Joris Jansen Rapelje
Encyclopedia
Joris Jansen Rapelje was a member of the Council of Twelve Men
in the Dutch West India Company
colony of New Netherland. He and his wife Catalina (Catalyntje) Trico (1605–1689) among the very earliest settlers in New Netherland
.
of Amsterdam
. Rapelje, an illiterate 19-year-old textile worker whose origin was noted in the registry as 'Valencenne,' and his 18-year-bride, had no family present to witness the ceremony. Four days later, on 25 January, the couple departed from Amsterdam, bound for North America. They were traveling aboard the first ships to bring immigrants and workers to New Netherland.
The Rapalje family were first employed at Fort Orange
, in what would eventually become Albany, New York
. Fort Orange was being erected by the Dutch West India Company as a trading post on the west bank of the Hudson River
. It became the company's official outpost in the upper Hudson Valley
. The families aboard these ships were principally Wallons, French-speaking residences of Valenciennes
, Roubaix
, Hainaut
and related sites, now in Belgium’s province of Wallonia and France's region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, but then part of the Spanish Netherlands.
By 1626, Dutch authorities relocated most settlers from Fort Orange
to Fort Amsterdam
at the southern end of Manhattan Island. The Rapeljes established a residence near the East River
, and were among the earliest purchasers of land in Manhattan, later building two houses on Pearl Street near the Fort. In 1637, Joris Jansen Rapalje purchased about 335 acres (1.4 km²) around Wallabout Bay
in what is now Brooklyn
. Rapelje's son-in-law Hans Hansen Bergen
acquired a large tract adjoining Rapelje's. Today the land where the Rapalje’s farm stood is an industrial park under the direction of the Brooklyn Navy Yard
. In 1641, Joris Jansen Rapalie was one of the Council of Twelve Men
representing Manhattan
, Breukelen and Pavonia
. From 1655 through 1660, he was a magistrate of Brooklyn
.
, the first child of European parentage born in New Netherland
. Sarah Rapelje's chair is in the collection of the Museum of the City of New York
, and is thought to have been brought to New Netherland by the family. Annetje, another of Joris Jansen Rapelje's daughters, married Rem Jansen Vanderbeek, whose descendants took the name Remsen and who became a leading New York mercantile family. Because of the number of their descendants, author Russell Shorto
has called Joris Jansen and his wife Catalina "the Adam and Eve" of New Netherland as the number of their descendants has been estimated at about a million.
Brooklyn's Rapelye Street is named for the family. The spelling of the Rapelje family name varied over the years to include Rapelye, Rapalje, Rapareilliet, Raparlié, Rapalyea, Raplee, Rapelyea, Rapeleye, Rappleyea as well as others. Rapelje, Montana
is named for a descendant, and an early descendant, Capt. Daniel Rapelje, founded the settlement which became St. Thomas, Ontario
.
Council of twelve men
The Council of Twelve Men was a group of 12 men chosen on 29 August 1641 by the residents of New Amsterdam to advise the Director of New Netherland, Willem Kieft, on relations with the Native Americans due to the murder of Claes Swits. Although the council was not permanent, it was the first...
in the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
colony of New Netherland. He and his wife Catalina (Catalyntje) Trico (1605–1689) among the very earliest settlers in New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
.
Biography
Joris Rapelje and Catalina Trico were married January 21, 1624, at the Walloon ChurchWalloon church
A Walloon church describes any Calvinist church building in the Netherlands and its former colonies whose members originally came from the Southern Netherlands and France and whose native language is French...
of Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. Rapelje, an illiterate 19-year-old textile worker whose origin was noted in the registry as 'Valencenne,' and his 18-year-bride, had no family present to witness the ceremony. Four days later, on 25 January, the couple departed from Amsterdam, bound for North America. They were traveling aboard the first ships to bring immigrants and workers to New Netherland.
The Rapalje family were first employed at Fort Orange
Fort Orange
Fort Orange was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland and was on the site of the present-day city of Albany, New York. It was a replacement for Fort Nassau, which had been built on nearby Castle Island in the Hudson River, and which served as a trading post until 1617 or 1618,...
, in what would eventually become Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. Fort Orange was being erected by the Dutch West India Company as a trading post on the west bank of the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. It became the company's official outpost in the upper Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
. The families aboard these ships were principally Wallons, French-speaking residences of Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
, Roubaix
Roubaix
Roubaix is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is located between the cities of Lille and Tourcoing.The Gare de Roubaix railway station offers connections to Lille, Tourcoing, Antwerp, Ostend and Paris.-Culture:...
, Hainaut
County of Hainaut
The County of Hainaut was a historical region in the Low Countries with its capital at Mons . In English sources it is often given the archaic spelling Hainault....
and related sites, now in Belgium’s province of Wallonia and France's region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, but then part of the Spanish Netherlands.
