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Note: Catalyntje and her husband arrived on a ship called the Eendracht, the first ship sent out by the West India Company. She is the subject of an article in Vol. 1, No. 3 of the New Netherlands Connections, at 56.
Catalynje's family were also cloth weavers (like her husbands's) they were inventers of a very famous weave of woolen cloth they called tricotine which was used for the military officer's uniforms for centuries, as it does not sag or wrinkle and has practically no "wear out". Both the Rapelje and Tricot families were also famous for their fine tapestries. Kings ordered them to teach tapestry making in their countries, some of which hang in museums in France, Belgium & Italy to this day.
Catalyntje's family was in some way related to the LaGrange family, who in turn were connected in some way to the Marquis de Lafayette. The LaGrange boys coming to Brooklyn and New Jersy in the 1670's said, "We came to see our Aunt Catalyntje Triko Rapalje". They claimed that LaGrange castle was their home, as it had also been the home of their aunt. The Marquis de Lafaayette lived and died in LaGrange Castle. Her father's name (spelled Tricot) was pronounced "tree ko".
According to data on Huguenot ancestors represented in the membership of the Huguenot Society of New Jersy, Clayton Library, Gen 974.9K, under New Jersey, Catalyntje Trico arrived in the United States on the ship Unity, lived in Fort Orange (Albany) NY, and died at the Wallabout, Brroklyn, NY. In this same publication Catalyntje's husband, Joris Jansen de Rapalje was born about 1600 in Rochelle, France. This article goes on to state that the founder of the family was Gaspard Colet de Rapello, born in 1605 in Chatillon Sur Loire, France. Joris was also the nephew of the famous Admiral Coligny.
Catalyntie's home in Amsterdam was in the Nes, near the Dam square.
According to Holly Derby on her website, one of Joris's nephews wrote this about Catalyntie:" ... an old Walloon woman... 74 years old. She is wordly-minded, with mere bonte (human goodness) living with her whole heart, as well as body, among her progeny, which now numbers 145 and will soon reach 150. Nevertheless, she lives alone by herself, a little apart from the others, having her little garden and other conveniences, with which she helped herself..." Catalyntie was also known as the "Mother of New Amsterdam".
She was seventy-four years of age at the time Jasper Dankers and Peter Sluyter, the Labodists, visited her there and described her in their journals as follows:
M. de la Grange came with wife to invite me to accompany them in their boat to the Wale bocht, a place situated on Long Island, almost an hour's distance below the city, directly opposite Correlaerr hoeck, from whence I several times observed the place which appeared to me quite pleasant. She is worldly minded, living with her whole heart, as well as body, among her progeny which now number 145 and will soon reach 150. Nevertheless, she lived alone by herself a little apart from the other, having her little garden and other conveniences with which she helped herself.
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