Recent discoveries relating to the Abeel family, of which little has
hitherto been known, have brought to light certain facts which have an
important bearing on the Revolutionary period of our country's history.
The Genealogy of the Williamson and Abeel families,
compiled by James A.Williamson, proves conclusively that the famous "Cornplanter"
of the Seneca Tribe of the Six Nations was a direct descendant of
Christopher Janse Abeel, the founder of this old Holland family in
America. The faithful mother, who so carefully provided for her son's
welfare, little dreamed of the influence that would be exerted by him and
his descendants in the New World.
CHRISTOPHER JANSE ABEEL, the progenitor of this family in
America, was born in Amsterdam, Holland, in 1621. Both his father
and mother fell victims to the great plague which scourged all
Europe in 1633, when he was twelve years of age. Soon after his
mother was taken ill, she sent for a trustworthy neighbor and
friend, and placed in her keeping all the ready money she had with
instructions to keep it until the lad should become of age. He was
placed in charge of the master of an orphanage, and grew to manhood
well equipped for the duties of life, having been taught in the
meantime the trade of a carpenter.
On
reaching his majority, the faithful friend, true to her trust,
delivered to him the principal with the accumulated interest, and
with this little fortune he purchased a stock of hardware and
started for America, settling in Beaverwick, now Albany, about 1647.
His name first appears on the records of the town in the conveyance
of a piece of property, April 23, 1652. In 1665, as a master
builder, he erected the First Reformed Dutch Church, which took the
place of the crude log house in which the first settlers worshipped.
Two years after this Abeel was elected deacon of the church, and a vote
of thanks was tendered him for faithful service as treasurer of the
poor fund. In 1665 he made a voyage to Holland to receive a legacy
from a deceased great uncle. Passport was made in the name of the
Honorable Stoffel Jans Abeel. He was a magistrate of Albany and
filled other important positions, and in ordinary documents, as was
the custom, he omitted the surname, but to all important legal
documents he attached the full name.
He died in 1684.
