want to do it, with this simple story.