Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg
Encyclopedia
Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg (c. 1640 – c. 1712), also known as Hendrick Jacobs or Henry Jacobs, was an early American settler along the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...

, and was considered to be the foremost language interpreter for the purchase of Indian lands in southern New Jersey. He was a linguist, fluent in the language of the Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...

 native Americans, and in early histories of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 he is noted for his service to both the Indians and the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 Quakers, helping them negotiate land transactions. Though he was from Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....

, now a part of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, he was closely associated with the Swedes
New Sweden
New Sweden was a Swedish colony along the Delaware River on the Mid-Atlantic coast of North America from 1638 to 1655. Fort Christina, now in Wilmington, Delaware, was the first settlement. New Sweden included parts of the present-day American states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania....

 along the Delaware because his wife was a Finn and a member of that community.

In 1671 Falkenberg lived on property belonging to his father-in-law, Sennick Broer, on the Christina River
Christina River
The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles long, in northern Delaware in the United States, also flowing through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. Near its mouth the river flows past downtown Wilmington, Delaware,...

, now in Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...

, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

. He later moved to the vicinity of Burlington
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....

, New Jersey where he lived for nearly two decades, and where he was visited by two journalists of the Labadist sect who were looking for a place to establish a new community. The journalists provided the only known record of Falkenberg's place of origin, and also described his dwelling place, a Swedish style log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...

. By 1693 he had moved from the Delaware River across the Province of New Jersey
Province of New Jersey
The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1776. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland, but came under English rule after the surrender of Fort Amsterdam in 1664, becoming a...

 to become the first European settler in Little Egg Harbor Township, near Tuckerton, New Jersey. Here he dug a cave for a home, but later built a large house made of clapboard where he lived until his death, sometime after 1711. Falkenberg wrote a will in 1710, but for unknown reasons it was not probated until thirty-three years later. While he had only two known children to reach adulthood, each by a different wife, he has a large progeny
Offspring
In biology, offspring is the product of reproduction, of a new organism produced by one or more parents.Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny in a more general way...

 as the ancestor
Ancestor
An ancestor is a parent or the parent of an ancestor ....

 of the Falkinburg family of New Jersey and the Fortenberry and Faulkenberry families of the southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...

.

Delaware River

Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg was born roughly 1640 and came from Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....

, which is currently a part of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...

, the northernmost federal state of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 bordering on Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

. He likely came to the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...

 between 1655 and 1664, during the rule of the Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...

 who brought many Holsteiners from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 on Dutch ships. Naming of individuals at this time used the patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...

 system, where a child had a given name followed by the name of the father. Thus his name was Hendrick, or Henry, the son of Jacob. However, also living along the Delaware at the time was another Hendrick Jacobs. Perhaps for this reason, the subject Hendrick Jacobs eventually adopted the surname Falkenberg (with numerous spelling variations) and the other Hendrick Jacobs adopted the surname Hendrickson. In this article the subject will be called either Hendrick Jacobs or Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg (with many variations), depending on what he is called in the source document.

Service as interpreter

In colonial records of New Jersey the name of Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg occurs frequently in land transactions where he acted as interpreter between the native Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...

 Indians and European settlers. The Indians were eager to acquire European-made goods and the Europeans were eager to acquire land, so the service of Falkenberg was sought by both parties. In his book on the Indians of New Jersey, Frank Stewart considered Falkenberg to be the foremost interpreter in the purchase of Indian lands in southern New Jersey, a sentiment echoed by Dr. Peter Craig in his book about the inhabitants along the Delaware. Falkenberg was particularly helpful to the English Quakers moving into the area of the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...

 in the late 1670s, helping them negotiate land transactions with the Indians. When he was evicted from one of his properties in 1678, these Quakers came to his defense and petitioned the Governor of New York on his behalf. For his services as interpreter, the Indians gave him an 800-acre tract of land in Little Egg Harbor Township in 1674, and the English gave him a 200-acre parcel of land on Rancocas Creek
Rancocas Creek
Rancocas Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in southwestern New Jersey in the United States. The creek's main stem is long, with a North Branch of and a South Branch flowing...

 in Burlington County in 1682.

