"Old Jan" Jansen Damen

On 12 December 1649, Jan Janszen Damen made his will. He mentions his wife, but not by name; the son of his deceased sister Hendrickje Jans, now living with the testator and called Jan Corneliszen Buys, alias Jan Damen; brothers (that is, of the testator), Cornelis Janszen Buyper, Cornelis Janszen Damen and William Janszen Damen; sister, Neltje Jans Damen; mentions the poor of Bunnick in the diocese of Utrecht; real estate and personal property. On 21 June 1651, is recorded the appointment of Areantje Cuvilje, widow of Jan Janszen Damen, of curators of her estate. Subsequently on 13 Septmenber 1651 of the same year, Jan Vinje bought a lot of the estate on the east side of Broadway.

Jan Jansen Damen

Jan Jansen Damen was born in the Utrecht region of the Netherlands around 1605. Around 1631, he arrived in New Netherland and became a trader at Fort Orange (Albany). Later, he moved to New Amsterdam where he became a privateer (a person authorized by a government to cruise the high seas and seize the ships of enemy nations). Jan Jansen Damen was also one of the original "Kerkmeestors" of the Saint Nicholas church in the fort at New Amsterdam.

Damen played a leading role in the public affairs of his time. In 1641, he was selected as a member of the Twelve Men, but he disagreed with the majority recommendation of patience and conciliation with the local Native American tribes, and advocated for war. Toward this end, Damen is reputed to have hosted a Shrovetide dinner in his home at which New Netherland Secretary Cornelis Van Tienhoven produced a petition urging Director Kieft to attack the Native Americans. It was signed by Damen, Abraham Ver Planck and Maryn Adriaensen. Director Kieft deemed the petition the work of all of the Twelve Men and ordered the massacre of Native people to whom the Dutch had granted shelter at Pavonia and Corker's Hook. As a reward, Director Kieft granted Jan Jansen Damen a patent to some of the most valuable land in Fort Amsterdam in 1644. It lay between the stockade and Maiden Lane, and Damen farmed there for the remainder of his life.

In 1643, Jan Jansen Damen was selected by the authorities as a member of the Eight Men but because of the role he played in the Pavonia massacres, his colleagues refused to serve with him and Jan Evertse Bout was chosen in his place. Four years later, Jan Jansen was a member of the Nine Men and when Adriaen Donck submitted the1649 Remonstrance of the Commonality of New Netherland to the Dutch parliament, the parliament ordered the Company to produce Secretary Van Tienhoven and his step-father-in-law, Jan Jansen Damen, in person so that their testimony could be heard.

Jan Jansen Damen sailed to Holland but returned to New Amsterdam, where he died on June 18, 1651.

http://www.nycourts.gov/history/legal-history-new-york/legal-histor...

Adrienne was also a refugee from France. Her last name in Holland was known as "Cuvilje." Known to the Dutch as "Ariantje," she lived until 1655. She married, second, Jan Jansen "Old Jan" Damen (Dumont), another Walloon who had first come to Virginia with the English, and later, in 1624, came north to the Dutch settlement. Jan and Ariantje had no children, and later, when he had built up the family fortune, by land grants and shrewd trading, his wife was his sole heir.

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At first Adrienne Cuvellier resided on a farm near the present Wall and Pearl Streets in New York; but after the death of Guillaume Vigne she was living outside the Wall (het Cingel) in the larger of two houses on the east side of the present Broadway, and which were the fifth and sixth houses portrayed on the Castello plan of 1660. In this place she resided continuously from at least 1632 until her death in 1655.

Guillaume Vigne died before 30 April, 1632, on which date a report was filed by William Weyman and Jan Tomaszen Groen, referees, as to the settlement of the estate made by "Ariantje Cevely" (sic) upon her children. The same day she married Jan Janszen Damen, a prominent burgher of New Amsterdam, and a friend of the Director Willem Kieft. Kieft leased two parcels of land to Jan Janszen Damen 19 April 1638, for 6 years (Ca. Hist. MSS. Dutch, I. A fuller transcript of this Dutch record is contained in Bulletin, Bibliography 46 issued by the New York State Education Department, Albany, N.Y., 1910).

During this time Jan Janszen Damen had trouble with his step-children, which assumed somewhat violent proportions. He instituted court proceedings 21 July 1638 against Abraham Isaacszen ver Planck and Dirck Volkertszen (Holgersen), to have them ordered to quit his house, and to leave him master thereof. Volkertszen countered with a suit for assault, and was ordered by the court to give proof. On the next day, 22 July 1638, Morrits Janszen and Peter de Mey testified before the court regarding an attempt of Jan Damen to throw Dirck Volkertszen's wife "out of doors." This was Adrienne's daughter, Christina. However, as Christina was a sponsor with her step-father 25 May 1642 at the baptism of Susanna, daughter of her brother-in-law Abraham Isaacszen ver Planck, these family differences appear to have been resolved.

During this time, Jan Janszen Damen had become one of the wealthy townsmen of New Amsterdam. He was one of the owners of the privateer, La Garce; and on 25 April 1644 his property is described as bounded by Wall street south, except for a small amount at the corner of Broadway and Wall (northeast ; and on the west side of Broadway, north of the churchyard -Thames St. boundary- to Fulton street; and to Maiden Lane on the east side and falling just short of the East River. He also had extensive land beginning approximately at Duane street and extending as far north as Lispenard, of irregular form, from roughly West Broadway to Elm street) (See Liber GG, p. 91, Albany, New York).