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Anneke Jans Today Anneke Jans Bogardus is one of early New York State's (literally New Netherland's) most famous citizens. But such was not the case during her own lifetime. Years after her death, she gained fame and fortune by having descendants who initiated one of the country's most famous litigations. In this long series of lawsuits, the claimants asked for ownership, in whole or part, of real estate on Manhattan that had belonged to Anneke. They claimed that Trinity Church had illegally acquired title, and that the property rightfully belonged to the descendants of Anneke Jans Bogardus. But the church had always held legal title, and the courts, without exception, so ruled. The property in question was granted in 1636 to Roelof Janszen, Anneke's first husband. In ran along the Hudson shoreline, then at about Washington Street, for seven tenths of a mile from present Warren Street to just above Canal Street (at the entrance to the Holland Tunnel). The eastern line ran irregularly from Chambers Street and Broadway to above Canal Street at Varick. It was sixty-two acres of mediocre farm and grazing land, swamp and chalky hill, in which Anneke had owned dower rights. Her Roelofs children owned the rest. It was still of little value when New York's northward expansion reached it about 1750. By 1800, the swamp had been drained and the land improved to the point that commercial buildings and private dwellings had been built on it. In 1639 the "plantation [was] new and consist[ed] of recently cleared land [and had] a tobacco house and [was] fenced.” In 1642 the lessee was to “use all possible diligence to clear the land.” It did have a house in 1642, which, in 1646 “may [have] need[ed] to be re-roofed.” In 1651, the new lessee was to “put a new roof on the . . . house,” and “to fence in and keep tight the land. . .” How different from the glowing descriptions in some of the legendary accounts! Domine Everardus Bogardus, Anneke’s second husband, did not in his own right, or for the Reformed Church, own land which some accounts claimed was adjacent to, and became merged with, the Roelof Janszen farm. The farm was often called the Domine’s Bouwerie, and it was merged with the adjacent Company’s Bouwerie. From her second marriage, Anneke did hold dower rights to a house near the fort in New Amsterdam, and to eighty-four acres of land, called Domine’s Hook, on the Long Island shore of the East River near the Hellgate. The two, Domine’s Bouwerie and the Domine’s Hook, became badly confused in many ways, even on maps and in legal briefs. Also confusion has arisen between the entire Trinity Church Farm, and that portion which was originally the Roelof Janszen farm (CDM 7, 19 [but the lease pertains to the East River, not the North], 20, 36 [lessor was Do.Bogardus], 55).1 At each recounting of the legendary claims, the sixty-two acres of Manhattan farm and grazing land has grown in size and value until a year ago it was described as “a large portion of Manhattan real estate” [62 of 14,000 acres!]. And the claimants continued to grow in numbers; but finally the pointless litigation ceased. Somewhere along the line of this count-down to zero litigation, someone provided a new legendary focal point for Anneke’s real and self styled, fortune hunting descendants by creating for her a royal ancestor, complete with an unclaimed royal fortune. Again the claimants increased, and Anneke became even more famous. Claims and counter-claims appeared in books, magazines and newspapers. In 1925 and 1926 (with some carry-over into the next six years), the late John Reynolds Totten discussed these farmland and royal ancestry claims and attempted to evaluate the royalty claim in “The Record” (NYGBR) volumes 56 and 57. He reached the basic conclusion that the available evidence did not support the traditional assertions. We do not intend to “correct” or “amend” the accounts prepared by Mr. Totten, or to duplicate his discussions. We will present new evidence that he did not have as readily available as we do in this day of microfilms and photocopies. We shall first discuss the factual origins of Anneke Jans, her husbands, mother and sister. Then we shall discuss the claimed descent of Anneke Jans from William the Silent of Orange-Nassau.2 The only real facts that have become known about Anneke Jans as she arrived here in 1630 are that she was: (1) a resident of Amsterdam just before