Falkenberg's usefulness as an interpreter went beyond the conduct of land transactions, an example of which occurred in 1681 when the Lenape Indian King Ockanickon was dying. The King gave his final words to his nephew, Jahkursoe, whom he appointed to be his successor as King, but he also wanted to share his words with his gathered friends and family, both Indian and Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

. Falkenberg interpreted the short statement and then a witnessing Englishman by the name of John Cripps wrote the statement and sent it in a letter to a friend in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 where it was put into print. In this small printed document, Falkenberg's name appears as the translator and is written "Henry Jacobs Falckinburg." This is the first known instance where his name is given with the surname included. Subsequently his name appears both with and without the surname in various printed records.

First residence: Deer Point

The first public record found for the subject was a deed dated October 12, 1672, when he was named as an heir of "Seneca Brewer" (Sennick Broer), being called "Henrickus Jackson" in that document. This indicates that the wife of Hendrick Jacobs was a daughter of the Finn, Sennick Broer, but her given name has not been found. Sennick Broer and family arrived in the Delaware River area on the ship Mercurius in 1656, just after the Dutch took control of New Sweden
New Sweden
New Sweden was a Swedish colony along the Delaware River on the Mid-Atlantic coast of North America from 1638 to 1655. Fort Christina, now in Wilmington, Delaware, was the first settlement. New Sweden included parts of the present-day American states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania....

. The Dutch attempted to turn the ship around and send the passengers back to Sweden, but with the help of some Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...

 Indians the vessel was able to slip into port and offload its passengers consisting of 92 Finns and 13 Swedes
Swedes
Swedes are a Scandinavian nation and ethnic group native to Sweden, mostly inhabiting Sweden and the other Nordic countries, with descendants living in a number of countries.-Etymology:...

. Because his wife was of the Swedish colony along the Delaware, Hendrick Jacobs was also considered a member of the Swedish settlement.

In 1671, when the English made a census of the inhabitants of the Delaware River, Hendrick Jacobs was likely living with his wife and brothers-in-law on property belonging to his father-in-law, Sennick Broer. This 900-acre tract was called "Deer Point" and located on the north side of the Christina River
Christina River
The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles long, in northern Delaware in the United States, also flowing through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. Near its mouth the river flows past downtown Wilmington, Delaware,...

, later a part of Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...

, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

. The length of his stay at Deer Point isn't known, but by 1674 Jacobs was living forty-four miles to the northeast, upstream along the Delaware River on an island called Mattiniconck (or Matinicum), adjacent to the town of Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....

.

Matiniconck Island

In August 1674 Hendrick Jacobs (later Falkenberg) was a party to a deed stating that his residence at the time was Matiniconck Island, a 300-acre island in the Delaware River opposite Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....

. He shared ownership of the island, later called Burlington Island
Burlington Island
Burlington Island is a island located in the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the United States. Burlington Island is officially part of the city of Burlington, New Jersey. It is an uninhabited scenic landmark in the Delaware River...

, with a Frenchman named Peter Jegou, with whom he had a long and fairly close relationship. In a court held at Newcastle, Delaware in May 1675, Jacobs petitioned against Jegou concerning a bargain for a still, but thereafter, the relationship between the two men was much more amicable. Jegou was an attorney for Hendrick Jacobs in a November 1676 Newcastle court case, and three years later in a case where Jegou was a plaintiff, Jacobs was called his friend. Jacobs lived on Mattiniconck at least until late 1677 when a list of "Tydable Persons" of the Upland Court dated November 13, 1677, included "Hend: Jacobs upon ye Isld."

Several years after 1664 when the English took control of the Delaware River, Robert Stacy, one of the Yorkshire commissioners of the Burlington Colony, obtained a lease for this island from Governor Edmund Andros
Edmund Andros
Sir Edmund Andros was an English colonial administrator in North America. Andros was known most notably for his governorship of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. He also governed at various times the provinces of New York, East and West Jersey, Virginia, and...

 of New York. Stacy tried to evict Jacobs and Jegou from the island and take possession of it in November 1678. However, the following month twenty-nine Quaker residents of Burlington petitioned the Governor on behalf of Jacobs who had been of great service to them in getting land from the Indians, acting as interpreter of the native language. While the immediate outcome of the litigation is not known, ultimately the West Jersey
West Jersey
West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702...

 assembly passed an act in 1682 vesting possession of the island in the town of Burlington with rents to be used for school maintenance and education of youth. Stacy did help compensate Jacobs, however, by approving a deed in January 1681/82 whereby Henry Jacobs was given 200 acres of land on the south side of Rancocas Creek
Rancocas Creek
Rancocas Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in southwestern New Jersey in the United States. The creek's main stem is long, with a North Branch of and a South Branch flowing...

