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Notes for Joris Jansen De Rapalje:
Joris was baptized in the St. Nicholas Roman Catholic church in Valenciennes, but he was listed as being Illegitimate in their records. Being Illegitimate in this record only means that his parents were of Protestant faith, or better known as French Huguenot. Joris was a French Huguenot, and he followed the Reformed church faith when he arrived in the new world. Many historians have worked on the ancestry of this man's family because he came to New Amsterdam so early, and today, many thousands of people can trace descent from him, and his wife. Some historians have stated that he was actually the son of a man named Abraham Jansen de Rapalje, but a close study of many years by this author has never found a connection to such a man, only the baptism listed above, which fits our Joris perfectly. These same historians also state that he was a descendent of Gaspard Colet de Rapalje, the famous French Huguenot General, especially in Holgate's work on this family. Actually Gaspard's last name was written as de Colleta, and not de Rapalje. It is this authors firm belief based on the church records in Valenciennes, and other records in London, that this pedigree is the correct one. Joris Janssen Raparielliet (Rapalje) was baptized in the St. Nicholas Roman Catholic church in Valenciennes, France on 28 April, 1604, his parents were listed as Jean Rapariellet, and Elizabeth Baudoin. The record states as shown above, that he was "Illegitimate son of Jean". It is probably true that because Jean was a French Huguenot, that his child would be listed as such. Joris Raparlie's marriage record reads as follows: "Joris Raparlie born in Valenciennes 19 years old, Borat Wercker (Fabric worker) living at Waelport in Amsterdam, and Catharina Triko (Friko, Trico) living at Nes in Amsterdam, who was born in Pris in Waesland, 18 years old, accompanied by Mary Flamengh, her sister". This means the marriage actually took place in 1823 just before Joris, and Catharina left for New Amsterdam, and that they were both living in Amsterdam at that time. The Godparents at the Baptism of Joris in St. Nicholas church were Noe Vasseur, and Jehenne de Latre, his aunt. In the summer of 1621 a number of families who were of Walloon ancestry decided that their industry was not working out well in Leyden, and they decided to try their luck in New Amsterdam, the new Dutch trading colony in the New World, a colony which would later be called New York city. At first this band of Walloon's petitioned the King of England to be allowed to go to Virginia. This petition was headed by Jesse de Forest (21 July, 1621 States Papers of Great Britain of 1622). However, because of sundry reasons these settlers decided to do business instead with the Dutch West India company which was just formed in 1621. The Dutch West India company accepted the offer of the colonists, and the first ones were sent out to New Netherland in 1623. While Joris did not sign this petition in 1621, he , and his future wife were on board this ship to the New World. In 1624 Catalina Trico came over with Joris de Rapalje on the ship "Niew Nederlandt" along with Jesse de Forest, and 29 other families, mostly Walloon. The skipper of this ship was Cornelius Jacobsen May. They left the Hoorn in Holland in March, 1624, for the Mauritius, and Canary Islands, and then went to the west coast of the Bahamas. Eventually they landed off Sandy Hook, and then went up to Albany, New York. Cataline Tricaud was not yet 18, and for many years later while living in New York she recalled this sailing, remembering many details of the trip. One of the other families on this ship was the La Fontaine family, and it could be possible that this was a family related to Catalintye's half-sister Marie Flamen who is shown in the Tricot family chapter. Many of the families on this ship were also from the Valenciennes area of France, the area where Joris's family came from. The following document survives in the Archives of the Secretary of State at Albany, New York. It is dated 14 Feb., 1684/85. "The deposition of Catalina Trico ages fouer score yeares or the abouts, taken before the right honoble Coll. Thomas Dongan Leut, and Governor under his Royll Highss James, Duke of Yorke and Albay etc. of N. York and its dependencyes in America, who saith and Declares in the presens of God as Followeth: That she came to this Province in the yeare one thousand, six hundred and twenty three, or twenty fouer to the be of her remembrance, and that fouer Women were married at Sea and that they and their husbands stayed about three weeks at this place and then they went eight seamen more went in a vessel by order. of the Dutch Governor to Dellaware River and there settled. This I Certifie under my hand and ye seale of this province. Tho. Dongon." In a second deposition taken on 17 Oct., 1688 Catelyn Trico made the following oath: "Catelyn Trico aged about 83 years, born in Pris, does testify and declare that in ye year 1623 she came into this Country with a ship called ye Unity, whereof was commander Arien Jorise, belonging to ye West India Company being ye first ship yet. came here for ye ad. Company; as soon as they came to Manatans now called N:Yorke to take possession and ye rest of ye Passengers went with ye ship up as far as Albanie which they then called Fort Orange-When as ye Ship came as far as sopus which is one half way to Albanie, they lighted ye ship with some boats yet. were left there by ye Dutch that had been there ye year before and trading with ye Indians upont their owne accompts and gone back again to Holland, and so brought ye vessel up;--there were about 18 families aboard, who settled themselves At Albany and made a small fort; and as soon as they had built themselves som hutts of bark; ye Mahikanders or River Indians, ye Maquase, Oneydas, onnondages, Cayougas, and Sinnekes, with ye Mahawawa or Ottawawaes Indians came and made Covenants of friendship with ye sd. Arien Jorise their Commander Bringing him Great presents of Bever or Oyr, Peltry and desyred that they might come and have a constant free trade with them wch was concluded upon and ye sd. nations Came dyly with great multidus of Bever-traded then wth ye Christians; their sd. Commanr, Arien Jorise staid with them all winter and sent his sonne home with ye ship;-ye sd. Deponent