Elias McDonald & Susannah Esselstein
Elias2 McDonald (Collin1) was born 28 Jun 1774 in New York, USA. He died on 12 Feb 1855 in Ancram, Columbia, New York, USA. He married Susannah Esselstein, daughter of Abraham Esselstein and Anna Maria Simmon, around 1796. She was born before 23 Sep 1777 in Churchtown, Columbia, New York, USA. She died 08 Jan 1843 in Ancram, Columbia, New York, USA.
With Susanna Esselstein, he had the following children:
i. Elizabeth "Betsey" McDonald (b. 11 Apr 1797 in Columbia County, New York, USA)
ii. Gertje "Charity" McDonald (b. 08 Jul 1800 in Columbia County, New York, USA)
iii. Polly McDonald (b. 29 Mar 1805 in Columbia County, New York, USA
iv. Critje "Margaret" McDonald (b. 03 Feb 1808 in Columbia County, New York, USA)
v. Samuel McDonald (b. 10 Sep 1811 in Columbia County, New York, USA)
vi. John William McDonald (b. 07 Jun 1817 in Columbia County, New York USA)
Elias was a farmer, having left his father's household in Germantown shortly after marrying Susannah around 1796 (probably no earlier than 1795), he set himself up on a farmstead in what was then Livingston (now Taghkanic, Columbia, New York, USA). According to census data, Elias never owned any slaves. His four daughters were baptized at the Reformed Church in Claverack, the town just north of Taghkanic. His two sons were baptized in St. Thomas's Lutheran Church at Churchtown (a hamlet between the two towns), the same church in which their mother had been baptized. After the death of his wife, Elias lived with his daughter Polly in Ancram. He does not appear to have left a will prior to his death, nor is there a Letter of Administration on record in Columbia County for him, so he probably did not have much property to dispose of at the time of his death. His and Susannah's final resting places are unknown.
Looking through the census data, it appears Elias moved his family around quite a bit, but he, in fact, did not. The town of Livingston was established in 1772, one of the original towns in Columbia County (which was part of Albany County until 1786) along with Germantown (called East Kamp prior to 1775, est. 1709) and Claverack (est. 1778). Claverack is a corrupted form of a Dutch word meaning "clover fields" or "clover reach." In 1803 the towns of Granger and Gallatin split off from Livingston. Granger (where Elias lived) was renamed to Taghkanic in 1814, and the town of Copake split off from Taghkanic in 1824. Gallatin was renamed Ancram in 1814, and in 1830 a new town named Gallatin split off from Ancram.
Elias was the second son of Collin McDonald and Gertjen Blass. Elias Mak Tanel was christened on 10 Jul 1774 at Germantown, Columbia, New York, USA in the Reformed Church there (see image above). His sister, Elisabeth, was christened there on 20 Sep 1772. Elisabeth went onto marry Zacharias Barringer, and her eldest daughter Gertje (b. 05 May 1793) was christened there on 12 May 1793, her sponsors were Collin McDonald and Gertje Blass. Several other of Elisabeth's children's baptismal records survive, the next oldest record shows her maiden name as Makdannel (1796), and the others have spellings of McDonnell (1808) and the rest as McDonald. In light of this, I believe Mak Tanel is cognate with McDonald/McDaniel/McDonnell (see Origin of the Surname for a further explanation). Collin and Gertjen's other children were: Jacob (bap. 08 Jul 1770 in Somerset County, New Jersey, USA), Elisabeth (bap. 20 Sep 1772), William (bap. 30 Jun 1776), John (bap. 16 Jan 1780), James (bap. 12 May 1782), and Simon (bap. 06 Oct 1788), all except Jacob born in Germantown, Columbia, New York, USA.
A bit more can be said of Susannah Esselstein's ancestry, as she is a descendant of Marten Cornelisen Van Ysselsteyn, son of Cornelis Van Ysselsteyn, and the progenitor of all Van Ysselsteyns, Esselsteins, Esselsteyns, Esselstynes, Iselstines, Asselstines, and other variations on the name in America during the Colonial period. The Van Ysselsteyn Coat of Arms is shown below.
Van Ysselsteyn means "from (the town of) Ysselsteyn" in Dutch. Surnames were not common among the Dutch at this point in time. Typically, the naming pattern was "child's given name" + "the father's Christian name" + the suffix -se or -sen.