, south of Burlington, in consideration for his services as an interpreter. Jacobs likely resided at this location because on August 8, 1685, he sold this property, with dwelling house, to Noel Mew of Rhode Island
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...

.

Lazy Point: Visit by journalists Danckaerts and Sluyter

While Mattiniconck Island was called Hendrick Jacobs' residence in at least two documents, it is uncertain how long he lived there. By 1679 he was residing at a place called Lazy Point which he either owned in partnership with Peter Jegou, or leased from Jegou. Jegou had bought this property in 1668 and was running an inn there in 1670 when he was plundered by the Indians, subsequently leaving the area for Deer Point on the Christina River. A map copied by Jasper Danckaerts
Jasper Danckaerts
Jasper Danckaerts is the author of a Journal Of A Voyage To New York In 1679-80.Danckaerts was born at Flushing in Zeeland May 7, 1639, the sonof Pieter Danckaerts and Janneke Schilders. He became a...

, probably from one made by an English surveyor the preceding year, shows this property of Hendrick Jacobs as being on the shore of the Delaware River across a small branch (Assiscunk Creek) from the town of Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....

. An engraving of this map is found in Woodward's history of Burlington County, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, with a modern version depicted in this article. In 1679 Danckaerts and his partner Peter Sluyter, two envoys of the Labadist religious sect, came from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 to America to find a location to establish a community, their journey extending from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 southward to Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

. On Saturday, November 18, 1679, (8 November, old style) the two journalists, along with their local guide named Ephraim, met with Hendrick Jacobs, stayed at his house, and wrote about the visit:

Before arriving at this village [Burlington], we stopped at the house of one Jacob Hendrix, from Holstein, living on this side. He was an acquaintance of Ephraim who would have gone there to lodge, but he was not at home. We, therefore, rowed on to the village, in search of lodgings, for it had been dark all of an hour or more; but proceeding a little further, we met this Jacob Hendrix, in a canoe with hay. As we were now at the village, we went up to the tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....

, but there were no lodgings to be obtained there, whereupon we reembarked in the boat, and rowed back to Jacob Hendrix's, who received us very kindly, and entertained us according to his ability. The house, although not much larger than where we were the last night, was somewhat better and tighter, being made according to the Swedish mode, and as they usually build their houses here, which are block-houses, being nothing else than entire trees, split through the middle, or squared out of the rough, and placed in the form of a square, upon each other, as high as they wish to have the house; the ends of these timbers are let into each other, about a foot from the ends, half of one into half of the other. The whole structure is thus made, without a nail or a spike. The ceiling and roof do not exhibit much finer work, except among the most careful people, who have the ceiling planked and a glass window. The doors are wide enough, but very low, so that you have to stoop in entering. These houses are quite tight and warm; but the chimney is placed in a corner.
In his journal, Danckaerts called Hendrick Jacobs "Jacob Hendrix from Holstein," getting his name backwards, but providing the only reference to his place of nativity. The journal entry also provides a detailed description of an important Swedish contribution to American culture--the log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...

.

In 1684 and 1685 Hendrick Jacobs appears several times in the Burlington Court Records. In one case he was the defendant in an action of debt, and in another case he and several others were accused of stealing goods from a ship that ran ashore and was grounded. He continued to live near the Delaware River at least until February 1688/89 when he was listed as a member of the Swede's Church in Wicaco (later in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

). On January 26, 1691/92, he witnessed the will of Gilbert Morrell of Steatley, Burlington County, New Jersey, his name then being recorded as "Hinrich Jacobsen Falckenberg."

Across the Province to Little Egg Harbor Township

Sometime in the early 1690's Falkenberg moved across the New Jersey colony to the area of Little Egg Harbor Township near the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

, about twenty miles northeast of present-day Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...