lived in Albany three years all which time ye sd Indians were all as quiet as Lambs and came and traded with all ye freedom Imaginable;-in ye year 1626 ye Deponents came from Albany and settled at N.Yorke, where she lived afterward for many years and then came to Long Island where she now lives. The sd. Catelyn Trico made oath of ye sd. Deposition before me at her house on Long Island in ye Walebought this 17th day of October, 1688. William Morris, Justice of ye pece." As outlined above, the second of these depositions seems to be the correct one, for Joris himself also mentioned staying in Albany, New York shortly after their arrival in New Netherland. Also, other New Amsterdam records state that the true name of the vessel which took Joris, and Catalina to the New World was not the "Unity", but the "Niew Netherland". Otherwise her memory was indeed quite accurate for a woman of 83. It is also possible that Catalina, and Joris were one of the couples married on board the ship, yet marriage records in Holland show otherwise now. Other families which arrived on this vessel with the de Rapalje's were the de Forrest's, de La Grange, and de La Fontaine, the last two of French Huguenot ancestry from the Valenciennes area. Fort Orange in Albany was built by the Dutch on the western bank of the Hudson River, where now the boat landing of the Hudson River Day line is. This fort took the place of an older Dutch fort called Fort Nassau, which was built ca. 1614. This older fort washed away in 1617, and from this time until 1623 there was no European influence in this area. The group of Walloon settlers in 1623 was sent out so as to establish an agricultural settlement for the benefit of the traders, and officials of the company. Fort Orange was near the north-east borders of New Netherland, almost on the border of New France. Joris, and Catalina were among the first settlers to reach the New Fort Orange, and they stayed in this little fort for three years. They traded daily with all the local Indian tribes, and Catalina herself became fluent in Iroquois, and Algonquin, and was a very good go-between in many trade matters with the local Indians. The Indians trusted her, and liked her determination. Joris is shown only once in the early records of Fort Orange, and this court record shows that he paid Hendrick Pietersen Van Hasselt money for clothing a Negro slave of Hendrick's. In 1626 Joris, his wife, and one child left Fort Orange, and went down the Hudson river to finally settle on Manhattan Island in what was known as New Amsterdam. This Island had just been purchased a year earlier by Pieter Minuet at the order of the Dutch West India company. There were very few families in New Amsterdam when he arrived, but he soon became the first Hotel, and Public Innkeeper on Manhattan, and his wife was most fit for the management of their new undertaking which provided a real need for many new merchants, seaman, fur traders, and farming colonists who frequently their abode. Many of the colonists waited in his Inn for their ships to get ready so that they could sail to other areas, especially back, and forth to Europe. When in subsequent years the Inn keepers on the Island began to grow, the competition caused Joris to look elsewhere for a subsistence. At first he decided to obtain his own supplies first hand, and he wanted daily supplies so he deemed it necessary to keep his own cows, and this he did in the Walebought, across the river on Long Island. Nearly opposite New Amsterdam, a little east of lands at present occupied by the city of Brooklyn, and near the old Navy shipyards, in a small bay or cove known as the Waaleboght. On the point of land formed by this cove, and which lies on the west of it, was built the first house on Long Island, inhabited by Joris Jansen de Rapalje, one of the first white settlers on Long Island, and in which the first white girl, Sarah Rapalje was born in the area. His house was made of logs in the usual primitive style, a story and a half high, with one room on the ground floor, appropriated as parlor, kitchen, and bedroom. The bed was screened by a curtain during the day. The room had an old-fashioned fireplace, without jambs, familiarly called a Dutch-back. It was here that Joris and his family relocated, by buying this land on 16 June, 1637 from the Indians, the tract being called "Rennegachouk". The present location houses the U.S. Marine Hospital, between Nostrand, and Grand avenues. In 1638 Joris purchased another tract of land at Newtown Creek, from the East River to the swamps of Mespaetaches. In August 1651 Joris was elected as one of the "Twelve Select Man" of Brooklyn. They convened, and invited all the masters, and heads of families at Manhattan on 23 August, 1641, and at this meeting Joris, and others declared war against the Indians. Joris continued to be an Innkeeper, and Tapster on Pearl street in Manhattan for 22 years, and New Amsterdam records show him in this capacity until 1654. It is unclear whether his family lived in both areas, However, in 1654 he purchased more property in Waale-Bogt in Brooklyn. In 1655, 1657, and in 1660 he was one of the Magistrates of Brooklyn. From 1654 until his death he spent his days on his farm in Waaleboght. His widow Catallyntie died on this farm on 11 Sept., 1689, at the old age of 84. In 1660 Joris was one of the first Patentees of the Brooklyn Dutch Reformed church. The records of this church shows that Joris, and his wife were members on 12 March, 1660. On 18 March, 1662 he was listed as one of the original land owners in Bedford Village in Brooklyn. Joris was dead by 1679 for in this year two Labadist travellers paid a visit to Catalina, and they kept a journal of their visit. They went by boat to her spacious house on the Wale-Bocht on Long Island, about an hour's distance from New York city, by Corlaers Hook. She was known as the "Old Walloon from Valenciennes". She was referred to as worldly-minded, living with her whole heart, as well as body, and she had 150 or so descendants now living in the colony. At this time she lived alone, having a little vegetable garden. She thusly lived peacefully, and pleasantly and was known to all as the "Mother of New York". She was a woman of industry, and was well respected by both the white settlers, and the native population, whose language she spoke.
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