Brechtje Jacobsen

Descendants of Cornelis Cornelius Segerszen Van
Voorhout

Generation No. 1

CORNELIS CORNELIUS SEGERSZEN VAN VOORHOUT born in
Holland, and died in Rensselaerswyck, Albany, NY.
He married BRECHJE JACOBSE.

Notes for CORNELIS SEGERSZEN VAN VOORHOUT:
Cornelius's father is possibly Seger Van Edgmond
in Voorhout in Holland born abt 1573. Cornelis had
also made a contract with Patroon van Rensselaer,
25 Aug 1643. He sailed for America in Sep 1643 on
the Rensselaerwyck, when he was about 44 years
old, with his wife, Brechje Jacobsen, 45 years
old, and 6 children:
Cornelis, 22; Claes, 20; Seger, 14; Lysbeth, 16;
Jannetie, 10, and Neeltie, 8.
He became a farmer in Rensselaerwyck, leasing two
farms on Castle
Island, NY.
Van Voorhoudt/Egmont is somewhat of a mystery.
The Egmont was a famous family in the Netherlands
in the 16th century. There is a village named
Egmont NW of Amsterdam on the coast. Count
Lamoral Egmont opposed King Philip of Spain in his
takeover attempts of Holland. For his political
"crimes" he was beheaded in 1568. Some surmise
that a part of this family took the name Van
Voorhoudt from the town of the same name (not far
from Egmont in the Netherlands) so as to avoid the
notoriety of the Egmont name. Cornelis Segers
adopted that name and used it during the early
years in NN.

>From the "Collections of the History of Albany,
>From it's Discovery to the Present Time" by J.
Munsel "Segers is the surname of a family in
Albany which in earlier times was called Van
Voorhoudt. Cornelis Segerse Van Voorhoudt, the
first settler, came to Beverwyck in 1642, and
succeeded Vander Donck on the farm called
Welysburgh, on Castle Island."

The property on Castle Island was occupied for
several decades by members of the family, by
contract with and lease from the directors of
Rensselaerswyck, of which the island was a part.
Cornelis Segers and his sons appear frequently in
such published works as the Van Rensselaer
Bowier Manuscripts, the Correspondence of
Jeremias van Rensselaer, the correspondence of
Maria van Rensselaer, the Early Records of Albany,
the court minutes of Rensselaerswyck, the 2
volumes of court minutes of Fort Orange and
Beverwyck and court minutes of Albany,
Rensselaerswyck and Schenectady.

Vol. 1 of "The Early Records of the City and
County of Albany and Colony of
Rensellaerswyck 1656-1675" by Jonathan Pearson,
contains several references
to Cornelis Segerse Van Voorhoudt: pages 51 (an
auction for a house and lot in 1657 where Cornelis
was the highest bidder), 64 (buying a cow in
1664), 79 (highest bidder on a mare in 1665), 250
(house and land document of 1659 - here he signs
his name "Cornelis Zeegerzoon" which is a variant
of the patronymic Seegersz.), 288 (house and land
document of 1660 - here he signs "Cornelis
Seegerzeen"), 499 (Cornelise Cornelise Van
Voorhoudt is a witness for a 1668 document)

According to Christoph in his book "Bradt: A
Norwegian Family in Colonial
America" there are many court records involving
this family. Cornelis
Segerse Van Voorhoudt was involved in slander
charges and assault charges
in 1648, 1649 and 1650.
In Oct 1648 Cornelis was obliged to retract
derogatory comments about Andries de Vos, as well
as remarks he had made to the effect that Jan
Barentsen Wemp was "a rascal, a thief and the
greatest liar in the colony."
A year late Court records show him in a fight with
a former employee, and the year after that,
slashing a man in the face with a glass.
In January 1650, Cornelis was charged in with
assaulting Rensselaerwyck director Brant Van
Slichtenhorst.
Cornelis refused to pay his rent year after year
even though he was leasing the most valuable
property in Rensselaerwyck and was doing quite
well-with 13 horses and 22 cows. The rent was
1,210 florins and in Mar 1652 van Slichtenhorst
went with a court order to collect-either cash or
grain. Cornelis nailed the door to the grain loft
shut and could not be reached.

Sources:
David Riker's Genealogical and Biographical
Directory To Persons in
New Netherland From 1613 to 1674
New York Genealogical and Biographic Record vol
46, pp 346-352;
vol 47 pp 3-10; vol 23; vol 99
Contributions for the Genealogies of the First
Settlers ... of Albany
by Jonathan Pearson pp. 46, 100, 101
Brewer, Floyd I., ed. Bethlehem Revisited: A
Bicentennial Story 1793-1993. Albany, NY: Lane
Press, 1993
Earle, Alice Morse. Colonial Days in Old New York.
New York: Empire State Book Co., 1938.


Notes for BRECHJE JACOBSE:
Brechtie Jacobs signed an agreement dated 27 June
1662 arising over the death of Seger Cornelis.
This is than from 'Early Records of the City and
County of Albany and Colony of Rensselaerswyck',
Vol. 3 translated by Jonathan Pearson, edited by
AJF Van Laer. p. 166. In this document, the
relatives of the late Seger Cornelissen Van
Voorhout, agree not to prosecute Andries
Herbertsen Constapel for his part in the death.
The family group named is Cornelis Segerse van
Voorhout and wife Brechtie Jacobsz CH: Seger
Cornelisz van Voorhout, deceased, and wife
Jannetie Theuniszdr. van Vechten with her father
Theunis Dirkse Van Vechten, and her brother Dirck
Theunisz Van Vechten. Cornelis Cornelisz van
Voorhout. Jannetie Cornelisz van Voorhout and
husband Jacob Schermerhorn. Neeltie Cornelise van
Voorhout and husband Hans Carlsz. Lysbet Cornelise
van Voorhout and husband Francois Boon.

There are other notarial documents concerning
Brechtie in this same volume of the ERAR. On 1
Feb. 1663 (p. 207) Brechie signs a document as:
"This mark + was made by Brechie Jacobsz, wife of
Cornelis Segersz, forenamed" The 1663 document
names members of the family: Cornelis Segerse Van
Voorhout and wife Brechtie Jacobse CH: Claes
Cornelisz van Voorhout (dead by 1 Feb. 1663) and
wife Brechie Maryns (also deceased by 1 Feb. 1663)
and her mother
Lysbet Tyssz and 4 children of Claes and Brechie,
namely Maryn Claes van Voorhout age 12, Jacob
Claes van Voorhout age 10, Lysbet Claes van
Voorhout age 8, Tryntie Claes van Voorhout age 5;
also named is Jan Tyssz, second husband, and
widower of Brechie Maryns. Cornelis Cornelisz van
Voorhout
Jannetie Cornelisz van Voorhout and husband Jacob
Schermerhoorn, Lysbet Cornelisz van Voorhout and
husband Francois Boon

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/CORNELIUS/2001-07/0994789879