Catalyntje Martense van Buren

Cornelis Maessen Van Buren was born in Burmalsen, Provence of Guelderland, Holland, in—say—1610, and died in Papsknee, New York, in 1648. His name was variously spelled Bruyen, Burjmalsen, Buurmalsen, or Burren. Catalyntje Martensen was born in Guelderland, Holland, and died in 1648. Both Cornelis and Catalyntje were buried on the same day on their farm. They were married in Holland in 1635-1636. She took the name Catalyntje Van Buren. They had five children:

i. Hendrick Cornelissen Van Buren: He was born at 2:00 a.m. on June 30, 1636, on board the ship Arms of Rensselaerwyck. He married Elizabeth Van Slyck.

ii. Marten Cornelissen Van Buren: He was born in about 1640 in Rensselaerwyck Colony, America, and died on November 13, 1703. He married Maritjie Quackenbosch in about 1662. They were the great-great grandparents of President Martin Van Buren:

Marten Cornelissen Van Buren, father of

Pieter Van Buren, father of

Marten Van Buren, father of

Abraham Van Buren (1737–1817), father of

(8th U.S. Pres.) Martin Van Buren (1782–1862).

iii. Maas Cornelissen Van Buren: He was born in about 1643 in Rensselaerwyck Colony, America, and died on November 27, 1704. He married Josine Janse Gardiner in 1682–3.

iv. Christÿna Van Buren [#961]: She was born in Albany, New York, on May 19, 1644, and died in New York on November 26, 1729.

v. Tobias Van Buren: He was born in about 1647. There are no records of him marrying or having children; therefore, he probably died before adulthood.

The book, Van Buren Family, is the basis for the following.

Cornelis came to America in 1631 on the ship Endracht (Unity) from the Province of Gelderland; specifically, a small place called Burmalsen near the town of Buren. Nothing is known of his parents altho it is likely that his father's name was Maes.

In the translation of The Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts, is found:

May 27,1631, a number of persons, among whom was Cornelis Maesen van Buyrmalsen, signed an agreement for three years to Killian van Rensselaer estates for services thereon—to be paid 1st year £60, 2nd year £70, 3rd year £80, and in hand £12 in advance. He was listed among the passengers on ship d'Eendracht in July, 1631.

Entries for supplies furnished to Cornelis Maessen on August 16, 1634, show that he was still in the colony at that time. It appears that Cornelis returned to the Netherlands after his three years of indenture, married, conceived a child, and returned to Rensselaerwyck in 1636. A sworn affidavit by Jan Verbeeck and Cornelis Theuenissen Bos on August 12, 1662, (14 years after Cornelis and Catalyntje died) stated that both were buried on the same day, leaving their five children under the guardianship of Bos and Theunix Direxsz (Van Vechten) of the Colony. Bos further states that he came to this New Netherlands in 1636 in the ship Rensselaerwyck in the service of Cornelis Maessen and that he served him six years; also that Hendrick Cornelisz Maessen was born on the ship and that the other children were born in New Netherlands.

In a letter from Kiliaen van Rensselaer to Jacob Planck, his agent in the New Netherlands, he wrote:

These two farmers, who have been very helpful to me, viz., Cornelis Maessen and Symon Walrichs, you will give a fair choice of the men who are coming but in such a way that they do not select all the best men, for others must have something, too. You will provide them with as many animals as can be supplied from the increase of the others, and in case they should want to settle on Paepzickens land, which I think has not yet been bought, make every effort to purchase the same or at best to cause the farmers to be established there with the consent of the owners.

In a letter dated August 4, 1639, Kiliaen van Rensselaer refers to the house of Cornelis Maessen which was being built. In a letter of June 16, 1640, van Rensselaer authorizes the securing of assistance of various persons among whom he mentions Cornelis Maessen van Buyrmalsen, to provide other farmers for the farms on which the farmers refuse to accept the terms of his previous agent, and to control all by the rules and ordinances and to obey him (van Rensselaer) as Lord and Master, which obligations began with the arrival of Cornelis Maessen and Symon Walricks, agreeable to their contracts of August 15, 1636, in Amsterdam.

It is clear that Cornelis Maessen was not merely an ignorant peasant, but a small farmer of intelligence, integrity, and determination, and that his efforts had been well recognized by the Patroon (Kiliaen van Rensselaer). The Patroon required a tenth of the produce of each farm. In 1644 Cornelis paid him 100 bushels of wheat, oats, and rye, besides a few peas, showing that he had harvested about 1,000 bushels of grain.

On October 24, 1646, Cornelis purchased a piece of property described as: "A house and plantation at the North River on the Island of Manhattan, next to Wouter van Twiller and Thomas Hall." It was located between the present Christopher and 14th Streets with boundaries near to those streets and doubtless having North River frontage.

GEDCOM Note

Bio notes: b. ABT 1610; m. Cornelis Maessen 1635 in Gelderland, Holland child: Marten Cornelissen Van Buren b. 1629