Andries Arentse BRADT (1578 – )  Alex’s 11th Grandfather; one of 4,096 in this generation of the Shaw line.

Andries Arentse Bradt was born in 1578 in Fredrikstad, Smaalenenes,(now Ostfold), Norway. He married Aeffi Eva Pieterse KINETIS 1606 in Fredrikstad, Smaalenenes, Ostfold, Norway

Aeffi Eva Pieterse Kinetis was born in 1584 in Fredrikstad, Smaalenenes, Ostfold, Norway. Aeffi died in 1630.

Andries was born in Østfold County, Norway

Fredrikstad, Smaalenenes (now in Østfold, Norway)  is town at the mouth of the Glommen, the largest river in Norway. Fredrikstad was a brand new city when Albert was born.  After Sarpsborg was burned to the ground during the Northern Seven Years’ War, the ruling king, King Frederik II, of Denmark, decided by to rebuild the city 15 kilometers south of the original location. The name Fredrikstad was first used in a letter from the King dated 6 February 1569. The temporary fortification built during the Hannibal War (1644–1645)  became permanent in the 1660s.

Whether he was related to the Bratts of Norwegian nobility, can not be ascertained. The Bratt family lived in Bergen, Norway, before the early part of the fifteenth century, when it moved to the northern part of Gudbrandsdalen. It had a coat of arms until about the middle of the sixteenth century. Since that time the Bratts belong to the Norwegian peasantry. They have a number of large farms in Gudbrandsdalen, Hedemarken, Toten, and Land.

Also note that there is another known family member, Albert’s uncle, Lourens Pieters. He assisted Albert with his marriage intention in Amsterdam. Whether Lourens was his father’s brother, mother’s brother, or married to one of the parents’ sisters is unknown.

Children of Albert and Aeffi :

According to patronymics, Albert Andriessen Bradt and Arent Andriessen Bradt’s father would have been named Anders (the Norwegian form of the name Andries).

Although there is a legend that Albert and Arent’s mother was a Mohawk woman named Kinetis or Kenutje, there is no positive proof in the manner. In fact, it is highly unlikely because Albert and Arent are known to have come from Norway, settling first in Amsterdam, then New Netherland. Albert was often referred to, in contemporary records as “Noorman”, meaning “Norseman”. There is no mention, however, in the primary records, of either Albert or Arent being part Mohawk.

Albert and Arent’s mother is now believed by many researchers to be named Eva. This argument is based on the fact that both of the brothers named their eldest daughters Eva and Aefje (a Dutch equivalent of Eva). In the Dutch naming system, the eldest, or sometimes the second eldest daughter, was named after her paternal grandmother. As Albert’s wife’s mother was named Geesje, this rules out the possibility that these girls were named after their maternal grandmothers instead.

Children

1. Albert Andriessen BRADT  (See his page)

2. Arent Andriessen Bradt

Arent settled in Rensselaerswyck with his brother’s family on the Normanskill where he worked for his brother Albert Andriesse as a tobacco planter. After a decade, he ran his own sawmill, perhaps did some trading, and may have kept a tavern. He spent time at the downriver settlement of Esopus (where one of his children was born), and travelled to Manhattan and Long Island on business.

During the late 1640s, he married Catalina De Vos of Rensselaerswyck. The last of their six children was born in 1661.

Arent relocated to Beverwyck and was among the first proprietors when houselots were partitioned in 1652. The next year he took the oath that gave him full municipal rights. He also had a lot on the river north of the village. In 1658, he leased an island in the Hudson and paid rent in wheat in oats.

In 1662, he was among the first patentees of Schenectady. Failing to reach his fiftieth birthday, Arent Andriesse Bradt died in 1663. His children married the children of Schenectady’s leading families and established strong Bradt presence on the Mohawk as well.

Schenectady Original Owners of the Farms in the Bouwery -- Farm #1: Catalynje De Vos Bradt

15 Original Proprietors of Schenectady

1. Arent Van Curler
2. Philip Hendrickse Brouwer
3. Alexander Lindsey Glen
4. Simon Volkertse Veeder
5. Swear (Ahasuerus) Teunise Van Velsen
6. Peter Adriance Van Woggelum
7. Cornelis Antonisen Van Slyck
8. Gerrit Bancker
9. William Teller
10. Bastiaan De Winter
11. Catalynje De Vos Bradt
12. Pieter Danielse Van Olinda
13. Peter Jacobse Borsboom
14. Jan Barentse Wemp(le)
15. Jaques Cornelise Van Slyck

Arent’s wife Catalyntje De Vos was born 1628 in Holland. Her parents were Andries de Vos and Margritze Coeymans.  She emigrated with her parents 17 May 1641 from Amsterdam, Holland, arriving 20 August 1641, New Amsterdam, New Netherland. After Arent died, she married Barent Janse Van Ditmars after 12 November 1664 and Claes Janse Van Boekhoven in 1691.  Catalyntje died 1712 in Schenectady, Schenectady, New York.

Andries De Vos  was a deputy director of Rensselaerwyck and in 1648 a magistrate and member of the court at Albany. On 27 Feb 1656 Andries and his son-in-law, Arent Bratt, were appointed curators for the estate of Cornelia Vedos (De Vos) wife of Christoper Davids at Albany.

