1644: Van der Grifts in New Amsterdam
November 6, 2023
New Amsterdam, a small city on Manhattan Island, New Holland, North America. Cropped image courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collections at: https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-256a-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
My mother’s father, Clarence Rowley Van Sant (1891-1963), was a direct descendant of Jacobus Leendertszen van der Grift (1622-after 1691) and his wife Rebecca Frederickse Leendertszen van der Grift (1628-1711), Dutch immigrants to New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in the 1640s.
Jacobus and his brother Paulus were employed by the West Indies Company. Jacobus served as captain of the ship Zwol, and Paulus served as captain of the ships Neptune and Grest Gerrit. After the Zwol was retired in 1644, Jacobus settled in New Amsterdam. He married Rebecca Frederickse in New Amsterdam in 1648.
In 1652, Jacobus was appointed as one of the officials who measured the grain that was imported to the city. Several years later, he became a citizen or burgher of the city. Despite his rising social status, Jacobus was plagued by severe financial problems in the 1660s. In 1662, he was living in Bergen, New Jersey. Two years later, he and Rebecca were listed as members of a church in Breukelen on Long Island. In Breukelen, he made an appeal to settle his debts in exchange for handing over land. In 1665, he was living near the North River in New Amsterdam. That year, as a Dutch burgher, he was forced to pay toward the expenses of housing one hundred English soldiers.
It is not clear if Jacobus’ financial problems were related to the British taking control of New Netherland in 1664, at which time they renamed the area where he was located New York. In 1673, the Dutch briefly retook New Netherland but the English took back control under the Treaty of Westminster in 1674.
In 1667, Governor Nicolls granted Jacobus a patent for land on Great Creek in Manhattan, which Jacobus sold to Isaac Bedloe. Several years later, Jacobus purchased land along the North River from his brother Paulus, who returned to Amsterdam with his family. In 1686, Jacobus was recorded as a resident of Newton, Long Island. His date of death is unknown, but his widow and children moved to Bensalem, Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1697. Rebecca was living there in 1710.
Jacobus and Rebecca had eight children, all of whom were baptized at the Dutch Reformed Church of New Amsterdam. Our Van Sants are descended from Jacobus and Rebecca through their son Johannes Jacobus Vandegrift (1667-1745) and his wife Neeltje Volkers Vandegrift (1669-1733).
Johannes and Neeltje’s son Fulkert Vandegrift (1695-1775) married Elizabeth Vansant (1697-1742) in 1719. Both Fulkert and Elizabeth were the grandchildren of Dutch immigrants to New Amsterdam. Fulkert was the grandson of Jacobus Leendersten Van der Grift and Rebecca Frederickse Van der Grift. Elizabeth was the daughter of Harman Gerretszen Vansant (1674-1759) and Elizabeth Brouwers Vansant (1681-1733) and the granddaughter of Dutch immigrants Gerritt Stoffelszen Vansant and Elizabeth Cornelius.
Garret Van Sant Married Elizabeth Larue
Fulkert and Elizabeth Vansant Vandegrift’s daughter Alice Vandergrift (1731-1801) married Abraham Larue (1734-1790) in 1756. Alice and Abraham’s daughter, Elizabeth Larue (1759-1835) married her distant cousin Garret Vansant (1745-1797) in the 1770s. Both Elizabeth Larue Vansant and Garret Vansant were directly descended from Harmon Gerritts Vansandt (1674-1759) and Elizabeth Brouwers Vansandt (abt. 1675-1730).
Elizabeth Larue Vansant was their great-granddaughter through her mother Alice Vandergrift’s mother, Elizabeth Vansant Vandegrift, who was Harman and Elizabeth’s daughter. Garret Vansant was Harman and Elizabeth Brouwer Vansandt’s grandson. He was the son of their son Garret Brouwers Vansant (1710-1755) and his wife Mary Dungan (dates unknown).
Name Variants
Vandegrift: Van der Grift, Vandergrift, Vandegrift
Van Sant: Vansand, Vansandt, Vansant, Van Sant
Sources and Notes
Barth, Barbara A., “The Van Sant Family of New Utrecht and Bucks County, Pennsylvania,” The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Record Vol. 127, Issue 3 (July 1996): 129-136; digital images, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/online-records/nygb-record/566-637/1 : accessed 22 May 2023).
Davis, William W. H., A.M., History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania Volume III, pages 24-30, [New York-Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1905], digital images, 2000, transcription, Bucks County Pennsylvania
PAGenWeb (http://pagenweb.org/~bucks/BIOS_DAVIS/vansantfamily.html : accessed 6 July 2023); entry for the Vansant family, descendants of Garritt Stoffelsen Vansandt, who arrived in New Amersterdam (Manhattan) in 1651 with his father Christoffel Harmenz. Citing July 2000 transcription by Robert C. Sommerfeldt of Wisconsin as part of the Bucks Co., Pennsylvania Early Family Project.
Davis, William W. H., A.M., History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania Volume III, pages 31-33, [New York-Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1905], digital images, 2000, transcription, Bucks County Pennsylvania
PAGenWeb (http://pagenweb.org/~bucks/BIOS_DAVIS/vandergriftfamily.html : accessed 6 July 2023); entry for the Vandegrift family, descendants of Jacobus Lendertsen Van der Grift, who arrived in New Amersterdam (Manhattan) around 1644. Citing May 2000 transcription by Judy Jackson of Missouri as part of the Bucks Co., Pennsylvania Early Family Project.
“Gerret Stoffelse van Sand,” blog post, 2012, The Van Zandt Society (https://www.vanzandtsociety.com/gerret.html : accessed 22 May 2023).