B. before 17 Jun 1660 in Wijckel, Friesland, Netherlands
M. after 27 Feb 1690 in Flatbush, New York
Wife: Metje Simonse Van Arsdalen
D. about 1720 in Flatbush, New York
Evert Jansz Van Wicklen arrived in America as a small child, and both of his parents died within a few years. But with the help of others, he grew up to became a productive member of his community.
Evert was born in 1660 in Wijckel, Netherlands, located in the Friesland section, and was baptized on June 17th of that year. His parents were Jentie Jeppes and Tijedtske Gerrits; he was the fourth of their seven children, three of whom died young. When Evert was just 4-years-old, his family sailed on the ship D’Eendracht, which arrived in New Amsterdam on July 19, 1664. They seem to have lived in Flatbush in 1665 before moving to the town of Bergen the following year, which was across the Hudson River in present-day New Jersey. It was here that Evert’s mother died.
When Evert’s father remarried on December 4, 1666, it triggered the Orphanmasters of New York to order an inventory of his possessions. Although Evert and his siblings had only lost their mother, it was important to establish their inheritance so that their step-mother couldn’t claim it in case their father also died. Orphanmasters were panels of authorities who would oversee such a situation, a system of civic interest that was uniquely Dutch. In addition, a pair of guardians named Focke Jansen and Cornelis Aerts were assigned to the children. Evert’s father was instructed that he must supply his children “with proper food and clothing until they come of age and then pay to each of them a sum of fifty guilders wampum amounting in all to the sum of 200 florins.”
The action of the Orphanmasters became more significant when Evert’s father died sometime before 1673. After his father’s death, Evert and his siblings were thought to have been cared for by someone who lived in Flatlands (part of present-day Brooklyn) because all four of them became members of the Flatlands Dutch Reformed Church when they came of age in the 1680s. Evert signed a contract in 1680 to work as a carpenter on a house belonging to Christoffel Jansen, who also lived in Flatlands. The service was to last for three years, paying him 450 guilders, with the curious add-ons of a “Persian rug” and “free washing of his bed linens with soap” during the term of service.
Evert took the Oath of Allegiance in 1687, which was required for all Dutch men living in the now English colony of New York. About three years later, he got married, with banns published on February 27, 1690 at the Flatbush church, and the wedding likely taking place soon after. His bride was Metje Simonse Van Arsdalen, daughter of Simon Jansen Van Arsdalen. Between about 1692 and 1710, they had seven children who lived to adulthood.
During his married life, Evert lived and worked in various parts of what is now Brooklyn. On February 6, 1696, he received a transfer of land in Midwout from “the heirs of Hendrick Stryker.” He received another transfer of lands in Midwout on May 9, 1707 from Jan Berrien. In 1697, he was paid 150 guilders for making benches at the Flatlands church. The following year he was listed in a census with a household in Flatbush that included he and his wife, along with three children and one slave. He also at some time in his life owned a mill, with a dam and pond, in Brooklyn “near the ferry.”
In 1703, Evert and two other men made a purchase of land in Somerset County, New Jersey consisting of 450 acres. Perhaps he was looking to the future, as many Dutch men in Brooklyn were moving to the area, but he himself probably never lived there. Most of the land seems to have been resold a couple months later.
By February 9, 1720, he was nearing the end of his life, and on that date, he made out his will. He described himself as being “very sick and weak in body,” and his signature was shaky. He likely died not long after. His wife Metje remarried soon after his death to a man named Philip Volkertse. She was last known to be living on December 13, 1740 in Somerset County, New Jersey.
Children:
1. Sytje Van Wicklen — B. about 1692, (probably) Flatbush, New York; M. (1) Hans Joris Bergen(1684-1726), 16 Aug 1711; (2) Joseph Van Cleef (~1683-?)
2. Pieterneltje Van Wicklen — B. about 1695, (probably) Flatbush, New York; D. 17 May 1759; M. Rem Hegeman (1685-?)
3. Geertje Van Wicklen — B. about 23 Apr 1696, Flatbush, New York; D. before 30 Aug 1769; M. Hendrik Suydam, after 28 Mar 1719, Midwout, New York
4. Jan Van Wicklen — B. about 26 Oct 1698, Flatbush, New York; D. 1732, (probably) New Lots, New York; M. Ida Remsen (1703-?), 3 Jan 1723, (probably) New York
5. Simon Van Wicklen — B. 1700, (probably) Flatbush, New York; D. about 1754, (probably) New Brunswick, New Jersey; M. Gerradina Kouwenhoven (1705-?)
6. Grietje Van Wicklen — B. 1708, (probably) Flatbush, New York; D. before 5 Feb 1782, Millstone, New Jersey; M. William Cornell (1708-1760), before 1735
7. Metje Van Wicklen — B. about 1710, (probably) Flatbush, New York; D. about 1785, Roycefield, New Jersey; M. Bergon Brokaw (1711-1799), before 1740, (probably) Somerset County, New Jersey
Sources:
"The Van Wicklen/Van Wickle Family: Including Its Frisian Origin and Connections to Minnerly and Kranckheyt,” New York Genealogical and Biographical Record Vol.128, no. 2, Harry Macy Jr., 1997
Genealogies of New Jersey Families: Families A-Z, pre-American notes on old New Netherland families, Joseph R. Kleft, 1996
Dutch Genealogy (website)
WikiTree
