M. (1) 1 Dec 1663 in Mannheim, Germany
Wife: Marie du May
M. (2) 18 Dec 1666 in Mannheim, Germany
Wife: Catherine Lefevre
D. before 3 Mar 1703 in (probably) Somerset County, New Jersey
Bourgon Broucard lived at a time when Protestants who were French sought safety in parts of Europe, and he ultimately found it in America. He was born in the town of Mouscron, in what is now Belgium, in about 1638. The name "Broucard" has been spelled several ways, and Bourgon's father is now believed to be have been named Louis Brouquart.
Bourgon was a French Huguenot, meaning he followed Calvinism rather than the Catholic religion. In the 17th century, Huguenots were persecuted by Catholic authorities in the area where Bourgon lived. Around 1664, a king in a section of Germany invited French Huguenots to settle on some of his empty land. Broucard was one who took up the offer, and he resettled in Mannheim, Germany. There he married first Marie du May on December 1, 1663. It is believed she had one child and then she died. On December 18, 1666, Bourgon married 18 year-old Catherine Lefevre. Between 1667 and 1672, they had three daughters born in Mannheim.
Mannheim was a remarkable place for its time — a planned city that offered refuge for victims of persecution in other parts of Europe. It was first built in about 1600, constructed as a fortress, and after it was destroyed by wars later in the century, it was rebuilt by Charles I Louis. The people whom he offered sanctuary provided the labor to turn it into a profitable trading town. If viewed from above, the fortress was in the form of two overlapping stars.
Bourgon decided not to stay permanently in Mannheim, and in about 1672, the family moved to Amsterdam, Holland, where a son was born in 1675 and died as an infant. Within a year, they sailed for America. By the following year, Bourgon and his family lived in Brooklyn where he owned about 23 acres and two cows. In 1684, they were in Bushwick, and 1692, bought a large estate in what is now Long Island City, Queens. Bourgon built a house that stood for over 200 years before it was torn down by sometime around 1900. In 1702, Bourgon purchased two thousand acres in Somerset County, New Jersey with his son-in-law John Covert; the land was bounded on the north by the Raritan and Millstone Rivers.
It was said that Bourgon was a “man of towering stature, of noble mind and some military experience.” In 1720, he died in New Jersey, and it is believed he was buried in a cemetery near the junction of those two rivers. By the time he died, the name “Broucard” had been converted into “Brogaw” in some records, and in other records into “Broka” which was later spelled “Brokaw.” That form of the name was handed down the male line to newsman, Tom Brokaw. Bourgon was also the ancestor of Humphrey Bogart.
Children by Marie du May:
1. Marie Broucard – B. before 28 Jan 1665, Mannheim, Germany; D. about 1666, (probably) Mannheim, Germany
Children by Catherine Lefevre:
1. Jannetje Broucard – B. before 16 Nov 1667, Mannheim, Germany; D. about Sep 1723, Raritan, New Jersey; M. Jan Teunissen Covert (1651-?), 1689, Newtown, New York
2. Marie Broucard – B. before 1 Apr 1670, Mannheim, Germany; D. after Sep 1723, Raritan, New Jersey; M. (1) Myndert Wiltsee (1672-?), 14 Nov 1694, New York, New York; (2) Andreas Thomas Bird (1673-?), about 1700, Newtown, New York
3. Catalina Broucard – B. before 16 May 1672, Mannheim, Germany; D. before 14 Mar 1686
4. Isaac Broucard – B. before 2 Mar 1675, Amsterdam, Netherlands; D. before 7 Aug 1676
5. Isaac Broucard – B. before 7 Aug 1676, Brooklyn, New York; D. before 14 Mar 1757, Newtown, New York; M. Hilletje Bas (~1680-?), 3 Apr 1699
6. Jacob Broucard – B. about 1678, Flatbush, New York; M. Gertie Van Middleswart
7. Jan Brokaw – B. before 14 Nov 1680, Flatbush, New York; D. 16 Oct 1740, Raritan, New Jersey; M. Sarah Janse Van Middleswart (~1685-?), about 1704, Somerset County, New Jersey
8. Peter Broucard – B. about 1682, Bushwick, New York; D. 16 Feb 1758, Bound Brook, New Jersey; M. Judith Van Nest (1685-?)
9. Abraham Broucard – B. about 1684, Bushwick, New York; D. before 9 Sep 1747, Millstone, New Jersey; M. Marietje Davids (1692-1733)
10. Catharina Broucard – B. 14 Mar 1686, New York; D. after 1730, Somerset County, New Jersey; M. Pieter Hoff (1678-~1756), 1704, Kingston, New York
Sources:
Long-Overdue Brokaw/Bragaw Additions & Corrections: The European Origins of the Bourgon Broucard and Catherine Le Fevre, Perry Streeter, 2010
Our Brokaw-Brogaw heritage, Elsie E. Foster, 1967
"Historic Houses Being Razed to Make Way for the March of Improvement," Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 2 Aug 1903
WikiTree
The Bragaw Family Web Site
The German Huguenot Museum (website)
Mannheim Baroque Palace (website)
