Flatlands Town Records, page 93 On Nov 19, 1660, Simon Jansz signed a declaration as to the lands of "Pieter Claessen" as "Symen Jansen Van Arsdalen". --- Flatlands Town Records, Deeds, Miscellaneous, 1661-1831, Page 510. 1662, Apr 3 - Simon Jansen Van Aertsdalen (Magistrate) was one of the signers of a petion to the honorable Peter Stuyvesant and the Council of New Netherland to determine the boundries of the village of Amersfoort and Midwout. -- Simon Jansz was selected to represent Amersfoort in the convention holden at New Amsterdam, on Jul 3, 1663, to engage several Dutch Towns to keep up an armed force for public protection. (The register of New Netherland, page 143.) I received this information from Ruth Van Arsdale in PA. It was organized by Edward Van Arsdale, fro m Long Island. He died several years ago, but was very active in researching the Van Arsdalen family. Other information comes from Mabel Spell. I'll send it along if you need it. Here is the paragraph, it is from 10 pages i copied many years ago, but it was before I knew that my mother's family (Van Orsdoll ) was the same as the Van Arsdalen family. So I didn't seem to write down what it was. page 15:" It has been said that Symon Jansen was commissioned by the Dutch goverment to investigate the possibility of establishing a pottery manufacturing business in New Amsterdam, that he had a wife and two children who remained in Holland and who died of the plague shortly before his scheduled return to Holand. When he received the news of their deaths, he decided to remain in America. However, Mabel Spell disagreed with this statement. She believed that Symon Jansen was unmarried when he arrived in New Amsterdam in 1653 at the age of 24." Here is another account from a letter written in the 1920's and is on file at the Ind.State Library pamphlet file. It is written by a Mr. Webster. The four page file is Titled : Sketch of the VanArsdalen Family. "The VanArsdall who was the ancestor of that family in this country arrived at New Netherlands from Holland at an early period inthe ship Dynasty, empowered by the Government, or some company in Holland, to examine the country about New Amsterdam to ascertain whether it was practicable to establish in this country a pottery for the manufacture of china ware. After fulfilling the object of his mission,, and with his baggage on board the vessel awaiting the day to sail for his native land, he received a letter from his father stating that a pestilence was then raging there and that his wife and two children had departed this life. This sad news changed his design of returning to holland and he settled at Flatlands on Long Island. There he married. [ then follows a long totally misinformed line of people ] Most of the rest of the people settled in Mercer co. KY and eventually moved to Crawfordsville, ind. There is an abstract of a Christopher VanArsdall's Rev.War Pension file. He lived in Ky and Gibson co. Ind. His age at application was 95 years old. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by E. TH. Unger Since his family name seemed to indicate a Dutch background as most likely, one of Simons descendants some years ago asked the CBG to undertake a thorough research project. The records at the CBG revealed that the name Van Arsdale occasionally showed up in the early 17th century in the city of Leiden. As this was the only connection it seemed reasonable to start the project there in the municipal archives. From Leiden the trail led to Gouda where finally the papers (including the letters) were discovered pertaining to the legacy of fl.1000 to Simon or his issue under the will of 1 March 1707 of his niece Geertuijt van Heasdael (!). It turned out later (after our research was completed) that someone already had written an article on the distribution of Geertruijts estate (D.J. Knoops 1950). Simon Jansz van Aersdal is named in this paper, but the fact that he lived in New Netherland was not mentioned.. As a result the importance of the article for the American van Arsdal family was not recognized. Further research showed that before his departure (1653) Simon had been married in Amsterdam to a certain Marijtje Baltusdr., whom he left behind and who died in 1655 in Amsterdam. She gave him two children both of whom died at a young age. Simon was a potter in Amsterdam, an occupation which he seemed to have exercised in his early days in New Netherland as well. The pre-marriage papers (to the above Marijtje Baltusdr. in Amsterdam show that he was born about 1627 (which agrees with American data) in Niekerck. From other family sources it is clear that this was meant to be the village of Nukerke, near Oudenaarde in East Flanders. Jan Poulusz van Aersdal, first a carpet weaver, later a mustard maker, and his wife Geertje Philipsdr. Halters were according to some documents in Gouda the parents of Simon. Jan Poulsz van Aersdal moved to Gouda around 1642, where he became a member of the reformed church, and bought a house in the Naaijerstraat. He also bought the house next door and later, in 1650, he combined the two houses into one in 1753. Since that time the house probably changed little, although it is unclear how much of the original two houses remained. Note: On 1 March 1707 Pieter Verveen and his wife Geertruijt van Haesdaele, living in Gouda, made their last will and testament. The surviving partner will have full control over the estate. Thereafter, after deduction of legacies (1,000 guilders a year plus 1,000 guilders in cash to Philippina Joosten van Haesdaelen and an amount of 500 guilders for Lijsbeth Hensbeeck) the remainder shall be divided one half amongst the closest reletives of Pieter, the other half for those of Geertruijt. Furthermore an amount of 1,000 guilders shall be set aside as a legacy, instead of distribution for Geertruijts uncle Symon Jansz van Haesdaelen, living in New Netherland, or his heirs. However if this sum is not claimed within six years after the death of the longest living spouse, then that amount shall be distributed amongst the other heirs.(Will executed before Johan van Middelant, Notary in Gouda).