Note 4 — THE DE CAMP FAMILY.

Note.—There were several of the early inhabitants of New Amsterdam who were called “Laurens Jansen” on the records, none of whom can be identified with our “Laurens Jansen De Camp.” It is interesting, however, to trace out such of these “Laurens Jansen” worthies as can clearly be followed.

(A.) In a list of early immigrants the following appears: 1659 February, In the Faith, “Laurens Janssen from Wormer” (Documentary History of New York, vol. III.) The same man appears on the N. Y. Dutch Church records as follows: “1666 May 6, Laurens Janzen j. m. van Wormer in Noorthollt en Annetje Jans wed^e van Lucas Elderzen.”

(B.) On the same church record also appears one Laurens Jansen who had a wife Marritie Aldrichs, and children baptized Maritje, 1672 April 16; Annetje 1674 July 8; Albert 1676 November 11; Wyntje 1679 April 23; Neeltje 1682 May 20; Jan 1685 April 29; Belitje 1693 June 18.

(C.) In a list of those who took the oath of allegiance at New Utrecht, N. Y., on 26th September 1687, appears one “Laurens Janse, natur” who also appears later in a list of inhabitants of New Utrecht, 1698, as having a wife, three children, and two slaves. (Hist. of Kings Co.) He it is who, on Brooklyn Dutch Church records appears as follows: “1696 Jannetje, child of Laurens Janse and Hendrikje Jacobse; Witnesses Stoffel Gerritse and Annetje Jans,” and also in a deed “Laurens Jansen and Hendrickse, his wife, both of the Yellowhook, Town of New Utrecht, Kings Co. N. Y. to William Matysen of Brooklyn N. Y.,” dated 8 May 1708, consideration £412–0 Acknowledged 21 March 17¹⁸⁄₁₉ recorded in Liber 4 of conveyances page 207 Kings Co. Registers Office conveying land on Yellowhook consisting of 66 acres. It is this Laurens Jansen that Mr. Tunis G. Bergen confounds with our Laurens Janz (de Camp) in his work (Early Settlers of Kings Co.), and has erroneously attributed to him several of the children of our Laurens Janz de Camp. A careful examination of the names of parents and witnesses on the original Flatbush and Brooklyn Dutch Church records (Onderdonk’s copy, in Long Island Hist. Soc.) shows the excusable error of Mr. Bergen. It is a curious fact, however, that our Laurens Janz de Camp and this Laurens Jansen should both live at New Utrecht between 1670–1700.

(D.) Another Laurens Jansen appears indirectly in N. Y. Dutch Church records, viz.: “1659 June 19 Jan Gervon van Beaumont in Walslant, Soldaet en Lÿsbeth Hendricks Wed^e van Laurens Janzen Deenmarken” (i. e. a Dane).

Here, then, we find no less than four other Laurens Jansen in New Amsterdam living contemporaneously with our Laurens Jansen De Camp and apparently in no way related to him.