After the death of Arent about 1662, the grants of land allotted to him were confirmed to Catalyntje. Her home lot in the village, was the west quarter of the block bounded by Washington, Union, Church and State streets, being about 200 ft sq. Amsterdam measure. On the 12th of Nov. 1664, being about to marry her second husband, Barent Janse Van Ditmars, she contracted with the guardians of her children, to set off for them from her estate, 1,000 guilders, and mortgaged her bouwery, No. 1, on the Bouwland to secure this sum to them.

Catalyntje’s husband Ditmars and her son Andries Arentse Bratt, “shott & Burnt & also his childn“were killed in the Schenectady Massacre of Feb. 08, 1689/90.

In 1691, she married Claas Janse Van Bockhoven, whom she also outlived. She died in 1712.

Schenectady Map 1690 showing the homes of many of colonists killed in the massacre -- Blue X marks the home of Elizabeth Hendrix and Wouter Albertse Van Den Uythoff. -- Red X marks the home of Barent Janse Van Ditmars, Catalyntje De Vos Bradt Van Ditmarsand Andries & Arentse Bradt

The Schenectady Massacre was a Canadien attack against the village of Schenectady in the colony of New York on 8 February 1690. A party of more than 200 Canadiens and allied Mohawk nation, Sault and Algonquin warriors attacked the unguarded community, destroying most of the homes, and killing or capturing most of its inhabitants. It was in retaliation to the Lachine massacre, and related to the Beaver Wars in North America and King William’s War between France and England.

In much of the late 17th century, the Iroquois and the colonists of New France engaged in a protracted struggle for control of the economically important fur trade in northern North America. In August 1689, the Iroquois launched one of their most devastating raids against the French frontier community of Lachine. This attack occurred after France and England declared war on each other, but before the news reached North America.

New France’s governor the comte de Frontenac organized an expedition from Montreal to attack English outposts to the south, as punishment for English support of the Iroquois, and as a general widening of the war against the northernmost English colonies. The expedition was one of three directed at isolated northern and western settlements, and was originally aimed at Fort Orange (present day Albany).

The raiding expedition consisted of about 160 Canadiens, mostly frontier-savvy coureurs de bois, with 100 Indian warriors, primarily Catholic Mohawk, Sault and Algonquins. They made their way across the ice of Lake Champlain and Lake George toward the English communities on the Hudson River.

Schenectady Massacre

Fort Orange appeared to be well defended, and a scouting reported on February 8 that no one was guarding the stockade at the small frontier community of Schenectady to the west. Schenectady and Albany were so politically polarized in the wake of the 1689 Leisler’s Rebellion that the opposing factions had not agreed on the setting of guards.

Finding no sentinels and the gate ajar, the raiders silently entered Schenectady and launched their attack two hours before dawn. The invaders burned houses and barns, and killed men, women and children. Most were in night clothing and had no time to arm themselves. By the morning of February 9, the community lay in ruins — more than 60 buildings were burned. Most of the residents were dead or taken prisoner, with some survivors managing to flee as refugees to the fort at Albany.

Symon Schermerhorn was one of these. Although wounded, he rode to Albany to warn them of the massacre.

Near midnight on February 8, 1690 Symon Schermerhorn was roused by his great dog Negar. When he opened the shutter he saw, almost in disbelief, a column of men in strange uniforms, followed by a file of Indians. Rousing his brother, he said, “Ryer, the French are in town – I will ride to Albany and give the alarm.” He was able to saddle his horse and get to the north gate before he was fired upon, wounding his thigh and the horse. His route passed close to the river and through Niskayuna, where there was no doctor. He had to pull his mare down to walk because of the pain. It is logical that he turned down the Crooked Road (Old Niskayuna Road) and on down the hill to the stockade gate. Numbed by the cold and weak from loss of blood he could barely stammer “Schenectady – French – Indians – Fire – everything afire.”

In commemoration of this, the mayor of Schenectady repeats the ride [about 19 miles] every year. Most mayors have done so on horseback, though a few have preferred the comfort of an automobile.

Burning of Schenectady

The 60 dead included 38 men, 10 women and 12 children. The raiders departed with 27 prisoners and 50 horses. The community took many years to recover from the attack. John A. Glen, who lived in Scotia, across the river from Schenectady, had shown previous kindness to the French. In gratitude, the raiding party took the Schenectady prisoners to him, inviting him to claim any relatives. Glen claimed as many survivors as he could, and the raiders took the rest to Canada. Typically those captives who were too young or old or ill to keep up along the arduous journeys were killed along the way. As was the pattern in later raids, some of the younger captives were adopted by Mohawk and other Indian families in Canada; others were ransomed by communities in New England.

By capturing Albany, and perhaps destroying it, the French might have succeeded
in detaching the Iroquois from the English besides holding the key to the
navigation of the Hudson.  But it was not done, and now the whole English
province was stirred up like a hornet’s nest over the carnage wrought at
Schenectady.

Sources:

http://boydhouse.com/michelle/dehooges/anderseva.html

http://trees.ancestry.com/owt/person.aspx?pid=2856818&st=1

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rwhitney/whitney/4/3312.htm

http://brownwheelerfamilyhistory4.wordpress.com/2010/05/14/28b-military-roll-of-honor/

http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/bios/b/aranbradt4181.html

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vanepsgenealogy/proppat.html