V=Black, Marion Vandegrift, The Vandegrift Family Tree, 1964

This manuscript, which was originally compiled in 1995, has been modified in September 2001 to include new data, and to incorporate the numbering system of the so-called Tennessee Tree, a rather thorough document on the VanderGrift/Vandegrift/Vandegriff family compiled by Betty Allen and posted on the internet. Where the Tenn Tree data differs from that of Marion Vandegrift Black we have mostly accepted the more detailed data from the Tenn Tree.

Jacob Leendertsen van der Grift was born in Amsterdam, North Holland, 23 Oct 1622. He became a sailor for the West India Company on a ship that traded between Curacao and New Amsterdam.

Jacob Leendertsen Van der Grift arrived in New Amsterdam around 1644.

The Council Minutes of 20 Sept 1647 show that the Council approved the sale of the ship Zwol “being old” to Stephen Goodyear, the deputy governor of the English settlement at New Haven. This was the ship on which Jacob Leendertsen Van der Grift had served for the West India Company prior to 1644.

On 19 Jul 1648 Jacob Leendertsen married Rebecca Frederickse, daughter of Fredrick Lubbertsen.

On September 11 1648, Jacob Leendertsen granted power of attorney to Martin Martense Schoenmaker, of Amsterdam, to collect from the West India Company such amounts of money as Jacob had earned on the ship Zwol (Swallow) to sail between Curacao and New Netherland. The early records of New Amsterdam give a considerable account of the ship Zwol. It carried 22 guns and 76 men, and around 1647 it was directed to be sold. (V)

On 10 Mar 1652 Jacob Leendertsen, as attorney for his father-in-law, Fredrick Lubbertsen, conveyed land in Breukelen to Jan H. Stelman (S)

In 1656 he was made a Small Burgher of New Amsterdam. The small burgherright was given to all persons who had been bone fide residents for the preceding year and six weeks; the purpose of creating this class of “burghers” was to limit an increase in street peddlers from Holland by giving only Burghers the right to trade.

On 6 Feb 1657 Jacob van der Grift was commissioned “Grain Measurer”. From that date on, no one was allowed to measure for himself or anyone else, any grain, lime or other goods which are sold by the “tun” or “schepel” or came here from elsewhere as cargoes and in wholesale- subject to a fine of 3Ls for the first transgression; 6 Ls for second; jail for the third. (V) This appointment probably followed from an ordinance passed by the city court on 13 Jan 1657, prohibiting everybody from using in the city “any other ell, weight, or measure than that used” at old Amsterdam, and directs that all these measures in use shall be brought to the city hall once a year, on 25 Jan, to be there stamped as correct, by the court messinger of the city,”in the presence of two of the courts.” A stamping tax is fixed upon, and a series of fines is established against those who use any unstamped measures. (S)

By deed dated 9 Jul 1659 Hendrick Hendricksen transferred title to Jacob Leendertsen van der Grift of a house and lot on the East Side of Broadway. This is presumably the house to which Innnes refers, when he says that after Jacob married Rebecca Fredericse, her father Fredrick Lubbertsen conveyed to them a house on the East side of Broadway. But Lubbertsen does not seem to have ever actually owned this house; perhaps he simply made money available to buy it. This property is known as Lot 9,Block B in the Castello Plan, and is described as follows: the Ground Brief for this lot was given by Willem Kieft to Thomas Sandersen on 13 Jul 1643. It was re-granted 5 Dec 1643 to Teunis Nysen. The lot E. Side Great Highway, bet. Lots of I. Foreest and Cosyn Gerritsen; br. Front on street 4 rods, 2 ft; and in rear on E. Side 4 rods; long on both N and S sides, 18 rods, 2 ft., 5 inches. This lot was sold 13 Dec 1656 by Teunis Nysen to Cosyn Gerritsen, and sold by Gerritsen to Hendrick Hendricksen on 3 May 1657. Hendricksen built a house on this lot. (S) (Jacob Leendertsen sold this property by deed dated 9 Jul 1659 to Isaac Greveraet. It is not clear why this house seems to have been bought and sold on the same date: perhaps Jacob had rented with a promise to buy, and then found it too expensive to buy, but located Greveraet as a buyer. This house stood directly across the street from the house of Paulus Leendertsen, Jacob’s brother.

0n 15 Apr 1660 the ship De Bonte Koe (Spotted Cow) arrived in New Amsterdam from Holland. One passenger was Beletie Foppe, a maiden, who resides with Jacob Leendertsz. She may be a relative, but is probably coming to work as a servant.

By deed dated 4 Oct 1661 Jacob purchased from Christiaen Pieters the house and lot S of Marckvelt bounded E by house and lot of N. Bout, 48 ft; S by lot of Jacob T. Kay, 20 ft 3 inches; W by house and lot of F. Aarsen, 47 ft, 6 inches. This house is Lot 1, block D on the Costello Plan, and was originally a ground brief from Willem Kieft to Teunis Tomassen van Naerden dated 4 Jul 1645. ( Jacob seems to have sold this property on 26 Aug 1666 to Simon Jansen Romein.

