Cornelius Barentsen Slecht

Cornelis Slecht made out his will (Anjou wills V 1 191) and died in Kingston on November 5, 1697. Apparently Cornelis did move from Kingston for a short time after the death of Tryntje in September, 1664. Flatbush deeds (A-64) show he bought property in Flushing, New York in 1669, and sold it three years later. Cornelis married his second wife, Elsje Janse Van Bresteede, the widow of Hendrick Jochemsen Schoonmaker, of another prominent family, on September 26, 1684.

This family could have immigrated to Dutch America as early as 1652. The first record for Barent and family is found at the Dutch Reformed Church at Eposus NY in 1660:

To the Glory of God and in Memory of. . . Cornelius Slecht his wife Tryntje Tysse. . . Who partook of the First Lord's Supper in this church on the 26th day of Dec. 1660

Like Abraham of old, they first builded an altar unto the Lord, and then pitched their tents.

The next record for Barent is the 3/29/1662 passenger list for the ship de Purnerlander Kerck to New Amsterdam. Did Barent sail back to the Netherlands and then return again on this ship? As part of the Tryntje's probate, there is an annotation about the "money in Holland."

The family of Cornelis Barensten Slecht was destined to become allied by marriage to the Schoonmakers. "Slecht translated is plain, but although hot-headed, quick, and resentful, Cornelius Barensten Slecht, though troublesome to the civil authorites, was not a bad man. &nbspHe emigrated from Woerden province of South Holland, and settled in Esopus quite early. &nbspHis wife, Trynje Tysen Bos, was midwife there in 1655, duly licensed by Stuyvesant. He occupied an honorable position in society until his death in 1671.

His children were two sons:

1. Hendrick, married in 1666;
2. Alstjen Barents Mattys married Maria Crispell -

and three daughters:

1. Jacomyntje married first, J. B. Kunst; second, Garret Foecken; and third, Jan Eltinge;
2. Anneje married Cornelius Hoogenboon; and
3. Petronella, was the wife of Jochem Hendrix Schoonmaker, the Progenitor of the Rochester family of that name." (The History of Ulster County, Chapter XII)

Cornelis Barentsen Slecht of Woerden, near Leyden, Holland, father of Jacomyntje (Slecht) Kunst and grandfather of Jannetje Kunst, wife of Corneils Gerretse Nieuwkirk, was in New Netherland as early as 1652. In 1653 his wife, Tryntje Tysen Bos, was a licensed midwife in Esopus. He was a miller and magistrate, prominent in civil affairs of Esopus and in those of the church.

Most people in the then inhabited portions of Ulster County were Hollanders and recognized the laws of their native country as proper for their observance in the new. At the beginning little law was needed, for generally each respected the rights of others; contracts were promptly complied with, and little disorder prevailed. but, as the small neighboring communities of Kingston and Hurley increased in population, a form of local government became necessary.

On May 16, 1661, knowledge came to Peter Stuyvesant, Director General of New Netherland, that Esophus, which had been inhabited for six or seven years, was without government. He, therefore, immediately erected the locality into a village and granted it a charter under the name Wiltwick, which was afterwards changed to Kingston. The charter so granted provided punishment for offenses, and required the enforcement of the laws of the fatherland. To this end a board of Schepens was created, it being in effect a court, with additional powers to look after the county business generally. The first Schepens appointed were Albert Heymans Roosa, Cornelius Barnetsen Slecht and Evert Pels, with Roelof Swartwoud as Schout (Sheriff). All these were native Hollanders.

At the burning of Hurley by the Indians, June 7, 1663, Cornelis Barentsen Slecht and son Hendrick were officially reported as present, but in the official list of captives no mention of the name of any member of this family is found. A few years before, however, a son of Mr Slecht had been captured by the Indians, made to run the gauntlet and then burned at the stake.

In the Spring of 1664 the English assumed control of New Netherland. The Dutch, traditionally loyal to their fatherland, and indomitable in spirit, resisted this so far as in their power. Nevertheless, an English garrison was at once established at Warwick under the command of Captain Daniel Brodhead. This created an unfortunate situation, and disorder, fighting and rioting ensued. On April 28, 1667, a petition, signed by a large number of the inhabitants, was forwarded to the Governor, reciting that "upon the 4th day of Feb last, upon the doleful cry and lamentation of the children of Cornelis Barentsen Slegt, that their father was miserably beaten and wounded by Capt. Brodhead," they had repaired to his house and ascertained that the complaint was true. this was soon followed by another petition which recited "That Cornelis Barentsen Slegt is beaten in his own house by his soldier George Porter, and after this by the other soldiers, and forced to prison, and at his imprisonment used very hard...and his arms by force taken out of his house which still do remain by said Capt Brodhead."

If these petitions served no further purpose, they gave the governor the information which he needed, namely to locate the causes of the clashes, and the leading characters therein.. some of the causes seem of little consequence now, but then they were large factors. As an instance: Tjerck Classen De Witt was beaten by Capt Brodhead and cast into prison. He afterwards testified before a commission, that he reason the Captain beat him was because he 'would keep Christmas Day on the day customary with the Dutch and not on the day according to the English observation." Capt Brodhead admitted all this to be true, but insisted that the offense was a sufficient justification for the treatment administered.

Matters went from bad to worse, and on April 16 1667, the Governor appointed a commission to investigate the troubles. this was a mere formality since the findings had already been prepared. there was to be no jury and but few admitted to the hearing. It was, therefore, easy for the commission to decide that a state of rebellion and insurrection existed, and that the four principal instigators were Antonie d'Elba, Albert Heymans Roosa, Arent Albertson and Cornelis Barentsen Slecht. These gentlemen were taken to New York for sentence, and Roosa was banished for life from the government; the others for shorter terms out of Esopus, Albany and New York. these sentences were soon modified, and the accused permitted to return to their homes, but the spirit of resistance was neither modified nor crushed.

Captain Brodhead was finally suspended, and died July 14 1667, leaving a widow and three sons - Daniel, Charles and Richard, all of whom became prominent and highly respected citizens, an n whose descendants espoused the cause of American Independence with a fealty and devotion equal to any engaged in that great cause.

The Van Neiuwkirk, Nieukirk, Newkirk Family

by Adamson Bentley Newkirk

from The Genealogical Society of PA

March 1934, pg 1-105

Additions by William J Hoffman

v13 1-2 (Oct 1938) 122-126 (43 pages)

Alternate last name spellings: slack, Slegt

Notes for Cornelis Barentszen Slecht: Cornelis signed legal document in Woerden; was a distiller + brandy maker emigrated from Woerden, Holland with wife and at least 4 children

settled at Kingston,NY; regarded as one of early founders Cornelius supervised building of the Kingston stockade. one of first three appointed to Board of Schepens by Gov. Peter Stuyvesant. appointment was before New York was yielded by Dutch to the British. occupation listed as brewer; owner of land in New Paltz Grant first wife served as a midwife in the new land Active in mutiny against British, beaten in his brewhouse - not banished Old Dutch Church in Kingston has his and 1st wife's name on marble plaque. marble plaque in church vestibule lists those first communicated at the church purchased property in Flatbush (Brooklyn), sold it 3 years later Will V 1 191, Anjou, New York: last will and testament.

Cornelis Barentszoon Slecht lived in Woerden, Holland, where he is mentioned in records of 1640-1653 as a distiller and brandy maker. Records show the Slecht family were substantial landowners in Holland . Most of the emigrants from Holland and the Netherlands to New Netherland were financially well off. Cornelis lived close to his parents in Woerden. Nathaniel Sylvester, in his book "History of Ulster County, New York", part 1 , p 47, notes that, though the Dutch translation of Slecht means "bad ," he was not a bad man, though he was known to be hot-headed, quick , resentful, and troublesome to civil authorities. The name was attached as a nickname to earlier relatives and, for some reason, the family adopted it. Likely the name did not have a stigma in Holland a s the history of the name was known and was likely in the context of "knave," but in New Amsterdam, the context was absent, and the family soon changed the spelling.

