Juriaen “Juergen” Bestval was born in 1629, at Stettin, Duchy of Pomerania-Stettin, Holy Roman Empire (now Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland). His name at birth was probably AJuergen@.
By 1642, he was Leiderdorp, County of Holland, Dutch Republic (now in South Holland province, Netherlands), in preparation to emigrate to the Dutch colony of New Netherland.
He immigrated to the Dutch colony of New Netherlands on the ship “Den Houttuyn”. The ship departed Holland on 6 June 1642 and arrived in the colony on 11 August 1642.
The ship=s passenger list gives his name as AJeuriach Bestvaell, van Luydendorp,@ and that he was 13 years old, born in Prussia, and lived in Luydendorp, Holland.
Once in New Netherlands, he lived and worked at the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, New Netherland (now Rensselaer, Rensselaer Co., New York), the large tract of land owned by the Patroon Killiaen Van Rensselaer (a Afarming colony@ comprising much of present-day Albany, Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, in New York).
A court record dated December 1648 notes that he, as Evert Pels’ servant, was summoned to give testimony to the truth in the Court of Rensselaerswyck.
Evert Pels and his wife, Jannetjen Sijmons (sister of our ancestor Maretje Sijmons, who married Jacob Barentsen Cool), sailed on the same ship, “Den Houttuyn” (in 1642), with Juriaen when they immigrated to New Netherland. Juriaen and Evert were both born at Stettin; they are not related, but seem to have gotten acquainted because they shared the same homeland.
In March 1649, Evert Pels transferred to AJeuriaen Bestvall@ the house, hay barracks and barn, Aas they have to this date been used by Evert Pels, everything to be appraised by impartial men.@
By 1651, he was living on a farm, on Papscanee Island (now a peninsula on the west bank of the Hudson River, in Rensselaer County, New York), within the Manor of Rensselaerswyck. He was evidently renting the farm as AJuriaen Westmael@. A Amemo­randum of farms in the colony for 1651" indicates the farm was 280 morgens in size [a morgen is about 2 acres], the rent was 560 guilders, and grazed ten horses and five cows. On another list of AAnimals found on the farm of Jeuriaen Bestval,@ dated February 1651, are nine horses and five cows.
Around the years 1652 to 1653, some of the inhabitants of Rensselaerswyck grew restless under the feudal obligations they owed to the Patroon and many left. Juriaen was among them.
Further, he was in and out of court from 1649 to 1651 for being in arrears for payment of rent of his farm. (His name appears in court records as AJuriaen Westval@ and AJeuriaen Bestval@.) He was threatened with imprisonment in debtor=s prison in December 1651, and finally his property was probably confiscated. This is probably the very reason he left Rensselaerswyck and settled in Esopus.
In 1654 a patent of land was granted to him at Esopus (now Kingston, Ulster County, New York).
Esopus stood at the place where a Dutch fort was established in 1614 and the village was founded in 1652; in 1661 its name was changed to Wiltwyck, and in 1669 it was re-named Kingston by the English.
He married Maritje Hansen van Noorstrandt, probably before 1655, in Esopus. (The date and place are not certain.)
On 17 August 1659, he and twelve others signed a petition to establish a church at Esopus. He made his Amark@; perhaps he could not write (nor spell his name).
Between September 1661 and July 1662, and again from December 1663 to April 1665, he had several encounters at court, for being in arrears for such details as payment of wages to his servants, payments of grain, and rent.
Interesting is the court record of 4 July 1662, where Mathys Blanchan appeared in court to demand the vindication of his honor against AJuriaen Westvael@. Dirck Adriaensen [brother of our ancestor, Annetje Adriaensen Tack, but no relation to the defendant] told Juriaen and his wife that Blanchan had beat Juriaen=s pig. Dirck denied the claim, but was fined 6 guilders to be given to the poor, and all were ordered to maintain the peace.
On 7 June 1663, hostile Indians attacked the nearby village of and Wiltwyck* and Niew Dorp (now Hurley, Ulster Co., New York). [Dirck Adriaensen, noted above was shot and killed by the Indians as he was fleeing from Niew Dorp toward Wiltwyck to warn the villagers of the attack.]
* Esopus was re-named Wiltwyck in 1661.
During the summer and fall of 1663, because of the threat from the Indians, the villagers of Wiltwyck were forbidden to go outside the fortifications to gather or harvest their crops without a military escort. There were not enough soldiers to provide protection and in order to survive the coming winter, the crops had to be gathered. Those who ventured outside the walls without protection were fined. (They could tend their crops – but only on the days assigned to them and only with armed protection.)
On 9 October 1663, four of Juriaen=s employees were brought to court and fined for mowing their crops without consent and protection. Juriaen was also fined for not mowing on his allotted day because it was raining; he had mowed on another day and had not gotten consent.
He died before 7 February 1668, at Wiltwyck.
On the above date, Gerrit Foken, brought AMarretie Hanse,@ the widow of Juriaen Westfael, to court for demand of payment that Juriaen had promised would be paid on 2 May 1662 .
-- John A. Rhodes, 10th Great-Grandson of Juriaen "Juergen" Bestval