, settling on land that he had acquired from the Indians in 1674. He was probably there by 1693 when he is absent from the census taken that year of the Swedes along the Delaware River. On April 11, 1697, a deed was drafted confirming the 1674 offering by Indians of land at Little Egg Harbor, his name being recorded in the 1697 document as "Henery Jacobs Faukinburge." On February 7, 1698/99, Falkenberg had the 800 acre tract of land surveyed, 200 acres of which encompassed the two islands of Monhunk (later Osborn's Island) and Minicunk (later Wills' Island). These islands are at the north end of Little Egg Harbor
Little Egg Harbor
Little Egg Harbor is a brackish bay along the coast of southeast New Jersey. It was originally called Egg Harbor by the Dutch sailors because of the eggs found in nearby gull nests.The bay is part of the Intracoastal Waterway.-External links:...

, but they have been absorbed by the mainland and are scarcely distinguishable as islands.

Leah Blackman, in her history of Little Egg Harbor Township, relates that according to tradition the subject was the first white man to settle in Little Egg Harbor Township. Once arriving in this area he dug a cave in a steep hill on the eastern side of a little stream on the portion of the tract later known as the Joseph Parker farm; the remains of the cave were still discernable as an indentation in the ground as late as 1850. Falkenberg sustained himself and his family as a hunter, fowler, fisherman
Fisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...

 and oysterman. It is likely that his first wife had died prior to his move to the ocean side of the colony, but he may have brought his son Henry, who was likely a teenager at the time. Blackman relates that as a widower he was not interested in housekeeping, so made a journey to Swedesboro, New Jersey to find a wife. Being successful, he brought his bride-to-be back to his cave home and prepared a large wedding, inviting his Indian friends, and being married according to the Friends' (Quaker) tradition. This likely took place in 1697 or 1698, since the first child of this marriage was born in early 1699.

Falkenberg's new wife, called Mary Jacobs (maiden name not known), became a member of the local Friends' Meeting, as did Falkenberg. Blackman writes that Mary Jacobs was a female minister of the congregation who probably spoke at the first meeting held in the new congregation house built in 1709. For about seventy years after the settlement of Little Egg Harbor, the Friends were the only religious denomination in the township and their meeting house is where most who lived in the area worshipped. Mary continued to appear in various Friends' records after 1709 and was still living on the "10th day of the 8th month 1728" (October 10, 1728) when she and Ann Ridgaway brought a certificate upon their return from Long Island, as recorded in the Little Egg Harbor Monthly Meeting minutes.

End of life

Blackman relates that when Falkenberg left his cave home, "he moved into a commodious clap-boarded mansion that he had built on his farm, and in this house it is probable he died." This farm and house stayed in the family until 1785 when it was sold to Henry Willits by the subject's grandson, John Falkinburg. The last public record found for Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg was dated October 1, 1711, when he bought land at Little Egg Harbor from John Cooke. He wrote his will in June 1710, naming wife Mary as sole executrix with friends Edward Andrews and John Wills to assist her, and mentioning only one child, Jacob, a minor. John Woolman, George Bliss and John Wills were witnesses. For unknown reasons, the instrument wasn't presented for probate until thirty-three years after its writing, on June 7, 1743, long after Falkenberg's death, when John Wills appeared in court as the only surviving witness. Though Mary was living in 1728, she had likely died by the time the will was presented in 1743, as she does not appear in any probate documents. Falkenberg likely died shortly after the writing of the will as his name does not appear on any records after 1711.

Summary of where Falkenberg lived

The following summary pinpoints the known residences of Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg while he lived in America, giving approximate dates for each.
  • 1671-1672 Deer Point on the Christina River
    Christina River
    The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles long, in northern Delaware in the United States, also flowing through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. Near its mouth the river flows past downtown Wilmington, Delaware,...

     (later in Wilmington, Delaware
    Wilmington, Delaware
    Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...

    )
  • 1674-1678 Mattiniconck Island, in the Delaware River
    Delaware River
    The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...

     adjacent to Burlington, New Jersey
    Burlington, New Jersey
    Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....