In 1640, Cornelis took over the land of his father in Snelle . In 1645, he paid 500 guilders for a bordering parcel of land of on emorgen, 47 rods. A few tile makers had purchased the rights to remove the clay NW 8514, September 22, 1645). In July, 1649, he sold the feudal rights to the land to the orphanage in Amsterdam (Government Archives, Utrecht, Heren Montfort, 292 f 357). In January, 1650 , he paid 2100 guilders for a house in the Voorstraat in Ijsselstein , paying half in May, 1650 after taking possession, the rest in 1651 (NW 8514, January 29, 1650), but he actually stayed in Woerden to live. In December, 1651, the known Cornelis Barentszoon Slecht, "brewer and and distiller of branding in this city", gave an IOU of 612 guilders 10 stuivers with the brothers Rietvelt against the delivery of lean pigs. He would pay this bill from the delivery of 29 pigs at he now "op sijn schodt" had fattened. Likewise, he carried a claim that he had from a resident of Lieden against the delivery of 11 fat pigs (NW 8509,

December 12, 1651. Cornelis made arrangements with a solicitor in Leiden, giving him power of attorney on March 19, 1652 to collect his claim from this buyer of his pigs (NW 8510, March 19, 1652). The last mention a bout him in Woerden is an action from March 17, 1653, where he, as partner of Tryntje Tijsse Bosch, gave power of attorney to Jan Corszoon Rietvelt, one of the previously named brothers, to collect the receipts and titles of her portion in the sale of goods from the estate of her father [an indication that she was not going to be around as she and her husband were planning to emigrate to New Nederland]. Cornelis emigrated from Woerdon, Holland to America with his wife, Trijntgen Matthijsdochter Bosch (spelling in old Dutch records in Woerden), and at least four of his children after March, 1652/1653, arriving in New Amsterdam but did not stay long. The last mention of Cornelis in Woerden records was a legal document, now in the Dutch archive, which he signed on March 17, 1653, where he, as partner of Trintje Tijsse Bosch (she also used this middle name), gave power of attorney to Jan Corszoon Rietvelt, one of the earliest named brothers, to collect the receipts and titles from the sale of her portion in the sale of goods from the estate of her father. Not long after that, they sailed with their children to New Netherlands.

When his son Hendrick applied for citizenship on September 26, 1687 he said he had arrived 35 years before. The Slecht family left Holland, likely from Amsterdam to New Amsterdam, and from there they likely sailed up the Hudson to New Orange (now Albany), and shortly afterward settled as one of the orginal families in Esopus, now known as Kingston, New York. Esopus which was one of the nation's first settlements and as Kingston was the first capitol of New York, later moved to Albany due to threats from the British Army during the Revolution. From the beginning, Cornelius took a prominent and active part in the affairs of the New Reformed Dutch Church and the new settlement, was appointed a magistrate, and as the town brewer, was an indispensible member of the community. The first Reformed Dutch Protestant Church of Kingston is one of the oldest of that denomination in the country, and from it many of the old churches in the counties of Ulster and Orange originated. There was a great scarcity of ministers and appeals were constantly send to the Classis of Amsterdam for a properly qualified man. After a candidate, Hermannus Blom, visited Esopus and preached on August 17, 1659, he was found to be so acceptable that a church was organized and a petition was signed by Cornelius and eleven others calling for him to become their preacher (" History of Ulster County" by Nathaniel Sylvester, p. 220).

Kingston has an interesting history. In 1609, the Dutch ship Half Moon sailed up the Hudson River and passed by the creek, later named Rondout Creek, near which the future Kingston, in a beautiful area, surrounded by the Catskill Mountains, two creeks, and the Hudson River, would be built about 90 miles from New York City. In 1652/1653 (old calendar), a handful of settlers, likely including Cornelis Slecht, from Holland moved down from Albany, landing along the creek to the south but settled by the creek to the north where the land was rich. Thomas Chamber, the founder of Kingston, settled in Wiltwyck at Esopus (Kingston) on June 5, 1652 (Dutch patent finally given on November 8, 1653). They were attracted by the fertile flood plains of the Esopus Creek and, in 1653, they arranged to purchase land from the Esopus, a tribe of the Delaware Nation, and to farm near them along the creek to the north. On the slight promontory overlooking the flood plains, they built Dutch-style houses, using some English carpentry techniques learned from Thomas Chambers, of the local stone (some are still being used) in a village that they first called Esopus, and later Wiltwyck (Dutch for "wild woods", the third town of the Dutch colony, after Manhattan and Fort Orange, later Albany.) Cornelis is mentioned in Esopus records on Mary 31, 1658. The settlers did a good business with the local Indians: for just a few colored beads a trade could be made for fine pelts of mink, beaver, bear, deer, etc., as the Indians were fine hunters .

However, they had trouble with the Indians for several years over such matters as settler's farm animals destroying Indian gardens of corn and such and be shot, whereupon the settlers would become angry. Peter Stuyvesant advised the settlers to band together in a permanent town within a protective stockade and arranged to have soldiers help build the stockade. Several sources say Cornelis Slecht was a sergeant of the military company [General Register of the Society of Colonial Wars 1899-1902, Constitution of the General Society, Published by Authority of the General Assembly, New York, 1902] and is said to have supervised the construction. The palisades stood eight feet above the ground and protected what is now an area of ab out eight square blocks. (The perimeter of the old stockade can be seen today in the streets which follow its perimeter. This first settlement comprises the present uptown district. The lower downtown district was not settled until much later, beginning in 1825.) In 1659, several settlers came upon some Indians lying drunk in a meadow and shot some of them, causing the Indians to retaliate with an attack on the settlement. Cornelis, intelligent, a leader , and one of the few who was literate, wrote a letter to the Director-General which was signed by himself and the Dutch burghers. Cornelis wrote that his son Jan was killed during an attack on the town stockade. Some histories claim that Jan was among those captured by the Indians outside the stockade and subsequently tortured, forced to run the gauntlet, and killed, but this is not so. A letter written by Andries Laurens, the sergeant who was among those captured, names Jacob Jansen as the man captured and killed by the Indians. Other sources name the son of Barent Slecht, which may be Cornelis, but no son of Cornelis was captured and tortured by Indians (records mention that Barent Slecht was on a ship to America about 1669, so he possibly made a trip back to Holland).

A truce was arranged and an uneasy peace with some skirmishes was maintained until another war erupted , the Second Esopus War. After winning the war, the Director-General made an agreement with the Indians to move further away from the settlers to avoid further bloodshed. Director-General Stuyvesant chose Cornelis and three others as Commissaries (civil magistrates) to administer law and justice for Wiltwick, and they were so appointed on May 5, 1661. He stood for nomination in 1664, 1666, and 1671, and was again named in 1671 . In 1663, he was granted a lot for a brewery and bakery. His house stood at the mill gate and his brewery was on the south side of the mill gate. In 1664, Wildwyck was renamed Kingston by the English, who took New Nethelands in a treaty with the Dutch government after winning the war with Holland.

Cornelius was a strong supporter of his church and community and was appointed to various offices in the settlement, including commissioner, sergeant, and judge. When the British under Richard Nichols won control over New Amsterdam, the subjugation over the whole of the Dutch colony was a foregone conclusion, but not in the eyes of some of the Hudson Valley settlers like Slecht. The Dutch community was harassed and mistreated by the British. On February 4, 1667, the people of Kingston took up arms against the English in revolt [the British called the revolt against tyranny a "mutiny"] against their authority in response to the imprisonment of Cornelis Slecht after he was brutally and severely beaten for defending himself and his family against a small detachment of British soldiers under the command of Captain Brodhead who had entered his brew house and harassed his family.

During the confrontation, Captain Broadhead threw a dish at Cornelis and threatened to draw his sword on him, whereupon Cornelis struck him down with a blow to the head, drawing blood. He was then beaten severely by the soldiers and thrown in the guardhouse. The Dutch burghers marched on the British garrison, demanding Cornelis' release and the court ordered his release, but Captain Brodhead defied them all, saying he would keep Cornelis "as long as he wished," and implied the threat of violence from his soldiers should the matter be pressed. Later, during hearings on April 25, 16, and 27th, 1667 on the "Esopus Mutiny," Captain Broadhead admitted his actions and was suspended from his command for disobeying the orders issued by the British governor of New York forbidding harrassment of the Dutch citizens, dying in Kingston three months later.

A few "mutineers" were banished for a short time, but Cornelis was not among them, contrary to some histories. The actual court records show that Cornelis Bransen (or Brantsen, Barnson) Vos (see p. 122 of Fried's history of Kingston), not a relative, and apparently a farmhand of Cornelius Slecht , was the person banished for violent actions during the uprising and who is the person confused with Cornelis by both scholarly historians and subsequently, family historians who relied on the erroneous in formation. Cornelis' wife died in September, 1664. On April 12, 1669, Cornelius purchased property from Titus Syrachs (De Vries) in Flushing, New York [Lib. C. of Flh rec., p 5 3]. He may have gone there to escape British harassment. Three years later he sold it, according to Flatbush (Brooklyn) Deeds A-64. Cornelius married Elsje Janse Van Bresteede, the widow of Hendrick Jochemsen Schoonmacher, of another prominent family, on September 26, 1684. They had no children. Cornelis Slecht was a strong man who stood up for his beliefs, a brave man who never hesitated to defend himself, his family, and his country. Several of his descendants fought the British in the Revolutionary War. The Slecht's were strong supporters of the Dutch Reformed Church. As they were among the first ten communicants of the church in Kingston, their names are inscribed on a marble plaque in the vestibule of the old Dutch Church in Kingston. Cornelis was living as late as April 14, 1689 since he and Elsie were witnesses to the baptism of Eltje and Heskia, twin children of Hendrick Hendricksen [Schoonmaker] and his wife Geertruyd de Witt [Kingston Baptism #627].

