B. about 1590 in (possibly) Doorn, Netherlands
M. (1) before 1615 in Netherlands
Wife: unknown
M. (2) about 1638 in New Amsterdam, New Netherland
Wife: Aeltje Braconie
D. before 30 Dec 1643 in Gowanus, New Netherland
Cornelis Lambertszen Cool was one of many Dutch men who migrated to New Netherland early, but left little mark, and his surname died out when his only son apparently died childless.
The origins of Cornelis are almost completely unknown. Based on ages of his children, he was born in roughly 1590, and his middle name suggests his father was Lambert Cool. Some researchers have said Cornelis was born in a place called Doorn, which was near Amsterdam, Netherlands; since no documentation supports this, it cannot be taken as fact. He got married to an unknown woman, and they had three children born between about 1615 and 1623.
Cornelis was said to have migrated to New Netherland during the mid- to late-1630s. The earliest mention of him in America was on June 24, 1638 when he was mentioned as a plaintiff in a court case in New Amsterdam — he had sued two men named Cornelis and Jan Van Voorst concerning a debt he was owed. It’s likely that Cornelis arrived with his family at least a year or two before that, but this is speculation. At some point, he remarried to a woman named Aeltje Braconie; it’s unknown if the marriage took place in the Netherlands or America. It was a second marriage for her, and she had a daughter from her first husband. Cornelis had no children with his second wife.
During this time, Cornelis’ name appeared in several court records. On August 26, 1638, he was involved in the sale of a horse to Claes Cornelissen. Then on November 25th, Cornelis had a dispute with Jan Celes for “damages sustained by the defendant’s hogs.” This would suggest the two men were neighbors, and it’s known that Jan Celes lived at what is now Soho. Another curious mention of Cornelis in court records was on March 21, 1639, when he made a declaration of the discharge of Grietje Reyniers for “improper conduct when a waiting girl at Pieter de Winter’s tavern in New Amsterdam.”
Later that year, on May 17 1639, Cornelis bought 50 acres in Gowanus, with the patent for the land being granted on April 5, 1642. This is where he apparently took his family and lived for the rest of his life. Gowanus was one of the many new settlements that began during the 1630s, and Cornelis was one of its first farmers; it’s possible that he cultivated tobacco there.
Cornelis lived only about four more years. His wife Aeltje was named as a widow in a document dated December 30, 1643, so he had died by that date. Cornelis two daughters each left descendants, his son disappeared from records after May 1642.
Children (all by his first wife):
1. Aeltje Cornelis Cool — B. about 1615, Netherlands; D. Jan 1683, Flatlands, New York; M. (1) Gerret Wolfertse van Couwenhoven (~1610-?), 24 Jan 1635, New Netherland; (2) Elbert Elbertszen Stoothof, 27 Aug 1645, New Amsterdam, New Netherland
2. Aechtje Cornelis Cool — B. before 1623, Netherlands; D. before 21 Jul 1647, New Amsterdam, New Netherland; M. Claes Janszen (1613-1648), before 22 Aug 1639, New Netherland
3. Lambert Cornelissen Cool — B. about 1627, Netherlands; D. after May 1642, (probably) New Netherland
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