This site was last updated on Dec. 26, 1999.

Until now, no historical document has revealed the date of birth of Adriaen. Therefore, the above mentioned year of 1540 is totally speculative. In 1572, Adriaen De Ruyver is mentioned in a tax register as living in the town of Sint-Blasius-Boekel (nowadays, part of the municipality of Zwalm, South-East-Flanders, Belgium). Apart from his residence, he also had land in the same town, in places called Maseghem, Masdries, Borrestede, den Heevet. Moreover, �Adriaen de Ruvere�E as he is called, signed this tax document as �meier�E(mayor) of the town of Sint-Blasius-Boekel. In the neighbouring towns of Sint-Blasius-Boekel, similar tax registers were made. Adriaen De Ruyver (sometimes abbreviated as Adr. de ruver) appears as owner and lessor of land in the town of Roborst in 1571 and 1577 (in places called Bostecauter, Wythuus, Langehof), in the town of Elst in 1571 and 1577 (Visseghem Cauter, Cauterken ten Heede, Langh Cau terken, den Dellout, Aude Mokene, Assenbrouck), and in the town of Michelbeke in 1571 and 1577 (Visseghem Cauter). Nowadays, Roborst belongs to the municipality of Zwalm, while Elst and Michelbeke are part of the municipality of Brakel. Some of the land belonging to Adriaen in these 4 rural towns (Sint-Blasius-Boekel, Roborst, Elst, Michelbeke) were indicated by the tax registers as hereditary land, suggesting that also the parents of Adriaen De Ruyver were owning the same land.

Adriaen De Ruyver appears in legal documents of the towns belonging to the Barony Land of Schorisse as Lieutenant Bailiff (�Lieutenant Bailliu�E from March 12, 1583 till February 19, 1596. The Barony Land of Schorisse comprised the rural towns of Mater, Rozebeke, Sint-Blasius-Boekel, Sint-Kornelis-Horebeke, Zegelsem, and probably also Welden. The barony had also estates in the towns of Elst, Frasnes, Michelbeke, Nederbrakel, Sint-Denijs-Boekel, Sint-Maria-Horebeke and Sint-Maria-Lierde. It fell under the administrative authority of the Land of Aalst, part of the County of Flanders. Feudally, the Land of Schorisse belonged throughout history to different noble families, among which the barons of Gavere and the counts of Egmond. These noblemen left the administration of their feudal domains to bailiffs. At the time that Adriaen De Ruyver was Lieutenant Bailiff of the Land of Schorisse, there was also a Head Bailiff (Hoogh Baillieu) in the barony (at that time Jan Doultreman). Both bailiffs had judicial and administrative powers throughout the whole barony. It is believed that Adriaen De Ruyver kept the office of Lieutenant Bailiff until his death. His last appearance as Bailiff is registered on February 19, 1596, in Mater, one of the towns belonging to the Land of Schorisse. This document also reveals the name of the spouse of Adriaen Anna Scheppers. About Anna Scheppers, the wife of Adriaen De Ruyver, not much is known. The name De Schepper or Scheppers is quite common in the 1570�s in the Land of Schorisse. It is also difficult to determine when Anna Scheppers died. Official registers in Sint-Blasius-Boekel are mentioning a �widow of Adriaen De Ruyver�Euntil 1617-18.

In the same Mater, on March 4, 1596, a document mentions the widow and heirs of Adriaen De Ruyver, suggesting that the latter had died between February 19 and March 4, 1596. An official document in Sint-Blasius-Boekel, dated September 23, 1596, bears the name of Joos Roman as new bailiff. Joos Roman was �meyer�E(mayor) of the town of Schorisse. Lieutenant Bailiff Adriaen De Ruyver is believed to have had at least 5 children :

Adriaen: Two sons, Adriaen and Frans, both held a fief (explore documents pertaining to this Fief) from the Baron of the Land of Schorisse. The fief of Adriaen, probably the oldest son, dates back from March 3, 1597, and was sited at the Cleystraete in Sint-Blasius-Boekel. Frans bought his fief on January 3, 1640. It abutted on the fief of his brother Adriaen.

Frans

Janneken (Joanne) De Ruyver, married Joos Compeyn, and lived in Weilegem (a small town between Sint-Blasius-Boekel and Sint-Denijs-Boekel). The gravestone of Joos Compeyn (died May 11, 1651) and Janneken De Ruyver (died October 2, 1671) can still be seen in front of the altar in the parish chapel of Weilegem. Their estate registers ("State van Goed") reveal quite some wealth. Two of their sons became mayor ("meyer"), Adriaen Compeyn in Weilegem and Pieter Compeyn in Sint-Denijs-Boekel.

Pierijne de Ruyver (called Pierijne Ruyvers), married Elias Craye, lived also in Sint-Blasius-Boekel, and became there after the death of her husband, �buitenpoorter of Geraardsbergen�E (outer citizen of the nearby city of Geraardsbergen) in 1648, suggesting that she had some wealth to bear the cost of this outer citizenship.

Joannes De Ruyver (called Jan), married Guilelma Devleeschouwer, and lived in the town of Nederbrakel, where his children were born and his wife died in 1630. Although documents in Nederbrakel are mentioning Adriaen as his father�s name and "Franciscum de ruver" as godfather of one of his children, it needs more investigation to determine whether he really was a son of Lieutenant Bailiff Adriaen De Ruyver.