Francois De Conincik

1. Francois De1 Coninck (#4420) was born Flanders Abt 1560. Francois died 1637 Wytschaete, Flanders, at 77 years of age.

He married Pauwels De Puyot. (Pauwels De Puyot is #4421.) from Susan Musser Minch

From "HISTORY OF THE KING FAMILY FLANDERS TO AMERICA 1300 - 1980" The statue of Pieter de Coninck and Jean Breydel is in the market place in Brugge, Belgium. Underneath each are the coat of arms. Pieter de Coninck (Peter King) is thought to be the ancestor of the King family traced in the "HISTORY OF THE KING FAMILY FLANDERS TO AMERICA 1300'S - 1980". In 1302 he was knighted on the field of battle for his leadership of an uprising to aid the ruler of Flanders. Today, in Belgium, he is remembered as a hero of the Flemish cause of Freedom.

Based on available evidence, the nationality of the King family is Flemish - - referring to Flanders, which before 1830 was a separate political unit in northern Europe. However, it is somewhat misleading to think in terms of nationality when dealing with early Flanders. Prior to the 17th century when the de Coninck lived in what is now western Belgium, they were subjects of a Prince rather than nationals of a country. In the late 1500's and early 1600's, the village of Wytshaete was administer as part of the "Chatellenie d'pres" a medieval term originally meaning that the region was once land which belonged to the castle of Ypres and it's ruler.

Most of Flanders now lies in northwestern Belgium, where ir forms the province of east and west Flanders. Also parts are contained in the southern section of the Province of Zeeland in the Netherlands and in the northern French Department called Le Nord. The Wytschaete-Ypres region where the de coninck ancestors lived, is today less that 10 miles north of the border between France and Belgium.

The earliest proven ancestor of the family is Frncois de Coninck, who is Pieter de Coninck's father. Francois was born in the late 1500's and died after 1637 at Wytshaete, Flanders where he probably was a buitenpoorter of Ypres. He married and had at least 2 sons, but the name of his wife is unknown.

Francois De Coninck and Pauwels De Puyot had the following children:

2 i. Francois De2 Coninck (#4422) was born Bef 1610.

+ 3 ii. Pieter De Coninck was born Bef 1612.