Cornelis Arentsen Viervant and Jeanne Lesueur

Citing this biography: Boyd, Michelle, "Cornelis Arentsen Viervant and Jeanne Lesueur," article, Olive and Eliza, last accessed [current date]."

Cornelis Arentsen Viervant was from Lexmond, Utrecht, Netherlands. He married Jeanne Lesueur in 1668 in Wiltwick (now Kingston), Ulster, New York. Jeanne's parents are not known but it is known that she had a brother. Her brother, François, is recorded as being from "Scalmeny," near Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France and this town was probably where Jeanne and François were born. James Riker (in 1904) suggested that Scalmeny was the phonetic spelling for "Challe Mesnil or Colmenil, a small borough or market town three miles south of Dieppe." A search did not reveal such a town but there is a Colmesnil-Manneville about 8-10 miles from Dieppe that is a possibility. Cornelis and Jeanne's marriage record states that she was of Harlem (now part of Manhattan, New York City, New York).

Cornelis and Jeanne moved to Harlem. On 1 May 1669, Cornelis leased land in Fordham (now part of the Bronx, New York City, New York) from John Archer, who leased lots there "to such persons as would undertake to clear and cultivate it (and with each a house and lot in the village), all upon easy terms." Cornelis's lease was to last five years from 31 August 1688. Archer later leased farms 11 October 1671 in Harlem to several men, including Cornelis.

Cornelis had died before 16 January 1684, when his daughter's guardians tried unsuccessfully to auction off a horse left by Cornelis. The horse was later bought by Jan Postmael (perhaps the one who married Jeanne's niece), who also hired three cows that had belonged to Cornelis. It is not known when Jeanne died. While their daughter could have lost both her parents by 1684, Jeanne could still have been alive, as fatherless children in this era might have guardians appointed by the court to represent their interests, even if the mother was living.

Cornelis and Jeanne’s (probably only) child is:

Cornelia Viervant, born in Kingston, Ulster, New York, guardians (after her father's death) were Resolved Waldron and Johannes Vermilye, married 1) William Ennis (probable son of Alexander and Catherine Innes) and 2) Lambert Brink (b. in Hurley, Ulster, New York, settled in Sussex county, New Jersey bet. 1746-8) 10 May 1717 in Kingston, Ulster, New York (banns registered 21 Apr), alive in 1741.

Summary of Sources

Hoes, Roswell Randall (comp.), Baptismal and Marriage Registers of the Old Dutch Church of Kingston, Ulster County, New York, Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1997 (originally published by DeVinne Press (New York), 1891).
Snell, James P. (comp.), The History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881. Available at Archive.org.
Riker, James, Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): Its Origin and Early Annals, New York: New Harlem Publishing Company, 1904, p. 388. Available at Archive.org.

Source Materials

Click on each category below to expand and see the copies of sources used to create the biography above (copyrighted and other restricted items are listed in the summary of sources above but not included below). Click again to close.

Kingston Marriage Register

Page 533, Marriage # 367
1717 10 May.
LAMMERT BRINK, j. m., born in Horly (Hurley), and CORNELIA VIERBRAND, widow of WILLEM ENNES, born in Kingstown. Banns registered, 21 April.

* Note from R. R. Hoes: The present Lexmond, in the Province of South Holland, S. W. of Vianen; spelled Lecxmonde by Blaeu, and Lexmunde and Lexmonde by van Leeuwen.

** Note from R. R. Hoes: The present Harlem, in N. Y. City.

Page 533, Marriage # 367
1717 10 May.
LAMMERT BRINK, j. m., born in Horly (Hurley), and CORNELIA VIERBRAND, widow of WILLEM ENNES, born in Kingstown. Banns registered, 21 April.

Source: Hoes, Roswell Randall (comp.), Baptismal and Marriage Registers of the Old Dutch Church of Kingston, Ulster County, New York, Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1997 (originally published by DeVinne Press (New York), 1891).

Revised History of Harlem

Page 196
FRANÇOIS LE SUEUR, who left the town early in 1663, was the anc. of the families of Leseur and Lozier, now mostly seated in N. Y. City and Bergen Co., N. J. François first lived in Flatbush after coming to Manhattan, and in 1659 m. Jannetie, dr. of Hildebrand Pietersen, of Amsterdam; in which year Jannetie's brother, Pieter Hillebrands, was captured by Indians at Esopus, but this did not deter her from removing there with her hus. Before going from H. he sold some of his effects, and his w. bought "a little bed," etc. at Sneden's sale. Le Sueur's sr. Jeanne went with them to Esopus, and there m. Cornelis Viervant, with whom she returned to H. Le Sueur was living in 1669, but on Nov. 30, 1671, his wid. bound out her son Hillebrand, eight years old. He was engaged by the deacons in 1673 to ring the bell at 3 gl. a year. Afterward the wid. m. Antoine Tilba, and by him had chn. also. Those by Le Sueur, all but the first, bom at Esopus, were Jannetie, born 1660, who married Jan Postmael (or Post) and Thomas Innis; Hillebrand, born 1663, John and Jacob, born 1665, and Nicholas, born 1668.

Page 249
By his [John Archer's] assiduity had acquired a large tract of land between the Harlem River and the Bronx...Archer began by leasing his land in parcels of 20 to 24 acres, to such persons as would undertake to clear and cultivate it (and with each a house and lot in the village), all upon easy terms; so that in the years 1668 and 1669 a good number of the Harlem people were led to go there. The "new plantation" was given the name of Fordham...
The annexed list of leases executed by Archer at Harlem show who took up farms at Fordham. Nearly all subsequently left and got land of their own elsewhere...
[May 1, 1669] Cornelis A. Viervant [Term] 5 [years from Aug. 31, 1668.]

Page 275
"On October 11th, 1671, John Archer executed at Harlem sundry new leases for farms at Fordham, viz.: to Hendrick Kiersen, Aert Pietersen Buys, and Cornelis Viervant; making the rent payable to Cornelis Steenwyck, of New York..."

Page 388:
Resolved Waldron and Johannes Vermilye, the guardians of Cornelia Viervant, offered at auction, Jan. 16th, 1684, a horse left by her late father, but did not succeed in selling it, only 37 gl. being bid. It was afterward bought for 120 gl. by Jan Postmael (the Post ancestor), who at the same time, March 3d, hired 3 cows left by Viervant, for six years, for half the increase.

CORNELIS ARENTS VIERVANT was a native of Lexmont, in the Land of Vianen, Utrecht. He m. at Kingston in 1668, Jeanne Le Sueur, sr. of François, the Lozier anc., and d. at Fordham, in 1675, leaving an only ch. Cornelia. She m. William Innis, of Kingston, a son, we suspect of Rev. Alexander Innis, chaplain at N.Y., in 1686. William Innis had chn. Alexander, b. 1694, Cornelius, 1696, etc. Desc. are yet found.

Source: Riker, James, Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): Its Origin and Early Annals, New York: New Harlem Publishing Company, 1904. Available at Archive.org.

Note: Esopus (referred to above) was later called Wiltwyck, then Kingston. MB

The History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey

Page 27:
NAMES OF EARLY SETTLERS OF SUSSEX COUNTY.
...
1746-48. — Nicholas Dupui, Lambert Brinck, Samuel Schammers, Abram Kermers, Moses Dupui, Andrius Dingenman, Ja. Swartwoudt.

Source: Snell, James P. (comp.), The History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881. Available at Archive.org.