Joris Jansen Rapelje
| Joris Jansen Rapelje | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 April 1604 |
| Died | 21 February 1662/1663 |
| Nationality | Dutch Republic |
| Known for | Council of Twelve Men |
| Spouse(s) | Catalina Trico (1605-1689) |
| Children |
Sarah Rapelje Maretje Maria Rapelje Annetje Janetje Judith Jan Jacob (shot by Indians) Catalina Jernonimus Elizabeth Daniel |
| Relatives |
Hans Hansen Bergen Michael Pauluzen Van der Voort |
Joris Jansen Rapelje (28 April 1604 – 21 February 1662/63) was a member of the Council of Twelve Men in the Dutch West India Company colony of New Netherland. He and his wife Catalina (Catalyntje) Trico (1605–1689) were among the earliest settlers in New Netherland.
Joris Rapelje and Catalina Trico were married 21 January 1624, at the Walloon Church of Amsterdam. Rapelje, an illiterate 19-year-old textile worker whose origin was noted in the registry as 'Valencenne' (Valenciennes, Spanish Netherlands), and his 18-year-bride, had no family present to witness the ceremony. Four days later, on 25 January, the couple departed from Amsterdam, bound for North America. They were traveling aboard the first ships to bring immigrants and workers to New Netherland.
The Rapalje family were first employed at Fort Orange, in what would eventually become Albany, New York. Fort Orange was being erected by the Dutch West India Company as a trading post on the west bank of the Hudson River. It became the company's official outpost in the upper Hudson Valley. The families aboard these ships were principally Walloons, French-speaking residents of Valenciennes, Roubaix, Hainaut and related sites, now in Belgium’s province of Wallonia and France's region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, but then part of the Spanish Netherlands.
By 1626, Dutch authorities had relocated most settlers from Fort Orange to Fort Amsterdam at the southern end of Manhattan Island. The Rapeljes established a residence near the East River, and were among the earliest purchasers of land in Manhattan, later building two houses on Pearl Street near the Fort. In 1637, Rapalje purchased about 335 acres (1.36 km2) around Wallabout Bay in what is now Brooklyn. His son-in-law Hans Hansen Bergen acquired a large tract adjoining Rapelje's tract. Today the land where the Rapalje’s farm stood is an industrial park run by the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In 1641, Rapalje was one of the Council of Twelve Men representing Manhattan, Breukelen and Pavonia. From 1655 through 1660, he was a magistrate of Brooklyn. He died in Breuckelen, New Netherland.
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