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(III) Vincent
De la Montanye, second son of John and
Peternella (Pike) De la Montagne, was born
in 1657, and was living in 1713. He first
lived in New Street, Harlem, being church
member afterwards at "Sclavonia, in the
Bowery division of the Out Ward." He seems
to have been a brickmaker by occupation, but
among other offices held by him he was
constable in 1695. Fourteen years later his
domestic happiness was interrupted by the
wiles of one Cordaz, a neighbor brickmaker,
who, having been tried and found guilty, was
fined by the court of sessions. Vincent
left the city, but it is thought he
returned, but there is no record of his
death. He married, in 1684, Adriana,
daughter of Jan Thomasz Aken, by whom he had
nine children. Children: 1. John, born
1689; married in Holland and had a son. 2.
Thomas, mentioned below. 3. Appolonia, born
1694. 4. Jessie, born 1696. 5. Petrus,
born 1698, died 1751; married Janette Dyer,
in 1723. 6. Peternella, born 1701; married
Godfricius Benner. 7. Annetje.
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born 1703, married
Henry Dyer. 8. Vincent, born 1705; married
Elizabeth Murray in 1737. 9. Rachel, born
1707.
(IV) Thomas,
second son of Vincent and Adriana (Aken) De
la Montanye, was born in 1691, died in
1761. He was a shopkeeper by occupation,
doing a considerable trade in one of the
principal streets of the town. His dwelling
house in Prince Street was sold by his son
Peter as executor in May, 1784. He married,
November 25, 1718, Rebecca Bruyn, who died
in 1775, and has by her fifteen children.
His children were: 1. Vincent, mentioned
below. 2. Peter, born in 1723, died 1798;
married Catherine Vanderhoof in 1754. 3.
Adriana, born 1724; married Abraham lefoy.
4. Martha, born 1726, died 1758; married
Abram Allenor. 5. Thomas, born 1731. 6.
Rebecca, born 1735. 7. Hannah, born 1737;
married Morris Earl. 8. Jane, born 1739;
married John Wright. 9. Appolonia, called
Prudence, born 1741; married Elbert Amerman.
10. John T., born 1743; married Mary Blain.
11. Benjamin, born 1745; married (first)
Eliza Norris, (second) Cornelia Cooper. 12.
Peternella, born 1747; married Isaac
Vredenburg. Three others.
(V) Vincent
(2), eldest son of Thomas and Rebecca (Bruyn)
De la Montanye, was born in 1721, died in
1773. He was a shopkeeper, and was well
known and much respected in the town. He
was fifty-two years old when he died, but
Dr. O'Callaghan, misled by his "History of
New Netherland" by those who confounded the
two Vincents among the Montanyes, makes the
later Vincent a hundred and sixteen years
old, the "connecting link between Stuyvesant
and Washington." He married (first)
Catherine Harte in 1743; (second) Gertrude
Vouck. In 1761, a year after the death of
his first wife' (third) Mary Brundage. His
children were: 1. Thomas, born 1745, died
1789; married, in 1766, Catherine Smith, who
died in 1770. 2. John, born 1747, died
1829; married Mary Briggs in 1825. 3.
Isaac, born 1751; married Gusie Bauta in
1789. 4. Rebecca, born 1752; married Peter
Truman, 5. Peter, mentioned below. 6.
Mary, born 1768, died 1814; unmarried.
(VI) Peter,
fourth son of Vincent (2) and Catherine (Harte)
De la Montanye, was born in 1757, died in
1828. He was in the tailoring trade, but
did not work at it constantly until after
the Revolutionary War, in which he was a
soldier. He removed to Ulster County, New
York, where he passed his latter years. He
had only three children, all of them sons.
He married Gertrude Keator, but there is no
extant record of the date of the event. His
children were: 1. George, married a Miss
Burger. 2. Isaac, mentioned below. 3.
Abram, married a Van Dyck.
