Abraham B Rutan

CHRISTENING: An extract from the register of infant baptisms in the Reformed Church of Metz reads: "June 10, 1658. Abraham, son of Daniel Rutan and of Anne de Bize, his wife. Godfathers Abraham Boudat and Paul Cluien, godmothers Marie Bancelin and Susanne Pilon." (Ruttan, 1986 p.7).

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: "While living in Metz, Abraham was a minor and no records of his life there have been found. Probably about 1670, he went into Germany, as did many other Huguenots, and settled in or near Mannheim in the Palantinate where he is believed to have joined the Hasbrouck Party and journeyed with them via Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and England to America, arriving in the town of Boston in early 1675.

Abraham, so far as is known, was the first and only of our name to have emigrated from Europe to America in these times. The Hasbrouck Party sailed on to New York and travelled on, reaching Ulster County in July 1675. They moved on to Esopus, the area around Kingston in Ulster County on the west bank of the Hudson River, where, in 1677, New Paltz was founded. Abraham settled there and the first record of him in America is as a sponsor, on October 14, 1679, at the baptism of a daughter of Peter Deyo, one of the "Douzaine" (the twelve families that established New Paltz) at Kingston, New York. In 1680, the exact date not known, Abraham married Marie Petilion (or Piteljon) who is believed to have come to America in the same group as Abraham. Their children were amongst the first to be baptized in the French Church, which had been established in 1683 at New Paltz.

On September 1, 1689, Abraham took the Oath of Allegiance to the English Crown. By indenture dated October 26, 1699, Abraham bought a parcel of land and meadow in New Barbadoes in the County of Essex in the Province of East New Jersey from Thomas Noell of the City of New York, merchant, and Hannah, his wife. There he and Marie and likely some of their children lived and it seemed prospered, until he died on May 19, 1713. Marie (Mary) died later that same year. With the exception of a parcel of land that had been given to their eldest child, Daniel, and some other small bequests, her will dated February 19, 1712 (or possibly 1713?) directed that her estate be distributed in equal proportions amongst her children. While there is some disagreement among researchers, it appears that Abraham and Marie had twelve children, the first five of whom are recorded as being baptized in the French Church at New Paltz" (Ruttan, 1986 pp. 10-11).

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: "The first known of the Rutan family (in America) is one Abraham Rutan who came to America from Platz-Loraine in 1677. Loraine at that time belonged to France and it was on account of religious persecution that Rutan and a party of friends first went to Manheim, Lower Pallalinate, Germany, from there to Holland and from there to America, landing at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1677 and settling at New Platz, Ulster County, New York. Abraham Rutan married Marie Patiljon who was supposed to have come from Lorraine with the Rutan party. We have no record of her family, however, earlier than 1678 when Marie joined the Dutch Reformed Church of New York City. The date of the marriage of Abraham Rutan and Marie Patiljon is unknown. The earliest church records that we have are recorded in the Dutch Reformed Church, New York City, when in 1860 Abraham Rutan was Godfather for Racheal, the daughter of Abraham Hasbrouck, and also for Samuel, the son of Moses DeGrave." (From a genealogical record of the Rutan Family assembled by Howard Rutan, posted to GenWeb on the Internet by Warren Simmons).

He married Marie PETILION in 1680 in New Platz, Ulster, New York. Marie PETILION was born about 1662 in of Metz, Lorraine, France. Died about 19 May 1713 in New Barbadoes, Bergen, New Jersey. BIRTH: Her birthplace may have been New Paltz, Ulster, NY.