Biographical Sketches
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THE BRINKERHOFF FAMILY

The Brinkerhoff family are descendants of Joris Dericksen Brinkerhoff, who 
came to this country in 1638 and settled in Brooklyn, New York. His son 
Abraham Brinkerhoff bought a large farm on flushing meadow, a part of which 
is now owned by Elliot brothers.  The Burroughs farm was also part of this 
estate.  Occupying a commanding position, on the bluff overhanging Flushing 
Bay is the Brinkerhoff cemetery.  it is beautiful in summer, and wild in the 
winter it must be as the tempest sweeps over this resting place of an extinct 
family.  Their tombstones are scattered more or less in every cemetery in the 
township; but its doubtful if there is here one living representive of the 
family.
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                  THE LENT FAMILY

The Lent family is od common origin with the Riker Family being descended 
from Ryck and hendrick, the oldest and youngest sons of Abraham Rycken, Who 
for reasons not Clearly known, renounced their own name and assumed the name 
Lent.  Abraham Lent, son of Hendrick came from Westchester county to Newtown 
in 1729 and took possesion of a farm, left him by his uncle Jacobus 
Krankheyt, on bowery Bay. He resided here until his death in 1746, When his 
son Jacobus, for years rulinf elder in the Dutch Church, suceeded to the 
farm.  His death occurred in 1779.  Daniel Lent, youngest son of Jacobus, was 
the last of the family who occupied this estate.  It was sold just prior ro 
his death, which occurred April 20, 1797.  Daniel, his only child tha 
survived infancy, removed to Flushing Bay, and for years resided upon the 
farm formerly owned by Captain Thomas Lawrence and now by the surviving heirs 
of the Lent Family.
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                  THE REMSEN FAMILY
The Remsen Family are descendants of a family whose original name was Van der 
Beeck. Rem Jansen Vanderbeeck came to this country early in the seventeenth 
century. His sons adopted the name Remsen. One of them, Abraham Remsen, 
settled at Hemstead Swamp, on the farm now owned by David Kinsey.  In 1735 
Jeromus Remsen, a son of Abraham, bought the paternal farm, on which he lived 
until his death.  His son Jeromus, born November 22nd 1735, was a man of 
unusual abilities,and deserves honorable notice in the history of his native 
town.  he did service in the French war and stood conspicuous among the Whigs 
of Newtown at the opening of the Revolution.  He was a clerk of the county 
committee, and as colonel of militia was present at the battle of Long Island.
    On Van Dunn Hill is the only property in Newton confiscated after the 
Revolution. Here is a small cemetery known as the Remsen graveyard,  In this 
is the tomb of Jermous Remsen.
    Simon another Representative of the Remsen family in Newtown, was born in 
1748,  He married Aletta only Child of Daniel Rapelje, of Newtown, and 
occupied his father-in-law' s estate on Bowery bay. His daughter married James 
Strong. whose heirs now own the homestead farm occupied by Benjamin \'07W. 
Strong.
    In 1779 William Van Duyn, whose remote origin is French, removed to 
Newtown having bought   property at Hemstead Swamp, which he subsequently 
enlarged. At his death, in 1769, his son Dow received half of the farm, the 
other half going to heirs of Cornelius Van Duyn, whose wife was the daughter 
of Dominicus Vanderveer.  The farm is now owned by Jerome Vanderveer, who 
lives in the old Van Duyn house enlarged and improved.
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THE DE BEVOISE FAMILY                           
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    The subjoined account of the family of De Bevoise is Extracted from 
 RIKER' S ANNALS OF NEWTOWN.\rdblquote  It will be noticed that in the following article 
the name is spelled Debevoise except in the instance of Carel, who spelled it 
de Beauvois. The change in orthography from de Beauvois to Debevoise has been 
 followed  by other changes in dividing and capitalizing the latter word, so 
that now different branches of the family write it variously de Bevoise, De 
Bevoise and De Be Voise, and attention is called to the fact that in sketches 
of several of the family of the present generation and that only just passed 
away the writer has adopted the orthography in use by each of the branches 
thus represented,and in the title of this article that which seems to be the 
most common.
     Carel de Beauvoise * * *  was a highly respectable and well educated 
French Prostestant, who came from Leyden, in Holland.  He was of a family 
whose name and origin were probably derived from the ancient city of 
Beauvais, on the river Therin, to the northwest of Paris; but there is reason 
to suppose that he himself was a native of Leyden.  He arrived at New 
Amsterdam in the ship \lquote Otter,'  February 17th 1659, accompanied by his wife, 
Sophia Van Lodensteyn, and Three Children born to them in Leyden and now aged 
eight, six and three years respectively.  His literary merits and 
acquaintance with the Dutch language soon acquired for him the situation of a 
teacher, and in 1661 he became' chorister,reader and schoolmaster'  for the 
people of Brooklyn, at a salary of twenty-five guilders and free house rent.  
He afterwards served as public secretary or town clerk, which office he held 
till 1669.  His children were Jacobus first; Gertrude, who Married Jacob W. 
Van Boerum; Catharine, who married Jacob Hendrickse Haste; and Cornelia, who 
married Gerrit G. Dorland.

