Individual Details
Wolfert Gerretsen Van Couwenhoven
( - 1662)
Conover: Conover Family (p. 7): "Wolfert Gerretsen VanCouwenhoven or Wolphert Gerritse Van Couwenhoven, son of Gerrit, as the middle name of Gerrit or Gerret, with the 'se' or 'sen' denotes, ancestor of all persons in America bearing the name of Conover, or, as it has been variously spelled, Kouwenhoven, Kovenhoven, Covenhoven, Couwenhoven and Covenor, emigrated to America, to that section then called New Netherlands, now New York State, in 1630, and settled with other hardy and courageous colonists at Rensselaerwyck, near Albany, then Fort Orange, where he held a very important position, that of Superintendent or Manager of Farms for the Patroon. He later removed to New Amsterdam, now New York City, where he cultivated the 'Bouwery,' or 'Farm No. 6,' in the company’s employ.
"The old Dutch records show that he was one of the Burghers of New Amsterdam in 1657.
"Wolfert Gerretsen Van Couwenhoven was from Couwenhoven, a little village or hamlet a short distance Northwest of Amersfoort, in the Province of Utrecht, in the Netherlands. This is shown by the 'Van,' which precedes Couwenhoven in his name. Historians claim, however, that he was born in Amersfoort, or Eemsfort, an ancient city, the name of which is derived from the River Eem, on which it is located. This city, which in 1841 contained twelve thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine inhabitants, was formerly surrounded by a wall with twenty embattled towers which were destroyed in 1829.
"On the 16th day of June, 1636, Wolfert Gerretsen and Andries Hudden bought from the Indians and obtained from Governor Van Twiller, on the 6th day of 1637, a Patent for the 'Westernmost of the three flats on Long Island, commonly known as the little flats,' and called by them Castuteeuw, or Kaskateuw, which Patent was ratified on the 22nd day of August, 1658; to which premises Wolfert Gerretsen removed, and on which he immediately commenced a settlement, and where he died in 1662.
"On 'July 26th, 1638, Andries Hudden sold to Gerret Wolferson (son of Wolfert Gerretsen), fifty morgens of (land, or) his one-half of the district of Achtervelt, Long Island, for fifty-two gallons of Hollands, which he owed Gerret.'
"On 'August 2nd, 1639, Wolfert purchased of Hudden his interest in a house, barrack, barn and garden on said Patent, called "Achtervelt," and, September 16, 1647, he purchased of Hudden all his interest, not previously disposed of, in the original Patent.'
“ 'These buildings, erected prior to July 9th, 1638, and testified on the 22nd of March, 1639, by Gillis Pietersen Van de Gouw to have been built by himself and the Company's carpenters, were of the following dimensions: the house 26 feet long, 22 feet wide, 40 feet deep, including a small chamber at the side, with the roof covered above and around with plank, and having two lofts above one another, and also being set around with long palisades; the barn 40 feet long, 18 feet wide, and 24 feet deep, all Dutch measure; a bergh with ñve posts 40 feet long.'
“' 'The following is a copy of the inventory of the chattels on the farm July 9th, 1638':
“ 'Three milch cows, 1 yearling cow, 1 young calf, 2 old mares, 1 mare of one year old, 1 new wagon, and appurtenances, 1 iron harrow, 1 heifer of two years old, 2 old oxen, 1 young do., 1 stallion of three years, 1 gelding of four years old, 1 wheel plow and appurtenance, some farming utensils necessary for the bouwery.'
“ 'Also about sixteen morgens of land sowed with summer and winter wheat, and a garden stocked with a quantity of fruit trees; 1 yawl with appurtenance.'
“ 'Wolfert Gerretsen’s heirs conveyed, 25th of March, 1666, the main portion of these premises to Elbert Elbertse Stoothoff.'
“ 'The settlement was ñrst named New Amersfoort, in honor of the place of Wolfert’s nativity; afterwards commonly known as the Baai, or Bay, and since as Flatlands.'
“ 'On March 18, 1647, Cornellis Jacobson Stille obtained a. Patent for Bouwery No. 6, previously occupied by Wolfert Gerretsen Van Couwenhoven, containing twenty-eight and a half morgens on Manhattan Island.'
“ 'It lay along the present south side of Chatham Square, coming down to Pearl Street, and was known as Bouwery No. 6.'
