(1) He is married to Barbarah de Barrette.
They got married on March 1, 1659 at New Castle, DE, he was 23 years old.
Child(ren):
(2) He is married to Mary Smith.
They got married on October 5, 1676 at St. Mary's, Somerset, MD, he was 40 years old.
Quoted from : Family Register published December 1894;
"PREFACE.
"In the preparation of this edition of the Family Register I am indebted for information other than that pertaining to their respective families to Judge Basil S. Ramsey, of Plattsmouth, Neb.; to Mr. Eldred M. Swearingen, of Tuskeega, Ala.; to Mr. Archibald Means, of Peru, Ill.; to Miss Emma V. Mullan, of Washington, D. C.; and to Lieutenant James C. Cresap, of the United States Navy. Lieutenant Cresap furnished the information, gathered from the State archives at Annapolis, Md., showing that our first American ancestor was Thomas. To the late Mr. Henry B. Swearingen, of Circleville, 0H., belongs the credit for making it possible for this genealogy to be published. In 1841 he gathered of old men of the family name in Maryland and elsewhere information
sbowing the genealogical lines from Gerret down to many of his descendants.
"Most of the information concerning Gerret was obtained from "Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New York," published by authority of the legislature of' that State in ten large volumes from 1835 to 1877, the tenth volume being almost wholly devoted to "the Colony on the South River." Official records in Washington, D. C., and at several places in Maryland have afforded data.
"The orthography of the name as written by Gerret was 'van Sweringen.' The dropping of the prefix 'van' and the interpolation of the 'a' was probably done during the lifetime of Thomas. He grew up in an English-speaking community, and it was therefore as natural for him to insert the 'a' as it was for him to drop the 'van.' That he did drop the 'van' is shown by the fact that Van was a given name for one of his sons. 'Swearingen' has been the prevailing method of spelling the name to the present time. Of the few other changes that have been made some were from preference, others unintentional. H. H S.
"WASHINGTON, December, 1894."
Pages 1-4
Page 1 OUR IMMIGRANT ANCESTOR.
GERRET VAN SWERINGEN - was born in Beemsterdam, Holland, in 1636. He was the younger son of a family belonging to the nobility, and received a liberal education. When a young man he performed responsible duties in the maritime seivice of the Dutch West India Company; and in 1656, when that company fitted out the ship Prince Maurice with emigrants and supplies for the Dutch colony on the Delaware river in America, he was appointed its supercargo. This vessel sailed from the port of Amsterdam on the twenty-first of December, 1656, and was to have touched at New Amsterdam (now New York City) ; but on the night of' the eighth of March, 1657, stranded off Fire Island, near the southern coast of Long Island. The next day, in freezing weather, the passengers and crew in a frail boat got to the barren shore, where they remained several days without fire. On the third day they saw some Indians, one of whom was sent with word to Stuyvesant, then Governor of New Amsterdam, who came with a sloop and carried them to that place. A part of the cargo of the stranded ship having been saved before the ship stoved to pieces was put on board another ship, chartered at New Amsterdam, and on the sixteenth of April they sailed for their destination, which they reached in safety in five days.
After the wreck Gerret asked to be relieved from tile company's service, as he intended to make his living there, and as there was " nothing more for him to do," his request was
granted.
Fort Casimir on the Delaware was established by the Dutch in 1651. It was surprised in 1654 by tile Swedes and possession taken, but was regained by the Dutch in 1655, and its name changed to New Amstel, (now New Castle, Del.) The Dutch held it until 1664, when all New Netherlands passed under British dominion. Concerning the then
current affairs Garret himself says:
Page 2 Our Immigrant Ancestor
"The Company being soe indebted to the Citty of Amsterdam as to the setting out of a man of' warr in reducing the South river [the Delaware] into theire possession againe they were resolved to make sale of their said title unto the said Citty. * *
"In fine, the Citty of Amsterdam were made Lords and Patrons of that Colony * * * * A ship called the Prince Maurice was provided to goe to the said Colony, a Governor and Councill appointed, and a company of soldiers consisting of about sixty men put aboard, and I myselfe was made supracargoe over the said ship and goods. * * * The passengers comeing into Delaware in a ship called the Beaver, hired at New York after the ship Prince Maurice was lost. This was the 25th day of April, 1657, when we took possession of the fort now called New Castle, and the soldiers of the West India Company quitted the same."
He was married at this place about 1659 to Barbarah de Barrette who was born at Vallenciennes, France. He was sheriff, commissary, and a member of the council, and was
also interested in the cultivation of some low lands, a duck pond, and trade."
