Jentje Jeppes = Jan Jacobszen de Vries?

Cheryl Viger, in an email dated 21 April 2002, sent along this discussion of Jan Jacobszen (or Jentje Jeppes) written by Howard Swain (hswain@ix.netcom.com) on Dutch-Colonies-L@rootsweb.com

A big switch--Jentje Jeppes to Jan Jacobszen de Vries! That is what I thought, until I took another look. Back on 2/27/2000, Willem sent a message to the list titled, "Re: Jacob, Jacobus" in which he shows a large number of different forms of the name from the different provinces. His source was: PRISMA WOORDENBOEK VAN VOORNAMEN, Dr. J van der Schaar, Uitgeverij Het Spectrum B. V., Utrecht 1999

Anyway...the Friesland forms of Jacob were: JABIK, JAPIK, JAEP, JAPKE, JAPPE, JAPPIE, JEEP, JEIP

These are not too far from Jeppe. It is interesting that the patronymic seems to have been formed in one of the Dutch fashions rather than one of the uniquely Frisian ways.

"Jentje" might initially look like a diminutive. However, Yntze van der Honing in a postscript to an article on male Dutch names by James Churchyard in NNC 2:12, mentions that "Many Frisisn male given names end in "e." It is not clear to me if Jan and Jentje are "equivalent" or if he just picked the closest Dutch name--sort of like Grietje being known as Charity.

Richard (McCool) mentioned: "Macy indicates that the other Jan "Jacob" de Vries is discussed in Stokes' "The Iconography of Manhatten Island 1498-1909" at 2:227." I checked on this. This was re. a lot on the Castello Plan without a house. It is on the east side of Broadway in Block B (#2 in Stokes' numbering). Stokes says, "Late in September 1660 after harvest he (Stuyvesant) sold 50 feet from the north side to Captain Jan Jacobsen de Vries -- Liber Deeds A:216."

(In his article on "Conveyances of Lots in New Amsterdam from 1659 to 1664 in his Manual for 1865, p. 676, D. T. Valentine shows this same transaction as occuring on Sept. 20, 1660, but calls the buyer Jan Jacobs.)

Now this cannot be the Capt. Johan De Vries Regina mentioned who with Hillary Creole has a son Jan in 1647 and died in 1651.

So, it appears to me that these are 3 different guys:

1. Jan Jacobszen de Vries, aka Jentje Jeppes

2. Capt. Jan Jacobszen de Vries (bought lot from Stuyvesant in 1660)

3. Capt. Johan De Vries, father (with Hillary Creole) of Jan De Vries

Regards,

Howard (hswain@ix.netcom.com)