Willem Abrahamse TIETSOORT

                   IMMIGRATION:
    Some suggest that Willem was the immigrant ancestor, while others assert that it was his father, Abraham, who immigrated first.  Some sources give marriage information for his parents in Schenectady, suggesting Willem was born in NY.  Further review of published research and genealogies may clarify this issue.

WILL:
    Written 11 Dec 1716, proved 29 Oct 1722, suggested he died much closer to the second date than the first.

RESEARCH NOTES:
    Some information from "Descendants of Willem Abrahamse Tietsoort, Blacksmith of Schenectady, NY," by Walter Kenneth Griffin, 1909, is included in the notes.

From Descendants of Willem Abrahamse Tietsoort, 1909
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1. ABRAHAM TIETSOORT 
The first distinctly to be named Tietsoort in this country was Willem Abrahamse Tietsoort, No. 2, early of Schenectady. His name "Abrahamse" indicates that he was the son of an Abraham, but no birth or baptism is distinctly recorded. The occurrence of the name Aeghje, Aechtje or Agatha among Willem Abramse's daughters renders it possible that Willem's mother was an Aeghje, but I have found no Willem, son of Abraham who by any imagination could be Willem Abrahamse Tietsoort, except the Willem, bpt. 2 Aug, 1648 (2 NY D. Ch. 24), son of Abraham Willemszen "van Amsterdam," and Archtje Jans, his wife, "van Naerden," who were md. 27 April, 1647 (NY D. Ch. 14). Aechtje Jans appears a few years later as wife of Peter Casparszen van Naerden. The matter is pure conjecture. 
2. WILLEM ABRAHAMSE TIETSOORT 
recognized generally as the emigrant, son of Abraham and husband of Neeltje Swart, was in Schenectady as early as 1676. Some items of his history appear from later papers. On a petition, now of record (NY Land Papers,, 5.4, p. 104), not dated, but acted upon 10th September, 1707, Willem Tietsoort describes himself as of Ulster Co., NY, a blacksmith, and states that in the year 1698 (*) he was, with others, surprised at the fearful massacre by the French and Indians at "Skenecticut" i.e., Schenectady, which is so well described in Pearson's History of the Schenectady Patent. The massacre almost wiped out Schenectady and its settlers, and occurred during a period of fearful cold. At Schenectady, Willem had lived among the Indians for about 
(*) The last two digits of the date here appear to have been juxtaposed. The massacre at Schenectady occurred Feb 8, 1689 as per the calendar in use at the time. Later references occassionally have the event occurring in 1690; but in 1689 the new year began in March. [prt] 

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22 years, indicating that he had arrived about 1676. For this period he had exercised his calling as blacksmith, a most important trade for an early settlement, when the repair of the simplest tool involved a long, dangerous trip through primeval forests to the nearest forge, generally many miles distant. 
At the massacre, Willem was severly wounded, but fled with his daughter to Esopus, or the modern Kingston, Ulster Co. N.Y. From exposure to the extreme cold, the daughter lost the use of her legs, up to the time of the petition. A list of the grandchildren shows that all the daughters except Gertruy did well for the country. 
At Esopus, Willem was well received by the Indians and seems to have travelled over to the Minnisink or Port Jervis portion of the Delaware, a neighborhood for many years served by the Kingston D(utch?) Ch(urch?) Pastors. The Indians gave him a tract of land at Mahackameck (Maugakemeck), commonly called Schackeackaninck, in an elbow of the Delaware for which he received a license to purchase from the Earl of Bellamont, 15th October, 1698, and a deed from the Indians, 30th June, 1700. Willem complained that the land had subsequently by error been included in a patent to Matthew Ling and associates, and prayed that said patenties might be compelled to give him a deed for the land. The petition, signed Willem Tietsoort, was read 10th Sept., 1707, the entry reading "The petition of Wm. Tietscoort read and ordered to lye on the table." 
This petition refers to land at Menissing near Port Jervis and the patent to Tietsoort is of record at Orange Co., NY County Clerk's office. I know of no earlier white settler at Manissinck than Willem Tietsoort and it is probable he

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was the pioneer there, although several earlier petitions for (?) are of record. 
The petition fixes Willem at the village fort of Schenectady as early as 1676. There he md. Neeltje, a daughter of the well known Theunis (i.e. Anthony) Corneliszen Swart, whose wife was Elizabeth van der Linden, and who, as early as 11 August, 1676 had been appointed magistrate there by Governor Andros (?) (NY Col. Hist. Documents, v. 13, p. 500). All the Schenectady early church records, prior to 1700, as well as the early church records of Beverwyck or Albany are lost; but subsequent marriage entries show that several of Willem's children were born at Schenectady and there he early appears as a land owner. In 1687 he borrowed 600 florins of the Church funds, at interest, such loans being made by the elders as a safe investment of surplus monies. After the massacre in 1690, he sold his lot on the present State St. to Wm. Appel, an innkeeper, but as late as 1715 he acquired a new lot from Evert Banaker. (See Pearson's Schenectady Patent, 87, 155, 156, 384, 386). In 1695, June 7th, he had a daughter Helena (no. 10) baptized at Kingston and in 1699, May 7th, another daughter, Marytje (no. 12). A ? daughter Ariaentje was baptized at Albany in 1685, August 2nd. 
His relations to the Minnisinck Indians were early, as 10th October, 1698, he and Arian "Rosment (?)" (i.e. Roosa) petitioned the Governor to set a hearing at which several Indian Sachems, of Little Menisinck, might make some propositions. It is signed "Willem Titsoort." (NY Col. manuscripts, 42, p. 7 1). Later Willem seems to have settled in Dutchess Co., NY, the people of which resorted to Kingston for baptisms. Poughkeepsie then was a hamlet of some dozen or twenty families, and Smith's history of Dutchess Co. gives illustrations of the need of a good blacksmith, even ploughshares being carried to Kingston for repair.

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(Smith's History of Dutchess Co., 79).In 1713 Pieter Uziele deeded land to William Titsoor, a blacksmith of Dutchess Co., and in 1714 in the Dutchess Co. 1st list of residents, Willliam Tietsoort appears as Head of a Family of 1 male above 60, 2 males between 16 and 60, 2 females between 16 and 60, and 1 female under 16. (See Orange Co. History, pp. 14 & 18). In 1717-18 in the Dutchess Co. 1st Tax List, William Titsor was taxed on a valuation of £13.0.0, and was assessed 15 shillings, 8½ pence. 
Willem's will was in Dutch and is of record. It is dated 11th December, 1716 and resites him as of Dutchess Co. It was proved 29 October, 1722 (See NY Calendar of Wills, p. 382). It mentions the wife and the 10 children, naming, in order, the sons: Abraham, Stefanus, Jacob and Isaac, and the daughters Elizabeth, Eghie, Rebecca, Marytje, Helena and Areiantje. The witnesses were Henry VanDer Burgh, Elias Van Bunschooten and Leonard Lewis. 
For the history of Nieltje's father, Theunis Cornelisze Swart, consult my manuscript volume, uniform with this, entitled "Some notes as to the early descendants of Theunis Cornelisze Swart," soon to be presented to the Lenox Library, NY City. 
Willem Tietsoor was assessed on £13.0.0 1717-18 (lst Supervisor's Book, Dutchess Co., folio 3. Published by Vassar Bros. Institute). Cons. folios 11, 26 etc. of the same book. "The Estate of William Titsoort, Deeceased" was taxed on £6, August 9, 1722 (page 57). 
Consult the magnificent "Swarthout Chronicles," pp. 140, 145 which call Willem the earliest NY settler on a Minnisinck farm.