FIRST GENERATION
1. Hans Hansen Bergen was born between 1594 and
1627 in Bergen Norway. He died between 1655 and 1711. FIRST GENERATION.
Hans Hansen Bergen, the common ancestor of the Bergen family of Long Island,
New Jersey and their vicinity, was a native of Bergen Norway, a ship-carpenter
by trade, and removed from thence to Holland. Grom Holland he emigrated, in
1633, to New Amsterdam, now New York, probably arriving at Fort Amsterdam in
April of that year with Wouter Van Twiller, the second director General, in one
of the vessels of the fleet, consisting of the West India company's ships, the
Salt Mountain, (de Zoutberg,) of twenty guns, commanded by Juriaen Blanck, the
Carvel St. Martyn and the Hope, which vessels accompanied the Salt Mountain in
her voyage from the fatherland.
In the early colonial and other records, his name appears in various forms, his
surname or patronymic, Bergen, derived from the place of his nativity, being
generally omitted, as was the custom among the Hollanders and other Northern
European nations in those days, and is the custom among some of them at the present
time, and that of his father Hans, in the form of "Hansen," or "Hansz,"
representing the son of Hans, being generally added with other appendages referring
to the land of his birth.
Among those forms may be found that of "Hans Hansen Van Bergen in Norwegian,"
"Hans Hansen Noorman," "Hans Noorman," "Hans Hansen
de Noorman," "Noorman," meaning the Northman, evidently refers
to Norway, and was applied to natives of that place, as for instance, Claes Carstensen,
married at New Amsterdam in 1646, is said in the marriage entry to be from Norway,
and subsequently he is called the "Noorman," Like unto the great mass
of the original emigrants to this country, he probably belonged to an humble
class in society, and come hither to better his prospects and fortune. Of his
European ancestry nothing is known, which is the case with most of the early
emigrants to New Netherlands; intercourse with their relatives in the fatherland
having long ago ceased, and having, no doubt, been obstructed in consequences
of the political conquest of the colony by the English in 1664, during a time
of peace. of the private letters which passed between the early settlers and
their European relatives, which might have thrown light upon their previous position,
very few remain, none having been found relating to Hans Hansen.
From "The Bergen Family: or the Descendants of Hans Hanson Bergen, one of
the Early Settlers Of New York and Brooklyn, L. I." by Teunis G. Bergen.
He was married to Sarah Rapalie (daughter of Jores (George)
Jansen de Rapalie and Catalyn (Catalyntic) Trico) in 1639 in
New Amsterdam, Montgomery, New York. Sarah Rapalie
was born on Jun 9 1625 in Fort Orange ( Now Albany), Albany Co., NY. She died
about 1685 in Breukelen, Kings Co., NY. From "The Bergen Family: or the
Descendants of Hans Hanson Bergen, one of the Early Settlers Of New York and
Brooklyn, L. I." by Teunis G. Bergen, (pg 22)
In 1639, Hans Hansen Bergen married Sarah, daughter of Jores (George) Jansen
Raoakuem (since spelled Rapalije and Rapalye,) born according to the family record
on the 8th day of June, 1625, and who was the first white female child of European
parentage born in the colony of New Netherlands, which then covered the present
states of New York, New Jersey and a portion of Connecticut. Hans Hansen Bergen
and Sarah Rapalie had the following children:
+2 i.
Jacob Hansen Bergen.
3 ii.
Catalyn Bergen was born on Sep 21 1653. She died on Nov 30 1653.
+4 iii.
Aneken (or Annetje) Bergen.
+5 iv.
Becktje (Rebecca) Bergen.
+6 v.
Jan Bergen.
+7 vi.
Michiel Hansen Bergen.
+8 vii.
Joris Bergen.
9 viii.
Marritje Bergen was born on Oct 8 1651. She died between 1652 and 1745.
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