  • 1678-1682 Lazy Point, across Assiscunk Creek from Burlington, New Jersey
  • 1682-1685 Rancocas Creek
    Rancocas Creek
    Rancocas Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in southwestern New Jersey in the United States. The creek's main stem is long, with a North Branch of and a South Branch flowing...

    , south of Burlington, New Jersey
  • 1685-c.1692 unknown, but he was a member of the Swedish Church at Wicaco (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Pennsylvania
    The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

    ) in February 1688/89
  • c.1692-c.1712 Little Egg Harbor Township, near Tuckerton, New Jersey
    New Jersey
    New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...


Children

Only three children of Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg are known, one by his first wife and the other two by his second.

By his first wife:
  • Henry Falkenberg/Faulkenberry/Fortenberry, born roughly 1680, went to Bladen County, North Carolina
    North Carolina
    North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

     by way of Cecil County, Maryland
    Maryland
    Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

     and Orange County
    Orange County, Virginia
    As of the census of 2000, there were 25,881 people, 10,150 households, and 7,470 families residing in the county. The population density was 76 people per square mile . There were 11,354 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...

    , Virginia
    Virginia
    The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

    ; he was still living in 1759. His name would have been Hendrick Hendricks Falkenberg using the patronymic system, but he is never called this in any known public record. No record mentioning his name has been found along the Delaware River or anywhere in New Jersey. However, circumstantial evidence indicates that this Henry is the son of Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg. First, the name Falkenberg is very rare in the American colonies in the 17th century, so a family connection is likely among those bearing the name, and Henry is the right age to be a son of Hendirck Jacobs. Secondly, there was a known connection between the Sennick Broer family and the Falkenberg/Faulkenberry/Fortenberry family in North Carolina. When Brewer Sinixsen, a great-grandson of Sennick Broer, died in North Carolina, the Falkenberg descendants claimed his land as their own, implying a close family connection. This connection is that Henry Falkenberg, as a grandson of Sennick Broer, was a first cousin once removed of the Brewer Sinixsen who died in North Carolina.


By his second wife:
  • Mary Falkenburg, born 10:11mo:1698 (January 10, 1698/99), was not mentioned in the will of her father, and may have died young.

  • Jacob Hendricks (or Jacob Henry) Falkenburg, born 14:6mo:1702 (August 14, 1702), was the only child named in his father's will. His name is given incorrectly by Blackman, who consistently calls him Henry Jacob Falkinburg Jr. This is erroneous; the Friends' records and every other public document bearing his name clearly call him Jacob Hendricks Falkenburg, in keeping with the patronymic tradition. Jacob was married twice, with the name of his first wife unknown and his second wife being Penelope Stout, a descendant of the Penelope Stout
    Penelope Stout
    Few early NJ histories of any great detail neglect the Story of Penelope Stout. She was an early white settler of Monmouth Co., NJ.According to "History of the Baptists" she lived to the age of 110...

     who lived to be 111 years old.

Descendants

The descendants of Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg were true American pioneer
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...

s. While most of the family of his younger son Jacob remained in New Jersey or adjacent states, his older son Henry initiated the spread of the family through every southern state from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. Following is a list of descendants who were the first known members of the family to settle in the areas given:
  • Jacob Faulkenberry (b. c. 1715) and John Faulkenberry (b. c. 1720), sons of Henry Falkenberg (b. c. 1680), went with their father to Orange County
    Orange County, Virginia
    As of the census of 2000, there were 25,881 people, 10,150 households, and 7,470 families residing in the county. The population density was 76 people per square mile . There were 11,354 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...

    , Virginia
    Virginia
    The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

     and Bladen County (later Anson County), North Carolina
    North Carolina
    North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

    . They subsequently went to Lancaster District, South Carolina
    South Carolina
    South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

    .

  • David Faulkenberry (b. c. 1746) and Robert Faulkenberry (b. c. 1755), sons of the above Jacob (b. c. 1715), went to Jackson County
    Jackson County, Georgia
    Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population in 2000 was 41,589. Explosive growth is evident with a population of 63,544 in the 2009 Census estimates. The county seat is Jefferson.-History:...

