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From:
Subject: [D-Col] Catrina Van Duyn
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 09:43:10 EST


The puzzle concerning Catrina Van Duyn's ancestry surfaces periodically.

My information on Catrina comes from Albert L. Stokes' "The Van Voorhees
Family: The First Four Generations", 1984.

>From Stokes: Her husband, Stephen Voorhees (aka Stephen Johnson), born 1679,
was the son of Jan Stevense Van Voorhees and Cornelia Reinerse Wizzelpenning.
He married, date unknown, Catrina Van Duyn. They had ten children. He second
married Sarah --- and died around 1758.

The children (as presented by Stokes):

Cornelia. No birth record

William. Baptized 1708, Brooklyn. Sponsors Cornelius Van Duyn, Annetje Aersen

John. Baptized 1710, Brooklyn. Sponsors Jan Jans, Madalena Jans

Stephen. No birth record

Cornelius. Baptized 1715, Jamaica. Sponsors Gerret Van Duyn, Annetie Van Duyn

Rulif. No birth record

Jacob. Baptized 1721, Jamaica. Sponsors Willem Van Duyn, Arrenyantie Van Duyn

Lucas. Baptized 1723, Jamaica. Sponsors Lucas Van Voorhesen, Antie Van
Voorhesen

Antje. No birth record

Elizabeth. Baptised 1729. No sponsors.

Given the number of Van Duyn sponsors, it would seem that Catrina must surely
have been a Van Duyn. However, there is no record of her elsewhere, and her
presumed date of birth does not allow her to fit comfortably into the Van
Duyn family tree.

Her presumed date of birth would be 1680 or so based on the presumed
birthdate of her husband. However this places some difficulty considering the
birthdates of possible parents.

Gerret Van Duyn, the progenitor of the Van Duyn family in North America, was
born around 1640 and his wife, Jacomina Jacobs in 1638. Agewise, they could
possibly have been parents of Catrina; but then she would have been included
in his will. There were four known children, all of whom were recognized in
Gerret's will.

Gerret and Jacomina's children were born as follows:

Cornelis, born 1664, married 1691
Denys, 1666, married 1691
Aeltie, around 1668
Abraham, around 1677, married 1696

These dates pretty much rule out the sons as Catrina's father.

The naming pattern suggests that Catrina's parents were William and Antje.
There was no William Van Duyn of the generation required.

The Van Duyn sponsors appear to be:

Cornelis Van Duyn (1664-1754), son of Gerret
Gerret Van Duyn (1691-1777), son of Cornelis, above
Annetie Van Duyn, perhaps the Annetie, daughter of Cornelis above, born
1694, and married to Cornelius Polhemus
Willem Van Duyn (1693-1769), son of Cornelis, above
Arrenyantie Van Duyn, perhaps the Annetie Van Duyn born 1694.

Obviously, there is a Van Duyn connection. Further analysis depends on
records which I don't have. Specifically, how was Catrina characterized in
the baptisms of her children?

Without further information, I would speculate that Catrina's parents might
have actually been William Huyken and Annetje Andreias Willjard, parents of
Cornelis Van Duyn's wife. Was there a Catrina Huyken?

Dick Van Duyne



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