coming to New Netherland, The following additional information has been obtained recently from Amsterdam church records: 3 Marriage intention, 1 April 1623, Reformed Oude Kerk: Roelof Jansson (his mark “R”), born in Maesterland, a seaman, aged 21 years, having nor parents [to grant parental consent], assisted by Jan Gerritsz., his nephew; residing 3 1/2 years at the St. Tunis gate, of the one part; and Anna Jans (her mark: “+”), born in Vleckere in Norway, aged 18 years, assisted by trijn roeloffs, her mother: residing [duration not given] at the same place, [that is, at the St. Tunis gate] of the second part. Marriage record, 18 April 1623, Reformed Nieuw Kerk: Roelof Jansz. and Anna Jans Baptismal records, Lutheran Kerk:
Anneke Jans was born in Flekkeroy, a village on an island of the same name in Vest Agder, Norway, and four miles south of the city of Kristiansand. Roelof Janszen was born in Marstrand, a village on an island of the same name, now in Goteburg Och Bohus, Sweden, and about 18 miles northwest of the city of Boteburg. Marstrand was in Bohusland, a historic section of Norway that was ceded to Sweden in 1658. So both Anneke and Roelof were Norwegians by birth, but may have been of Dutch ancestry.4 At Rensselaerswyck Roelof farmed the de Laets Burg farm on the east bank of the Hudson, near Mill Creek [Normans Kill] in the present city of Rensselaer. While living there Roelof was appointed a schepen [magistrate] by van Rensselaer, but he and the others so appointed were not sworn in and never served. In April 1634, Roelof was replaced as farmer by Gerrit Theunisz. de Reux under uncertain circumstances. He and his men had served most, if not all, of their regular period of employment and did not “desert” van Rensselaer as claimed by most writers. Roelof had not been a successful farmer and was in debt to van Rensselaer when replaced. In 1637 van Rensselaer said that he had canceled the debt “long ago” (VRBM pssim). When Roelof left the farm in Rensselaerswyck apparently he, his family, and his mother-in-law moved down river to New Amsterdam, where he became an employee of the West India Company. Roelof probably farmed one of the company bouweries, and likely continued to do so until his death in 1636. He did not go to Brazil during this two year period, as has been suggested. In March 1638, before or concurrently with her marriage to Domine Bogardus, Anneke Jans pledged a reasonable share of their father’s estate to “the surviving legitimate children” of Roelof Janszen. In June 1642 this agreement could not be found; so on 21 June 1642, “Annitjen Jans, formerly widow of the late Rouloff Jansen from Maesterland, and at present wife of Everardus Bogardus, minister here,” again promised to pay her Roelofs children “from her first available means,” 1000 Carolus guilders, Holland currency: 200 guilders to each on coming of age [25 years]. These five surviving children, their ages on 21 June 1642 were: Sara, aged about 16; Trijntje, aged 13; Sijtje aged 11; Jan, aged 9; and Annitjen, aged 6 years (CDM19). Soon after Anneke’s marriage to Domine Bogardus he recorded the first of three powers of attorney designed “to collect from the honorable directors of the Chartered West India Company, the sum of two hundred and seventeen guilders, earned by the late Rouloff Jansen . . . of the said gentlemen, which was remitted in the year 1635 to the orphan masters of the city of Amsterdam and has not yet been received by them . . . as appears by the Book of Monthly Wages sent from New Netherland by said ship” [the Eendrach ‘which left Amsterdam in Early May and returned to Amsterdam before December, 1635.’] The first was issued 12 August 1638 to Wouter van Twiller, but was not signed and may never have been used; the second was dated 16 April 1639 to Hendrik Cornelissen van Vorst and the third on 11 October 1640 to van Twiller (CDM 3, 6, 14). Anneke Jans’ second husband, Everardus Bogardus, was the second domine of the Dutch Reformed Church of New Amsterdam, arriving in 1633. He was born in 1607, probably in Veenendaal, Utrecht, as Evert Bogaert, the son of Willem Jansz. Bogaert and his second wife Susanna Adriaensdr. van Ruyteveld. He studied at the University of Leyden, and after serving as a voorleser in Guinea in West Africa, was ordained and sent to New Amsterdam. Mr. P. A. Bogaard of De Meen, Utrecht, in his recent excellent article, “Dutch Ancestry of Domine Everardus Bogardus” (de Halve Maen July and