Roscoe Keeney gives September 16 , 1690 as the date of Cornelis' death, but this has not been verified by this researcher. The family record and the records in Holland incorrectly state that the Slechts were ancestors of both of the Roosevelt presidents based on the erroneous assumption that Heyltje Kunst, who married Nicolas Roosevelt, ancestor of the Roosevelts, was Jacomyntje Slecht's natural daughter when Kingston court records show that Heyltje was in fact Jacomyntje's stepdaughter from her husband's first marriage, to Jannetje Jans. In Holland, Cornelis near ancestors had adopted "Slecht" , the nickname they had been given for the foibles of a few relatives , even though "Slecht" or "Slechten" meant "naughty", "bad" "evil" in Dutch. Doubtless this was done in a good-natured humor as an inside joke in the small community who knew them. Cornelis retained the name in America. However, those immigrants in America would not know the circumstances and would not understand the context of having a surname meaning "bad". The Slecht name did not, therefore, survive beyond his children, because later generations changed it to Sleight, Sleght, to eliminate the "bad" definition.

For the next century or so, Kingston would be a quiet country town, farming wheat nearby and shipping it eastward or up or dow n the Hudson. Kingston is reputed to have beauty without peer. The town of about 20,000 lies about 90 miles up the Hudson from New York City, near enough these days to attract the urban dwellers, some of whom are buying property in the area - so the beauty may soon become a memory of the past.... Try to visit Kingston before it is "citified"!

Sources: 1. Dorothy Exley (e-mail at 70544.723@@CompuServe , also at Dexley@aol.com), 2447 N. Quantico St., Arlington, VA 22207, phone: 703-534-5931. Dorothy has an immense amount of family history on the Slecht (Slack ) family and their relatives. 2. David O'Connor (e-mail at Slacknews@@aol.com) 55 43-14th Rd N Arlington, VA 22205; phone: 703-532-3124, fax : 203-260-8497 provided information from "Cornelius Barentse Slecht and Some of his Descendants" by Rev. Lawrence Slaght. 3. Janice (e-mail at JPaul@@aol.com), Tim Paulsen , her husband, is a descendant from Elsie Slecht and David Coriell , provided information from "6,474 Slack Relatives" by Roscoe C. Keeney. Mr. Keeney's phone: 304-346-2036 4. "A History of Ulster County Under the Domination of the Dutch" by Augustus Van Buren 5. Archives of the State of New York, vol. 1, p. 47 3, vol. 3, p. 81,116-119 6. "Jaarboek van het Central Bureau Voor Genealogy" , Deet 50, Den Haag, Central Bureau Voor Genealogy, 1996 7. "Early History of Kingston and Ulster County" by Marc Fried 8. Museum at the old Reformed Dutch Church, Kingston, New York

Books available at Hope Farm Press + Bookshop, 1708 Rt. 212, Saugerties, NY 12477, phone 914-676-6 809

Cornelius B. Stecht arrived in America about 1652 and settled in Esopus (Kingston) new Yrok. He was banished for a time and other children may be found in other records possibly in Neew York City.

He married (2) Elsje Jans widow of Henrich J. Schoonmaker 26 September 1864.

GEDCOM Note

6th great grandfather of President Theodore Roosevelt and also a great grandfather of many American Revolutionary War soldiers and of at least one Hollywood star, Marlon Brando. Cornelius was the son of Barent Corneliussen Sleght and Jaquemine Piertergen. He was one of the original Dutch colonists of New Holland and he helped purchase land from the local Native Americans and was a founder of more than one town in what is modern New York state. He married Tryntje Tysse Bosch in 1642. Their children include Chieltje, Cornelia, Jacomynte (5th ggm of Ted Roosevelt), Jan, Sytie, Matthys, Annetje, Hendrick, Petronella, Maria, and Trijte.

Per contributor Sara598: May 2, 1661, listed as a Magistrate in Wiltwyck - from the New Netherland Register p.71

GEDCOM Source

@R-2137982331@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.

GEDCOM Source

Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=16203183&pid...

GEDCOM Note

His name was initially Slecht.

GEDCOM Note

!Date of birth and place of birth unknow

!Date of birth and place of birth unknown. On 1 Nov 1660 mentioned as witness in a notarial document in Beverwijck in the colony Renslaerswyck now Albany NY. In 1675 and 1677 he lived in Flatbush now Brooklyn NY. Was wheelmaker and married in Kingston on 8 Aug 1666 Elsje Lieveling from Amsterdam. Still alive in 1694 when he was last recorded.

GEDCOM Note

!6474 SLACK RELATIVES BY ROSCOE C. KEENE

!6474 SLACK RELATIVES BY ROSCOE C. KEENEY JR, copy in my possession, pg.6 Children of Cornelius Barentse Slecht in his first marriage were: Jan, baptized 3-6-1643 in Holland and captured and later killed by Indians in America; Jacomyntre, baptized in Holland and on 7-25-1645, married three times and listed in the ancestry of the Roosevelt family in America; Annetje, baptized on 10-18-1647 in Holland, the wife of Cornelius Hoogeboom; Hendrick Cornelius; Mattys, who married Marie Crespel; and Petronella, who became the wife of Jochem Schoonmacher." Hendrick Cornelius Slecht, son of Cornelius, came with the Sleght family to American from Holland and took the oath of allegiance on 9-26-1687, declaring that he had been a resident for 35 years. He lived in Flatbush (Brooklyn) in 1675 and is listed as a member of the Dutch Refored Church there in the year 1685. His will, dated 9-23-1690, is included in the Flatbush records. Hendrik married Elsje Barentse Lieveling at the Dutch Reforded Church in Kingston, NY on 8-8-1666. Marriage records list him as a wheelwright from Woerdon, Holland. Hendrik and Elsje Sleght, after losing a child in infancy in 1672, were parents of the following children: Barent Hendrickse, who married Hilletje Jans; Cornelius Hendrickse, husband of Johanne Van de Water; Johanne Hendrickse, who married Catherine Jacobse Bergen; Abraham Hendrickse, who was married to Jannetje Van der Haven; and Anna Catherina, baptized July 12, 1685, who became the wife of Jannan Hofs. pg. 7: Hendrick Sleght, son of Cornelius Slecht, was probably born in Holland. In a statement made at the time of taking the Oath of Allegiance on 26 SEptember 1687, he declared that he had then been a resident of the county about 35 years. He was in Flatbush in Brooklyn, NY by 1675; was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church of Booklyn, 1677; and hel the office of Presentor, 1685. In 1681 Henry and Elsje Sleght stood as sponsors for Roelof, child of Jan and Jacomyntje Sleght Elting, i n the Kingston Dutch Reformed Church. He was called Hendrick Slaght in the Kings County Land Conveyance, 1694 (N.Y. G. & B. 54-) This is the first use of record of the spelling "Slaght." Hendrick's will was dated 23 SEptember 1690 and iis recorded in the flatbush Records, A-156. Hendrick Sleght and Elsje Barentse Lieveling, daughter of Barent Lieveling were married in the Dutch Reformed Church, Kinston, NY on 8 August 1666. He was listed as a wheelwright from Woerdon, Holland (Hoe's "Register of the Old Dutch Church" 502)... "HISTORY OF THE PENNINGTON, SLACK ETC. FAMILIES BY MARY TRICKLE, Baker, Oregon, 1956 FHL #468, 305 item # 5 pg 71 "...Henry Cornelius Slecht was a landholder in Flatbush, N.Y. in 1672 and a Member of the Dutch Reforded Church. His Will was dated Sept 23, 1690 before going to Holland. The Slechts were Scotch and the name was spelled "Slaeght" which means a Valley between two hills. the name had various spellings - Sleight, Slecht, Slaght, Slaeght and Sleght. The American spelling is Slack. All the Slacks in the United States are descended from these various families." HISTORY: CORNELUIS BARENTSE SLECHT AND SOME OF HIS DESCENDANTS, FHL US/CAN 929.272 S1225, pg 5-7 5.Hendrick Sleght, son of Cornelius Slecht, was probably born in Holland. In a statement made at the time of taking the Oath of Allegiance on 26 Sept 1687, he declared that he had then been a resident of the country about 35 years. He was in Flatbush in Brooklyn N.Y. by 1675, was a member of the Dutch Reformded Churh of Brooklyn, 1677; and held the office of Presentor, 1685. In 1681 Henry and Elsje Sleght stood as sponsors for Roelof, child of Jan and Jocamyntje Sleght Elting, in the Kingston Dutch Refordmed Church. He was called Hendrick Slaght in a Kings County Land Conveyance, 1694. (N.Y. G and B. 54 -). This is the first use of record of the spelling "Slaght". Hendrick Sleght and Elsje Barentse Lieveling, daughter of Barent Lieveling, were married in the Dutch Reformed Ch urch, Kingston, N.Y. on 8 August 1666. He was listed as a wheelwright from Woerdon, Holland (Hoe's "Register of the Old Dutch Church"502). Their children were: 8.a child who died in 1672. 9.Barent Hendrickse - md Hilletje Jans 10.Cornelius Hendrickse - md Johanne Van de Water 11.Johannes Hendrickse - md Catherine Jacobse Bergen 12.Abraham Hendrickse - md Jannetje Van der Haven 13.Anna Cathanrina - bpt 12 July 1685. Md Jurran Hofs. The ceremony took place on Whitmonday in Brooklyn, 1707. (Dutch Reformed Church of Flatbush, N.Y. Records, pg 421.)

