Pieter Claesen Wyckoff

Parents are not known

Pieter Claesen Wyckoff (ca. 1620 – June 30, 1694) was a prominent figure in Dutch and later English colonial Kings County, Long Island, New York. Most persons surnamed Wyckoff in North America, including many variations in spelling, can be traced to his family.[1][2]

Biography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Claesen_Wyckoff

Pieter emigrated from Norden, then in East Frisia but now in Germany, to America as a contract farm worker for a period of 6 years at a salary of at first 50 then 75 Guilders annually, working at Rensselaerwyck, near present-day Albany, New York. Pieter Claesen made a settlement with the Van Rensellaer estate for the short time remaining on his work contract. He then rented a farm for himself and soon after married Grietje Van Ness, daughter of a prominent local family. She may have brought both wealth and superior education to the family. Their first two children were born in Rensselaerwyck.[1] In 1655 Pieter Claesen signed a contract to superintend the bowery (farm) and cattle of Peter Stuyvesant in New Amersfoort, on Long Island.

Children

1. Nicholas Pieterse Wyckoff (1646–1714) m. Sara Monfoort (1656–1704)
2. Margrietje Pieterse Wyckoff (c. 1648–?) m. Matthys Brouwer
3. Annetje Pieterse Wyckoff (1650–1688) m. Roelof Martensen Schenck, Captain (1619–1704)
4. Mayken Pieterse Wyckoff (1653–1721) m. Willem Willemsen (c. 1637- c. 1722), son of Willem Gerritsen and Mary -
5. Willemptje Pieterse Wyckoff (c. 1654 – c. 1693) m. Adrian Pieterse Kenne
6. Cornelius Pieterse Wyckoff (c. 1656–1746) m. Gertje Charity Van Arsedalen
7. Hendrick Pieterse Wyckoff (c. 1658–?)
8. Geertje Pieterse Wyckoff (c. 1660 – c. 1711) m. Christoffel Janse Romeyn (c. 1641- c. 1748)
9. Garret Pieterse Wyckoff (1662– c. 1705) m. Catherine Johannesdr. Nevius
10. Marten Pieterse Wyckoff (c. 1663 – c. 1699) m. Hanna Willemse (c. 1660- c.1724), dau. of Willem Gerritsen and Mary Jan Pieterse Wyckoff (1665 – c. 1730) m. Neeltje Williamse Couwenhoven

Death

Pieter Claesen Wyckoff died in 1694 and he may be buried along with his wife Grietje Van Ness in the Flatlands Dutch Reformed Church in Brooklyn, New York.[1]

contemporary video on YouTube

There is NO evidence for Claes Cornelissen Wyckoff and Margaret Wyckoff being the parents of Pieter Claessen Wyckoff. See my new book on this subject by searching Wykoff Wyckoff (author and subject) at amazon books. Sincerely, William Wykoff

Some or many claim that he is the son of Capt. Claes Cornelissen van Schouwen, av Sverige and Margariet van der Goes.

There is no evidence that Pieter Claesen Wyckoff was connected to Claes Cornelisz Van Schouw. The link needs to be severed. See Geni Project: Gustav Anjou. The Wyckoff Family Association was another victim of the fraudulent Swede. I have written about 30pp on the History and Meaning of the Wyckoff surname and submitted it to the Wyckoff Association. If you are subscribing members to the Wyckoff Association, you may see it in the near future. - William Wyckoff

===========

Referenced on: http://www.stipak.com/vanderveer/maria/bios/4.HTM

and: 8. Francis Bazley Lee, editor, Genealogical and Personal Memorial of Mercer County, New Jersey, 1907.

and: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Claesen_Wyckoff

The Wyckhoff House and Association are devoted to the history of the descendants of Pieter Claesen Wyckhoff. http://www.wyckoffassociation.org/association/h_pdfs/Wyckoff_Family...

Born in Sweden, came to Fort Orange, later Beverwyck, later Albany New York (called New Amsterdam at the time) Came from Norden or Nordingen in East Friesland, as an indentured servant of Symon Walichez. He was one of 38 laborers on the Rensselaerswick (also called Beverwyck) to be assigned to verious farms on the Van Rensselaer estate. He was assigned to Simon on 3 April 1637, to earn 50 guilders per year for the first 3 years, and 75 guilders for the last 3 years.

Pieter Cornelissen may have been an auncle of Pieter Claesen. As Claesen's contract matured, Simon Walischez's lease was cancelled on the grounds he was an unsatisfactory tenant, and the final settlement was made by the Van Rensselaer Estate. Pieter Claesen was now 18 years old, and rented a farm for himself and married Grietje Van Ness, daughter of a prominent citizen.

He and father-in-law Cornelis Hendrick Van Ness engaged in prolonged controversy with Van Slichtenhorst, the autocratic director of the colony, which ended when Pieter left the colony in June 1649 and Van slichtenhorst was arrested on 18 April 1652 by order of Pieter Stuyvesant, director of the colony. Considering the prominence of Cornelis Van Ness, one can but wonder what old world connection between the two families there may have been which led to the marriage of Grietje and Pieter, who had so recently been a laborer. Her superior education and rank must have been of immense importance to her young husband when he took up his new duties in Amersfoort.