(VII) Isaac,
second son of Peter and Gertrude (Keator) De
la Montanye, was born in 1783 at Marbletown,
New York. He was a tailor and did business
in Olive, Ulster county, New York. He was a
Whig in politics, and a Methodist in
religion. He served during the War of 1812,
and in the year 1813 was an ensign in the
Light Infantry. Finally in 1818 he became
a lieutenant of the One Hundred and
Thirtieth Regiment of Ulster County and
served in that grade with distinction. He
married Mary Longyear, by whom he had nine
children. His children were: 1. John,
married mary Phillips. 2. Charles, married
Ellen Gardner. 3. Franklin, mentioned
below. 4. Maria, born in 1814, died 1880;
married Albert North. 5. Gertrude, born
1886, died 1841; married Thomas Hill. 6.
Jane, married Josiah Turner. 7. Sarah,
married (first) James Hallister, (second)
John Ingraham. 8. Eliza, died at the age of
twenty-one. 9. Rebecca, married William
Teller.
(VIII)
Franklin, third son of Isaac and Mary (Longyear)
De la Montanyee, was probably born at Olive,
New York, about 1813. He was a school
teacher in various towns of Ulster County,
and was for a time superintendent of schools
in Marbletown. He followed various vocation
during his life, and was in turn
storekeeper, farmer, commissioner of deeds,
justice of the peace, justice of the
sessions. In politics he was a Republican.
He married, in Olive, New York, about 1849,
Blandina, daughter of Matthew Person and Ann
Peck (Keator) Ten Eyck. His children were.
1. George, born
about 1850. 2. James, mentioned below. 3.
Anna, born about 1854. 4. Mary. 5.
Charles. 6. John. 7. Ten Eyck. 8. Newton.
(IX) James,
second son of Franklin and Blandina (Ten
Eyck) De la Montanye, was born in Marbletown,
New York, November 14, 1852. He attended
the public schools in Marbletown, and
finally enter the Fort Edward Preparatory
School at the same place. After graduating
he entered the United States
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Mail Service in
Kingston and was finally promoted to
assistant postmaster of that city, a
position which he held from 1874 to 1879,
when he resigned to engage in the
confectionery business. He remained in that
business for twenty-three years. He then
embarked in real estate and insurance, and
he is still engaged in that business. He is
now treasurer of the Empire State Society
Sons of the American Revolution. He is a
Republican in politics and is a member of
the Holland Society of New York City,
Society of Colonial Wars of New York,
American Scenic and Historical Preservation
Society, and of the New York State
Historical Society. He also belongs to the
Collegiate Club of Harlem. He married, May
15, 1884, in Jersey City, Anna Lynn
Williams, born August 12, 1862, in
Londonderry, Ireland, daughter of Samuel
Wiliams, a prosperous shipping merchant, and
Mary (Berry) Williams. Mr. Williams' other
children were: Joseph, Thomas, Samuel,
Marcus and James.
ROY. The
surname or family name of Roy has no
relation to the French word "roi," meaning
"king." it is Gaelic and signifies
"red-headed," and as such it has often been
used as a sobriquet down almost to our own
times in the Gaelic-speaking parts of
Ireland and Britain in conjunction with or
to supersede a family name, "Burke's
heraldry" gives three families of the name
who have the right to bear arms. The arms
of the Roy family of Scotland are: Azure a
ond eight torteaux. Crest: A lymphad, her
sails furled and ors in action, in the sea
proper. Motto: Qua Tendis.
(I) Joseph
Roy, the immigrant ancestor of the Roy
family in America here dealt with, was born
at Bolton, Lancashire, England, about the
year 1817, died at Wappingers Falls,
Dutchess County, New York, September 26,
1900. He came to the United States in 1834
and settled at Pawtucket, Rhode Island,
engaging as a calico printer in one of the
large mills. In 1858 he went to Wappingers
Falls, Dutchess County, New York, and became
head of the department of calico printing
with the firm of Garner & Company. He
remained with this firm until his death. He
married Hannah F., born at Manchester,
England, daughter of Richard Warren, an
engraver in that city. They had eleven
children, among them John H., mentioned
below.