October 1971, January 1972), wrote in conclusion: “A man of complicated character, Domine Bogardus experienced many difficulties during his ministry in New Amsterdam, especially in his relationship with Director General Wouter van Twiller and the latter’s successor, William Kieft. His relations with Director General Kieft were such that they agreed to have their charges and countercharges heard and judged by the Classis of Amsterdam. They went aboard the ship De Princesse which sailed from New Amsterdam on August 17, 1647. They did not reach their fatherland, however, since the ship was wrecked in Bristol Channel and both were drowned [on 27 September 1647].” After learning of her husband’s death by drowning off the coast of Wales, Anneke moved from her house near the Fort in New Amsterdam to Fort Orange. On 15 August 1648 Domine Megapolensis wrote that Domine Bogardus’ “widow came to Fort Orange. . . to make a living here. She has nine living children, as well by her former husband, as from Domine Bogardus, and besides this she is burdened with considerable debt.” Upon reaching Fort Orange, Anneke and her unmarried children almost certainly went to live with her daughter Fytje and her husband, Pieter Hartgers. On 23 April 1652 Anneke Bogardus received a patent to a lot in the village, for which Pieter Hartgers agreed to pay an annual ground rent of four beavers, and on which Pieter built her a house. On 29 January 1663 (New style), Dirck van Schelluyne, the notary at Beverwyck, recorded the will of “Anneke Jans, first widow of Roeloff Jansen of Materlant, then widow of Rev. Everhardus Bogardus, living at Beverwyck.” Her seven surviving children, and the two daughters of her deceased daughter Fytje were her heirs. The four Roelofs children were to be given 250 guilders each “out of the receipts or the value of the . . .Bouwerie [on Manhattan] before any other division takes place....” On 23 February 1663, her son Jan Roelofsen paid for the use of the burial pall. So we may assume that Anneke was buried on that day, or shortly before. The services no doubt took place in the old “Blockhouse Church” built near her home in 1656. She was doubtless buried in the close-by regular Dutch Calvinist Burying Ground. In 1805 this burying ground was dismantled and its remains removed to the public State Street Burying Ground. By 1867 the contents of all of the graves in the State Street Burying Grounds had been removed to the Albany Rural Cemetery at Menands. Her remains undoubtedly were among those ultimately moved to Menands, but as this is written, we do not know with certainty their whereabouts.5 There appears to be no reason why we should repeat the details of the sale of various parcels of land after the death of Anneke, or of the long series of litigation over the Domine’s Bouwerie. Mr. Totten discussed these actions, as did others. Roelof Janszen, van Marstrand, and his wife Anneke Jans, van Flekkeroy, had six children whose surnames were Roelofs for the five girls, and Roelofszen for the one boy. None was surnamed Jansen. These six children:
Domine Everardus Bogardus and his wife, Anneke Jans had four sons surnamed Bogardus. All four were born in New Amsterdam, and undoubtedly baptized there by their father. However, available records are not early enough to cover the baptism of Willem, the first son. The four children:
Anneke Jans’ mother came to New Netherland before the Roelofs
family moved from Rensselaerswyck to New Amsterdam in 1634, and she may have come to
America with the family in 1630. Her full name, as assembled from various source records
was Trijntje (given name), Roelofs [datter] (patronymic, or father’s given name--from
Anneke’s marriage intention), Jonas (possessive surname based on given name of
husband), van Maesterland (place name, usually based on birthplace). Thus Tryntje
(Roelofs) Jonas Van Maesterland was most likely born in Marstrand, now in Sweden, to a
father whose given name was Roelof. Her husband’s given name was Johan, a Teutonic
name usually transliterated by the Dutch to Jan or Johannes, and at times, to Jonas as in
this case. Two daughters of Johan and Tryntje are known, that is, Anneke and Marritje.
Their full patronymic was Johansdatter, or as transliterated and abbreviated, Jans. Anneke Jans in Fact and Fiction by George Olin
Zabriskie, F.A.S.G. The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, April 1973. Sources:
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