Abraham Pietersen van Deusen
| Abraham Pietersen van Deursen | |
|---|---|
| Born | before November 11, 1607 Haarlem |
| Died | c. 1670 (age 63) |
| Known for | Council of twelve men |
| Spouse(s) | Tryntie Melchior Abrahams (1611-1678) |
| Parent(s) | Pieter van Deursen (c1575-?) Maria or Paulina Vincke (c1575-?) |
| Relatives | Martin Van Buren, 3rd greatgrandfather |
Abraham Pietersen van Deursen (before November 11, 1607 – c. 1670), aka Abraham Pietersen van Deusen, was an immigrant from Holland who settled in New Amsterdam and become one of the Council of 12 that was the first representative democracy in the Dutch colony. The Van Deursen, Van Deusen, Van Duser, Van Duzer, Van Duzor, Vanduzee, and Van Dusen families of the United States and Canada are all descended from Abraham Pietersen van Deusen, a miller and a native originating from Haarlem in the Netherlands.
He was born in 1607 in Haarlem to Pieter van Deursen (c1575-?) and Maria or Paulina Vincke (c1575-?). Pieter and Maria/Paulina were married on January 15, 1591 in Haarlem. Abraham was baptized in Haarlem on Wednesday, November 11, 1607, and the witnesses were Jan Jans and Styntjen Jans.
Abraham may have had the following siblings: Handrick Van Dussenberg, who was master of the Masons in 1638, and Adrian Pitersen, of Aitzema, Netherlands, who was a director of the Dutch West India Company.
Abraham married Tryntie Melchior Abrahams (1611–1678) on December 7, 1629, in Haarlem. Their wedding banns were signed on November 25, 1629 at the Grote Houtstraat in Haarlem. Together they had the following children:
He emigrated to New Amsterdam before 1636 with his wife, and several of his children. In 1638 he was listed as a miller in New Amsterdam. Cheska Callow Wheatley writes:
New York colonial documents state that Abraham Pietersen, of Haarlem took possession, in 1636, for the Dutch West India Company, of the Island of Quentensis in front of Sloops Bay (now known as Dutch Island). In another place [the island] is described as the Island of Queteurs in front of Sloops Bay and Pequator's River and in 1664 they speak of the special possession of Abraham Pietersen, of Haarlem, still living on the Island of Quetenesse, in the Narricanese Bay near Rhode Island and also of another island near the Pequot River, called by the English: The Dutchmen's Island. In a latter instance he is spoken of, as of Haarlem, owing to his having lived there when he became interested in the first mentioned Island. In 1638, he was spoken of as the first miller in New Amsterdam; an important and lucrative position in those days, and he is sometimes mentioned in the records as Abraham Pietersen, Molenaer, or Miller. In 1641, on August 29 he was one of the "Twelve Men" whom the commonalty chose and empowered to resolve on everything with the Director-General and Council, and on November 3 he was one of the "Eight Men" who sent a memorial to the State General of Holland, setting forth the distressed state on account of the Indian Outbreak, and begging for assistance.
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