GEDCOM Note

Elsie Janse/Van Breestede, 6 Sep 1684

Elsie Janse/Van Breestede, 6 Sep 1684

GEDCOM Note

!Distiller and brandy burner in Woerden

!Distiller and brandy burner in Woerden and later brewer in Esopus (Kingston NY).

!Took in 1640 the land of his father in the Snelle and enlarged it. Sold his land to the orphanage of Amsterdam.

!Lived close to his parents and later bought a house in Voorstraat in IJsselstein but lived in Woerden.

!Did in pigs.

!Last mentioned in Woerden on 17 Mar 1653 when he as husband of Trijntje Tijsse Bosch authorized Jan Corsz Rietvelt to receive their part of the sold goods from her inheritance.

!Emigrated with his wife Trijntje Tijsse Bosch to New Netherlands between 1653 and 1658. She became midwife in Esopus. On 26 Sep 1687 he stated that had lived 35 years in Nieuw Nederland. They settled in Esopus, later Kingston, were he is mentioned on 31 May 1658 and became alderman. After the English took over Nieuw Nederland he was one of those who resisted, took up arms and rebelled. On 16 Feb 1666 he was seriously wounded by a small English detachment of soldiers and banned for three years. Probably moved to Flushing where he bought land in 1669.

!From the notarial records in Woerden it seems that he had financial difficulties in 1651 and this could have been the reason to emigrate.

!From Cornelis Barentsz descended many families carrying the names: Slack, Slaght, Slaught, Sleight, Sleght etc.

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!In September 1665, soon after New Nethe

!In September 1665, soon after New Netherland had become a Province of Great Britain, the English Governor, Richard Nicholls, visited Kingston and placed Captain Daniel Broadhead in command at that place. Owing to that officer's tyrannical conduct, and the many acts of oppresssion and cruelty by the English soldiers under his command, the inhabitants rose in open hostility in 1667 and in a petition to Governor Nicholls for redress, they set forth numerous deeds of cruelty by the soldiers; vis: "Cornelis Barentsen Sleght is beaten in his own house by his Souldr. George Porter, and after this by the other Souldrs. forced to prison, and was by some Souldrs. at his imprisonment used very hard." "Cornelis Barentsen Sleght, being by Capt. Broadhead very ill treated, in his own house, was afterwards by the said Capt. forced to prison, and his armes by force taken out of his house, which still doe Remain by the said Capt. Broadhead." NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY RECORD, v. 31, p. 165. !Following the massacre of Wiltwyck, a military dictatorship descended upon the town; and a demonstration against the English conqueror which had been precipitated by the arrest and imprisonment of Cornelis Barentsen Sleght, schepen, brewer, and good friend of the innkeeper, Hendrick Schoonmaker, culminated in the Esopus Meeting of 1667. Heidgerd, Ruth P., THE SCHOONMAKER FAMILY; and NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY RECORD, v. 90, pp. 92-99. !Governor Nicholls on 16 April 1667 appointed a Commission to inquire into their troubles, and in his letter of instructions, he says: "Albert Heymans and Anthony d'Elba have spoken most malicious words, and I look upon them as great incendiaries and disaffect persons; if their words be proved they shall not be suffered to live in this government; if they have been actors in the late riot, pitch upon them two for ringleaders, and give order to inventory and secure their estates by the Schout and Commissaries." These t roubles are called the "Mutiny at Esopus" in the histories of the time. The Commission appointed by Governor Nicholls sat at Esopus for three days. Captain Broadhead, admitting the truth of the charges against him was suspended from his command and he died three months afterwards, on 14 July 1667 at Esopus. Anthony d'Elba, Cornelis Barentsen Sleght, Albert Heymans Roosa, and Albert Roosa's son Ariaen, "were found guilty of a rebellious and mutinous riot, and were taken to New York for sentence. Lieutenant Hendrick Schoonmaker, who had also been arrested, was found to have acted under duress and was released. Nicholls, by advice of his council on the 3rd of May, sentenced Albert Heymans Roosa to be banished for life out of the government." This sentence of the burghers was subsequently modified, and he returned to Esopus. Schoonmaker, Marius, THE HISTORY OF KINGSTON (1888), pp. 52-57; and NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY RECORD, v. 31, p. 165. !Among those who tood the oath of allegiance in the County of Ulster, 1 September 1669, were: Abraham DuBois, Thomas Quick, Cornelis Slecht, Jan Elting, Jan VanVliet, Jacob Van Etten, Jan Van Etten his son, Roeloff Swartwout, Tomas Swartwout, Benjamin Provoost, Louis DuBois, Johannes Westbroeck, Jan Broersen Dekker, Arrie Roos, and Evert Pels. NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY RECORD, v. 31, p. 236. !On 8 October 1684, in a prenuptial marriage contract, "Elsje Jans, having the greatest affection for her children, gives all her possesions after her death to Jochem, Egbert, Hendrick, Engeltje, Hendrix, and pieter Adriaens." Engeltje Hendrix, wife of Nicholas Anthony, is to inherit her share, that is, her grandmother's small closet, two pewter saucers, and a cow. Witnesses were Yan Stol and Jan Van Vliedt. An inventory on the estate of Cornelis Barentsen Sleght, a house and brewery, an orchard, hop-garden, three morgens of land across the Great Bridge, household furniture, described. "The mo ney in Holland shall be inherited by the children. The heirs of the deceased Tryntie Tysen Bos, in love and friendship with our father, Cornelis Barentsen Slecht, have agreed to divide their mother's property in the following way: Cornelis Barentsen Sleght to retain the amount, 75-Sch. of wheat, paying therefore 5% interest per annum, for which purpose he mortgages his real property, consisting of three morgens of land opposite the Great Bridge, house, orchard, brewery, and hop garden. The entire property shall be inherited by Hendrick, Jocomyntie, Mattys, Pietronella Slecht, at his death, except the 200 sc. wheat to Elsje Jans, Cornelis Barentsen's second wife. Signed Cornelis Slecht and Jan Elting; witnessed by Mattys Slecht and Jochem Hendricksen.

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Source: "6,474 Slack Relatives" by Rosco

Source: "6,474 Slack Relatives" by Roscoe C. Keeney, Jr., McClainPrinting Company, 1984. The first Slecht (also spelled Sleght, Sleight, Slaght, and Slack)came from Woerdon, Holland, with his wife and at least four children inor about 1652, settled at Kingson, New York, and was regarded as one ofthe founders of the settlement and the builder of its stockade. He wasappointed to the Board of Schepens (colonial assembly) by Governor PeterStuyvesant, before New York was yielded by the Dutch to the British. Hisoccupation was listed as a brewer and owner of land in the New PaltzGrant. In Holland he had married Tyrntje Tysse Bos. In their newhomeland she served as a midwife. The names of both Mr. and Mrs. Slechtappear on a marble plaque in the vestibule of Old Dutch Church inKingston, along with the names of the others who were first communicantsthere. The records also show that Mr. Slecht fought against the Britishin 1666 and, as a result, was banished (perhaps imprisoned) for threeyears. In 1684, Mr. Slecht was married to Elsje Jans, widow of HendrickJochensen Schoomacher. Children of Cornelius Barentse Slecht in his first marriage were:Jan, baptized 3-6-1643 in Holland and captured and later killed byIndians in America; Jacomyntre, baptized in Holland on 7-25-1645, marriedthree times and listed in the ancestry of the Roosevelt family inAmerica; Annetje, baptized on 10-18-1647 in Holland, the wife ofCornelius Hoogeboom; Hendrik Cornelius; Mattys, who married MarieCrespel; and Petronella, who became the wife of Jochem Schoomacher.