By 1626, Dutch authorities relocated most settlers from Fort Orange
Fort Orange
Fort Orange was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland and was on the site of the present-day city of Albany, New York. It was a replacement for Fort Nassau, which had been built on nearby Castle Island in the Hudson River, and which served as a trading post until 1617 or 1618,...
to Fort Amsterdam
Fort Amsterdam
For the historic fort on the island of Saint Martin, see Fort Amsterdam Fort Amsterdam was a fort on the southern tip of Manhattan that was the administrative headquarters for the Dutch and then British rule of New York from...
at the southern end of Manhattan Island. The Rapeljes established a residence near the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
, and were among the earliest purchasers of land in Manhattan, later building two houses on Pearl Street near the Fort. In 1637, Joris Jansen Rapalje purchased about 335 acres (1.4 km²) around Wallabout Bay
Wallabout Bay
Wallabout Bay is small body of water in Upper New York Bay along the northwest shore of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, between the present Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges, opposite Corlear's Hook on Manhattan to the west, across the East River...
in what is now Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Rapelje's son-in-law Hans Hansen Bergen
Hans Hansen Bergen
Hans Hansen Bergen was one of the earliest settlers of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, and one of the few from Scandinavia. He was a native of Bergen, Norway...
acquired a large tract adjoining Rapelje's. Today the land where the Rapalje’s farm stood is an industrial park under the direction of the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
. In 1641, Joris Jansen Rapalie was one of the Council of Twelve Men
Council of twelve men
The Council of Twelve Men was a group of 12 men chosen on 29 August 1641 by the residents of New Amsterdam to advise the Director of New Netherland, Willem Kieft, on relations with the Native Americans due to the murder of Claes Swits. Although the council was not permanent, it was the first...
representing Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, Breukelen and Pavonia
Pavonia, New Netherland
Pavonia was the first European settlement on the west bank of the North River that was part of the 17th century province of New Netherland in what would become today's Hudson County, New Jersey.-Hudson and the Hackensack:...
. From 1655 through 1660, he was a magistrate of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
.
Family
Joris Jansen Rapelje and Catalina Trico were the parents of 11 children, including Sarah RapeljeSarah Rapelje
Sarah Rapelje, or Rapelie or Rapalje or Rapalye was the first white female of European parentage born in New Netherland, according to the New Netherland Project, a private effort to document New York's early Dutch history. Rapelje was first married to Norwegian emigrant Hans Hansen Bergen, who...
, the first child of European parentage born in New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
. Sarah Rapelje's chair is in the collection of the Museum of the City of New York
Museum of the City of New York
The Museum of the City of New York is an art gallery and history museum founded in 1923 to present the history of New York City, USA and its people...
, and is thought to have been brought to New Netherland by the family. Annetje, another of Joris Jansen Rapelje's daughters, married Rem Jansen Vanderbeek, whose descendants took the name Remsen and who became a leading New York mercantile family. Because of the number of their descendants, author Russell Shorto
Russell Shorto
Russell Shorto is an American author, historian and journalist, best known for his book on the Dutch origins of New York City, The Island at the Center of the World...
has called Joris Jansen and his wife Catalina "the Adam and Eve" of New Netherland as the number of their descendants has been estimated at about a million.
Brooklyn's Rapelye Street is named for the family. The spelling of the Rapelje family name varied over the years to include Rapelye, Rapalje, Rapareilliet, Raparlié, Rapalyea, Raplee, Rapelyea, Rapeleye, Rappleyea as well as others. Rapelje, Montana
Rapelje, Montana
Rapelje is an unincorporated farming and ranching community in northern Stillwater County, Montana, United States. Rapelje was named for J. M. Rapelje, general manager and vice president of the Northern Pacific Railway. Rapelje area has a population of approximately 110 people as of the 2000 census...
is named for a descendant, and an early descendant, Capt. Daniel Rapelje, founded the settlement which became St. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas is a city in southern , Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and gained its city charter on March 4, 1881.-History:...
.
Other sources
- Bayer, Henry G. The Belgians: First Settlers in New York and in the Middle States (New York: The Devin-Adair Company. 1925)
- Bryan, Leslie A. Rapalje of New Netherlands (The Colonial Genealogist, vol. 3, no. 3, pages 157-159. January 1971)
- Gehring, Charles T. Annals of New Netherland. The Essays of A. J. F. van Laer (New York: New Netherland Project. 1999)
- Gibson, James E. Some Ancestors of the Rappleye Family ( The Utah Genealogical Magazine, vol. 28, pages 9–13. 1937)
- Koenig, Dorothy A. & Pim Nieuwenhuis. "Catalina Trico from Namur (1605-1689) and her nephew, Arnoldus de la Grange," New Netherland Connections 1 (1996): 55-63, 89-93 (addenda).
- McCracken, George E. Catelyntje Trico Rapalje (The American Genealogist 35: 193-200. 1959)
- McCracken, George E. Joris Janzsen Rapalje of Valenciennes and Catelyntje Jeronimus Trico of Pry (The American Genealogist 48: 118-20. 1972)
- Ryerse, Phyllis A., & Ryerson, Thomas A. The Ryerse-Ryerson Family 1574-1994 (Ryerse-Ryerson Family Association, Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada, pages 7–9. 1994)
- Sharpin, Armida. Rapelje Rasters: A Genealogy (Valparaiso, IN, 1994)
- Shorto, Russell The Island at the Center of the World. The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan, the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America (New York: Doubleday. 2004)
- Van Winkle, Donald J. Rapalje of New Netherlands (The Colonial Genealogist, vol. 4, no. 3, pages 152-157. Winter 1972)
- Zabriskie, George Olin. "The Founding Families of New Netherland, no. 4: The Rapalje-Rapelje Family," De Halve Maen, vol. 46, no. 4 (Jan. 1972): 7-8, 16; vol. 47, no. 1 (April? 1972): 11-13; vol. 47, no. 2 (July 1972): 11-14.
Further reading
- The Island at the Center of the World, Russell Shorto, Random House, New York, 2004, ISBN 9780385503495
- The Fraudulent Coligny-Rapalje Descent, John Blythe Dobson, Annals of Genealogical Research, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2006