M. (1) about 1658, unknown location
Husband: Jan Arentsen Van Putten
M. (2) 13 Jan 1664 in Wiltwyck, New Netherland
Husband: Wallerand Dumont
D. 1728 in (probably) Kingston, New York
The story of Grietje Hendricks points to the resiliency of people who suffer terrible tragedies — after her husband was violently killed in an unprovoked attack on their home, she was able to find a new husband and carry on.
Grietje was born in the village of Wijhe, Netherlands in about 1638. Nothing is known of her family, or exactly when she migrated to America. When she was around 20-years-old, Grietje married a blacksmith named Jan Arentsen Van Putten, and then went to live in Esopus, a settlement located in the lower Hudson River Valley. They had a daughter born in about 1659.
The town of Esopus was named after the tribe that lived in the region surrounding it, and with the Dutch trying to settle there, tensions arose with the native population. Trouble escalated into what was called the First Esopus War in 1659. Gretje’s husband joined others in defending the town, and peace was restored in 1660.
In 1663, Gretje was said to have traveled to the Netherlands with her daughter, and she returned to her husband in Esopus about the beginning of June. Unbeknownst to the settlers, the Esopus tribe was planning to attack them. The Dutch settlement was inside a stockade that was built a few years earlier. On the morning of June 7th, the natives breached the fort by pretending to make a friendly visit, and they were let inside. Then on a signal, they surprised the settlers in a burst of violence. The Indians entered private homes, and brutally murdered people with axes, tomahawks and guns. Gretje survived the attack, but her husband did not. Twenty Dutch settlers were killed that day, and another 45 were taken prisoner. The massacre and the events that followed were known as the Second Esposus War.
The town of Esopus was named after the tribe that lived in the region surrounding it, and with the Dutch trying to settle there, tensions arose with the native population. Trouble escalated into what was called the First Esopus War in 1659. Gretje’s husband joined others in defending the town, and peace was restored in 1660.
In 1663, Gretje was said to have traveled to the Netherlands with her daughter, and she returned to her husband in Esopus about the beginning of June. Unbeknownst to the settlers, the Esopus tribe was planning to attack them. The Dutch settlement was inside a stockade that was built a few years earlier. On the morning of June 7th, the natives breached the fort by pretending to make a friendly visit, and they were let inside. Then on a signal, they surprised the settlers in a burst of violence. The Indians entered private homes, and brutally murdered people with axes, tomahawks and guns. Gretje survived the attack, but her husband did not. Twenty Dutch settlers were killed that day, and another 45 were taken prisoner. The massacre and the events that followed were known as the Second Esposus War.
The site of the 1663 massacre.
After losing her husband, Grietje chose to stay in Esopus, now called Wiltwyck, and on January 13, 1664, she got married again. Her husband was a Dutch soldier named Wallerand Dumont, who decided put down roots, and he became a leading member of the community. Between 1664 and 1679, Grietje had six children. She joined the First Dutch Reformed Church of Wiltwyck in 1666. The town was renamed Kingston in 1669 and Grietje lived the rest of her life there, surviving husband Wallerand, who died in 1713. She passed away sometime in 1728 at the age of about 90.
Child by Jan Arentsen Van Putten:
1. Annetje Jans Van Putten — B. about 1659, New Netherland; M. Hendrick Kip
Children by Wallerand Dumont:
1. Margaret Dumont — B. before 28 Dec 1664, Wiltwyck, New York; M. William Loveridge (~1657-1703), 18 Oct 1682, Kingston, New Netherland
2. Walran Dumont — B. about Mar 1667, Wiltwyck, New York; D. 1733, Ulster, New York; M. Catarina Terbosch, 24 Mar 1688, Hurley, New York
3. Jannetje Dumont — B. 6 Jun 1669, Kingston, New York; D. 2 Feb 1752, Albany, New York; M. Michael Van Veghten (1663-1762), 2 Apr 1691, Kingston, New York
4. Jan Baptist Dumont — B. about Sep 1670, Kingston, New York; D. 2 Aug 1749, Kingston, New York; M. Neeltje Cornelis Van Veghten (~1670-1738), about 1693, Kingston, New York
5. Francyntie Dumont — B. before 21 Jul 1674, Kingston, New York; M. Frederick Clute (1670-1761), 23 Apr 1693, Albany, New York
6. Peter Dumont — B. 18 Apr 1679, Kingston, New York; D. 1744, Somerset County, New Jersey; M. (1) Femmetje Teunise Van Middlswart (~1680-1706), 25 Dec 1700; (2) Catalyntje Rapalje (1685-1709), 1 Feb 1707; (3) Jannetje Vechten, 16 Nov 1711
Sources:
"Wallerand Dumont and His Somerset County Descendants," John B. Dumont, Somerset County (New Jersey) Historical Quarterly, Vol I, 1912
Harlem: Its Origins and Early Annals, James Riker
“New Netherland: The Esopus Wars,” The New York History Blog
