The Scandinavian Families

It is at this point that we shift our attention to the southern part of Dutchess County, whither Marinus and part of his family migrated and settled in the 1740’s.* Among copies of records previously referred to as in the Holland Society library are those of the Dutch Reformed churches of Fishkill, of Hopewell in the township of Fishkill, and of New Hackensack. The periods covered by the Hopewell records are: for marriages, I756-1811 for baptisms, 1758-1811; for membership, 1765-1809; and for consistory minutes, 1765-1812. Those for the churches of the other two towns do not vary materially from these. The following baptismal records are from the Hopewell church.

*In 1787 Teunis Van Vlackren and Rachel, his wife, of Rombout Precinct, mortgaged to George G. Brinckerhoff land in Rombout Precinct, “being part of three Hundred and three Acres Meriness Rulfse Van Vlachren bought of Mrs. Catharine Brett” and the 101 acres purchased by Teunis Van Vlackren from “Mariness Rulfse Van Vlackren.” Jan and Aron Van Vlackren are listed in the Fishkill tax list in 1739.[i]

It is hardly necessary to point out that the children Jan, Abraham, Henry or Henrik, and Aaron of the first list appear as parents or witnesses in the second-or that the names Marinus and Dina, which occur frequently in the second list, are the parents’ names of the first list carried down into later generations.

Just when the contraction of Vleckeren or Vlackeren to Vlack occurred cannot be definitely determined. A study of the consistory records indicates that the change was gradual and that the shorter name had come into general use by the end of the period covered by these records. No record of the shortened form was found earlier than the time of Abraham (born 1755), the grandfather of Abraham C., who will be referred to later.

The following extract from the Hopewell Dutch Church records may throw a little light on the subject.

1794, Feb. 15  The seat of Helena Van Vlackren transferred to Jane Van Vlackran, dau. of the said Helena, now the wife of Ara De Long, Jr.

Aaron Van Vlackren               3 seats

His wife Caty                          1  “

In an account of persons who have rights to seats later in the records (no date given) appears the following:

One seat of Abraham Van Vlack sold to Abraham D. Van Wyck, another seat of Merinus A. Van Vlack sold to Abraham D. Van Wyck. One seat more of Jane Van Vlack, wife of Aray Delong sold to Abraham D. Van Wyck. The last three seats as above mentioned belong to Abraham D. Van Wyck.

Three seats of Aaron Van Vlack, dec’d, and one seat of Caty Van Vlack, which make up four, are all transferred to their son George Van Vlack.

The numerous real-estate transactions made by members of this family in Dutchess County and recorded there show how gradual this change of name was. Teunis “Van Vlackren” (a son of Marinus Roelofse) spells his name thus in deeds of 1787 and 1791 but by 1795 he has changed to Van Vlack. His nephew John H., on the other hand, though a generation younger, uses the Van Vleckeren spelling in a number of mortgages from 1771 to 1820, but in 1821 he too changes to the newer form. This last-mentioned transaction has significance for us because in it he mentions a lot of land which was deeded earlier “to John H. Van Vlack by the name of John Van Vlackeren dated the first day of June, I784.”

There is no question but that the descendants of Abraham C. Van Vleck (or Van Vlack) should be included in this Van Vleckeren - Van Vlack family, though some of them may have mistakenly traced their descent into the Tielman van Vleeck family. This was Profe