Jacob van Kuykendall
Marjorie Ruth Keith: Jacob was employed by the Dutch West India Company and emigrated from Holland to the New Netherland Colony in 1646. He settled at Fort Orange, New York (near what is now the foot of Madison Street in Albany, New York). Jacob was a farmer, fur trader and mechanic.
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FTM Volume #2, Tree #3215: References: (1) "The History of the Kuykendall Family", by George Benson Kuykendall and (2) "Kuykendall Families of America", Volume #3, by Velma Kuykendall Winn
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FTM Volume #3, Tree 3411: Jacob Luursen (1616-1655)
Jacob, our first ancestor in America, was born in or near Waginengen, Holland, the son of Luur (last name unknown). He married Stynje Douwes in Amsterdam on August 28, 1638; Stynje was from Enkhuisen, Holland, born in January 1617, the Daughter of Douwe Wiggersz and Agniete Coensen.
A 1662 fire in the town hall of Wageningen prevents us from finding any older records on Jacob Luursen or his family.
In 1640, Jacob, Stynje, and their baby daughter Styntie arrived in Fort Orange, New Netherlands (now Albany, New York) on the ship "Princess" owned by the Dutch West India Company. Since 1629 this company had set up patroonships whereby wealthy Dutch could obtain huge tracts of land if the successfully colonized the area. One such patroon was Kiliaen Van Rensselaer whose holdings included most of present-day Albany, Columbia and Rensselaer counties. Rensselaer had his business office in Amsterdam but his home was in the Gelderland province from which the Luersens came, so it is likely that Rensselaer personally recruited the brothers and gave them land leases to ensure that they would become permanent settlers. Rensselaer's patroonship is mentioned as the only one that lasted into the 1700's.
Jacob and his brother Urbanus (with wife Jannetie Claes Boanes) came to America to work for Renssalaer, possibly as mechanics. However, some of my records include details of shipping by the Dutch West India Company in which Jacob Luersen is specifically mentioned as an officer. New York Historical Manuscripts contains a September 6, 1641 declaration of officers of the ship "The Angel Gabriel" who urged the Captain to head for New Netherlands because of the disabled condition of their ship, signed by Jacob Luersen as Chief Boatswain. Another account, dated January 1, 1648, tells of a complaint filed against Roulaf Cornelius who inflicted five wounds on Corporal Jacob Luersen as the Corporal was trying to separate Cornelius and Casper Steinmetsel during a quarrel.
Jacob, like other Dutch settlers, was granted a lot in Beverwyck near Fort Orange on October 25, 1653. Records show that he built a house and had a garden there until his death on April 29, 1655. He was survived by his wife Stynje, daughters Styntie, Jacobyntie, and Agneit and by only one son Luer.
COMMENT: Some of these dates do not agree with history available from the state of Maine and other webites. It is stated that the Ship "Angel Gabriel" sank of the coast of Maine in 1635
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Jacob Luursen emigrated from Holland in 1646. A stone mason and bricklayer by trade, he was granted a lot in Beverwyck, close to Ft. Orange. On 2 Aug 1647, Jacob Luyersen from Wageningen appeared before Cornelius van Tienhoven, secretary of New Netherland at Ft. Amsterdam, to appoint with power of attorney Aeltje Symons in Amsterdam, wife of Symon Jansen Beaet, to collect his earned wages from the Dutch West Indies Company. He was owed the sum of 150 guilders, 7 stivers and 14 pennies, earned in New Netherland [Laer, [UL: NY Historical Manuscripts, :UL] pp. 457-458].

This was during the period when Peter Stuyvesant was governor of New Netherlands. He arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York) in 1647 and immediately began to make enemies by his harsh methods. But in spite of his severity, he restored order and business to the Dutch colony, and made friends with the Indians. In 1664, an English fleet ordered the surrender of the city. The citizens refused to support Stuyvesant, and he was forced to give in. The English renamed the colony "New York" in honor of the Duke of York, who later became King James II [UL: [World Book Encyclopedia, :UL] 1961].

Jacob Luursen was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, New Amsterdam, where the christening of his son Luur was recorded, along with names of the sponsors, Tobias Tuenissen and Janneken Claes, "2nd month of the year, 29th day, 1650." Janneken was Luur's aunt (widow of Urbanus), and Tobias was her second husband.

Jacob Luyersz was one of the many signers of the Burger Oath of Allegiance, Ft. Orange, 23 Nov 1651, promising "to be true and faithful to the patroon and to cause no trouble..." [UL: [History of the City of Albany, NY, :UL] p. 93].

Jacob Luyerson (notice how many different ways his name was spelled!) was granted a patent to a house and lot in the village of Beverwyck near Ft. Orange, 25 Oct 1653. Jacob died in 1655, and his widow married Claes Tennuiszen.

Rutger Jacobsen sued Claes Tennuiszen, 9 Jan 1657, for "delivery of the defendant's house, sold to him by the defendant, in payment of a certain sum due to him by Jacob Luyersen, deceased" [Laer, [UL: Minutes of the Court of Ft. Orange & Beverwyck, 1657-1660, Vol. II, :UL] p. 11].

The officer of the Court objected to the delivery and requested that curators be appointed to preserve the rights of the surviving children. Jan Verbeeck and Evert Wendel were appointed [Laer, p. 11].
He was buried in Beverwyck, NY