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Descendants of Johannes Theodorus Polhemus

Generation No. 1

1. JOHANNES THEODORUS⁴ POLHEMUS (JOHANN THEDOR³ POLHEMIUS, THEODOR², DIETRICH THEODOR¹) was born 1598 in Wolfstein, Bavaria, Germany, and died June 09, 1676 in Flatbush, Long Island, NY. He married (1) MEVROUW. He married (2) CATHARINA VAN WERVEN Abt. 1641 in Itamarca Island, Brazil, daughter of PETER VAN DER WERVEN and ELIZABETH.

Notes for JOHANNES THEODORUS POLHEMUS:
Minister of the Reformed Church of Holland. Johannes was the progenitor of all the families of that name in this country. When he arrived in this country, he accepted a call from the church of Flatbush NY, where he labored from 1654 to 1665. Afterward he labored in the church at Brooklyn until his death, June 9, 1676.

On 25 Oct 1636 he sailed from Amsterdam & Texel Harbor and landed 23 Jan 1637 on Recif of Pernambuco, Brazil.

The following from "Historical Handbook of the Van Voorhees Family in the Netherlands and America" - Published 1935.

Quote -

"We come now to consider briefly the earliest Dutch churches on Long Island. Before 1654 the people had to come over to New Amsterdam for regular preaching and communion. In 1654 came Dominie Johannes Theodorus Polhemus from Brazil, now about 56 years old, to serve the churches then formed to Midwout and Amersfoort, continuing here till his death on June 8, (9) 1676; and serving also at Breuckelen (Brooklyn) 1656 to 1660 and again from 1664 till his death at the age of about 78 years."

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"Polhemus was, indeed, Johann Theodore Polheim, probably of German-Swiss origin, whose earlier pastorates seem to have been in the Palatinate; then at Meppel in the provence of Overyssel, Netherlands; again in the Palatinate, unitl 1635; and from 1637 to 1654, in successive ministries at Olinda and at Itamarcas, both in Brazil. We have already shown that from Brazil he came to Amersfoort as the first Dominie of this historic parish. Polhemus was the first regularly stationed minister of the Dutch on Long Island. He came to New Netherland at the evacuation of Brazil by the dutch, upon the surrender of that country to Portuguese domination. It is said that Polhemus preached in French and portuguese while in Brazil, and undoubtedly, in dutch. He of course, knew Latin and German, and probably other languages. When he came here, his wife did not accompany him. She went to Holland to seek collection of the arrears owing to him by the Dutch West india Company. His transfer to Long Island was ratified by the classis in 1656, and arrangements were made to aid Mevrouw Polhemus to come to Long Island to join her husband. Classis characterized her thus: "She is a very worthy matron, has great desire to be her husband, and has struggled along here in poverty and great straits, alsways conducting herself modestly and piously."

End of Quote.

Child of JOHANNES POLHEMUS and MEVROUW is:

CHRISTINA⁵ POLHEMUS, b. October 07, 1629, the Netherlands.

Children of JOHANNES POLHEMUS and CATHARINA VAN WERVEN are:

2.	ii.	MARGARIETJE⁵ POLHEMUS, b. Abt. 1642, Itamarca Island, Brazil; d. 1702, Flatbush, Long Island, New York.
3.	iii.	ADRIANNA POLHEMUS, b. Abt. 1644, Itamarca Island, Brazil; d. Bef. December 19, 1702, Bergen, New Jersey.
4.	iv.	THEODORUS POLHEMUS, b. Abt. 1646, Itamarca, Pernambuco, Brazil; d. May 02, 1722, Long Island, New York.
	v.	LAMMETJE POLHEMUS, b. Abt. 1648, Itamarca, Brazil; m. CORNELIS BARENTSE VAN WYCK.
	vi.	ANNA POLHEMUS, b. Abt. 1649; m. ??? VAN WYCK.
	vii.	ELIZABETH POLHEMUS, b. Abt. 1661; m. DIONYS TEUNISE.
5.	viii.	DANIEL POLHEMUS, b. Abt. 1662, Flatbush, Kings County, New York; d. Bef. 1730.

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