Arendt Jansen van Naerden Prall

Arendt Jansen Praal was born in 1645 in Naarden, Holland, the son of Jan Praal, and died on Oct 24, 1731 in New York around the age 86.

He married Maria Billiou on Jun 3, 1670 in Wiltwyck, New York. She was the daughter of Pierre Billiou and Francois DuBois. Maria was born Mar 3, 1649/50 in Leiden, Holland, and died before her father wrote his will in Sep 1699 on Staten Island, New York.

There is a memorial pillar inscription at the Church of the Huguenots, Huguenot Park, Staten Island, New York, which reads:

"Sacred to the memory of Pierre Billiou and of Francoise Dubois, both of Artois, who were married in the Walloon Church Leyden April 20, 1649, and emigrated to the New Netherlands May 9th, 1661, and of their daughter Marie Billiou, who married at Wiltwyck, Jun 3, 1670 Arendt Jansen Prall, who died on Staten Island 1725. May they rest in Peace."

The children of Arendt Jansen Praal and Maria Billiou were:

• i. Pieter, b. May 5, 1762, m. 1st, Elizabeth --, 2nd, Maria Christopher in 1693, 3rd, Althea Garritson
• ii. Mary, b. Jul 21, 1674, m. Johannes DeCamp in 1701, d. aft. 1721
• iii. Frances, b. Aug, 1676, m. Charles Morgan
• iv. Johannes, b. 1678
• v. Borache, b. 1679, d. bef. 1680
• vi. Barentje, b. Aug 22, 1680, m. Oreck Hopper
• vii. Arendt, b. 1685, m. 1st, Antje Staats, 2nd, Mary Bowman ca. 1729, d. May 5, 1766
• viii. Sarah, b. 1687, m. 1st, Matthys Swaim, 2nd, Simon Van Name, d. bef. 1737
• ix. Mathews, b. ca. 1689
• x. Martha, b. ca. 1690, m. 1st, Christoffel Christopher in 1710, 2nd, Johannes Swaim, d. bef. 1721

Sex: Male

Father: Jan Prall

Mother:

Birth: 1647 Naerden, Holland

Death: 24 Oct 1731 New York, NY

Immigration: Bef 1674 New York, NY from Holland

Family 1

Spouse/Partner: Maria Billiou b. 3 Mar 1650 d. Bef 1690

Children:

 Mary Prall  b. 21 Jul 1674 d. Aft 1721  

http://www.prallfamily.name/

The first Prall immigrant to America was Arendt Jansen Prall, the ancestral father of almost all Pralls living today in the United States, probably born in the Netherlands about 1647, who spelled his name Praal. The earliest documented record of Arendt found in America is in the Old Dutch records of Kingston, New York from 1660. The name Arendt is equivalent to the English name Aaron. Arendt and his family moved down the Hudson River from Kingston to Staten Island, NY., around 1670, and there he lived until his death in 1725. In 1670 he married Maria Billiou, daughter of Pierre Billiou. Peirre's house still stands today, owned by the Staten Island Historical Society. Some of his children and descendants remained on Staten Island, and later grew hay on Prall's Island in the Arthur Kill between Staten Island and New Jersey, but others bought land west of the Hudson and moved to New Jersey and Pennsylvania; and eventually throughout the country.

The island is named for a descendant or descendants of early Staten Island settler Arendt Jansen Prall Van Naarden (c1647-1725) (in Dutch, Praal), probably his grandson Abraham Prall (1706–1775), a local farmer.[1] It was originally known as Dongan's Island, after New York Governor Thomas Dongan (1634–1715), who took the office in 1688. The name was later corrupted to Duncan's Island. Prall's Island did not take hold until the late 19th century. The island is now owned by the City of New York and is maintained by New York City Department of Parks and Recreation as a bird sanctuary.[2]