      I Jacobus Debevoise, only son of Carel, was born at Leyden.  In early 
manhood he embraced religion and joined the church at Brooklyn of which he 
was afterward a deacon.  He married, June 12th 1678 Maria Daughter of Joost 
Carelsz, and died in the early part of the next century, his widow surviving 
him. they had sons Carel second born 1680; Joost born 1683; Jacobus born 
1686; and Johannes, born 1689.
Jacobus married in 1715, Sarah, daughter of Joris Remsen, and died on his 
farm at Bedford, aged about four score.  His children were Jacobus (who died 
in 1751, and whose only daughter, Engeltie, married Isaac Degraw of Brooklyn) 
and George, who was born in 1720, married Sarah Betts October 18th 1746, and 
inherited all his father' s estate at Bedford. Joost married in 1707,Mary 
daughter of Joris Remsen; remained a farmer in Brooklyn,and died a few years 
before the Revolution, in advanced age. he had issue: Jacobus; Phebe, who 
married John Johnson; Mary, who also married; Anna who married Johannes W. 
Wycoff; Elizabeth, who married Peter Cowenhoven, and Sophia, Who Married 
Albert Nostrand. Jacobus inherited his father' s farm at the Wallabout; 
married in 1736 Maria Garretson, and died prior to the American War.  His 
Children were: George; Samuel, who died without issue; Ida, who married 
Ferdinand Suydam; MAry,who married Garret Van Duyn.   George last named 
married Elizabeth, daughter of Jeremiah Vanderbuilt,and died at the Wallabout 
in or prior to 1784.
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    Issue Maria, who married Captain Jackson; Catharine, who married John Van 
Alst; Phebe, who married Jacob Ryerson; Sara, who Married Jeromus Ryerson and 
John Cozine; and Ida, who Married in succession two persons of the same name, 
Francis Titus.
     II. Carel Debevoise, son of Jacobus was, married Margaret Meserole, and 
became a Notary public in Brooklyn, fully sustaining the prominence in civil 
and church relations which the family enjoyed for a long period in the above 
town. From 1752-1761 he was county judge. He lived on the premises \{later\} of 
his great-granddaughter, Mrs. Prince.  His sons were Jan 4th, Jacobus,Carel 
3rd and Johannes.  Jacobus was born 1709, and resided at Gowanus, where he die
d in 1766.  His first wife was Maria Van Housen, Whom he married in 1736;his 
second wife was Mary Stillwell, who  survived him. He had Issue Charles; 
Richard; Margaret, who married Charles Doughty of Brooklyn, afterward member 
of Assembly; Ida, who married John Godfrey Muller of New York; Adriana and 
Mary.  Of these Charles remained at Gowanus and had issue James, Wyant and 
others.  Johannes was a town clerk of Brooklyn, and a somewhat important 
citizen.  He married, June 15th 1749, Hannah, daughter of Thomas Betts of 
Flatbush and died November 19th 1792, having had Issue Thomas, Charles, 
Margaret and Hannah, all of whom died single but Margaret who married De. 
John Duffield, a surgeon in the American Revolutionary army.  They were the 
parents of Susan Duffield, who married Captain Charles K. Lawrence; Anna, who 
married Captain Christopher Prince; and Margaret, who Married first Captain 
Archibald Thompson and secondly Samuel A. Willoughby, Esq., of Brooklyn..
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Biographical Sketches-The Townstead Family. 