(II)
John H., son of Joseph and Hannah F.
(Warren) Roy, was born July 26, 1864, at
Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County, New
York. He was educated in the district
schools, and in 1881 he became connected
with the Sweet Orr Company, of Newberg,
Orange County, New York, which has continued
as such for the past twenty-five years. In
the year 1887 he became credit man and
manager in the business, a position which he
still retains. He is a member of the
Masonic order, a member of the Newburg
Historical Society, and trustee of
Washington's Headquarters, Newburg, Orange
County, New York. He married, June 20,
1888, Cora J., daughter of Thomas Harris, a
prosperous farmer of Leominster,
Massachusetts. There has been one son,
Kenneth W.
BLAKE. The
early settlers of the town of Montgomery, in
Orange County, New York, included many
Scotch-Irish families, such as Neeley,
Eager, Blake and Morris. They developed a
fine farming region, and were active in
organization of civil and religious affairs,
and their descendants in many cases are
still resident in the locality.
(I) John
Blake appears in Montgomery in the spring of
1761 and purchased, May 1, of that year,
four hundred and seventy-seven acres of
land. This was probably in the eastern part
of the town, where his descendants were
later found. He married Mary Morris, of
Coldenham, who was born in Northern
Ireland. John (2), son of John (1) and Mary
(Morris) Blake, was a prominent citizen,
active in the affairs of the county, member
of the state legislature and of the national
congress, as well as filling other positions
of responsibility. The next mentioned was
probably a son of John (1) and Mary Blake.
(II) Edward
Blake, born about 1780, resided in the
eastern part of the town of Montgomery. He
married Chloe Belknap, probably a daughter
of Samuel and Mary (Goldsmith) Belknap, of
what is now the town of Crawford, then
Montgomery. They had eight children, the
last two, David A. and William J., being
twins.
(III) William
J., son of Edward and Chloe (Belknap) Blake,
was born July 22, 1817, in
Page 372
Montgomery. He
attended the country schools adjacent to his
home until fifteen years of age. At that
time he became a student of the Montgomery
Academy, and it is apparent that the made
most diligent use of his opportunities for
study. At the age of twenty years, in 1817,
he entered the sophomore class of Union
College at Schenectady, from which he was
graduated in June, 1830. Following this he
acted as tutor for one year in the family of
a naval officer residing in the South.
Returning to his native town, he began the
study of law in September, 1840m with
Charles Borland, of Montgomery, and was
admitted to practice before the Supreme
Court at Rochester, in December, 1843. Soon
after this, while on a visit to Cold Spring,
Putnam County, New York, he was engaged to
try some cases, and soon decided to settle
there to engage in practice. In 1846
Governor Silas Wright appointed him a master
and examiner in the court of chancery. He
was successful as an attorney, but was
compelled to abandon his practice because of
a defect in his hearing. In the midst of
his private practice and official duties,
during the year 1848, he gathered
considerable material pertaining to the
history of Putnam County, which was
published in 1849. Closing his law office
in April, 1850, he spent the following year
in the state of Minnesota, returning to
Orange County in 1851. In the spring of
1852 he became associate editor of the
Putnam County Courier, and from the time
forward until his death, he continued to
reside at Carmel. In 1854 he was appointed
postmaster of that place and held the
position four years. Following this he
established the Putnam Free Press,
issuing the first number, June 12, 1858.
This was the first Republican paper in the
country, and Mr. Blake continued its
publication to October 17, 1868 when he sold
out. He again became political and literary
editor of the paper, which had been
p[purchased by his family, February 14,
1880, at which time the name of the paper
was changed to Putnam County Republican.
Mr. Blake was an earnest student and
exercised a large influence in the affairs
of Putnam County for many years.
He married,
Emmelinda, daughter of Charles Minor, of
Carmel. Their daughter, Ida M. Blake, was
long her father's companion and aid in
literary work. She became proprietor and
publisher of the Putnam County Republican
in 1880, and has continued as both
editor and publisher of that journal until
the present time. It is one of the most
influential papers published in the country
and continues to sustain Republican
principles in politics.