The following letter of a personal nature was written to a friend in Holland who was evidently a government official. It was filed with the official records because, probably, of its references to the affairs of the colony, which references are in the main omitted here;
"NOBLE, WORSHIPFUL, WISE, RIGHT PRUDENT SIR!
"Sir:
"With due respect and reverence have I hereby taken the liberty to greet you, through bounden duty of gratitude to devote to you all the days of my life. I hope you will not consider the insignificance of my person, but excuse the previous and present boldness of so freely writing to your Honor.
"Such being the case, I cannot neglect thereby to communicate my promotion; about a year and a half after my departure from Patria, with your Honor's favorable recommendation, I have been appointed schout [sheriff] here, subject to the approbation of the Honorable the Principals; previously I have taken care of the store as clerk, and, after J.
Page 3 Our Immigrant Ancestor
Rinevelt's death, as commissary, from which I have now requested to be discharged as I have, though unworthy, been recently made Second Councillor.
"I have received here some goods from my brother, all which I have laid out in house, horses and mules. I am also married.
"Herewith I commend your Honor to the mercy and protection of the Most High God, and remain your obedient, humble servant,
" G. V. Sweringen.
"NEW AMSTEL, 8th of December, 1659."
In 1660 he went to Holland, taking his wife with him, where he remained a year in behalf of the colony. Returning the following year, he resumed his former duties.
After New Amsterdam was surrendered to the British in 1664, Sir Robert Carr was sent to demand the surrender of New Amstel. Gerret says:
"The Fort and Countrv was brought under submission by Sir Robert Carr as deputed with two shipps to that intent. Sir Robert Carr did protest often to me that he did not come as an enemy, but as a friend demanding onely in friendship what was ye Kings right in that Country. There was taken from the Citty and inhabitants thereabouts -one hundred sheep, and thirty or forty horses, fifty or sixty cows and oxen, the number of sixty or seventy negroes * * and the
estate of the Governor and myself, except some house stuffe, and a negro I gott away, and some other moveables Sir Robert Carr did permit me to sell."
It has been said of him that after the surrender of the Colony to the English he publicly broke his sword across his knee, and throwing it to the right and to the left, renounced all allegiance to the Dutch authorities.
Shortly after the surrender he removed to Maryland. In April, 1669, he, his wife, and two children, on their petition to Lord Baltimore, were naturalized by act of the general assembly held at St. Marys in that province. The importance
Page 4 Our Immigrant Ancestor
of this act will be seen when it is stated that the ownership of land was restricted to British subjects.
Some years after going to Maryland he wrote an account of the Dutch settlements on the Delaware river, which account was probably written for the Maryland council to use as evidence in the boundary disputes between Lord Baltimore and William Penn. It was executed May 12, 1684, "at a council at Matapany Sewall, in the Province of Maryland," and the jurat described Gerret as being of the City of St. Maries, gent, aged eight and forty years or thereabouts." The extracts heretofore given are from this account.
He was an " innholder" at St. Marys and owned land in that county and also in Talbott county. In the proclamation of the charter of the city of St. Marys, issued by Lord Baltimore in 1668, he was appointed an alderman of the city. In 1674 he built the city's stocks and whipping post. He was appointed sheriff of the county in 1686 and again in 1687.
Barbarah, his wife, died about 1670, and he married Mary Smith of St. Marys, the ante-nuptial marriage settlement being executed October 5, 1676. He died in 1698 and his widow some years afterwards, she "in the faith of the English church."
The issue of his first marriage were Elizabeth, Zacharias, and Thomas; and of the second, Joseph, Charles, Eleanor, who married a Carroll ; Theresa, Dorothy, and another daughter who married William Bladen.
Zacharias was born at New Castle, Del., about 1663, and was yet an infant when his father moved to Maryland. In 1694 he, with his father, joined in the address of the officials and freemen of the city of Saint Mary's to the Governor against having the meeting place of the assembly changed from that place to Annapolis. His widow, whose given name was Martha, survived him. In her will she mentioned a daughter Jane and appointed a guardian of her children, and refers to Zacharias as "late of Saint Mary's county."
Thomas - first American born ancestor.
Joseph was probably born in Saint Marys in 1677. His father in his will appointed "wife and son Joseph" executors.
CHARLES probably died before his mother, as he was not mentioned in her will, while he was mentioned in his father's.
Garrett Van Swearingen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) 1659 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Barbarah de Barrette | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(2) 1676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mary Smith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The data shown has no sources.