Harmtje ‘Hannah’ Jans Woertman

Jans is a form of patronymic, meaning her father was named Jan (or John).

JOHN WILLIAM WORKMAN/WOERTMAN died in Amsterdam Holland sometime before 1647. It is believed he migrated to Holland from England during the time of the Puritan turmoil. As early as 1628 he had married HARMTJE/HANNAH (unknown). Harmtje may possibly have been a widow after the first two children were born and then married to a Lodowycke De Jong who would be the father of the third child.

Harmitje, widow of Jans, probably married Lodowycke de Jong in Holland and he probably sponsored the family, Elizabeth and Dirck, children of the first marriage, and Annetje, his own daughter', in the move to America. It is fairly certain that the mother came to America, but in all land transactions she is known merely as Harmitje Jans, with Lodowicke never appearing in the picture.

Harmtje Jans is believed to have lived to a ripe old age and owned considerable property in Long Island and Brooklyn.

As early as the year 1628, Jans William Woertman had married HARMTJE (Hannah, an unusual name among the Dutch) and they were the parents of at least three children born in Amsterdam, Holland:

• 2H. ELIZABETH JANS (or Woertman, dau of John) born about 1630. Her name is spelled variously in church records as Elizabeth, Lysbeth, Lysbet. Her first recorded appearance in America was 7 July 1647 when she married (1) PIETER JANSEN NOORMAN (born in Norway). Elizabeth married (2) 6 Oct. 1662 at New Amsterdam Dutch Church, JOOST JANSEN COCQUIT
• 3H. DIRCK JANS WOERTMAN (Richard, John's son, Workman; it will be noted that the names Richard and John are common names in the Workman family of Gloucester, England, of this era) born about 1630 in Amsterdam, Holland; immigrated to America in 1647 and was unmarried at that time. In church records the patronymic pattern was followed almost completely so that John's son, Richard, is recorded as Dirck Jansen very frequently.
• 4H. ANNETJE, known most commonly as Annetje Lodowycke, may have been a half-sister to Dirck and Elizabeth, inasmuch as Lodowycke de Jong appeared as sponsor to the baptism of Annetje's first child. This would make Annetje born probably in 1636, half sister to the other two children. At her marriage in 1655, she names herself as "Annetje Loderwycks Van Amsterdam" (Annetje Loderwycks of Amsterdam) - It is also conceivable, and there is indication in the records, that she was a little older than assumed and she came to America as the widow or wife of Lodowyck de Jong. This would then make the Lodowyck. de Jong, sponsor of her first child, a nephew or other relative; or this could have been an attempt to name the father of the child of a previous marriage. Annetje married 7 Aug. 1655 in New Amsterdam Dutch Church, SIMON CLAUSE (Claeszen Van (or of) Groeningen; his will, made 8 July 1684 and probated 7 Oct. 1684, indicated that Annetje had died before that time). They were residents of Brooklyn, Kings Co., New York.

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Records

Marriage Jan Willemss and Jannetje Harmans 22 November, 1629 Amsterdam. According the record this Jan Willemsz was born in Amsterdam (b. abt 1608) and Jannetje was from Zwolle (Swol) (b. abt 1607)

Baptism Twin, Dirk and Anneken Woertman, 7 December 1631, Amsterdam kind: Dirk en Anneken kerk: Evangelisch Luthers: boek 139; vader: Jan Woertman [11]

Comments: See the witnesses and the name Harman, which could indicate Harman maybe was the grandfather...which could mean Harmtje was daughter of Harman and the above found marriage is indeed correct and Harmtje maybe after the death of her husband and emigration just adopted her husbands first name as her patronymic -last name , but it could also mean these just all are totally different people or maybe Jan later married Harmtie Jans ?

• February 12th 1679, Harmtie Janse relict of Lodewijck Jong transported to Dirck Janse Woertman 12 morgan (morgen) from the land at the other side mentioned, witness Machielle Hainelle Clarck[8]
• May 3th, 1685: Dirck Hanse (typo= Janse) Woertman by order of Harmtie Janse transported to the heires of Jooris Dirckse a small stroke of land lying at the East side of the highway being all the claim they can pretend by virtue of Patent within last mentioned, signed at Breucklyn May 3d, 1685, Dirck Janse Woertman, J. Vandewater Noto. Publ.[8]

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References

• Source: “The Family of Dirck Janszen Woertman of Brooklyn Ferry,” New York Genealogical and Biographical Record 132: 34.
• http://workmanfamily.org/histories/AndersonBook/Americana.html
• http://www.workmanfamily.org/histories/AndersonBook/Wortman.html
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Woertman-9
• John William Woertman, Harmtje Jans and Lodewyck de Jong Families
• Chester, Chris. "The Brouwer Genealogy Database." [freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~brouwergenealogydata. Accessed May 23, 2016.] and Jan Woertman
• Source: Descendants of John William Workman Woertman Family
• Source: Workman Family History Americana pages 16-27
• Workman Family History by Thelma C. Anderson - Page 16
• Workman Family History pages 16-27
• "Ancestral Sequence of Jans William Woertman of Netherlands 1600-2003" published by Robert Bryner Colton, 2002.
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65457887/jan-jansz-woertman
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182822945/dirck-jansz-woertman