TUTHILL.
Tuttle or Tuthill is a surname borne by
families in New England for more then two
hundred and seventy years. The English
surnames, whence the surname Tuttle is
derived, are Tothill or Tuthill, ancient
family names in England. These surnames are
said to be taken from names of old
localities in England and Wales. Tuttle,
the American surname came to be generally
adopted by the second and third generation
of descendants of the immigrant settlers,
although some branches continue to this day
to adhere to the English form of the
surname. The second syllable of the English
surname passed through every possible change
of spelling before it finally settled into
its present form "tle." A family pedigree
bearing the date of 1591 places at its head
Willian Totyl, of Devonshire, called "Esq.,"
who served as bailiff in 1528, and again in
1548; was high sheriff in 1549, and lord
mayor of Exeter in 1552. As these offices
were only given to men of large estates and
high family connection, it may be inferred
that he was a man of social eminence. The
present agitation against race suicide would
have found in him an enthusiastic supporter
as the pedigree above mentioned credits him
with being the father of thirty-six
children, but it is reasonable to assume,
however, that he was married more than once,
although his only recorded marriage was to
Elizabeth Matthews, of Vorganwg, Wales. The
names of twelve of his children appear in the
records, and it is quite probably that
Elizabeth was the mother of four of them,
namely: 1. Geoffrey, 2. John, 3. Robert,
and 4. Richard.
Four distinct
families by the name of Tuttle immigrated
from England in 1735, and three of them
arrived at Boston on the "Planter," in the
spring of that year. the heads of these
three families were: John, who settled in
Ipswich; Richard, who remained in Boston;
William, who went to New Haven. The fourth
was that of another John Tuttle, who
emigrated on the ill-fated "Angel Gabriel,"
which was wrecked on the rocky coast of
Maine, Au-
Page 373
gust 15, 1634. This
John Tittle settled in Dover, New Hampshire,
prior to 1640, and became the progenitor of
a numerous posterity. In the same year,
arrived another immigrant, whose descendants
are numerous and have been conspicuously
identified with the history of New York from
a very early period in its settlement to the
present day. Many prominent citizens of
Orange County have borne and now bear the
name.
(I) The first
of whom definite knowledge is now obtainable
was John Tuthill, who resided at Saxlingham,
England.,
(II) Henry,
son of John Tuthill, born 1580, resided at
Tharston, in the county of Norfolk, England,
where he was buried March 20, 1618, in the
churchyard of St. Mary's Church. His will
was made six days before his death. He
married Alice Gooch, and the baptisms f
their children are recorded in St. Mary's
register: 1. John, 2. William, 3. Henry, 4.
Alice, 5. Elizabeth. It is a natural
supposition that the John and William
Tuthill, who founded famous families in this
country, were of this family.
(III) Henry
(2), third child of henry (1) and alive
(Gooch) Tuthill, was baptized June 28, 1612,
at Tharston. He married in England,
Bridget, who accompanied him to America in
1635. In that year he settled in Hingham,
Massachusetts, where he had a planting lot
at Broad cove and a house lot in 1637. He
was admitted freeman in March, 1638, and
served as constable in 1640. He sold his
property there June 20, 1644, and removed to
Southold, New York, where he died before
1650. His wife survived him and married
(second) William Wells, of Southold.
Children: 1, John. 2. Elizabeth. 3.
Nathaniel. 4. Daniel.
(IV) John
(2), eldest child of henry (2) and Bridget
Tuthill, was born July 16, 1635, probably in
Hingham, died October 12, 1717, in Southold,
where he was a large land holder. He
married (first) February 17, 1657,
Deliverance, baptized October 31, 1641, in
Salem, Massachusetts, died January 25, 1689,
at Southold, daughter of William and Dorothy
(Hayne) King. he married (second) May 28,
1690, Sarah, probably the widow of Thomas
Young, and daughter of John Frost. She died
November 8, 1727, surviving him more than
ten years. Children: 1. John. 2.
