The Quackenbush Family
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THE QUACKENBUSH FAMILY L~ HOLLAND AND CA Compiled by ADRIANA SUYDAM (QUACKENBUSH) (1150) Published by Quackenbush & Co. Paterson, N. J. 1909 CONTENTS. Preface . .. ~ . _.. , . 5 The Family in Holland . 7 The Village of Oestgeest . 16 The Coat of Arms . 19 The Family in America . -. 20 First Generation. .. 23 Second Generation. 27 Third Generation ..... _ .... ___ . _. 37 Fourth Generation .................... _. 48 Fifth Generation. 71 Sixth Generation. _. 98 Seventh Generation. 119 Eighth Generation. .. 163 Ninth Generation. .. 184 Tenth Generation .. ._ . 193 Eleventh Generation. 194 Appendix . ...........··. 195 Index . 201 llrrfnrr. N compiling the present history, two brief_ works on the same subject, viz : the Quackenbush chapter in Talcott's "New York and New England Families," and Richard Wynkoop's "Genealogical Notes on the Quacken bos Family," have been taken as a basis, subject to such cor rections as were deemed necessary in the light of recent re search. The lineages as traced by these writers have been considerably developed, however, by the addition of everything obtainable concerning individual members of the Quackenbush or Quackenbos family, and in almost every case the baptismal and marriage records have been verified by comparison with accurate transcriptions of the several church registers. Mili tary and naval records, obtained from official sources, have been inserted in the text, as well as numerous traditions, taken from local histories or communicated by descendants of the principals, but there has been no attempt at systematic bio graphical notices except in the cases of profes~ional men. The original researches of the compiler have resulted in the classification of about one thousand members of the family in America not contained in the Talcott and Wynkoop histories, but it is regretted that, owing to a lack of co-operation on the part of many persons to whom circulars of inquiry were ad dressed, the latest generations are necessarily incomplete. Of the total number of such circulars, forwarded and known to have reached their destin_ations, but twenty per cent. have brought replies, and consequently it has not been possible to identify several hundred of the living members of the family, who are known by name. 6 The information embodied in the first chapter of this history concerning the van Quaekenbosch family in Holland was obtained from the old Dutch manuscripts as a result of the in vestigations of an agent abroad, Herr A. A. V orsterman van Oijon. The coat-of-arms was discovered almost simultaneously in Holland and America, and as there is nothing to indicate that the families in both countries were not of the same origin, its authenticity can scarcely be doubted. It is desired at this time to acknowledge the compiler's obligation to all of those who have contributed in any way to the Quackenbush annals. Bible and family records of especial value have been received from Miss Clarrise Jane Ackart, Schaghticoke, N. Y. ; Mrs. Eben Erksine Olcott, N. Y. City ; Mrs. Cebra Quackenbush, Hoosac, N. Y. ; Mr. Peter Quacken bush, Paterson. N. J.; Professor John Duncan Quackenbos~ N. Y. City, and Mrs. John Englis, Brooklyn, N. Y. For practical suggestions and assistance in research the compiler is indebted to Mr. J. J. Helston-Rix, Secretary of the United States Legation at the Hague; Mr. LarsS. Reque, Con sul General of the United States at Rotterdam; Mr. John R. Planten, Consul General of the Netherlands at New York; Mr. Theodore M. Banta, Secretary, and Mr. Diedrich Versteeg, translator ~f the Holland Society of New York. An _appendix has been added containing such names as were received too late for insertion in the text, but all names, including those in the appendix, will be found in the general index. 1287 Madison avenue, N. Y. City, May, 1900. (@uarkrnhu.a4 ~rnralngy. Wlf e Jr amtly in ijnllanh. B XTENSIVE researches in the archives of various cities SB and towns of Holland have disclosed comparatively few facts concerning the -family of van Quacken bosch, but those which have been brought to light are of such significance that much can be learned from them, both directly and by inference. The Hollanders were ever noted for their precise records of vital statistics, especially after the middle ages, when almost every town as well as every church had its archivist. This being the case, the rarity of the name van Quackenbosch in the town and church registers of that period would seem to indicate that the family was numerically small. In support of this theory it may be stated that although the family never lived, so far as is known, outside of the small area including the city of Leiden and its suburbs Oegstgeest, Valkenburgh, etc., it is officially declared that the