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<Notes for the family of Heynderick Corn

<Notes for the family of Heynderick Cornelissen Slecht and Elsje Barentsdochter Lieveling:>

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Cornelius Barentszoon Sleght From Find A Grave 6th great grandfather of President Theodore Roosevelt and also a great grandfather of many American Revolutionary War soldiers and of at least one Hollywood star, Marlon Brando. Corn

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Source: "6,474 Slack Relatives" by Rosco

Source: "6,474 Slack Relatives" by Roscoe C. Keeney, Jr., McClainPrinting Company, 1984. Hendrick Cornelius Slecht, son of Cornelius, came with the Sleghtfamily to America from Holland and took the oath of allegiance on9-26-1687, declaring that he had been a resident for 35 years. He livedin Flatbush (Brooklyn) in 1675 and is listed as a member of the DutchReformed Church there in the year 1685. His will, dated 9-23-1690, isincluded in the Flatbush records. Hendrik married Elsje BarentseLieveling at the Dutch Reformed Church in Kingston, new York on8-8-1666. Marriage records list him as a wheelwright from Woerdon,Holland. Hendrik and Elsje Sleght, after losing a child in infancy in 1672,were parents of the following children: Barent Hendrickse, who marriedHilletje Jans; Cornelius Hendrickse, husband of Johanne Van de Water;Jannes Hendrickse, who married Catherine Jacobse Bergen; AbrahamHendrickse, who was married to Janetje Van der Haven; and Anna Catherina,baptized July 12, 1685, who became the wife of Jarran Hofs.

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Life Sketch

See: Cornelius Barentse Slecht and some of his descendants : a genealogical introduction to one of the oldest families in America: https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/201060-redi...

mentioned in Woerden, Holland records 1640-1653 as a distiller and brandy maker 1640 took over father's land in Snelle 1645 paid 500 guilders for an adjacent parcel 1649 sold feudal rights to the land to the orphanage in Amsterdam 1650 paid 2100 guilders for house in Voorstraat in Ijsselstein but still resided in Woerden 1652 planning to emigrate, gave power of attorney to a solicitor in Leiden, to collect his claim from a buyer of his pigs last mention in Woerden records March 1653 giving power of attorney to Jan Corszoon Rietvelt to collect receipts and titles from sale of wife's portion of her father's estate abt March 1652/1653 emigrated with his wife and at least 4 children one of original settler families in Esopus/Kingston NY active in Reformed Dutch Church - among the first communicants, their names are inscribed on a marble plaque in the vestibule town brewer, appointed magistrate in 1661 is said to have supervised construction of town's protective stockade some confusion/sources disagree over whether this Cornelius Barentsen is the same man as Barent Slecht in some records and whether his son Jan was killed in an attack by Indians After the British took control of New Amsterdam, in 1667, CBS was among those Kingston residents who took up arms against the British; a detachment under Captain Brodhead had entered CBS' brewhouse and harassed his family, and CBS was imprisoned and beaten for defending them. Other residents marched on the guardhouse demanding his release, but Brodhead was defiant. The "Esopus Mutiny" as the incident came to be known, was the subject of numerous hearings in April 1667, and Brodhead was eventually relieved of his command.

from Grave citation - MEMORIAL ID 106044049: - 6th great grandfather of President Theodore Roosevelt and also a great grandfather of many American Revolutionary War soldiers and of at least one Hollywood star, Marlon Brando. - Cornelius was the son of Barent Corneliussen Sleght and Jaquemine Piertergen. He was one of the original Dutch colonists of New Holland and he helped purchase land from the local Native Americans and was a founder of more than one town in what is modern New York state. - He married Tryntje Tysse Bosch in 1642. Their children include Chieltje, Cornelia, Jacomynte (5th ggm of Ted Roosevelt), Jan, Sytie, Matthys, Annetje, Hendrick, Petronella, Maria, and Trijte. - Per contributor Sara598: May 2, 1661, listed as a Magistrate in Wiltwyck - from the New Netherland Register p.71

Jacomyntje was a stepmother to the Roosevelt ancestor. . The family record and the records in Holland incorrectly state that the Slechts were ancestors of both of the Roosevelt presidents based on the erroneous assumption that Heyltje Kunst, who married Nicolas Roosevelt, ancestor of the Roosevelts, was Jacomyntje Slecht's natural daughter when Kingston court records show that Heyltje was in fact Jacomyntje's stepdaughter from her husband's first marriage, to Jannetje Jans.

The entire property shall be inherited by Hendrick, Jocomyntie, Mattys, Pietronella Slecht Serviving children

Note: Further verification is needed to prove Chieltje Cornelissen is the child of Cornelius Barentsen Slecht. Many documents prepared over the years have indicated she is his daughter however recent research in Holland may indicate she was either his sister or not related at all. It is to be noted that Chieltje's parents have not been verified 100%. It's possible that Cornelis Slecht was a brother instead of . However many historical documents lay the claim that Cornelis was her father[8]

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!Roots & Branches by Wardle, pg 105 says

!Roots & Branches by Wardle, pg 105 says he was appointed commissary @ Wildwyck 5 May 1661. Later, Peter Stuyvesant granted a charter to Wildwyck. His name is given there as Cornelis Barentse SLEGHT. On pg. 109 it says he was banished from Esopus on 3 May 1667 for his part in a revolt against the English at the "Mutiny of Esopus". Marriage: He m. (1) Tryntje Tyssen BOS per AF subm. by: (a) Nancy P. NESMITH, 5440 S. Lighthouse Rd., SLC, UT 84123 subm. #AF89-101593; (b) Bruce N. CARPENTER, 3737 S. 95th East Ave., Tulsa, OK 74145 subm. #AF89-100280; (2) Elsje Jansen VAN BREESTEDE 6 Sep 1684 per GS of Mrs. F.A. ALDERKS of Perry, FL (Doc. #1144) This is confirmed on pg. 489 "History of Kingston" (Doc. #1146). Family: According to "History of Kingston", he was an early res. of Esopus and took an active part in the affairs of the church and settlement. His 1st wife is Tryntje Tysse BOZ. After her d. he m. Elsie Janse BREESTEDE, widow of Hendrick Jochemsen SCHOONMAKER. He left a number of children, some of whose desc. presently are res. of Kingston and vicinity (Doc. #1146).

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[janet skelton.FTW]

founer of the Slack ===
[janet skelton.FTW]

founer of the Slacks (Sleghts) in America (settled in Kingston NY) & Tryntje Tysse Bos; came from Woerdon, Holland with wife and 4 or more children in 1652 RK

Cornelis Barentszoon Slecht was born and raised in the Snell district,aportion of land extending from the city wall of the town ofWoerden,Holland, located on the Rhine River about 17 miles south of Amsterdam.Records show that the Slecht family were substantial landowners in theWoerden area. In 1640 Cornelis took over the land o fhis father inSnelle, which was the name of an area of land extending from the townwall of Woerden and in adulthood lived in a house near his parents. In1645, he paid 500 guilders for a bordering parcel of land on one morgen,47 rods. A few tile makers had purchased the rights to remove the clay(NW 8514, Sept. 22, 1645). In July, 1649,he sold the feudal rights to theland to the orphanage in Amsterdam (Government Archives, Utrecht, HerenMonfort, 292 f 357)29. In January, 1650, he paid 2100 guilders for ahouse in the VoorstraatinIjsselstein, paying half in May, 1650, aftertaking possession, the rest in 1651 (NW 8514, Jan. 29, 1650), but heresided in Woerden. In Dec. 1651, Cornelis "brewer and distiller ofbrandy in this city" gave an IOU of 612 guilders 10 stuivers with thebrothers Rietvelt against the delivery of 29 pigs he now "op sijn schodt"had fattened.Likewise, he held a claim that he had from a resident ofLieden forthe delivery of 11 fat pigs (NW 8509, Dec. 12, 1651). Cornelismade arrangements with a solicitor in Lieden on March 19, 1652, givinghim power of attorney to collect his claim from this buyer of his pigs(NW8510, Mar. 9, 1652). The last record of Cornelis Slecht in Holland isa power of attorney, signed on March 17, 1653 (now in DutchArchives),authorizing Jan Corszoon Rievelt, one of the brothers mentioned earlier,to collect the proceeds and titles from the sale of property from hiswife's inheritance from the estate of her father,an indication that shewas not going to be around to collect it herself as the family wasplanning to emigrate to New Netherland.

Not long afterward, Cornelis Barentszoon Slecht left Woerden for Americawith his wife, Tryntje Tysse (Tysen) Bos (Bosch), and at leas tfour ofhis children. They probably sailed from Holland in May, 1653, on thesailing ship "The Graeff". The Pieter Quackenbush family is recorded tohave emigrated on this ship in May, 1653.

The Slecht family arrived in New Amsterdam, where they stayed in Flatbushfor a short time, probably at the home of a carpenter tha tCornelius wasassociated with, Jan Roeloffsen, who helped to build the new DutchReformed Church at New Utrecht, in Flatbush. The Slechts then moved toKingston, Ulster County, as one of the first to settle there. Early 1656during the Indian troubles, Cornelis Slecht's name first appears inrecords in early 1656, during the Indian troubles. when he, in error, wassaid to be serving in the capacity of a cook at the house of ThomasChambers where some settlers had gathered for protection during askirmish with the Indians. Actually, Pieter Bruynen was the cook. Acloser reading of the record shows that Cornelis provided supplies toThomas Chambers.

Thereafter, Slecht's name appears frequently in the records of Esopus.From the beginning, Cornelis took a prominent and active part in theaffairs of the New Reformed Dutch Church and the new settlement.Thoughknown to be quick tempered and resentful and troublesome to the civilauthorities, he was, despite the meaning of his name (Slechtmeans "bad","mean" in Dutch, a nickname earned by relatives andadopted by thefamily), he was not a bad man; he was a vigorous ,stern, courageous manwith high moral principles, willing to defy unjust authority, who heldpositions of honor in the community unti lhis death. He and his wife wereamong the first ten communicants of the New Reformed Dutch Church theyattended in Kingston and their names are inscribed on a marble plaquelocated in the church vestibule. Cornelis was the town brewer and wasappointed as a commissioner by Director-Governor Peter Stuyvesant. He wasone of the few settlers who was educated and could read and write. Someof his descendants reside in Ulster County today, the family name nowspelled Sleight. On the south side of the creek once crossed by a ferryrun by a Sleight lies an area known as Sleightsburg.

Cornelis Slecht rented and farmed part of the Ebbingh de Hulter tract. Ina record dated November 12, 1661, reference is made to Slecht's "ownclaimed land, for which he has neither survey nor patent, estimated at 25morgens."

Cornelis began a brewery at least as early as the spring of 1662,according to court minutes. At this time, besides the various dwellingsand the church, there was a small grist mill in theneighborhood of wherethe tannery now stands in North Front Street,near the Corner ofWashington Avenue. The mill pond extended up thelow grounds toward thesouth, west of Green Street. The mill was owned by Cornelis, the schepen[a magistrate], and his house was nearit. Slecht's home stood next to themill gate. Two years later,Wallerand Dumont built a home next toSlecht's. According to Jonathan W. Hasbrouck, the brewery was located onthe south side of the millgate, and continued in operation into the earlynineteenth century .According to Sylvester, for the next one hundred andfifty years good beer was made in the brewery founded by Cornelis Slecht,with as good a reputation as the highly regarded Albany ale had later.

In September, 1655, most of the Indian tribes on both sides of the Hudsonbecame engaged in a war with the settlers of New Amsterdam and vicinity.When news of the outbreak reached Esopus, the few inhabitants fled asthey were living scattered on their farms withou teven a blockhouse forprotection. Some Esopus Indians were involved in the war at Manhattan,but all the violence was confined to the vicinity of New Amsterdam and noharm came to the settlers at Esopus and it did not appear they were everin any danger. A court record during the Indian trouble, concerning theoccasion when the settlers gathered at the house of Thomas Chambers forprotection, dated April 4, 1656, reads as follows:

" There appeared in court Cornelis Barentse Slecht, hereby to certifyatthe request of Joffrou Johanna de Hulter, widow of the late JohndeHulter, that it is true that he, the appearer, during the late troubleswith the savages, on the part of the afore said Joffrou, has delivered,on account and for the behest of Thomas Chambers, first, 150 lbs. ofbutter, 5 schepels of flour and four traces.

Also that one Pieter Bruynen, also appearing here, served as a servantatthe house of the said Joffrou, and he, have attended and servedat thehouse of the said Chambers, as is confirmed and corroborated bytheaforesaid Bruynen, also appearing here, and that he served in thecapacityof a cook at the house aforesaid. May God Almighty help him,the appearer.Done on the date above written."

Evidently misreading of this record caused some sources to say thatCornelis Slecht was a cook for Thomas Chambers at this time, but a closereading of the document shows that Pieter Bruyen attested he was the cookfor Thomas Chambers and Cornelis Slecht attested that he providedsupplies for Thomas Cook and the besieged settlers.

After several skirmishes with the Indians, usually after the Indiansobtained "fire water" from the settlers, the settlers asked the directorgeneral for a guard and also organized themselves into a militia corpsnumbering 69 men. Of the organized militia, Thomas Chambers was madecaptain and Hendrick Jochem Schoonmaker, lieutenant. Roeloff Swartwout,Hendrick Jansen, Cornelis Berentse Slecht, andPeter Jacobsen were minorofficers. An occasional drill kept them ready in case of threat or attack.

Anxious over the Indian trouble, the settlers sent a letter, dated May18,1658, signed by Cornelis Slecht and others, asking the council o fNewNetherland for assistance in protecting the citizens.Director-GeneralPeter Stuyvesant, who, wanting to ensure a permanentsettlement, made anagreement with the Indians for them to sell allthe Esopus and then movefurther into the interior away from thesettlers, whose cattle ate theIndian maize. Stuyvesant promised the settlers that if they would removetheir scatted dwellings and contain their settlement within a stockade ina defensible location that he would choose, he would send soldiers toprotect them and help with the construction of the stockade. CornelisSlecht and eight others made the following written agreement on behalf ofthe other inhabitants to remove their dwellings that were scatteredthrough thearea and form a village as directed by the Director-General:

" We, the undersigned, all inhabitants of the Aesopus, having fromtime totime experienced very distressing calamities and felt anddiscovered, toour loss, the unreliable and unbearable audacity of thesavage barbarousnatives, how unsafe it is to trust to theirpromises, how dangerous andfull of anxiety to live at separateplaces away from each other among sofaithless and mischievoustribes, have resolved (upon the proposition andpromises made by theDirector-General,the Honble Petrus Stuyvesant, thathe will give us a safe-guard and further help and assist us in futureemergencies) anddeemed it necessary for the greater safety of our 5 wivesandchildren, to pull down our scattered habitations in the mostconvenientmanner immediately after signing this agreement and to moveclose to eachother to the place indicated by the Honble General, toinclose this placewith palisades of proper length with the assistanceprovided thereto bythe Honble General, so that we may protect ourselves and our property by such means, to which the All-Good Godmaygive His blessing, against a sudden attack of the savages; whilewe bindourselves, after imploring God and His devine blessing on alllawfulmeans, to carry out directly unanimously and without oppositiontheforegoing agreemen

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Cornelius Barentse Slecht Cornelius Barentse Slecht Story taken from 350 years of American Ancestors by Mary Coates Martin Cornelis Berentsen Sleght came from Woerdon, Holland with his wife Tryntje Tysen Bos (Bosch) and at

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[janet skelton.FTW]

He sailed with his ===
[janet skelton.FTW]

He sailed with his parents to New Amsterdam, most likely about May,1653

Hendrick was born in 1642 in his parent's home in the district ofSnell,which consists of farmland adjoining the town of Woerden,extending fromthe town wall.

The family stayed in Flatbush for a short time. Flatbush was firstsettledby Jan Snedeker, Jan Stryker, and Tomy Swartwout, who askedDirectorGeneral Stuyvesant for the right to settle together on thelevel reach ofwild wooded land (de vlacke (vlacke was used in theDutch colonies torefer to geographic plains, flats, etc.) bosch orbos (Dutch for "woods"or "forest", meaning "flat wooded area" or"flat bush") adjacent to theoutlying farms at Beukelen andAmersfoort. Evidenly, the settlement wasgiven the name of the Dutchvillage of Midwout or Midwolde ("middleforest"), which lay about 25miles east of the city of Groningen, at thesuggestion of TomySwartwout as some of his his ancestors had longresided. The namealso described the terrain, so Flatbush could also havebeen a forestin the middle of two places. They cleared the land oftrees,thickets, and vines. They felled large forest trees for timberforhouses, barns, and fences. As mentioned in his father'sbiographicalnotes herein, Hendrick was actively involved in defending thetownfrom Indian attacks.

The family then settled up the Hudson River in Esopus, as Kingstonwasthen called. As mentioned inhis father's biographical noteshereing,Hendrick was actively involved in defending the town fromIndianattacks and, with his father, bravely helped drive the Indiansfromthe town though vastly outnumbered. On November 1, 1660, heappearedas a witness in a probate action in Beverwijk, in the colonyofRenselarswyck, now Albany, New York.

On the 4th of August, 1663, the court in Esopus issued a decree thatnoone was supposed to work outside the stockade without an armedguard.Hendrick was brought into court for working outside thestockade without aguard on the 9th of October. His father tried todefend him on the groundsthat the court did not have the authority toenforce the decree and askedpermission to appeal to a higher court.The court ordered Cornelis to payhis son's fine. On the same day,the schout charged nine of the farm handsemployed by Cornelis withthe same offence as Hendrick. Again, Corneliswas ordered to pay andwhen he did not, the men were jailed. They were setfree on the 1stof November when Cornelis paid their fines (HollandSociety, 1897, p131)

Hendrick married Elsjen Barens Lieveling on August 8, 1666. Theysettledat the new village of Nieu Dorp (Hurley), but soon moved toFlatbush,where became a member of the Dutch Reformed Church and wasso listed in1677. His father bought land in Flatbush in 1669, andthey may have rentedit until they bought a house in Flatbush in1675. Hendrick worked as awheel-wright. In 1675, The BrooklynAssessments of Personal Propertylisted Hendrick as a yeoman inFlatbush, owner of 22 morgens of land(about 50 acres), two horses,and four cows, with a total value of 86pounds. Hendrick and Elsjenwitnessed the baptism of Roelef Elting, a sonof Hendrick's sisterJacomyntje.

In 1685, Hendrick was listed as the presenter of the Reformed DutchChurchof Brooklyn. The function of the presenter was not only to leadthesinging during church services, but he recorded weddings,baptisms,witnessed legal documents and transactions, and carried onmany dutiesthat were later assigned to a Justice of the Peace. Hendrick was clerk ofthe church for one year and eight months before his death. As such, hewas entitled to payment and his widow appeared before the council at aBrooklyn town meeting on February 1, 1796 to ask for payment for hisservices.

On September 26, 1687, Hendrick and his son, Barent, took the oath ofallegiance at Breuklyjn (Brooklyn), when Barent was recorded as nativeborn in America.

In 1687 or 1688, Hendrick bought the estate of Susanna Dubbles, thedeceased widow of ferryman Joris Dircksen, located on Fulton Avenue atRaymond Street, which was described as 18 morgens, 510 rods "at theferry". According to Lamb and Harrison's "A History of New York","...aferry to Long Island had been established before 1638 from the vicinityof Peck's slip to a point a little below the present Fulton ferry.Cornelis Dircksen, who had a farm in the vicinity, came at the sound of ahorn that hung against a tree and ferried waiting passengers across theriver...for three Stuivers of wampum." The property was sold in 1705 tosettle Hendrick's estate.

Hendrick made his will on September 23, 1690, with a list of his childrenappended. He was listed as Hendrick Slaght in a King's County land conveyance, in1694, the first record of that spelling of Slecht.

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!In September 1665, soon after New Nethe

!In September 1665, soon after New Netherland had become a Province of Great Britain, the English Governor, Richard Nicholls, visited Kingston and placed Captain Daniel Broadhead in command at that place. Owing to that officer's tyrannical conduct, and the many acts of oppresssion and cruelty by the English soldiers under his command, the inhabitants rose in open hostility in 1667 and in a petition to Governor Nicholls for redress, they set forth numerous deeds of cruelty by the soldiers; vis: "Cornelis Barentsen Sleght is beaten in his own house by his Souldr. George Porter, and after this by the other Souldrs. forced to prison, and was by some Souldrs. at his imprisonment used very hard." "Cornelis Barentsen Sleght, being by Capt. Broadhead very ill treated, in his own house, was afterwards by the said Capt. forced to prison, and his armes by force taken out of his house, which still doe Remain by the said Capt. Broadhead." NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY RECORD, v. 31, p. 165.

!Following the massacre of Wiltwyck, a military dictatorship descended upon the town; and a demonstration against the English conqueror which had been precipitated by the arrest and imprisonment of Cornelis Barentsen Sleght, schepen, brewer, and good friend of the innkeeper, Hendrick Schoonmaker, culminated in the Esopus Meeting of 1667. Heidgerd, Ruth P., THE SCHOONMAKER FAMILY; and NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY RECORD, v. 90, pp. 92-99.

!Governor Nicholls on 16 April 1667 appointed a Commission to inquire into their troubles, and in his letter of instructions, he says: "Albert Heymans and Anthony d'Elba have spoken most malicious words, and I look upon them as great incendiaries and disaffect persons; if their words be proved they shall not be suffered to live in this government; if they have been actors in the late riot, pitch upon them two for ringleaders, and give order to inventory and secure their estates by the Schout and Commissaries." These troubles are called the "Mutiny at Esopus" in the histories of the time. The Commission appointed by Governor Nicholls sat at Esopus for three days. Captain Broadhead, admitting the truth of the charges against him was suspended from his command and he died three months afterwards, on 14 July 1667 at Esopus. Anthony d'Elba, Cornelis Barentsen Sleght, Albert Heymans Roosa, and Albert Roosa's son Ariaen, "were found guilty of a rebellious and mutinous riot, and were taken to New York for sentence. Lieutenant Hendrick Schoonmaker, who had also been arrested, was found to have acted under duress and was released. Nicholls, by advice of his council on the 3rd of May, sentenced Albert Heymans Roosa to be banished for life out of the government." This sentence of the burghers was subsequently modified, and he returned to Esopus. Schoonmaker, Marius, THE HISTORY OF KINGSTON (1888), pp. 52-57; and NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY RECORD, v. 31, p. 165.

!Among those who tood the oath of allegiance in the County of Ulster, 1 September 1669, were: Abraham DuBois, Thomas Quick, Cornelis Slecht, Jan Elting, Jan VanVliet, Jacob Van Etten, Jan Van Etten his son, Roeloff Swartwout, Tomas Swartwout, Benjamin Provoost, Louis DuBois, Johannes Westbroeck, Jan Broersen Dekker, Arrie Roos, and Evert Pels. NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY RECORD, v. 31, p. 236.

!On 8 October 1684, in a prenuptial marriage contract, "Elsje Jans, having the greatest affection for her children, gives all her possesions after her death to Jochem, Egbert, Hendrick, Engeltje, Hendrix, and pieter Adriaens." Engeltje Hendrix, wife of Nicholas Anthony, is to inherit her share, that is, her grandmother's small closet, two pewter saucers, and a cow. Witnesses were Yan Stol and Jan Van Vliedt. An inventory on the estate of Cornelis Barentsen Sleght, a house and brewery, an orchard, hop-garden, three morgens of land across the Great Bridge, household furniture, described. "The money in Holland shall be inherited by the children. The heirs of the deceased Tryntie Tysen Bos, in love and friendship with our father, Cornelis Barentsen Slecht, have agreed to divide their mother's property in the following way: Cornelis Barentsen Sleght to retain the amount, 75-Sch. of wheat, paying therefore 5% interest per annum, for which purpose he mortgages his real property, consisting of three morgens of land opposite the Great Bridge, house, orchard, brewery, and hop garden. The entire property shall be inherited by Hendrick, Jocomyntie, Mattys, Pietronella Slecht, at his death, except the 200 sc. wheat to Elsje Jans, Cornelis Barentsen's second wife. Signed Cornelis Slecht and Jan Elting; witnessed by Mattys Slecht and Jochem Hendricksen.