Elizabeth. 3. Henry. 4. Hannah. 5.
Abigail. 6. Dorothy. 7. Deliverance. 8.
Daniel. 9. Nathaniel. 10. Mary, all born
of the first wife.
(V) John (3),
eldest son of John (2) and Deliverance
(King) Tuthill, was born February 14, 1754,
in Southold, where he died November 21,1754,
in his ninety-seventh year. He owned land
in Southold, where he served as justice of
the peace, and was commissioner to lay out
the King's Highway, the first public road
from Brooklyn to Easthampton. From 1693 to
1698 he was a member of the provincial
assembly of New York, and also served as
sheriff. He married, about 1683, Mehitable
Wells, born 1666, died August 26, 1742.
Children: 1. John. 2. James. 3. Mary. 4.
Joshua. 5. Dorothy. 6. Daniel. 7.
Freegift. 8. Hannah.
(VI) Freegift,
fifth son of John (3) and Mehitable (Wells)
Tuthill, was born August 8, 1698, in
Southold, died in September, 1765, in
Goshen, New York, at the age of sixty-seven
years. His will is on record in Albany. He
married, in June, 1727, Abigail Goldsmith
and had children: 1. Abigail. 2.
Nathaniel. 3. Joshua. 4. Freegift. All
the sons are soldiers of the Revolution, and
the last died in the service. He learned
the trade of tailor and was occupied at it
for a few years in his native town. In 1730
he purchased a tract of four hundred acres
in the wilderness near Goshen, New York, and
there settled and engaged in agriculture.
After a short time he erected a substantial
stone house, which was his home until his
death.
(VII)
Nathaniel, eldest son of Freegift and
Abigail (Goldsmith) Tuthill, was born
January 17, 1730, in Brookhaven, died
September 6, 1803, in the town of Blooming
Grove, Orange County, New York. His farm
comprised a part of the original homestead
on which he built a stone house. He was
among these stationed at Fort Montgomery
when it was captured by the British during
the Revolution, but himself escaped
capture. He married Margaret, daughter of
John Herod, of Long Island, born august 3,
1739. Children: 1. John Herod. 2.
Benjamin. 3. Mary. 4. Nathaniel.
(VIII) John
herd, second son of Nathaniel and Margaret
(Herod) Tuthill, was born in 1761, in the
town of Blooming Grove, New York, where he
grew to manhood on the paternal farm. In
1819 he settled in the town of Erin, Chemung
County, New York, where he purchased nine
hundred acres of land and engaged
extensively in agriculture. He was a member
of the Presbyterian Church, and served in
the State Legislature. He died
Page 374
about 1845 in Erin, at
the age of eighty-four years. He married
Elizabeth Seeley. Children: 1. Edward
Brewster, lived and died in Chemung County.
2. Hiram, mentioned below. 3. Francis, a
merchant, died in Chester, Orange County.
4. Green M., three terms county clerk of
Chemung County, died in Ottawa, Illinois.
5. Orpha, deceased, married (first) Timothy
Little, (second) --------- Johnson. 6.
Millicent, married Dr. Townsend Seeley, and
resided in Kendall, Illinois. 7. Elizabeth,
wife of John L. Smith, lived in Elmira.
(IX) Hiram,
third son of John Herod and Elizabeth
(Seeley) Tuthill, was born November 30,
1799, in blooming Grove, new York, where he
spent his early years attending the district
school at Goshen. He was in his twentieth
years when he removed with his father to
Chemung County, and there engaged in
farming, receiving one hundred acres of the
paternal homestead to which he subsequently
added two hundred acres. He was an active
citizen; a Democrat in politics, and served
four terms as supervisor of the town of
Erin, where he died September 18, 1876. He
was tall and erect in figure, a scrupulously
honest and industrious man, esteemed and
respected in the community. He married
Azubah Seeley, born May, 1804, at Hector
Falls, near Seneca Lake, New York, daughter
of Bartlett Seeley, a farmer of that place.
