I agree with Pat: an 11 or 12 year-old bride does seem quite a bit too young, whether or not it was allowed under law. I would like to hear more about Firth's description of Margriet as '"precocious" in more ways than one'. It's easy to explain away an apparent very-young marriage (engagement?), but is there any substantial reality behind the myth? Pat's response makes me wonder. An earlier message (2005) by EKK concerning Cozyn Gerritzen discusses two Powers of Attorney he issued. The first POA issued was dated 28 March 1640. "Power of attorney from Cosyn Gerritsen from Putten to his brother Aert Gerritsen to collect a legacy from his aunt Susanna..." Ethel's 2005 message here: http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/Dutch-Colonies/2005-11/1132086236 In May 1640, Cosyn Gerritsen & wife Vrouwtie baptize son Gerrit. So clearly Cozyn and wife couldn't/wouldn't want to travel back to Holland at this time, even to collect an inheritance from his Anut Susanna. Presumably Cozyn is busy working in New Netherland (he appears on Manatus map, etc). Therefore he sends his brother to collect for him. Probably the brother also had about the same coming to him from Aunt Susan, too. Margriet Cosyns seems to be marrying considerably earlier than any siblings of hers I could find in a casual search of NA marriages & baptisms. Are the names of her children substantially different than the names of the children of her siblings? Could Margariet Cozyns possibly be a voorkind --a child of an earlier marriage of Cosyn? In March 1640, since Cosyn Gerritsen & wife Vrouwtie are now settled at New Amsterdam, perhaps they have asked his brother not only to collect Cozyn's inheritance, but also to bring his older daughter back to New Amsterdam? Could the baptism of Margariet Cozyns be taking place because she was originally baptized as a Roman Catholic, maybe? Or possibly to cement her position in the family? Whatever became of the brother, Aert Gerritsen? Did he ever return to New Netherland, or not? If he did leave a paper trail in N-N after 1641 (after baptism of Margrietje) then it might make a stronger case for my scenario here. Although, he does not appear as a baptism witness for the other children of Cosyn and Vrouwtje. Plus, Cozyn had to make another attempt to collect his inheritance from Aunt Susie in 1649. It would certainly be interesting to see if church records of Putten are available. Even notarial acts from that region might turn up something useful, especially since testaments of married couples often appear in notarial records, and testaments of persons about to embark on voyages also appear in these records. Church records from Putten don't seem to appear online in a digital format. It would probably require a physical visit to whatever archive holds records from there. This effort might be more difficult than simply accepting the idea that Margriet Cozyn was such a young bride. Maybe there's more to the story, and I think that Ethel's question was right on. Liz J On 4 June 2011 13:36, Pat & Walter Wardell <[email protected]> wrote: > My thought is that Margariet, baptized 1641 was perhaps a few years > old at the time of her baptism. The NYC Ref Ch record does not give a > date of birth. Is there any other mention of her date of birth or age > in any other records? I think because it was, at that period, the norm > to baptize infants soon after their births, it has always been > generally accepted that if she was baptized in 1641, she was born in > 1641. > > I'm thinking that since Vrouwtje apparently made trips to the > Netherlands and back, perhaps this child had been born in the > Netherlands, and remained there when Cozyn Gerritszen & Vrouwtje first > came to New Netherland. Perhaps, in this scenario, her mother brought > her to New Amsterdam in a "return" trip, and had her baptized there in > 1641 (when she was a few years old). > > It seems a better solution than the drastically young child bride > theory. > > I don't know how this could ever be proved, though. > > What I would really like to see is a separate documented mention of > her birth date or age at any given time. > > Pat > > On Jun 4, 2011, at 10:31 AM, [email protected] wrote: > >> >> >> My ancestors Cozyn Gerritsen Cozyn and Vroutje Gerrits had five >> children >> baptized in NA DRChurch. >> >>                              Children of Cozyn Gerritszen and Vroutje >> Gerrits: >> Child: Gerrit. Parents:  Cozyn Gerrits, Vrouwtie Cozyns. Bp: 20 May >> 1640. >> New Amsterdam DRCh. >> Wits: Aert Theunis, Aert Willems, Tryntje Everts, Wyntje Elberts. >> [NYDC >> 2:10] >>   Married: Belitje Quick >> Child: Margariet.  