Individual Details
Catherine Blanjean / Blanshan
(Ca 1634 - 1705)
On June 7, 1663, while the men were away from the village of Esopus, working in the fields, the Minnisink Indians made an attack, raiding, burning, and carrying away women and children. Catherine and her baby daughter Sara, along with Jan Joosten's wife and child, thought to be her son, Jooste Janse, were among the captured. The husbands of the captive women made many weary journeys searching for their loved ones. Finally Captain Martin Kreiger, arrived with a company of soldiers to assist the searchers.
A traditional story during the colonial period is that "music calms the savage beast," in this case the Native American. The diary of Captain Kreiger supposedly recorded the following tale: The Indians had hidden well in the Catskill Mountains. On September 3, 1663, to celebrate their victory, the Indians decided to burn some of their prisoners. Mrs. Catherine Du Bois and her baby were chosen to be the first victims. As a cubical pole of logs was arranged, Catherine began to sing the 137th Psalm for a death chant. She had a beautiful voice, and the Indians withheld the fire to listen. Awed by the strange, sweet sounds, they demanded more. The husbands and the Dutch Soldiers were led to the spot by hearing her singing. The savages were surrounded, killed, and the captives released.
Perhaps the first recorded freeing of a slave was entered on Sept 5, 1703 in the old Dutch Church by Catherine and her second husband Jean Cottin. Rachel, their slave, age 17, professed her faith and received holy baptism. She promised to serve her mistress and master faithfully until their death upon which time she would be "at liberty and free."
A traditional story during the colonial period is that "music calms the savage beast," in this case the Native American. The diary of Captain Kreiger supposedly recorded the following tale: The Indians had hidden well in the Catskill Mountains. On September 3, 1663, to celebrate their victory, the Indians decided to burn some of their prisoners. Mrs. Catherine Du Bois and her baby were chosen to be the first victims. As a cubical pole of logs was arranged, Catherine began to sing the 137th Psalm for a death chant. She had a beautiful voice, and the Indians withheld the fire to listen. Awed by the strange, sweet sounds, they demanded more. The husbands and the Dutch Soldiers were led to the spot by hearing her singing. The savages were surrounded, killed, and the captives released.
Perhaps the first recorded freeing of a slave was entered on Sept 5, 1703 in the old Dutch Church by Catherine and her second husband Jean Cottin. Rachel, their slave, age 17, professed her faith and received holy baptism. She promised to serve her mistress and master faithfully until their death upon which time she would be "at liberty and free."
Events
| Birth | Ca 1634 | Artois, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France |  | ||
| Marriage | 10 Oct 1655 | Germany, Lower Palatinate, Mannheim - Louis Du Bois | | ||
| Marriage | Aft 1696 | Ulster, New York, United States - Jean Cottin | | ||
| Death | 1705 | New Paltz, Ulster, New York, British America | |
Families
| Spouse | Louis Du Bois (1626 - 1696) |
| Child | Abraham Du Bois (1657 - 1731) |
| Child | Isaac Du Bois (1659 - 1690) |
| Child | Jacob Du Bois (1661 - ) |
| Child | Sara Du Bois (1664 - 1716) |
| Spouse | Jean Cottin ( - ) |
| Father | Mattheu Blanjean / Blanshan (1610 - 1688) |
| Mother | Madelaine Brissen Jorisse (1611 - 1688) |
| Sibling | Marie Blanjean / Blanshan ( - ) |
Endnotes
1. Family tree downloaded from ancestry.com with Van Meter and Strode ancesters (
2. Family tree downloaded from ancestry.com with Van Meter and Strode ancesters (
3. Schoene, Charles E., The Moores of Virginia and Kentucky (Belleair Bluffs, Fla.: B.I. Moore, 1974, 217 pgs. ), p. 90.
4. Family tree downloaded from ancestry.com with Van Meter and Strode ancesters (