She died in Erin in 1888. Children: 1. The
first died in infancy, unnamed. 2. Charles
Seeley, was a grocery merchant for some yeas
in Chester, New York, and subsequently at
Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York, where he
died March, 1905. 3. John Bartlett,
mentioned below. 4. Francis G., was a
farmer in Chemung County, where he died in
February, 1910. 5. William M., a farmer of
Chemung County, died in 1862. 6. Sarah
Milicent, died in early life. 7. Hiram,
mentioned below. 8. Stella Azubah, died
unmarried in 1862.
(X) John
Bartlett, second son of Hiram and Azubah
(Seeley) Tuthill, was born November 4, 1828,
in Erin, died February 24, 1913. He
remained on the paternal homestead until
twenty-one years of age, receiving his
education in the district school. On
attaining manhood he went to Chester, Orange
County, where for two and a half years he
was a clerk in the general store of Tuthill,
Seeley & Johnson, the senior partner being
his brother, Charles S. Tuthill. In 1852 J.
B. Tuthill purchased the interest of Mr.
Johnson, and subsequently Mr. Seeley sold to
William Eager, and the business was
conducted for some years under the style of
Tuthills & Eager. The latter sold out in
1864 to his partners, and for three years
the Tuthills continued the business alone.
They conducted a large mercantile and
forwarding business, and in 1867 John B.
Tuthill sold is interest and soon after
purchasing a farm, which he operated two
years. Selling this he purchased another arm
of one hundred and thirty-three acres, to
which he made subsequent additions and
carried on a general arming and dairying
business until he retired in 1901. He was a
director of the Chester Bank and was always
active in promoting the general interests of
the community. In 1874 he built a handsome
brick residence on an eminence, commanding a
fine view of the surrounding region.
Throughout his life Mr. Tuthill was
identified with the Democratic Party, and
was honored with various offices, such as
overseer of the poor and county overseer of
highways. He was very active in the
Presbyterian Church, and was for six years a
member of the board of education in Chester.
He married
(first) December 10, 1856, Martha S.,
daughter of Francis and Elizabeth (Seeley)
Tuthill, born October 30, 1836, died
September 25, 1857. He married (second)
January 26, 1859, Jane, daughter of James
Durland, of Chester, born May 6, 1837, died
September 23, 1867. He married (third)
February 4, 1869, Susan, daughter of John
and Mary Ann (Pilgrim) Fowler, of Monroe,
born November 10, 1835, granddaughter of
John Fowler, who came from Scotland and
settle in Monroe. Children: 1. Stella
Azubah, born January 28, 1870; was educated
at the Chester School; married, January 29,
1901, William W. Startup, born July 4, 1871,
at Ellenville, Ulster County, New York, and
is the head of the dry goods firm of Startup
& Quackenbush, of Middletown. 2. Sarah,
born May 30, 1871 died in infancy. 3.
Hiram Bartlett, December 8, 1872; resides on
the paternal homestead in Chester; he
married Nellie, daughter of Nelson Durland,
of Chester, and has a son, John Bartlett
(2).
(X) Hiram
(20, son of Hiram (1) and Azubah (Seeley)
Tuthill, was born in Erin,. Chemung County,
New York, November 30,
Page 375
1837, and is now living
in Chester, Orange County, New York. He
received his education in the district
schools of Chemung County, and came to
Chester when he was sixteen years of age.
At that time his brothers were in business
there, and he connected himself with them
for about a year, and then went as a clerk
into the Chester Bank, where he remained for
the following thirteen years, after which he
went to Elmira, New York, and engaged in
mercantile pursuits, but in 1869 he returned
to Chester and bought out his brothers and
formed the partnership of Tuthill & Clark,
general merchandise, which continued until
1875, when he bought out Mr. Clark's
interest and conducted the business alone
until 1900, when he sold out. During this
time he had been a director in the Chester
National Bank, and upon retiring from
mercantile pursuits he was elected president
of the bank, a position he still holds. He
is a Republican in politics and a member of
the Presbyterian Church of Chester. He
married, in 1869, Pauline, daughter of
Ichabod and Katharine (Seeley) Conklin, who
was born December 12, 1844, died March 15,
1903. Her parents were old residents of
Orange County, and lived for some years at
Elmira, New York. Children: 1. Joseph
E.,
died aged ten years. 2. Ledda W. C., born
June 22, 1874, married Alvira R. Andrews, of
Chester, N. Y.