Marten Cornelisen Van Ysselsteyn was born around 1635 in what is present day Ijsselstein, Utrecht, Netherlands. He married Mayke (Maria) Cornelise, daughter of Cornelius Van Barnavelt and Adraen Inges Van Der Jacht, around 1658. She was born about 1629 in Barneveld, Gelderland, Netherlands. In 1659, Marten set sail for New Netherlands, likely as a chance for an adventure, but also to expand his commercial and trading power, as many other early Dutch immigrants were doing. Mayke very likely accompanied him as their children were all born in New York. Their children were:
i. Jannetje Martense (b. about 1658 in Albany, Albany, New York, USA)
ii. Cornelis Martinsen (b. about 1659 in Albany, Albany, New York, USA)
iii. Jaeren Teuntie (b. about 1664 in Schenectady, Schenectady, New York, USA)
iv. Geertje Martense (b. about 1667 in Schenectady, Schenectady, New York, USA)
v. Maryte Martense (b. about 1669 in New York, USA)
vi. Cornelia Martense (b. about 1675 in New York, USA)
vii. Jacobus Martense (b. about 1679 in Claverack Manor, Albany, New York, USA now Claverack, Columbia, New York, USA)
His name is first attested at Fort Orange (Albany), which was a small settlement of approximately 200 people and considered to be "the far West" at the time. A patent drafted in 1661 but not confirmed until 16 Jun 1664 by Governor Peter Stuyvesant granted Marten 2 parcels of land (both numbered 8 on the map to the right) in Schenectady, New York, one was of 22 acres and the other 24, making him one of the original 14 proprietors of Schenectady.
Having resided in Schenectady for about 6 years, he sold his lands and bouwery/farm on 23 Oct 1668 to Claas Frederickse Van Vetten and Cornelis Veilè for the total of 330 beaver skins (the local currency at the time). Today, a portion of these lots are part of the Homestead farm of Col. Daniel Campbell of Rotterdam, New York. The patent reads as follows:
Two parcels of land at Schenectady both marked No. 8; —one lying on the second piece of land to the west of No. 7, —to the east of the creek [Poenties kil], a line cutting between No. 7 [and No. 8] from the creek or kil to the woods south-west somewhat more southerly; —in breadth 36 rods containing about 22 acres or 11 morgens; —the other being upon the hindmost piece of land on the woodside, to the west of No. 9, to the east of No. 7, a line being run as before from the creek Idove gattl to the woods south-west by west, —breadth 56 rods, containing about 24 acres or 12 morgens and 130 rods, as granted June 16, 1664, by Governor Stuyvesant to said Cornelise. In addition to the land, he also sold Claas Frederickse "the house, barn, 3 ricks, 4 horses, 5 cows, 8 hogs, wagon, plough and barrow."
Where Marten and his family went after October 1668 is unknown. They probably went directly to Claverack, where on 12 Jan 1676/7 Marten and Mayke made their joint will (in Dutch), wherein they are described as residing in Claverack. Marten and Mayke both died before 1705, as their eldest son, Cornelis, confirms the transfer of his father's Schenectady property previously given to Van Vetten. They were buried (unmarked or no longer marked) on their family homestead, which remained in the family for seven or eight more generations.
Marten's youngest son, Jacobus Martense Van Ysselsteyn, married Cathalynje Van Deusen, daughter of Teunis Abrahamsen Van Deusen and Helena Roberts, on 05 Dec 1699 at Kingston, Ulster, New York, USA. Their children were:
i. Marten (b. 11 Aug 1700 in Kingston, Ulster, New York, USA)
ii. Helena (b. 28 Mar 1703 in New York, New York, New York, USA)
iii. Baata (b. 26 Dec 1705 in New York, New York, New York, USA)
iv. Isaac (b. about 1710 in New York, USA)
v. Matthais (b. 16 Oct 1715 in New York, New York, New York, USA)
vi. Marytje (b. 02 Jul 1718 in New York, USA)
Family lore states that Jacobus and his family removed to Amboy, New Jersey at the beginning of the 18th century. However, the historical society there has no record of Jacobus, though his sons Matthais and Isaac are attested there in the mid to late 18th century. Jacob died sometime before May 1718 probably in Columbia County, as his wife remarried on 18 May 1718 at Livingston, Columbia, New York, USA, her second husband being Lambert Kool, with whom she had 2 daughters and 4 sons. It seems more likely that Jacobus did not live in Amboy, but that his children (or at least his sons) migrated there in the mid-18th century, especially since some of Isaac's children's baptisms are recorded in Columbia County. Cathalynje died at an unknown date.