GEDCOM Note

Served as Schepens for Esopus From Ulste

Served as Schepens for Esopus From Ulster Co. Probates Cornelis Barentsen Sleght, widower of the deceased Trynntie Tysen Bos bridegroom and Elsje Jans, widow of the Hendrick Jochemsen, bride on Sep 26, 1684, agreed to the following marriage contract. The bridegroom donates to the bride as a dowry 200 sch of wheat. Signed by Cornelis Slecht, and Elsje Jans witness by Jan Eltinge and . . . Elsje Jans, having the greatest affection for her children, gives all her possessions, after her death, to Jochem, Eghbert, Hendrick, Engeltie, Hendrix and Pieter Adriaens. Inventory of the estate of Cornelis Barentsen Sleght. A house and brewery, an orchard, hop-garden, 3 morgens of land across the Great Bridge, household furniture (described) The money in Holland shall be inherited by the children. The heirs of the deceased Tryntie Tysen Bos, in love and friendship with our father, Cornelis Barentsen Sleght have agreed to divide their mother's property in the following way: Cornelis Barentsen Slecht to retain the amount, 750 sch. of wheat, paying therefore 5% interest per annum, for which purpose he mortgages his real property, consisting of 3 morgens of land opposite the great bridge, house, orchard, brewery, and hop-garden. The entire property shall be inherited by Hendrick, Jacomyntie, Mattys, Pietronella Slecht, at his death, except the 200 sch wheat to Elsje Jans, Cornelis Barentsen's second wife. Signed Cornelis Slecht and Jan Elting; witnessed by Mattys Slecht and Jochem Hendricksen.

GEDCOM Note

!Cornelius B. Slecht arrived in America

!Cornelius B. Slecht arrived in America about 1652 and settled in Esopus (kingston) New York. He was banished for a time and other children may be found in other records possibly New York City. !Married (2) Elsje Jans widow of Henrich J. Schoonmaker 26 September 1684

GEDCOM Note

!6474 Slack Relatives by Roscoe C. Keene

!6474 Slack Relatives by Roscoe C. Keeney Jr, copy in my possession, pg.6 "The first Slecht (also spelled Sleght, Sleight, Slaghtl, and Slack) came from Woerdon, Holland, with his wife and at least four children in or about 1652, settled at Kingston, New York, and was regarded as one of the founders of the settlement and the builder of its stockade. He was appointed to the Board of Schepens (colonial assembly) by Gov. Peter Stuyvesant, before Yew York was yielded by the Dutch to the British. His occupations was listed as a brewer and owner o land in the New Paltz Grant. In Holland he had married Tyrntje Tysse Bos. In their new homeland she served as a midwife. The names of both Mr. and Mrs. Slecht appear on a marble plaque in the westibule of Old Dutch Church in Kingston, along with the names of the others who were first communicants there. The records also show that Mr. Slecht fought against the British in 1666 and, as a result, was banished (perhaps imprisons) for three years. In 1684 Mr. Slecht was married to Elsje Jans, widow of Hendrick Jochensen Schoonmacher. Children of Cornelius Barentse Slecht in his first marriage were: Jan, baptized 3-6-1643 in Holland and captured and later killed by Indians in America; Jacomyntre, baptized in Holland and on 7-25-1645, married three times and listed in the ancestry of the Roosevelt family in America; Annetje, baptized on 10-18-1647 in Holland, the wife of Cornelius Hoogeboom; Hendrick Cornelius; Mattys, who married Marie Crespel; and Petronella, who became the wife of Jochem Schoonmacher." (Note; Valuable data on Cornelius Slecht may be found in the following: Ulster County, N.Y. Probate Records I-32; N.Y.G.&B. 31-163, 69- ; Flushing Records, P.53; Schoonmaker "History of Kingston"; and F. L. Van Wagnen "Garrett Conrad Van Wagnen.") "HISTORY OF THE PENNINGTON, SLACK, WATSON, GREE, MCEWAN AND POTTER FAMILIES by Mary Trickle of Baker, Oregon 1956" FHL 468,305 item #5 pg 71 "Cornelius Barentssen Slecht, of Woerden , Holland, was born about 1624; came to New Amsterdam in the ship "Hope" accompanied by his wife Tryntie Tysen Bos. Their son Hencrick Slecht and four under age children, Jacomeyite, Annette, Mattye and Petronella, was in Eusopus as early as 1652; he was sergeant of the company which built the Eusopus stockade. On May 31, 1653, he signed an agreement with Governor Peter Stuyvesant to build a stockade and make peace with the Indians. His son was captured by Indians in 1659 and was killed; his daughter was captured in 1663 and compelled to marry an Indian. In 1661 Eusopus became Wyltwick and he became a member of the first board of three Aldermen (Shapens). In 1663 he was engaged in the Indian attack on Wyltwick. On March 4, 1661 he was one of those who signed a contract with the Reverend Hermanus Blohm. He was also a amember of the Shepens in 1664, 1666, 1667, and 1671. He was one of the leaders in the insurrection against the oppression of the English Commandant in 1667. In 1669 Wyltwick was known as Kingston and in 1676 he became a member of the Court of Sessions. in 1663 he was arrested with his son Mattys and his son-in-law Jan Eltinge, for signing a petition to Governor Dongan asking the liberty of choosing their own officers for the town courts and to transport their own produce. He died in 1691; he married twice, firstly Tryntie Tysen Bos who died in 1676; and secondly Sept 26, 1684, Elsie Jans widow of Hendrick Jochemz of Breestic, she was a sister of his first wife, and both were half sisters of Governor Peter Stuyvesant..." HISTORY: CORNELIUS BARENTSE SLECHT AND SOME OF HIS DESCENDANTS, FHL US/CAN 929.272 s1225, PG 5-7: Corcnelius Barentse Slecht, founder in America of the family variously known as Sleght, Sleight, Slaght, and Slack (although not including Eliphalet Slack and his descendants), came from Woerdon, Holland with his wife and at least four children on or about the year 1652 (Van Wagnen p xxxiv). He settled at Kingston, NY where he is accounted as one of the founders of the city and the bhilder of its stockade, the outline of which may still be traced (Olde Ulster). He was appointed to the Board of Schepens (the colonial assembly) as a representative by Cov. Stuyvesant (NYG&B. 69). Some state that Cornelius was a brother in law to Peter Stuyvesant, but evidence for this seems debatable. By occupation he was brewer and the owner of land in the New Paltz Grant. His wife, Tryntje Tysse Bos, served as mid-wife in the community of Esopus (now Kingston). The names of Cornelius and Tyrntje Slecht, with about a dozen others, appear on a mable plaque in the westible of the Old Dutch Church in Kingston as the list of first communicants there. The records also indicate the Cornelius, with two other property owners, had signed a petition asking the church authorities in Holland for a postor and pledging their possessions as a guarantee of salary. When the British under Richard nichols won control over New Amsterdam, the subjugation over the whole fo the Dutch colony was a forgone conclusion but not in the eyes of some of the Hudson Valley settlers like Slecht. On 16 Feb 1666 he took up arms against the English in revolt against their authority and was brutally and severly beaten by a small detachment of British soldiers. For his temerity Cornelius was banished for three years. Where he went is not clear, although he seems to have gone to Flusing, NY. At least, in 1669, he purchased property and 3 years later sold it (Flatbush Deeds A-64). The last major account of his life is an extensive and detailed ducument in the County clerk's office in Kingston (the county sear of Ulster County) which concerned the projected marriage of Cornelius, his first wife having died, and Elsje Jans who was the widow of Hendrich Jochemsen Schoonmaker. This wedding was held 26 Sept 1684 in the Kingston Church. Presumably, Cornelius Slecht and his fir wife were buried in the churchyard of the Old Dutch Church at Kingsto n, but there is no record to substantiate this. The children of Cornelius Barentse Slecht and his wife, Tryntje Tysse Bos were: 2.Jan - bapt 6 March 1643 in the church at Woerdon, Holland. He was captured by the Indians on one of their forays, forced to run the gauntlet and killed. 3.Jacomyntie - bapt at Woerdon 25 July 1645. She married (1) Jan B. Kunst, (2) Gerrit Foecken, and (3) Jan Eltinge. She is in the ancestry of the Roosevelt family. 4.Annetje - bapt at Woerdon 18 Oct 1647. Married Cornelius Hoogeboom. 5.Hendrick Cornelius - md Elsje Lieveling 6.Mattys - md Maria Crespel 7.Petronella - md Jochem Schoommacher Note: Valuable data on Cornelius Slecht may be found in the following: Ulster County, NY Probate Records I-32, NYG&B 31-163, 69-; Flusing Records, pg 53, Schoonmaker "History of Kingston"; and Fl Van Wagnen "Garrett Conrad Van Wagnen.")

Sources

• Srce: family records as of 7/17/1999 and The Huguenot Historical Society PO Box 339 New Paltz, NY 12561 (914) 255-1660
• familytreemaker.com/use...Patrick-L-Driscoll/GENE1-0014.html
• Cornelis Barentsen and Tryntje Slecht. Prepared by: David F. Ladely. < PDF >