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Note: N1843 Sources:
Sandy Hamms, Hamms Family, HomePage:http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~hams/, Date of Import: 2 Oct2005.
Ancestry.com: Collard & Mourison/Mowerson
Entries: 505 Updated: 2006-08-13 01:03:06 UTC (Sun) Contact:Kevin Riley kevrik@@spamcop.net
My complete Dutch file with notes and essays. Please let me know ifanything is useful, interesting, or incorrect. Part of a larger treeat http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=kevrik (gedcomonly). Can anyone identify Mrs. Hendrick Mourison or the father ofBarbara Hanse?
ID: I206
Name: HESTER Douwess
Birth: ABT. 1617 in Agum , Friesland , Netherlands 1
Note:
Poor Hester; it seems if it wasn't for bad luck, she would have had noluck at all. She and Jelle left the Netherlands one step ahead of thebill collector, but their debts caught up with them. And once in NewNetherlands, she would have far more than just her day in court.
21 Oct. 1656 Lodovicus Cobe sued "the wife of Jeles Fonda" for anapron Hester removed from his fence. Hester said the apron was givenas a pledge for 5Ω beavers, and "being not satisfied with the apron asa pledge, the plaintiff's wife gave her an undershirt in addition."
("Minutes of the Court of Fort Orange and Beverwyck" p.294)
8 June 1658, "Hester Fonda" sued Hans Vos for 3 beavers for a gun shesold him. He admitted paying f16 in seawan, and was ordered to pay f14more. (ibid166-7) Was she a widow already? Here she is Hester Fonda;before she was "the wife of Jeles Fonda." Or was she just gettingbetter known?
Tom Riley informs me Hester (known as 'Deaf Hester') and daughterSarah were captured in the 2nd Esopus War. Hester would manage toescape. This war came about as the Dutch settlements entered theEsopus Valley near Kingston. Local Esopus and Munsee Indians felt theDutch never paid for the land. Retreating to the Catskills after the1st Esopus War (1659-60), they continued to raid the setlements.TheMohawks and Mahicans brokered a peace, but warring between themallowed the Esopus to attack the Dutch. Hester and Sarah were capturedin an attack on Wyltwyck (now Kingston) in June 7, 1663. "The HuguenotEmigration to America"(p.194-9)says the Indians entered the town as iffor peaceable trading until riders brought news of a nearbye Indianassault on Newtown. The Indians then killed 24 and captured 45 (mostlywomen and children) and set fire to the village, burning 12 housesbefore a shift in the wind saved the rest. 23 would be rescued 3monthes later by a Dutch-English-Mohawk force.The Mohawks would makethe Esopus and Munsees subjects.
Hester's husband Barent Gerretsen was murdered in front of his home.Of the 12 houses burnt in Wildwyck, 2 belonged to Barent. There wasnever any further mention of Sarah.
29 April 1664, Hester, assisted by Douw Gillise and Greetien, sold 2distillers' kettles for "four hundred guilders in good strongseewant*. Thus done without craft or guile." ("Early Records of AlbanyVol." p.347)
Court records show she defaulted twice in Oct. and again on 26 Nov. in1668 ("Minutes of the Court of Albany, Rensselaerswyck and SchenectadyVol. 1" p. 21,25,36)
21 April 1670, Hester was sued for f600 "with the interest therof".Hester claims she had paid f68 "Holland money," and has no money,
"having been ruined by the war." Hester was ordered to pay theremainder plus the interest. (ibid p.141-2) This was money the Fonda'sowed before they left the Netherlands to one Hilletgen Claesdr, whomay be Hille Claes, baptismal sponsor of 2 of the Fonda children inAmsterdam ("NYG&BR Vol.119" Robert Cooney p. 1-4)
8 Dec. 1670, she sued Hans Encluys and Simon the Baker. ("Minutes ofthe Court of Albany, Rensselaerswyck and Schenectady Vol. 1"
p.204)
2 Feb. 1671, Hester again tried to turn the tables, and sued SimonVolkerts for 12 schepels of oats and 1 beaver "for goods delivered."Simon said she owed him f52:4 for carting firewood. Hester was"condemned to pay the difference" of f3:16. (ibid p.216)
23 May 1672 Barent Pietersz tried to obtain the balance of a f200debt. (ibid. 302)
30 Oct. 1672 Hester was again sued for f200 by Barent Pietersz, who"shall indicate some goods and effects belonging to Hester Fonda outof which the amount shall be recovered." (ibid p.317)
3 May 1681 had Hester "Funda" back in court in regards to a 3 Sept.1678 judgement for f200 against Jan Conell. ("Minutes of the court ofAlbany, Rensselaerswyck and Schenectady Vol.3" p.110) Hester even wasspawning suits within suits, as Barent Pietersz sued Jan Conell onaccount against claims against Hester. (ibid p.86)
Douwe Janszoon de Vries de Arentsvelt (d. 1653), a master glazier, hasbeen suggested as the father of Hester. Maria Jans (d.1651), d/o Jansof Wassenaer of Leydon would be her mother. Douwe Janszoon had manyhouses in Leydon, where he was also a burgess. At the 1690 baptism ofgrand-daughter Ann, Hester was called Hester Jansz. This would makeHester the sister of Gerardus Douw, some of whose almost 400 paintingssometimes fetched higher prices than his teacher, Rembrandt. ("EarlyAmerican Families" Rev. W.A. Williams p.23)
* seawant was a form of wampum used as script in the coin poorcolonies. Made from shells, it came in 2 colors, with black worthdouble of white. 3 black or 6 white = 1 stiver ; 20 stivers = 1guilder.1 guilder = 40 cents US. Its' manufacture was unregulated,leading to comical results. Shrewd NE Puritans would pay for Dutchgoods with it, then demand hard cash when trading their goods. Theyeven introduced an inferior grade, setting up a mint at Oyster Bay.Gov William Kieft also seized the possibilities by paying gov'tservants and debts with it. In 1690, an attempt was made to regulateit: no loose seawant was acceptable unless on the same string. 6 whiteor 3 black "shall pass for one stiver, and of base seawant , shallpass eight white and four black for one stiver". ("Old Bergen NJ-History and Reminiscences" Daniel Van Winkle 1902 p. 68-9)
Gotham (Burrows/Wallace) elaborates: Made from certain clam and whelkshells found only along Narragansett Bay and Long Island Sound, theintroduction of metal awls made it possible to produce largerquantities. (Sewanhacky was the Lenape name for Long Island.) A belt6' in length could contain over 6,000 shells. The Indians used itheavily in ceremonial and diplomatic purposes, making it a profitabletrade item, and it would become legal tender in NE and NA, but NEwould demonetize it first and try to dump it in NA. (p.22-3)
Marriage 1 JELLE Douwess Fonda b: ABT. 1616 in Agum , Friesland ,Netherlands
Married: 10 FEB 1640/41 in Hevormde Kerk , Diemen , Noord-Holland ,Netherlands 2
Children
Douwe Gillise Fonda b: BEF. 24 NOV 1640
GIERTJE Gillise Fonda b: BEF. 22 SEP 1643 in Amsterdam , Holland
Sara Fonda b: BEF. 18 JUN 1645
Abraham Fonda b: BEF. 14 APR 1647
Sources:
Title: New York Genealogical and Biographic Record Vol. 119 #1
Repository:
Call Number:
Media: Book
Title: Dutch Family Heritage Society Quarterly Vol. 8 #2
Repository:
Call Number:
Media: Magazine
Page: 33
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