George Woolsey

On 9 Dec 1647 Rebecca married George Woolsey in New Amsterdam Reformed Church.187 Jarge Woltzen, j.m., van Jarmuyden & Rebecca Corne, j.d., uyt oudt Engelandt. Born on 27 Oct 1610 in Yarmouth, England.136 George died in Flushing, LI, on 17 Aug 1698; he was 87.136

George’s surname was written Wolsy, Wolsi, Wiltsie, Wiltze, and Wollsey.136

George was a witness at the 1662 baptism of Rebecca’s neice Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Cornell.

Their children include:

10066 i. Sarah Woolsey (1650-)

10067 ii. Capt. George Woolsey (1652-19 Jan 1740)

10068 iii. Thomas Woolsey (1655-)

10069 iv. Rebecca Woolsey

10070 v. John Woolsey (1661-)

10071 vi. Mary Woolsey (Died young) (1664-)

10072 vii. William Woolsey (-bef 1691)

10073 viii. Mary Woolsey

CHRONOLOGY OF GEORGE WOOLSEY & REBECCA CORNELL

The Surname of Woolsey may signify a “wolf-hill’ or a “clearing by a stream;

“George Woolsey, an English boy, born in 1610, had resided with his parents in Holland, say in Rotterdam. By tradition, he came over in a Dutch vessel with Dutch emigrants in 1623, only thirteen years old, and went to Plymouth, Massachusetts. After the Dutch advertisement, in 1647, when he was thirty-seven years old, he makes his first appearance in New York.”

Why did so many of our ancestors, such as my Grandfather Woolsey, flee their native lands and come so willingly to American Soil? President Spencer W. Kimball has helped to answer this question for me when he said:

“I have a firm conviction that the Lord led the Pilgrams and the Puritans across the ocean, perhaps permitted the persecutions that would bring them here, so that when they came to the American shores with their righteous blood and their high ideals and standards, they would form the basis of a nation which would make possible the restoration of the gospel.”

George Woolsey, as is supposed, for some time resided in Holland, with his father, George Woolsey Sr. & his mother Francis Roberts;

“It is said that George lived until 1668 at Stdt Huys Lane, New Amsterdam, now 75 Pearl Stree, New York City. He owned land in New Amsterdam, Flushing, Hempstead, and Jamaica, Long Island, New York, where he was the town Clerk." He was afterwards engaged in trade for several years in New Amsterdam with Isac Allerton, who came as a passenger in the Mayflower.”

1610 YARMOUTH, NORFOLK, ENGLAND:

George Woolsey C: 27 Oct 1610 Yarmouth, Norfolk, Eng.

D: 17 Aug 1698 Jamaica, Queens, N.Y.

1629 SAFFRON-WALDEN, ESSEX, ENGLAND:

Rebecca Cornell C: 31 Jan 1629/30

Rebecca is dau. Of Thomas Cornell & Rebecca Briggs;

George Woolsey lived in Holland before coming to New England & could talk Dutch as well as English; He was an active merchant & representative of English traders & engaged in trade for several years in Amsterdam, Holland with Isac Allerton who came as a passanger in the Mayflower.

1647 JAMAICA, QUEENS, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK;

“23 July 1647: George Woolsey, from Yarmouth, England, was called before the new Director's Council to testify against Fiscal Van Dyck about so small an affair as receiving the present of a beaver skin from an English merchand-ship manager, Thomas Willett, who married Sarah Cornell (sister to George Woolsey’s wife Rebecca) at Dutch church, New York. This is the first account we have of a custom-house present at New York;”

16 August 1647: George Woolsey received a deed of land from Thomas Robertson, a previous English settler, of a house and plantation at Flushing, L.I.

“I, Thomas Robertson have sold to George Wolsey a house and plantation standing and situate in Flushing and the main bounds are to be seen in the book of the Town of Flushing together with all the grain that is now on it and everything that is fastened by earth and nail, for the sum of one hundred and thirty guilders which is now paid me. Wherefore I convey in true and real property the said land and house to said Wolsey or his successors. In token of the truth, this is signed by Thomas Robertson in the presence of Jan Damen as witness, the 16th of August 1647, in Fort Amsterdam in New Netherland.

