B. before 18 Jul 1649 in Brooklyn, New Netherland
M. 1 Sep 1678 in Flatlands, New York
Wife: Sara Janse Strycker
D. 22 Jan 1731 in Brooklyn, New York
During the 17th century, when Brooklyn was populated by mostly Dutch farmers, Joris Hansen Bergen was called upon to serve as one of its civic leaders.
Joris' parents were important early settlers of Brooklyn. His father, Hans Hansen Bergen, owned 400 acres at Wallabout Bay. And his mother, Sara Jorise Rapalje, was said to be the first European born in what is now New York. Joris was the first of his family to be born in Brooklyn, and he was taken to New Amsterdam to be baptized there at the Dutch Reformed Church on July 18, 1649. His parents had a total of seven children, then his father died when he was about five-years-old. His mother remarried and had seven more children.
On September 1, 1678, Joris married Sara Janse Strycker, who was also from one of the early families in the Dutch colony; the wedding took place in Flatlands. Between 1679 and 1694, they had at least ten children, although the birth years of some are missing from the records. A census taken in 1698 showed that there were 11 children in their household, so there may have been another child whose name is unknown.
From 1690 to 1699, Joris served the community as one of the “commissioners of the common lands” of Brooklyn. During colonial times in Brooklyn, small groups of men were elected to oversee court proceedings, investigate civil disputes, and handle assessments of property. In 1703, the title of "commissioner" was replaced by "supervisor," and Joris was voted into that position servng basically the same function. He was also a church elder at the Dutch Reformed Church of Brooklyn during the years 1698 and 1702.
Joris owned large amounts of land in what is today Brooklyn.
In 1695, he asked permission to “enclose his lands all together.” He
also requested that a new highway be built between Brooklyn and
Flatbush. Presumably this was so he could transport goods and farm products more easily between the towns on Long Island.
Some of the Dutch settlers in Brooklyn were slave owners, and Joris was no exception. In 1701, he was fined 8 shillings for not bringing one of his slaves “before the court as bound to the sheriff.” This was in regard to an incident of September 15th. Two slaves, one belonging to Joris and the other belonging to his brother Michel, had disturbed the peace by “drinking, fighting and hallooing all night.” The pair had assaulted another slave and “dangerously wounded” him, although the other man was said to have started the fight. All three were sentenced to “receive 13 lashes on their naked backs.” They were also imprisoned until their masters paid 20 shillings each; it isn’t known if Joris submitted to the fine, but he likely did.
Joris lived a long life, dying in Brooklyn on January 22, 1731. His wife Sarah survived him, passing away in 1736.
Children:
1. Lammetje Jorise Bergen — B. before 20 Dec 1679, New York; D. about 1710; M. Joris Remsen, before 1701
2. Sara Jorise Bergen — B. before 13 Mar 1681, New York; D. 29 May 1722; M. Cornelius Ryerson (1684-1761), 29 Jan 1701
3. Aeltje Jorise Bergen — B. before 15 Oct 1682, New Utrecht, New York; D. about 1724; M. Rem Joris Remsen, 17 Aug 1707, Flatbush, New York
4. Hans Joris Bergen — B. before 31 Aug 1684, New Utrecht, New York; D. before 1 Oct 1726, Hempstead, New York; M. Sitje Van Wicklen, 16 Aug 1711
5. Jannetje Jorise Bergen — B. before 27 May 1688, Brooklyn, New York; D. before 18 Jan 1745; M. Hendrik Vroom (1683-1769), 21 Jan 1711, New Jersey
6. Annetje Jorise Bergen — B. before 9 Mar 1690, Brooklyn, New York
7. Jan Jorisen Bergen — B. before 17 May 1694, Brooklyn, New York
8. Brechje Jorise Bergen — B. before 24 May 1696, New York
9. Joris Bergen — B. unknown date; D. before 8 Apr 1749; M. Fransyntje Abrahamse
10. Catherine Bergen — B. unknown date; M. Petrus Ewoutze (1703-1776), 21 Sep 1726
Sources:
The Bergen Family: The Descendants of Hans Hansen Bergen, Teunis G. Bergen, 1876
The Colony of New Netherland: A Dutch Settlement in Seventeenth century America, Jaap Jacobs, 2009
Descendants of Hans Hansen, Progenitor of the Bergen Family
Notes, Geographical and Historical, Relating to the Town of Brooklyn, on Long-Island, Gabriel Furman, 1824
Hans Hansen Bergen (Wikipedia article)
WikiTree
Find-A-Grave
