The Washington herald., 1907-10-27
JOHN VAN METER AMI
By THOMAS FORSYTHE NELSON.


In August 1862, there arrived at New
Amsterdam tnow New York. as passeu-
gers on the good ship Fox, Jan Joosten.
with his wife and tive children. from the
Thielerwaert. near Arnhem. in the Prov
ince Of GelderlaBd, Netherlands, who set.
tied with other Ho,landers az WyIdwicb
mow Kingston. Ulster County. y. y. 4
year later Jan Joosten, woman. and
two children" were carried off by the
hostile Indians of that vicinity ana The
record says he was only rescued after
prompt and vigorous pursuit by his neigh
bors. Jan Joosten. Immediately after his
arrival, became identified with public af-
fairs. He took the oath of allegiance as
an inhabitant in I65f and was soor
after appointed "schoeten." He then be
came deacon of the church, and set
tied finally. by the purchase iu 1911 of q
home lot in MarbIetowu, where he was
a magistrate IN 1873.
The documentary records of IIstc-
County and Of the Dutch church 81.
Kingston contain frequent reference ts
him and 10 his son. JoOst Jansen. who
was born at ;he town OF Meteren, in tn,
Netherlands. and who signed his nam,
Joost Janse Van Meteren from and after
his maturity. at about which time IL be-
came customary TO adopt surnames.
First Generation.
Jan Joosteu. %. i'm the Netherlands. d.
cl7@. perhaps in Ulster Comfy, y. Y.
His wife and the mother OF his children
is not now known. being no doubt the
woman and two children" captured 10y
the Indians. and of whose rescue there
is no certain record. except as 70 Jan
JoOsten himself His name is found in
the records between 1912 and 1858 IN con-
uection with that Of Maycken Hendricsse
who was. perhaps. his second wife He
had issue, who arrived at maturity, viz.
tD Joost Adrienne. who died cl6S3. and by
his VIII appoints Jan Joosten tutor and
oycrseer to his children; 90 Joost Jansen,
%. c1G60. at Meteren, in the Netherlands,
married sara DU Bois.
second Generation.
Joost Adrienne. b. IN the Netherlands,
and. perhaps. the eldest child Of Jan Joos-
ten. since he d. 1855. leaving children. The
same. no doubt. that Jan Joosten and his
wife had stood sponsor for at baptism,
viz, Jannetje in 1872, Willem in 1918, and
Hendrick IN l6SL
JoOst Janse Van Meteren. D. c1660 at the
village Of Neteren, a short distance south
west of Buren. Brought to America by
his father, Jan Joosteh. he grew to man
I.....I .4 aF..Jl.4,.s.,, T~lef., F.-,r4.. n U
He died cl7O0-1705. He married = Dec,
16S2. Sara Du Bois. b. Il Sept. 1861. daugh-
ter OF Louis Du Bois and Catharine Blau-
shan, his wife They We're married at
Kingston. and the record says che of
MarbletoWn and she Of New Paltz" They
had issue whose dates Of birth are given
Ia the records of the Dutch Church at
Kingston, viz: I'D Jan, b. IA Oct, 1852, m.
Margaret -; (2) Rebecca, b. 26 April,
1856. became the wife Of Cornelius Ell
tinge 60 Lysbeth, b. Mch., 1888; Cd
Isaac, b. 1852, m, first. Catharine -. the
widow Mulinaer. IN. second, Hannah Wsn-
coop; 90 Hendrick, b. ] Sept 1895, who. il
is said, was married three times, his third
wife being Mary Fetters. by whom he had
ten children.
Third Generation.
John, or Jan, Van Meter is the only one
in this third generation to whom attention
IS to be directed at this time. He was b.
Il Oct. 1853, at AIarbletown, near Kings
ton Ulster County, y. Y, the son Of Joost
Janse Van Meteren and Sara Du Bois. his
wife. He married, cl704, Margaret -, Of
whom no search has thus far produced
81 81
family or where they resided. She was
yet living when John Van Meters will
was drawn, 13 Aug, 1745 (probated Sept.
1745, at Winchester, Va. They had issue:
% Johannis. b. CLOS. M. Rebecca Powell
son, and d. before 1745. the date of his
fathers WILL which provides for his two
children, John, and a sister, Joanna: (2i
Rachel, b. c1707, d. -. the wife of -
Leforge. before the date Of her fathers
will, leaving "a son, John; 80 Isaac b.
c1509 IN. Alice --; tD Rebecca, b. III.
d. the wife OF Solomon Hedges: 90 Hen
ry. b. Glib: 90 Elizabeth. b. 17l5. became
the wife OF Thomas Shepherd. OF Shep-
herdstOwn and q. some time in 1882 -'93.
"a Abraham. b. cl717, m. Rebecca -; (S)
Sarah, b. c17l9. and became the wife of
James Davis; (9l Mary, b. c17H. married
Robert Jones; 90 Jacob b. l723, m Let
tice STROBE; 0D Magdalene. b. c1725, and
became the wife of Robert Pewsey.
Family Next in Jersey.
The first trace Of John Van Meter found
outside Of Ulster County is when he filed
an inventory of the estate Of his grand
father. Jan Joosten. June 13, 1905, at Bur
lington, West Jersey. 1t is to be pre-
sumed that his father. Joost Jause Van
Meter, was also deceased some time prior
10 this date. This estate was then val
ued at s235. The records do not yet dis
close further traces OF him until In l714.
when John Van Meter, Isaac Van Meter
Jacob Du Bois, and Sara Du Bois, his
sister, the mother Of John and Isaac Van