“ 'On April 27, 1662, Elbert Elbertse Stoothoŕf purchased of the Executors of Wolfert Gerretsen Van Couwenhoven and his heirs, for five thousand guilders, in good, strong "wompom," payable in four years, one-fourth in each year, the lands and farm, with improvements thereon, "known by the name of Achtervelt," which the said Wolfert possessed; said lands being the premises which Andries Hudden and Wolfert Gerretseń Van Couwenhoven purchased of the Indians, and which are described as the "Westernmost of the three flats named Kaskuteuw, lying on the island named by the Indians Suanhachy, between the Bay of the North River and the East River; in breadth from a certain meadow, or valley, and stretching about westerly to, and into the woods; which lands were patented to them by Governor Wouter Van Twiller, 16th of June, 1636, and by a confirmatory Patent of 22nd of August, 1658, granted by Governor Stuyvesant to said Wolfert Gerretsen Van Couwenhoven.'
“ 'Elbert Elbertse Stoothoff obgaîned, 1st of November, 1667, from Governor Nicolls, a confirmatory Patent for the above premises, and as per recorded Deeds, in possession at the time of his death of at least six hundred acres of upland in Flatlands, being the largest landholder in the place.'
“ 'There is no Patent for land on Long Island of an earlier date than that to Andries Hudden and Wolfert Gerretsen Van Couwenhoven; and from papers among the descendants of Elbert Elbertse Stoothoff, it is evident that farm buildings were erected on the premises covered by the Patent prior to its date, showing an earlier occupation than 1636.'
"In the 'Bergen Genealogy,' its author states-
“ 'It may be possible that Wolfert Gerritse, the ancestor of the Couwenhovens of this country, was of noble origin, but if he was, it is certain that he, like most of his companions, had not much of this world’s goods to boast of, or he would not have taken the situation of Overseer or Superintendent of the Patroon's farms at Rensselaerwyck.'
"To the compiler of this work it is not known that claims of noble blood were ever made for Wolfert Gerretsen. It is believed that this remark of Mr. Bergen was called forth by the perfectly legitimate claim to and use of armorial bearings by the Conover Family. Now, the right to bear arms is not a proof of noble descent, but merely an hereditary privilege bestowed upon the descendants of any man of the rank of gentleman or higher on whom a grant of arms was made.
"The situation of Superintendent of Farms for the Patroon was an highly important office and would not have been given to a man whose position in life had not accustomed him to command and to the handling of business affairs.
"Wolfert had five sons, none of whose birth dates are exactly known. The births occurred between 1610 and 1620, however, and an approximate date has been given to each in this work in the order in which they are supposed to have been born."
"The old Dutch records show that he was one of the Burghers of New Amsterdam in 1657.
"Wolfert Gerretsen Van Couwenhoven was from Couwenhoven, a little village or hamlet a short distance Northwest of Amersfoort, in the Province of Utrecht, in the Netherlands. This is shown by the 'Van,' which precedes Couwenhoven in his name. Historians claim, however, that he was born in Amersfoort, or Eemsfort, an ancient city, the name of which is derived from the River Eem, on which it is located. This city, which in 1841 contained twelve thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine inhabitants, was formerly surrounded by a wall with twenty embattled towers which were destroyed in 1829.
"On the 16th day of June, 1636, Wolfert Gerretsen and Andries Hudden bought from the Indians and obtained from Governor Van Twiller, on the 6th day of 1637, a Patent for the 'Westernmost of the three flats on Long Island, commonly known as the little flats,' and called by them Castuteeuw, or Kaskateuw, which Patent was ratified on the 22nd day of August, 1658; to which premises Wolfert Gerretsen removed, and on which he immediately commenced a settlement, and where he died in 1662.
"On 'July 26th, 1638, Andries Hudden sold to Gerret Wolferson (son of Wolfert Gerretsen), fifty morgens of (land, or) his one-half of the district of Achtervelt, Long Island, for fifty-two gallons of Hollands, which he owed Gerret.'
"On 'August 2nd, 1639, Wolfert purchased of Hudden his interest in a house, barrack, barn and garden on said Patent, called "Achtervelt," and, September 16, 1647, he purchased of Hudden all his interest, not previously disposed of, in the original Patent.'
“ 'These buildings, erected prior to July 9th, 1638, and testified on the 22nd of March, 1639, by Gillis Pietersen Van de Gouw to have been built by himself and the Company's carpenters, were of the following dimensions: the house 26 feet long, 22 feet wide, 40 feet deep, including a small chamber at the side, with the roof covered above and around with plank, and having two lofts above one another, and also being set around with long palisades; the barn 40 feet long, 18 feet wide, and 24 feet deep, all Dutch measure; a bergh with ñve posts 40 feet long.'