name is entirely extinct in that district today, and probably does not exist in any other part of Holland. Mr. Lars S. Reque, the United States Co.nsul at Rotterdam, has written in this connection: I have made numerous inquiries in regard to the Quacken bos or Qu.ackenbosch or Quackenbush family, or branch of it, supposed to be in Holland, but have hitherto failed to discover any trace of the Quackenbosch name. I have especially made inquiries at Leiden and have been assured by the proper offi cials of that city that the name does not exist there. B GENEALOGY OF THE And referring to a communication he had received from the Burgomaster of Oegstgeest, Mr. Reque continues : It is evident that the name of Quackenbos, Quackenbosch or Quackenbush is quite unknown at Oegstgeest, as it appears that the Burgomaster took it for granted that Schakenbos was meant. According to authorities on Dutch orthography, however, the present spelling of the name would be "Kwackenbosch," as it has become almost universal among Hollanders to employ "Kw" for "Qu, " but this modernized form is likewise un known in Holland, the nearest approach to it being Schaken bosch, which is so radically different that it may well be as sumed to refer to a distinct family. Although the van Quackenbosch family does not appear to have been numerous in its native city of Leiden, its patrician character is sufficiently established by the important civil offices to which several of the name were appointed, and by their use of coat-armour at a time when heraldy was an impor tant and accepted institution throughout Europe. The prefix "van" however, does not in itself signify rank, as is commonly believed by Americans, and must not be confused with the "von" of the Germans, which invariably implies a title. "Van" has no particular sig'I!ificance, but is used indiscrimi nately in Holland by persons in every station, although it was doubtless used originally in its true sense, as meaning "of" or "from," and denoted the territorial derivation of a name. Applying this meaning in the present case, and translating " Quackenbosch " Ii terally as derived from " quakken "-to croak like a frog, and '' bosch "-a bush or thicket-the name would imply that the family had ·lived in the vicinity of a patch of woods where frogs were especially numerous and noisy. It is quite possible that the name originated in this way, as family names were not in use in -northern Europe until the QUACKENBUSH FAMILY 9 15th Century, and it was anciently the custom to have a given name only, and to distinguish individuals by referring to their father's names, their trades, or to some peculiar feature of the neighborhood in which they lived. It is a matter of record, however, that the name van Quackenboscb, not differing by so much as a single let ter from the form employed by one of the progenitors of the family in America. was known in Leiden as early as the 15th Century, or two hundred years before Pieter Quackenbosch left Oegstgeest for New Netherlands. The fact that a name so unusual should appear without variation in the two coun tries, and the positive knowledge that Pieter Quackenbosch had lived in the Leiden district before his emigration would seem to justify the belief that the Leiden and New Netherlands families were generally the same, and in the absence of docu mentary proof must be accepted as the _?asis for such an assumption. It is a matter of regret that the single link that would definitely establish this connection has not as yet been discovered. References to the van Quackenbosches of the 15th and and 16th Centuries appear in the "Leiden Armorial," an elab orate publication issued in 1785, and containing a list of fami lies which had been identified with the city administration, to gether with genealogical annotations and plates of 792 coats of arms. From this authoritative source it is learned that one Aelbert van Quackenbosch (1), who doubtless was born several years prior to the discovery of America by Columbus, was the progenitor of a branch of the family which extended in an unbroken line through six generations, terminating in the records with the family of Pieter Gerritzoon van Quacken bosch, who died in 1640. In Aelbert van Quackenbosch ( 1) the family is carried back to the period of Burgundian rule, established by the bril- 10 GENEALOGY OF THE liant Philip ( 1419-1467) who founded the Order of ~he Golden Fleece, as symbolical of the scource of his great power and wealth, the weaving industry of the Netherlands. Under Philip of Burgundy the state enjoyed an era of unprecedented prosperity, but it was at the expense of individual liberty, and therefore unstable. Philip was succeeded in 1467 ~y his son Charles the Bold, who ruled with even greater severity than his father until he met his death at Nancy ten years later.