    , Georgia
    Georgia (U.S. state)
    Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

    . David later moved to Rutherford County
    Rutherford County, Tennessee
    Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, it is the state's fifth-largest county by population with 262,604 people, an increase of 44.3 percent over the 2000 population of 182,023. Its county seat is Murfreesboro, which is also the geographic...

    , Tennessee
    Tennessee
    Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

    .

  • James Leath Fortenberry (c. 1755 - 1831) was undoubtedly a grandson of Henry Falkenberg (b. c. 1680), but by which son has not been determined. He was the founder of the family in Lawrence County, Arkansas
    Arkansas
    Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

    , coming there by way of New Madrid County, Missouri Territory
    Missouri Territory
    The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812 until August 10, 1821, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Missouri.-History:...

    . Some of his descendants later settled in the Texas counties of Denton, Hunt, Wise
    Wise County, Texas
    As of the census of 2000, there were 48,793 people, 17,178 households, and 13,467 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 19,242 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...

     and Cooke.

  • Jacob Falconberry (b. 1757), the son of Isaac Faulkenberry (b. c. 1725) and grandson of Henry Falkenberg (b. c. 1680), went to Lincoln County
    Lincoln County, Kentucky
    Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 24,742 in the 2010 Cesus. Its county seat is Stanford. Lincoln is a prohibition or "dry county" and is part of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...

    , Kentucky
    Kentucky
    The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

     and then to Jennings County, Indiana
    Indiana
    Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

    .

  • William Fortenberry (c. 1772 - February 5, 1842), the son of John Faulkenberry (b 1740) and grandson of Jacob Faulkenberry (b. c. 1715) mentioned above, was the founder of this family in Pike County
    Pike County, Mississippi
    -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,940 people, 14,792 households, and 10,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 95 people per square mile . There were 16,720 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile...

    , Mississippi.

  • Isaac Fortenberry (c. 1775 - November 1845), the son of Isaac Fortenberry (b. c. 1748) and grandson of the first mentioned John Faulkenberry (b. c. 1720), founded the Fortenberry family in Marion County, Mississippi
    Marion County, Mississippi
    -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 25,595 people, 9,336 households, and 6,880 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 10,395 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...

    .

  • Israel Falkenberry (1781 - 1861), the brother of the preceding William Fortenberry, settled in Monroe County
    Monroe County, Alabama
    Monroe County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of James Monroe, fifth President of the United States. As of 2010, the population was 23,068. Its county seat is Monroeville. It is a dry county, in which the sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or...

    , Alabama
    Alabama
    Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

    .

  • Joseph Fortenberry (1817 - 1856), the son of Jacob Fortenberry (1789 - 1862) and grandson of James Leath Fortenberry, above, settled in Hunt County, Texas
    Texas
    Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

     about 1850.

  • Oliver Rice Fortenberry (1821 - 1874), William M. Fortenberry (1827 - 1884), and A. H. Sevier Fortenberry (1828 - 1868), all brothers of the preceding Joseph Fortenberry (1817-1856), settled in Denton County, Texas between 1850 and 1869.

Notable descendant

U.S. President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...

 Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

 is descended from Mary Margaret Fortenberry (or Falkenborough) who married George Helms and lived in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 in the mid 1700s. Mary Fortenberry was likely a daughter or granddaughter of Henry Falkenberg, oldest son of Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg.

See also

  • Colonial history of New Jersey
    Colonial history of New Jersey
    European colonialization of New Jersey started soon after the 1609 exploration of its coast and bays by Sir Henry Hudson. Part of the state was settled by Dutch and Swedish as New Netherland and New Sweden. In 1664 the entire area was surrendered to the British, and given its name...

  • Little Egg Harbor Township
  • Province of New Jersey
    Province of New Jersey
    The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1776. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland, but came under English rule after the surrender of Fort Amsterdam in 1664, becoming a...

  • Tuckerton, New Jersey
    Tuckerton, New Jersey
    Tuckerton is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, named for founder Ebenezer Tucker , and was a port of entry, but not the third Port of Entry as commonly believed, in the United States As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 3,517.Tuckerton was incorporated as a borough...



Primary Sources

Records from as early as 1698 are also included. This is a folder of typescript pages apparently containing information pulled from original records.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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