This is the ( ) mark of Thomas Robertson made by himself.

J. Vinje.”

George Woolsey & Rebecca Cornell M: 9 Dec 1647

They were married in the Dutch church in New York. George in the marriage record, the name George Woolsey was disguised in Dutch and was called “Joris Wolzen;”

Shortly after their marriage in 1647, George & Rebecca removed to Flushing, Queens, Long Island, New York where George purchased a plantation, but subsequently he & Rebecca removed to Jamaica, Queens, Long Island, NY & was one of the original settlers there.

George may have used this plantation in Flushing as a summer home. His children were apparently born in Queens Co. New York, where George resided until 1664.

1648 JAMAICA, QUEENS, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK;

(Queens County was created in 1683 from Colonial Lands)

26 April 1648: "George & Rebeca Wolsie, & John Daly, were sponsors at the baptism of Rebcca, a daughter of Henry Breasart, an Englishman."

1649 JAMAICA, QUEENS, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK:

(Originally New Amsterdam)

“In New Amsterdam in 1649, George Woolsey, the Immigrant, owned lot #13, and Thomas Wiggins Sr. owned lot #21.”

1664 JAMAICA, QUEENS, LONG ISLAND NEW YORK:

15 Feb 1664: Land Deed

“George Woolsey became possessed of land at Jamaica, Long Island, by deed from the town, whither it is believed that he soon removed, as one of its first settlers, and where he died after a supposed residence of some thirty years and more.”

1673 JAMAICA, QUEENS, LONG ILSAND, NEW YORK:

George Woolsey was chosen as town clerk and his handwriting is still legible upon the records.

1680 JAMAICA, QUEENS, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: Deed

(Son): 20 Dec 1680: Deed made by Mr Newton & his wife Alice "for the care of them in their old age, by Mr. George Wolsey Jr." at whose baptism he had assisted in 1652. Mr. Newton & his wife sells his lot & meadow, and moveables thereto pertaining to Mr Wolsie Jr. for the labor & pains promised and specified to be his after the desease of me & my wife. He is to maintain all fences during the life of either of us."

1691 JAMAICA, QUEENS, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK:

2 Nov 1691: Will made for George Woolsey or Wolsey:

"Gives to Eldest son George, land at Beaver Bond; son Thomas, land west of Anthony Watters; To son John, 30 aces east of Little Plains Run; To daughter Mary Woolsey, not yet aged 18; To wife Rebecca; Dau. Sarah , wife of William Hallett; daughter Rebecca , wife of Thomas Wiggins of Jamaica; Executor: Wife Rebecca; Witness: Thomas Willit, Daniel Whitehead, Andrew Gibby.

1698 JAMAICA, QUEENS, LONG ISLAND NEW YORK:

George Woolsey D: 17 Aug 1698

1699 JAMAICA, QUEENS, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK:

Will of George Woolsey Proved: 22 Feb 1699:

1713 JAMAICA, QUEENS, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK:

Rebecca (Cornell) Woolsey D: 5 Feb 1713

Rebecca is Buried: Glen Cove, Nassau, N.Y.; She was age 91

• 1647 George Woolsey married Rebecca Cornell in Flatbush, Long Island, New York
• 1648 Gorger Wolsey named a fire inspector by the Director General (William Kieft).

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• Born Yarmouth England. Was "of" Jamaica LI.

References

• http://www.e-familytree.net/f4841.htm#f55903
• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees via son George Woolsey by SmartCopy: Nov 22 2014, 3:23:53 UTC
• http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~woolsey/genealogy/www/woolgeo2nam.html
• http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~whitakerwilford/genealogy/chap24.html
• http://mckenziesofearlymaryland.com/getperson.php?personID=I17829&t...
• ” History of Southold, L.I.: Its First Century.” By Epher Whitaker. Page 254. GoogleBooks
• Bergen, Teunis G. Register In Alphabetical Order, Of the Early Settlers of Kings County, Long Island, N Y., From its First Settlement by Europeans to 1700; With Contributions to Their Biographies and Genealogies, Compiled From Various Sources. (New York: S. W. Green’s Son, Printer, Electrotyper and Binder, 1881). URL: http://ancestralcurios.com/kings_county.htm.
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48697065