M. (1) 15 Dec 1706 in Flatbush, New York
Wife: Elizabeth Van Wyck
M. (2) before 1719
Wife: Sarah _______
D. after 11 Aug 1762 in (probably) Brooklyn, New York
The roots of Brooklyn are found in a handful of Dutch families who first made their homes there during colonial times. One member of a prominent early family was Adrian Hegeman, who worked as a baker near the shore of the East River.
Adrian didn't start out in Brooklyn. His father, Denys Hegeman, had been serving as a soldier up in Maine, and married an English girl named Grace Dollen. They lived in the town of Pemaquid, where Adrian was born in about 1683. It was a dangerous place to try to raise a family, and the Hegemans were in the crosshairs of local tribes who were aligned with the French. In August 1689, when Adrian was about six years-old, Indians raided the settlement, attacking his family's home. They captured his mother and younger sister by force, but he escaped harm.
After bringing the remaining children to the safety of Brooklyn, Adrian's father went back to Maine in an attempt to rescue Adrian's mother, but was taken by the French. Both parents were held in Quebec, and it would be four years before they were freed. The sister who was captured in the raid presumably died early on. Adrian had a brother born while his parents were in captivity, and two more brothers were born in the next few years in Brooklyn.
Perhaps because of the experiences of his childhood, once Adrian settled in Brooklyn, he more or less stayed there for the rest of his life. On December 15, 1706, he married Elizabeth Van Wyck in Flatbush; they had four children born between 1707 and 1714, but she passed away soon after. By 1718, Adrian married a second wife whose name was Sarah (her last name is unknown), and they had six children together, with the youngest born in 1734.
Adrian made a living as a baker in New Utrecht, then later moved his home and business to near the ferry in Brooklyn. The area was mostly rural, but by the mid-18th century, a thriving town was starting to develop near the waterfront which would one day become a major city.
Brooklyn Ferry in 1750.
On August 11, 1762, Adrian wrote his will, mentioning his wife Sarah and surviving children as his beneficiaries. Also noted was “my estate in New Jersey and elsewhere,” which likely meant Somerset County, a place where his son Adrian lived. He passed away soon after; it isn’t known when Sarah died.
Children by Elizabeth Van Wyck:
1. Denys Hegeman — B. 1707; M. Susanne ________
2. Cornelius Hegeman — B. 1709, Flatbush, New York; M. Martje Wiltse (1725-?), 10 Sep 1740, New York
3. Elizabeth Hegeman — B. 1711; M. Jacobus Simonse
4. Dirck Hegeman — B. 1714, Flatbush, New York; M. Aeltie Dolson, 3 Dec 1738, Fishkill, New York
Children by Sarah:
1. Adrian Hegeman — B. 1 Feb 1719, New Utrecht, New York; M. Sarah Terhune (1721-?), 10 May 1742, (probably) New York
2. Sarah Hegeman — B. before 16 Jul 1721, New Utrecht, New York; M. Richard Morrel
3. Joseph Hegeman — B. before 3 Jul 1726, New Utrecht, New York: D. young
4. Lucretia Hegeman — B. 11 Aug 1728, New Utrecht, New York; M. Alexander Forbus, 30 Jun 1753, New York, New York
5. Peter Hegeman — B. 10 Nov 1731, New Utrecht, New York; M. Christina Pearsall, 4 Jul 1765, New York, New York
6. Joseph Hegeman — B. 4 Sep 1734, New Utrecht, New York
Sources:
Ten years at Pemaquid: sketches of its history and its ruins, John Henry Cartland, 1899
"The Tribulations of Denys Hegeman," Richard W. Cook, Genealogies of New Jersey Families: A-Z, pre-American notes on New Netherland families, 1996
Register of the Early Settlers of Kings County, Long Island, N.Y., Teunis G. Bergen
Genealogy website of John Blythe Dobson, which cites many sources