On 16 Feb 1662 the Council Minutes show a judgement for plaintiff in the case of Johannes de Wit against Jacob Leendertsen van der Grift in an action for debt. (O)

In 1662 he was a resident of Bergen, N.J., where he subscribed to the salary of the minister.

On 9 Apr 1664 he and his wife were accepted as members of the church at Breukelen, upon letters from Midwout (Middlewood or Flatlands).

On 29 May 1664, then living under the jurisdiction of the village of Breukelen, Long Island, he applied to the Council for letters of cession with committinus to the court, to relieve him from his creditors and his turning over his property in their behalf, he being burdened with a large family and on account of misfortune befallen some years before; not having been able to forge ahead, notwithstanding all efforts and means tried by him to that end,etc. (V) The Council Minutes of 29 May 1664 refer to this petition from Jacob Leendertsen of Brooklyn, for permission to make a surrender of his property for the benefit of his creditors. Refused. (O)

In 1665 he was living on the Strand of the North River, New Amsterdam, where he was assessed towards paying expenses of quartering 100 English soldiers on the Dutch burghers. (V)

On 12 Sep 1667 Thomas Hall, Jan Vigne, Egbert Wouters, and Jacob Leenderts receive a patent for upward of 500 acres lying to the northward of the Great Kill. (S)

On 23 Oct 1667 he received a patent (title) from Governor Nicholls for land on the island of Manhattan, on the north side of the Great Creek (now Canal Street), which he sold to Isaac Bedloe in 1668. He then moved to Noordwyck on the North River, where he purchased in 1671 the land of his brother, Paulus, who had returned to Holland. (V)

On 11 Jun 1672 Jan Cornelissen d’Ryck, Servyn Lourens, Jacob Leendertsen, and Gerrit Hendricksen are appointed bt the mayor’s court as overseers of fences and highways “as well as on this as on the other side of the fresh water” for the ensuing year; two of whom shall continue the next year and two new to be elected in place of those retiring. (S)

On 13 Aug 1673 The Inhabitants dwelling on Manhattan Island, between the city and the village of New Harlem, having nominated magistrates, the city bench elects from their number Jan Langestraet as under-schout, Dirck Jansen, Jacob Leendertsen, and Jan Pietersen schepens, and Johannes van Couvenhover, secretary. These take the oath and are required to take a census of the residents in their district and tender to each the oath of allegience. (S)

On 2 Jun 1679 Jacob Leendertsen Vandegrift sold a large farm of 53 morgens of land (126 acres) in the part of Manhattan now known as Greenwich, or New Nordwych (also Sappokaniken, Shappanaconk) to Gilles Jansen van Garder, also called Yellis Jansen de Mandeville (or Mandeviel). Mandeville lived in Holland in 1657, arrived in New Amsterdam 12 Feb 1659 on “de Trouw”, with his wife and four children.. He was a member of the Dutch Church on 31 May 1677. This farm extended in Greenwich Village from below 14th St to 21st St, and from the Hudson to Warren Road. Mandeville sold his farm to his son David Mandeville on 14 May 1700. The Mandeville farm was later owned by George Clinton (later Governor of New York and still later vice-president of the United States) and still later by John Jacob Astor.

On 2 Feb 1680 the Council minutes of Governor Andros shows a complaint against Jacob Lendersen for selling liquor contrary to law. Party fined. (O)

In 1680 a petition was received by the Council from Jacob Lendertsen and Rebecca Fredericksen his wife, daughter of Frederick Lubbertsen, deceased, for redress of certain injustice done her by her late father’s will. (O)

On 26 Jul 1685 both Jacob Leendertsen and his wife Rebecca Frederickse were present as witnesses at the baptism of their son Nicholas’ first born child, a daughter Rebecca.

In 1686 he appears as a resident of Newtown, Long Island, where he probably died, although the date of his death has not been ascertained. (V)

In 1686 Rev. Henry Selyns, pastor of the Dutch Church in New York, compiled a list of his parishioners, according to the streets on which they lived. On Lang’s Strand (Along the Strand) is listed Jacob Leendertse Vandergrift, en zyn hus vrouw, Rebecca Frederick, as well as his children Nicholas Vandergrift and Rachel Vandergrift. ( Nicholas would be about 28 in 1686; he had married Barentje Verkerk in 1684. Rachel would be about 24; she married Barent Verkerk, the brother of Barentje, in 1689.) In the same house, or perhaps next-door, are Daniel Veenvos, en zyn h.v. Christina Vandergrift. (Christina had married Veenvous on 14 Apr 1681.) On the Breede Weg (Broadway), lived M. Gerrit van Tricht en zyn h.v. Maria Vandegrift, (a daughter of Paulus) and on the East Side of the Heeren Gracht (Broad Street), lived Jacob Mauritzen en zyn h.v. Gretje van der Grift. (another daughter of Paulus.)

Jacob Leendertsen apparently died before 1697, as in that year his widow Rebecca Fredericks and most of their children sold their farms on Long Island and moved together to Bensalem, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. His widow was still alive in 1710, when most of the family joined the newly organized Dutch Church on Neshaminy Creek in Bensalem.