Had eleven children.
(Blake Raplee) As she was the only survivor of the early trip of settlers to New Netherland, many years later colonial officials twice asked her to give.sworn statements of the facts. Both documents are in the archives of the Secretary of State at Albany:
Dated at New York, 14 Feb 1684/5: "The deposicion of CATALINA TRICO aged fouer score yeares or thereabouts, taken before the right honoble Coll. Thomas Thomas Dongan, Leut and Governor under his Royll. Highso, James, Duke of Yorke and Albany, etc., of New York and its Dependencyes in America, who saith and Declares in the presens of God as followeth: "That she Came to this Province in the yeare one Thousand, six hundred and twenty three , or twenty fouer to the best of her remembrance and that fouer Women Came along with her in the same Shipp, in which the Governor, Arian Jorrissen Came also over, which fouer Women were married atSea and that
theyand their husbands stayed about three weeks at this place and then they witheight seamen more went in a vessel by ordr. of the Dutch Governor to Dellaware River and there settled.
"This I Certifie under my hand and ye seale of this province. THO. DONGAN."
"CATELYN TRICO aged about 83 years, born in Paris, does testify and declare that in ye year 1623 she came into this Country eth a ship called ye Unity, whereof was commander Arien Jorise, belonging to ye West India Company being ye first ship yt. came here for ye sd. Company; as soon as they came to
Manatans now called N. Yorke to take Possession and ye heet of ye Passengers went with ye Ship up as far as Albanie which they then Called fort Orange. When as ye ship came as farr as Sopus which is 1/2 way to Albanie, they lighted ye Ship wth. some boats yt. were left there by ye Dutch that had been there ye year before and trading with ye Indians upont their owne accompts & gone back again to Holland, & so brought ye vessel up;- there were about 18 families aboard, who settled themselves att Albany & made a small fort, and ass soon as they had built themselves some hutts of Bark: ye Mahikan ders or River indians, ye Maquase, Oneydas, onmondagas Cayougas & Sinnekes, withye Mahawawaot Ottawaes Indians came and made Covenants of friendship wth. ye sd. Arian Joriss their Commander Bringing him Great presents of Bever or oyr. Peltry & desyred that they might come and have a Constant free trade with them wch. was concluded upon & ye sd. nations Came dyly with great multidue of Bever & traded them wth. ye Christians; their sd. Commandr. Arien Jorise staid with them all winter and sent his sonne home with ye Ship;- ye sd. Deponent lived in Albany three years all which Time ye sd. Indians were all as quiet as Lambs & came & traded with all ye freedom Imaginable;- in ye year 1626 ye Deponent came from Albany & settled at N. Yorke, where she lived afterward for many years and then came to Long Island where she now lives.
"The sd. CATELYN TRICO made oath of ye sd. Deposition before me at her house on Long Island in ye Wals. Brought this 17th day of October, 1688." WILLIAM MORRIS Justice of ye pece." [(KBS) Some of the spelling errors above may have been transcription/typing errors. The originals should be checked!]
While living in New Amsterdam, managed an inn on Paerl Straet (Pearl Street), not allowing any of her customers to better her in money matters. She often appeared in the New Amsterdam court to reclaim payments due to her, as the inn concerned her more than her husband. Insults to her person and her name, which might easily result from the mixed cosmopolitan population of the community and her public occupation, were intolerable to her and whenever provoked, she frequently attempted to vindicate her rights and name. On 31 Aug 1642, she and her daughter Sara, then 17 and a great help to her mother, gave a public declaration concerning the conduct of Tryn Jonas, midwife of New Amsterdam, when she was sent for by Mrs. Rapalje. (Vol. II, 29.) Mrs. Rapalje sued Paulus van der Beeck for slander on 12 Jan 1644. The defendant declared that he could not prove his assertion, and that he knew nothing of the plaintiff but what was virtuous and good, and as he struck her, he will pay two and a half guilders fine. At the same court session, Gbert Van Borsum appeared as a witness in a quarrel between Catalina Trico and Mr. Paulus (van der Beeck). (Vol. IV, 215, and II, 139.) (Am. Genealogist, pp. 118-20, post Apr. 1971, artilce by George E. McCracken) For a long it was believed that Catelyntje was born in Paris. The origin of this error is to be found in a deposition made by her on 17 Oct 1688 (printed in E.B. O'Callaghan's "Documentary History of New York", 1850, 3:22; the
deposition is from New York Colonial manuscripts, vol. 35), which begins, "Catelyn Trico aged about 83 years born in Paris."
Genealogists in 1961 found that actually she was born in the hamlet of Pry, 50ø17' N., 4ø26'E., on the Herve River directly south of Charleroi in Hainault. It is obvious that when she said "Pry", the English-speaking clerk who took down the deposition misunderstood her to be pronouncing Paris as the
French do, an easy error if she rolled the "r" strongly.
When her name is recorded with the patronymic, it is regularly Jeronimus, an name frequently repeated among her descendants. McCracken further believes her family name to be something like Tricot, Tricaud, Tricault, Tricaut. Amsterdam Dut. Ref. Marriage Intentions (Microfilm 113.191): Joris Raparlie Den 13 January 1624 [New Style] Compareerden alvoren Jooris Raparlie van Valenchie- boratwercker out 19 Jaeren woon- op 't Waelepadt & Catharina triko van pris in Walslant geasst- met mary Fla[m]egh haar suster woon- in de Vles out 18 Jae-
[Translation: Appeared as before Joris Raparlie from Valenciennes boratworker age 19 Years residing on 't Waelepadt & Catherina triko from pris in Walslant accompanied by mary Fla[m]engh her sister residing in the Ilask age 18 years.]
Mr. McCracken suggests that Joris' occupation may be a weaver of a cloth the French call "bure". He goes on to suggest the following entries may refer to this "sister" of Catharina, probably a half-sister, because of the last name variation: 13 June 1615. Appeared . . . Phillipe de Fonteijn de Wikkart from Vallenchijn, borattworker aged 22 years 3 years residing on the Nieu ossemarkt [New Oxenmarket] In the Hoefijaers [horseshoe] street, accompanied by his brother Jehan de Fonteijne de Wickart, & Marie Flamen by Valencijn age 21
Years residing in the Nes accompanied by Zacharias Flamen her uncle on the other side.
Signed Phijlijpe de la Fontaijne djt Wijcart Mari Flameng
6 April 1619: appeared Jaques tesse from anchijn, caffe werker, age 27 years 6 years residing on ruslant, on one side & Marij Flaman, aged 18 years residing in the Schuijtemakers [Bark/sloop makers alley] steegje of the Amstel, accompanied with Claes Flaman, her father, on the other side. signed Jacque tesse [Microfilm 113.118]
The Walloon Church at Amsterdam lists [113.402] for the first couple:
Fiances le 13e Juin 1615 Philippes de la fonteinne dit Wicart Espouses le 5e Juillet 1615 natif de Vallenciennes, bourrasier,
demeurant sur le nouveau marche- aux boen ... Marije Flamen demeurante an ness.