“' 'The following is a copy of the inventory of the chattels on the farm July 9th, 1638':
“ 'Three milch cows, 1 yearling cow, 1 young calf, 2 old mares, 1 mare of one year old, 1 new wagon, and appurtenances, 1 iron harrow, 1 heifer of two years old, 2 old oxen, 1 young do., 1 stallion of three years, 1 gelding of four years old, 1 wheel plow and appurtenance, some farming utensils necessary for the bouwery.'
“ 'Also about sixteen morgens of land sowed with summer and winter wheat, and a garden stocked with a quantity of fruit trees; 1 yawl with appurtenance.'
“ 'Wolfert Gerretsen’s heirs conveyed, 25th of March, 1666, the main portion of these premises to Elbert Elbertse Stoothoff.'
“ 'The settlement was ñrst named New Amersfoort, in honor of the place of Wolfert’s nativity; afterwards commonly known as the Baai, or Bay, and since as Flatlands.'
“ 'On March 18, 1647, Cornellis Jacobson Stille obtained a. Patent for Bouwery No. 6, previously occupied by Wolfert Gerretsen Van Couwenhoven, containing twenty-eight and a half morgens on Manhattan Island.'
“ 'It lay along the present south side of Chatham Square, coming down to Pearl Street, and was known as Bouwery No. 6.'
“ 'On April 27, 1662, Elbert Elbertse Stoothoŕf purchased of the Executors of Wolfert Gerretsen Van Couwenhoven and his heirs, for five thousand guilders, in good, strong "wompom," payable in four years, one-fourth in each year, the lands and farm, with improvements thereon, "known by the name of Achtervelt," which the said Wolfert possessed; said lands being the premises which Andries Hudden and Wolfert Gerretseń Van Couwenhoven purchased of the Indians, and which are described as the "Westernmost of the three flats named Kaskuteuw, lying on the island named by the Indians Suanhachy, between the Bay of the North River and the East River; in breadth from a certain meadow, or valley, and stretching about westerly to, and into the woods; which lands were patented to them by Governor Wouter Van Twiller, 16th of June, 1636, and by a confirmatory Patent of 22nd of August, 1658, granted by Governor Stuyvesant to said Wolfert Gerretsen Van Couwenhoven.'
“ 'Elbert Elbertse Stoothoff obgaîned, 1st of November, 1667, from Governor Nicolls, a confirmatory Patent for the above premises, and as per recorded Deeds, in possession at the time of his death of at least six hundred acres of upland in Flatlands, being the largest landholder in the place.'
“ 'There is no Patent for land on Long Island of an earlier date than that to Andries Hudden and Wolfert Gerretsen Van Couwenhoven; and from papers among the descendants of Elbert Elbertse Stoothoff, it is evident that farm buildings were erected on the premises covered by the Patent prior to its date, showing an earlier occupation than 1636.'
"In the 'Bergen Genealogy,' its author states-
“ 'It may be possible that Wolfert Gerritse, the ancestor of the Couwenhovens of this country, was of noble origin, but if he was, it is certain that he, like most of his companions, had not much of this world’s goods to boast of, or he would not have taken the situation of Overseer or Superintendent of the Patroon's farms at Rensselaerwyck.'
"To the compiler of this work it is not known that claims of noble blood were ever made for Wolfert Gerretsen. It is believed that this remark of Mr. Bergen was called forth by the perfectly legitimate claim to and use of armorial bearings by the Conover Family. Now, the right to bear arms is not a proof of noble descent, but merely an hereditary privilege bestowed upon the descendants of any man of the rank of gentleman or higher on whom a grant of arms was made.
"The situation of Superintendent of Farms for the Patroon was an highly important office and would not have been given to a man whose position in life had not accustomed him to command and to the handling of business affairs.
"Wolfert had five sons, none of whose birth dates are exactly known. The births occurred between 1610 and 1620, however, and an approximate date has been given to each in this work in the order in which they are supposed to have been born."
Events
| Death | 1662 |  |
Families
| Child | Gerret Wolfersen Couwenhoven (1610 - 1645) |
| Child | Jacob Wolfersen Couwenhoven (1612 - ) |
| Child | Derick Wolfersen Couwenhoven (1613 - ) |
| Child | Peter Wolfersen Couwenhoven (1614 - ) |
| Child | Jan Wolfersen Couwenhoven (1616 - ) |
Endnotes
1. Charles Hopkins Conover, The Conover Family (Frankford, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Martin & Allardyce, 1912), p. 8.