Jacobus Schellinger

• BIRTH 1625 Noord-Holland, Netherlands
• DEATH 17 Jun 1693 (aged 67–68) East Hampton, Suffolk County, New York, USA
• BURIAL South End Cemetery, East Hampton, Suffolk County, New York, USA
• MEMORIAL ID 71985195

Jacobus Schellinger (aka Schellinks or Schellinx) was the second son of Laurens and Catalyntje de Coussenaer of Amsterdam, Noord-Hollland, Nederland. Jacobus' actual date of birth has never been recovered, however, records from the Oude Kerk (Old Church) of Amsterdam document that Jacobus was baptized in that church on 16 October 1625.

He came to New Netherland from Amsterdam around 1643, when he was a "young man of legal age"; he was engaged in the mercantile business. The first notice of him being in New Amsterdam as a dealer in goods was 24 February 1653. Jacobus married Cornelia Melyn Loper on 7 April 1653, the widow of Cap. Lieut. Jacob Loper (their brief marriage, about 5 years, ended with his death) of Stockholm, Sweden. Her father, Cornelius Melyn, was the Patroon of Staten Island.

Jacobus and Cornelia later removed to New London, CT and then to East Hampton, Long Island. Her son by her earlier marriage, James Loper, accompanied them, and Jacobus and James engaged in shore whaling with the other East Hampton men. (James may have learned the skill in Nantucket.) The marriage of Jacobus and Cornelia produced as least five sons and a daughter: William, Catalyntje, Abraham, Daniel, Jacob and Cornelius.

Jacobus' life in America was rife with unrest caused by conflict between the English and Dutch colonial powers and personal difficulty, primarily, as a result of the activities of his father-in-law, Cornelis Melyn of Antwerp, Belgium. As a result, Jacobus and his extended family were forced to flee the British military and the personal persecution created by the animus of Petrus Stuyvesant towards his father-in-law.

The Melyn and Schellinger families were also forced from their Staten Island home in 1655 as a result of an Indian uprising, his house on Staten Island was burned by the Indians while he was taken prisoner by them. Fleeing to Connecticut for relief. Jacobus and family eventually settled in East Hampton, Suffolk Co, NY, ca. 1667, where he, along with others, established a successful on-shore whaling operation known as the Whale Designe.

Jacobus died 17 June 1693 in East Hampton at the age of 68. Documentation indicates that both he and his wife were buried in the "old churchyard of East Hampton". At the time of Jacobus' death, East Hampton had one church; this was the Presbyterian Church of East Hampton. This church was originally located on the eastern edge of what is now the South End Cemetery. So, one could assume Jacobus and his wife were both buried there; however, neither their headstones or grave locations have been found thus far.

The Presbyterian Church of East Hampton did not keep burial records at the time of Jacobus' death, however, church records document that Cornelia was, in fact, buried in this churchyard cemetery in Feb 1717. Jacobus is generally recognized as the first person to bring the Dutch-Schellinger family name to America; his American descendants (12-generations plus) survive today.

Notes

aka Schellinks or Schellinex

Gravesite Details
Headstone may be unreadable or have fallen

Parents
Laurens Schellinks 1591–1657
Catharina de Coussenaer Schellinks 1599–1657

Spouse
Cornelia Melyn Schellinger 1627–1717 (m. 1653)

Siblings
Willem Schellinks 1623–1678
Daniel Schellinks 1627–1704
Laurens Schellinks 1640–1693

Children
William Schellinx 1654–1735
Catharine Schellinger Baker 1656–1722
Abraham Schellinx 1659–1712
Jacob Schellinx 1663–1713
Cornelius Schellinger 1668–1743

References

[1] http://virts.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~marshall/esmd194.htm

[2] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71985195/jacobus-schellinger