>The three brothers John,Henry and Richard Townstead came from Norwich County 
Norfolk England. The time of their Emigration cannot be precisely fixed.
>It was, however,several years before 1645,as in that year Govenor Kieft 
granted a Patient of the town of Flusing to John Townstead and Others;and 
from a petiton of his widow to Governor Andros we learn that he had 
previously taken up land near NEW YORK and "peaceably enjoyed the same divers 
years." Alarms from the Indians,and difficulties which she does not specify, 
caused him to leave his improvements and commence the settlement of 
Flushing,where he was Joined by Henry. The Townsteads were Friends, and were 
soon at variance with the Dutch authorities, both as to religion and 
politics. On account of these difficulties with the goverment the Townsteads 
left Flushing and went to Warwick,R.I.,where they were all three members of 
the Provincial Assembly,besides holding municipal offices. In 1656 they 
determined once more to attempt a settlement on Long Island,and in that year, 
with others, obtained a patent of Jamica,then Called RUSDROP. Their Religious 
and Political zeal soon brought them into trouble again. 
>In 1657 henry was sentenced to pau L8 Flanders or leave the province in six 
weeks,for having,"called together conventicles" The people of Flushing 
addressed a remonstrance to the Governor, written by the town Clerk, and 
signed, among others, by Tobias Feake,Sherrif, and Nobel Fatington,both 
magistratesmand presented by the sherrif. The Clerk and magistrates were 
arrested,and John Townstead with them,upon charge of having induced the 
magistrates to sign,and he was ordered to find bail in L12 to appear when 
summoned. Henry was brought before the council January 15th 1658,and 
condemned to pay L100 Flanders,and to remain arrested until it was paid. How 
these matters were settled is not stated,but Henry's signaturemas witness on 
an Indian deed proves that he was in Oyster Bay the same year. He was again 
imprisioned, seeming to be much more involved in troubles coming from 
"countenancing Quakers" than his brother John; yet in January 1661 two of the 
magistrates furnished the names of 12 persons,including John and Henry 
Townstead and their wives,"who counterenanced Quakers" John Townstead settled 
in Oyster Bay Between the middle of January and the 16th of September 1661,as 
he was living at Jamaica at the first date, and his name being on the mill 
grant is proof that he was admitted as a townsman before the last date. Henry 
Townstead must have settled in Oyster bay previous to September 16th 1661, 
the date of the mill grant made to him; he was not admitted as a townsman 
until 4th of November.
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GERARDY-CRAY-THE GREENOAKS-OTHER PIONEER NAMES

The Green Hook, since known as the G.M. Woolsey farm, was patented to Jean 
Gerardy, November 5th 1653.  On the same day Teunis Craye took out a brief 
for the Polhemus estate, and another had been granted three days earlier to 
Philip Gerardy for the Dr. Ditmars farm. March 7th 1654 Annetje Jan Bogardus 
obtained a Patent for forty-two Morgan and fifty=four rods of land lying 
adjacent to the Pot Cove, and which later was included in the estates of 
 Squire John and Major Richard Lawrence.
    John Greenoak, the ancestor of the family of that name, came to Newtown 
early in the eighteenth century, from England, and in 1717 married Mary 
Lawrence, who after his death married Joseph Hallet in 1728.  His son John 
Greenoak located on the farm near Hallet' s Cove afterward owned by the 
Messrs.  Higgins, carpet manufacturers.  he was three times married, his 
first wife having been Jemina Hallett. His son John Greenoak came in 
possession of an estate at Hallet' s Cove, afterward known as the H.F. 
Blackwell place. His wife was Lydia Hallett.
    Nothing more has been attempted in the foregoing sketch than to give some 
account of the early settlement of the territory now included within the 
borders of Long Island City.   No effort has been made to pursue the subject  
beyond  what  may properly  be termed the pioneer period.  The date of 
beginning was so remote and the sources of information have been found so 
meagre that no claim is made that all who deserve mention in the preceedings 
pages have been referred to.  What has been written is offered with the 
explanation that it is as nearly complete as it can be made, and in the hope 
that it will in some measure add to the interest of an article which has been 
prepared more especially to trace the growth and development of Long Island 
City in the past may be mentioned the Blackwells, Hallets, Lawrences, Lents, 
Ditmars, Suydams. and Greenoaks, of Astoria; the Bennetts and Hunters, of 
Hunters Point; the Paynters, Tottens, Millers, Delafields, Gibbses, and 
Parcells, at Tavenswood; the Van alst, Bragaws, Rapelyes, De Witts, 
Brinkerhoffs, De Bevoises, Duryeas, Morells, Alsops, Polhemuses, and Van 
Marters, of Dutch Kills, and the Willings, of Middletown. Of Many of these 
families descendants are now living in the city, and some of them rank among 
its most prominent citizens.

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