M. before 24 Mar 1647 in unknown location2
Wife: Heyltien Aertss
D. (probably) 1664 in New York3
Jurien Probasco had the unusual distinction of having lived on three different continents in the 17th century: Europe, South America and North America.
Jurien was believed to have been born with the name "Probatski." He was originally from Breslau, Silesia (which is now Wroclaw, Poland), and was likely of Polish heritage.1 It's not known how he came to be living among the Dutch, or how he migrated to the Dutch colony in Brazil.
The Dutch interest in South America traces back to the late 16th century when they got permission to trade with Portuguese settlements on the coast of what is now Brazil. By 1630, they had gained a foothold over sections to develop sugar plantations, and the following decade controlled much of the coast. Few Dutch people were attracted to move there, though, which is one reason why the colony ultimately failed.
Records show Jurien was living in Dutch Brazil (in present-day Recife) with his wife Heyltien Aertss; in 1647, they had a daughter baptized in the Reformed Dutch Church there.3 In 1654, the Portuguese won control of the colony and the Dutch were forced to leave.4 Jurien and his family traveled first back to the Netherlands, then on June 17, 1654 boarded a ship called Peartree bound for New Amsterdam.5 He was listed as a midshipman from Breslau, and on arrival owed money to a man named Hendrick Otten, who helped finance his passage.
The voyages of Juriaen Probasco.
Jurien settled in Brooklyn and turned up in several records between 1661 and 1663 involving local church proceedings, and the ownership of a cow, which was granted to Jurien on the condition that he paid a certain amount of butter for it the following year.3 Another place he was mentioned was on a petition to construct a fence beyond the area known as Wallabout to protect the property of the residents there.3 This act led to the formation of the town of Bedford (now Bedford-Stuyvesant). Jurien seems to have died about 1664 when his wife appeared by herself in records.3
Children:
1. Margaret Probasco — B. before 24 Mar 1647, New Holland, Brazil;3 D. (probably) young3
2. Christoffel Probasco — B. before 6 June 1649, New Holland, Brazil;3 D. after 3 Oct 1724, (probably) Brooklyn, New York;5 M. Ida Stryker, before 1675, New York3
3. Anneken Probasco — B. before 17 May 1651, New Holland, Brazil;3 D. (probably) young3
Sources:
1 “Jurien Probasco’s Place of Origin,” Harry Macy Jr., New York Genealogical and Biographical Register, V. 125, Oct 1994
2 Marriage took place before baptism of oldest child, but it’s uncertain if it was in Europe or South America
3 “American Origin of the Probasco Family,” William B. Alstyne, Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, 1927
4 “Recapture of Recife (1652-1654)” (Wikipedia article)
5 “The Probasco Origins,” Bryce Henderson Stevens, The Vanguard – The Newsletter of the van Aersdalen Family Association, Vol. 1, No. 2, December 1998