(XI) Hiram B,
son of John Bartlett and Susan (Fowler)
Tuthill, was born on the Tuthill homestead
in Chester township, Orange County, New
York, December 8, 1872, and is now living in
Chester. He received his education in the
district schools of Orange County and in the
Claverack Institute on the Hudson, from
which he graduated with the class of 1890.
He then spent three years in Texas, after
which he returned to New York and engaged in
the milk and fairy business. Later, he
assumed the management of his father's farm,
which he has continued until the present
time. He is a member of Standard Lodge, No.
711, Free and Accepted Masons, of Monroe,
New York, a past master of the Chester
Grange, a trustee of the Presbyterian Church
in Chester, and he has served one term as
democratic assessor for the town of
Chester. He married, may 25, 1898, Nellie,
daughter of Nelson and Phoebe (Kellogg)
Durland. Child, John Bartlett, born
February 21, 1901.
VERMEULE.
This name, pronounced by the Dutch and
French fairmoyla, means "from Meule," and is
an ancient surname of Zeeland and flounders,
whence it spread over the Netherlands and
France. The assumption that the original
form was Vermeulen is not borne out by
examination or etymology, although the
latter family became the more numerous, and
their name was frequently, by the error of
scribes and the indifference of branches of
the family, substituted for Vermeule.
Adrian, of Vlissengen and America
(166501735) was well educated. He wrote his
name in a fine, legible hand without the
final "n," and it must be assumed that he
did this advisedly. That it has been
carefully preserved in its present form for
over five hundred years seems certain. The
Romans, in introducing the mill to Northern
Europe, brought with them two words, "mola,"
a millstone, and "molina," a mill. From the
first came the French Flemish and Old Dutch
"meile." From "molina" came French "moulin";
early Dutch "meulen," late Dutch "molen";
Old High German "mulin"; Anglo-Saxon "mylen."
(The words denoting millstone, in later
times, came to be used by some of these
races for mill," Old Frisian "mole," Middle
and Modern High German "muhle.") "Meule"
still survives in France, and retains its
original meaning, "millstone." It also
survives in certain place names in Flanders,
such as "Meulestede," (Mill-stone place)
near Ghent and "Meuleneke," (Millstone
Brook) near Thielt. Just where Meule was is
not now clear. Unquestionably it was in
Flemish Zeeland and may have been identical
with Meulestede. In 1502, Jan, of
Brughes, acquired citizenship at Vlissengen,
and on through the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, the family were skippers and
merchantmen, treading to Dutch, Flemish, and
other ports. In 1639 Adrian was a skipper
of Aardenburg, near Brughesm, and in 1676
Jan, of Hulster Ambacht (Manor), near
Vlissengen, was soldier with Admiral
Banchert, fighting the French. Considering
their environment, religion and calling, it
may be safely inferred that they fought with
the water beggars under William the Silent.
In 1661
Cornelius Vermeule purchased
Page 376
burgher rights at New
Amsterdam, where he had brought goods for
sale, and where he stated that his mother
then lived. Although various member of the
family were at New Amsterdam, those in the
direct line appear not to have remained
continuously here, and probably they were
either traders in the Dutch West India
Company, or else they returned to Holland
after the English occupation of New
Amsterdam, coming again to this country
later on.
(I) Jan
Cornelissen Vermeule (son of Cornelius),
resided in Vlissengen, or Flushing, Holland,
where he was elected an elder of the Dutch
Church, may 1, 1686, re-elected May 6, 1690,
and May 15, 1694. He was evidently a
well-to-di burgher. In 1695 he purchased a
pleasure garden from Catalina Sauchard,
widow of Moses Cateau. His sons were Jan,
Cornelius and Adrian. |