Pieter and Grietje had 2 sons, Nicholas Claes Pieterson Wyckoff and Cornelius Wyckoff, before they moved to New Amsterdam in 1649. Lived there until 1655, when Pieter signed a contract "to superintend the Bowery and cattle of Peter Stuyvesant in New Amersfoort," and moved into the house on Canarsie Lane in Flatlands, Brooklyn, now known as the Wyckoff Homestead, 5816 Clarendon Road, Brooklyn 11203. He never owned the house in which he lived. Five (5) daughters and four (4) more sons were born there, for a total of 11 children.

But he started buying land around the area in 1652, and became a local judge, like our justice of the peace. He was influential in establishing the Flatlands Dutch Reformed Church at the junction of Flatbush Ave., and King's Highway. His remains are said to be buried in land now covered by the altar of this church. The Wyckoff Association in American planted a tree in the churchyard of this edifice on 22 May, 1938, in memory of Pieter and his many descendants. On 26 May, 1940, a bronze tablet inside the church was inscribed in his honor.

When the British took over the Dutch colony, they had difficulty with the Dutch names, and asked that the families take surnames by which they could be identified. In an 1867 roll, Pieter Claesen and his six sons appear with the surname Wijckoff; "Wyk" in Dutch meant "parish," and "hof" means court, referring to his work as a local judge in a town court, "of the town court." Nearly all American descendants with the 67 various spellings of this name are descended from Pieter Claeson Wyckoff, since he made the name up.

A Dr. Max Wickhoff of Vienna, writes that his family came from Friesland in the 17th century, and he believes that the Austrian Wickhoffs and American Wyckoffs derive from the same Friesian gentry living in the Austrian Netherlands, which then comprised a large part of Holland, Belgium, and East Friesland. There is a house in the province of Drente which is called Hof in der Wijk, or Wijkof ("local house").

All 11 children and Grietje were families of some importance. Grietje was from 2 families who carried a surname from generation to generation (while Pieter Claeson was named just for his father, Pieter, son of Claes).

Peter emigrated from the Netherlands in 1636. He settled in Flatlands, where he purchased land, and where on 10 July 1655 he was contracted to superintended the bouwery and cattle of Petrus Stuyvesant.

He was magistrate of New Utrecht in 1655, 1658, 1662, and 1663, and was in Feb. 1664, one of the representatives at the convention held at Midwout, for the purpose of sending delegates to the Netherlands, to lay before the States General and West India Company the distressed state of the country. He was also one of the patentess in the town charters of 1667 and 1686.

Pieter Claesen (Nicholas) Wyckoff (son of and ) was born ABT 1625 . He died ABT 1694 (Other spouses: )

Pieter Claesen (Nicholas) Wyckoff married Grietje (Margaret) VanNess on .
Grietje (Margaret) VanNess (daughter of Cornelis Hendrick VanNess and Mayke Hendrieux vandenBurchgraeff) was born . She died . (Other spouses: )

They had the following children:

Annetje (Anna) Piterse Wyckoff born: . died:

• [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=101644689. findagrave...] ;
• Immigration: 4 MAR 1636/37 From Nordingen or Norden, East Friesland To New Amsterdam 8
• Arrived as an indentured servent rose to be a prominent farmer
• Alternative place of birth Laechervelt (Vianen), Holland
• Pieter Claesz aka Wyckoff, Niclaesen, Claes, Claeszen, Claessen

  ---

Origins

From William J. Hoffman, "Claes Cornelissen Van Schouw(en), Meutelaer and the Wyckoff Ancestry", The American Genealogist Vol. 22, page 65

Home

References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Claesen_Wyckoff
• http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~brouwergenealogydata/genealogy/p251....
  • [S1612] William Forman Wyckoff, Wyckoff Family in America: A Genealogy (Summit, N.J.: Wyckoff Association in America, 1950), p.14. Hereinafter cited as Wyckoff Family in America.
  • [S2677] Wyckoff House & Association, The Wyckoff Family in America Fourth Edition., CD-ROM (Brooklyn, N.Y.: Wyckoff House & Association), Wyckoff Genealogical Files. Hereinafter cited as Wyckoff Family in America 4th ed.
• https://www.geni.com/discussions/125395?msg=881759 “ There is no evidence that Pieter Claessen was related to Claes Cornelissen. There is no birth certificate recorded for Pieter Claessen at The Wykoff near Norden in Germany from where he emigrated. Consequently, we do not know the exact year in which he was born.”
• https://www.geni.com/discussions/125395?msg=882327 “Marienhafe and The Wykhof also have a fascinating ancient history, especially since this was the home base of the famous pirate Claes Störtebeker. The Wyk- in Wyckoff stems from the same North Germanic word root as Vik- in Viking.”
• William J. Hoffman, "Claes Cornelissen Van Schouw(en), Meutelaer and the Wyckoff Ancestry", The American Genealogist Vol. 22, page 65 (1945): 22:68 (document attached)
• http://awt.ancestrylibrary.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=ddevries&i...
• https://rofheartjones.us/getperson.php?personID=I2084&tree=tree1
• https://longislandsurnames.com/getperson.php?personID=I3179&tree=Lott
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27704603/pieter-claesen-wyckoff (shows with disproved origins)