Isaac Esselstein was married to Anna Elizabeth Keller (or Kelder), the daughter of Conrad Keller and Maria Barbara Proper. She was born 15 Apr 1722 in Tarbush, Columbia, New York, USA. She was christened in the Gospelhoek, Athens Zion Lutheran Church at Athens, Greene, New York, USA, and the witnesses were Jan Hardik, Justus Falckner, and Geritje Falckner. Their children were:
i. Petrus (bap. 23 Sep 1741 in Athens, Greene, New York, USA)
ii. Conrad (bap. 26 Aug 1743 in Tarbush, Columbia, New York, USA)
iii. Altje (bap. 17 Jul 1745 in Tarbush, Columbia, New York, USA)
iv. Hannes (bap. 31 Jan 1748 in Germantown, Columbia, New York, USA)
v. Marytje (bap. 27 May 1750 in Germantown, Columbia, New York, USA)
vi. Abraham (bap. 28 Jun 1752 in Linlithgo, Columbia, New York, USA)
vii. Jannetje (bap. 25 Oct 1755 in Linlithgo, Columbia, New York, USA)
viii. Agnitge (bap. 22 Sep 1760 in Churchtown, Columbia, New York, USA)
ix. Andreas (bap. 03 Nov 1763 in New York, USA)
In 1765, Isaac is recorded as running an inn in Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA. He and his wife died on an unknown date. In his 1908 book, Frank Allaben assumes that the Esselstein lines of Isaac and his brother Matthais died out, as no one with that surname was living in Perth Amboy in the early 20th century. Rather than the lines being extinct, I would argue that some of Isaac's children either remained in Columbia county or returned there upon adulthood.
Abraham Esselstein married Anna Maria Simmon, whose parentage is unknown. She was born about 1746 in New York, USA. Their children were:
i. Elisabeth (bap. 08 May 1775 in Churchtown, Columbia, New York, USA)
ii. Susannah (bap. 23 Sep 1777 in Churchtown, Columbia, New York, USA)
iii. Albertus (b. 17 Jun 1782 in Hillsdale, Columbia, New York, USA)
iv. Janetje (b. 09 Feb 1784 in Claverack, Columbia, New York, USA)
v. Critje (b. 09 Aug 1786 in Claverack, Columbia, New York, USA)
Abraham was christened on 28 Jun 1752 in the Reformed Church at Linlithgo, Columbia, New York, USA. Little else is known about Abraham and Anna Maria.
Sources
1790 United States Federal Census, Germantown, Columbia, New York; p. 264, line 16; August 02, 1790, National Archives Microfilm Film M637 Roll 6.
1800 United States Federal Census, Livingston, Columbia, New York; p. 1110, line 2; August 04, 1800, National Archives Microfilm Film M32 Roll 22.
1810 United States Federal Census, Granger, Columbia, New York; p. 828, line 24; August 06, 1810, National Archives Microfilm Film M252 Roll 31.
1820 United States Federal Census, Taghkanic, Columbia, New York; p. 324, line 33; August 07, 1820, National Archives Microfilm Film M33 Roll 70.
1830 United States Federal Census, Taghkanic, Columbia, New York; p. 220, line 24; June 01, 1830, National Archives Microfilm Film M19 Roll 87.
1850 United States Federal Census, Ancram, Columbia, New York; pp. 113A-B, family 1545, dwelling 1545, lines 37-40, 1; September 30, 1850, National Archives Microfilm Film M432 Roll 491.
Allaben, Frank. The Ancestry of Leander Howard Crall. New York: The Grafton Press, 1908.
Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale Research, 2012.
"New Netherland and Beyond." Rootsweb, 2012, www.rootsweb.com/~nycoloni (09 Aug 2014).
"New York, Births and Christenings, 1640-1962." Genealogical Society of Utah: FamilySearch, 2014, familysearch.org/search/collection/1680842 (08 Aug 2014).
Pearson, Jonathan. A History of the Schenectady Patent in the Dutch and English Times. Albany, NY: J. Munsell's Sons Printers, 1883.
"Welcome to Columbia County, NY." GenWeb, www.berkshire.net/NYGenWeb/columbia/ (08 Aug 2014).