Parent: Cozyn Gerritszen.  Bp: 5 May 1641. New >> Amsterdam >> DRCh. [NYDC  2:12] >> Wits: Jacob van curlaer en syn huys v, Barent dircksz.  Baecker, >> Rachel >> Vigne. >>   Married:  (1) Herman Theuniszeen  (2) Jan Pietersen  Haring. See >> below. >> (3) Daniel DeClark. >> Child: Hendrick. Parent: Couzyn  Gerritszen. Bp: 20 Jan 1647. New >> Amsterdam >> DRCh. [NYDC 2:21] >> Wits: Sibert Claeszen, en syn huys vr., Teunis Nyssen, en syn huys >> vr., >> Cornelis Corneliszen. >> Child: Geertje. Parent. Cozyn Gerritszen. Bp: 4 July  1649. New >> Amsterdam >> DRCh. [NYDC 2:26] >> Wits; Thomas Hall, Geurt  Koerten, Herman Smeeman, Pytie Jans, Geertje >> Koerten. >>   Married: Andries Jeuriaensz >> Child: Elsje. Parent: Cozyn  Gerritszen. Bp: 19 May 1652. New >> Amsterdam >> DRCh. [NYDC 2:31] >> Wits: Nicolaes Verleth, Hendrick Janszen, Lyntie Jochems, Belitje >> Cornelis. >> >> This query  concerns their daughter Margariet, bp 5  May 1641 who >> married >> (1) Herman Theuniszen 19 April 1654 and (2) Jan  Pietersen Haring in >> 1662 >> (3) Daniel DeClark 4 March 1685. >> >>                                           *  * A Brief Timeline on >> Margariet aka Grietje Cozyn.*  * >> >> >> >> >> 5 May 1641.  Baptism: Child: Margariet d/o Cozyn Gerritzen was  bp >> 5 May >> 1641. [NYDC 2:12] >> >> 19 April 1654. Marriage: Grietje Cosyns to (1) Herman Theuniszen >> VanZell >> 19 April 1654. [NYDC 1:18] >>            The  above Margariet is 12 years, 11 months old. >> >> 6 Sept 1655.  Hendrick Pietersen, plft vs Grietie Cosyns, deft.  [RNA >> v2:160] >> >> Pltf. says, deft. made  use of his horse, and rode thereon, and also >> let it >> stray in the woods.  Requests, that she be condemned to  search for >> the >> horse and deliver it to him when found, at her own expense.  Deft. >> says, pltf’s >> horse broke into her buckwheat, and as she  wished to lead him from >> her >> land she sat on him and brought him to the Fresh  Water, to prevent >> any further >> damage.  Maintains that she is not bound to satisfy pltf’s demand. >> Parties >> being heard, it was decided by  the Court that the deft was >> justified to >> bring the horse from her land to  prevent damage. Wherefore pltf’s >> demand is >> dismissed. >> Minutes of the Court of Burgomasters and Schepens  1653-1655    [RNA >> V1:352,353] >> EKK:  The above Margariet is 14 years, four months and a married >> woman of >> one year, four months. >>        Did  Hendrick Pietersen  take a child to court?  Is that >> legal? Why >> isn't her husband with her  or >>        mentioned in the court  record?  It mentions 'her buckwheat' >> and >> "her land"  Did she  own land? >>        It is a hard to  believe story for a 14 year old child. >> >> 24 Feb 1658.  Grietje Cozyn becomes a mother. >>              The above Margariet is 16 years, nine months. >> >> Witsuntide 1662.  Margarette Cozine married (2) Jan  Haring. [Bible >> record].  She has seven children. >> >> 4 March 1685.  Grietie Cozyns married (3) Daniel De Clark. NYDC  1:56] >> No issue. >> -------------------------- >> There are many excellent articles and genealogies by respected >> researchers >> on the Harings.  Plus the Harings are mentioned in many many  deeds, >> wills, >> church and court records etc.  BUT  I find it hard to  believe that >> a child >> 12 years, 11 months old,  married Theuniszen  VanZell on 19 April >> 1654 and >> married by a Dutch Reformed minister.    'It don't fit' >> >> It was suggested that  Margariet/Grietje was born earlier than her >> brother >> Gerrit who was bp: 20 May 1640. IF Cozyn Gerritsen Cozyn and  Vroutje >> Gerrits had a child Margariet/Grietje born say 1637, she would be >> about 16/17 at >> marriage, still young, but believable.   BUT, if the  parents had a >> child >> Margariet/Grietje in 1637, that child had to die young  to name >> another child >> Margariet/Grietje on 5 May 1641. >> >> Any and all suggestions welcome.     Best  regards,  Ethel Kay >> Konight >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] >>  with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and >> the body of the message > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >