CLEARWATER FAMILY - Putnam

Research has disclosed that the Klaarwater, Clearwater families came from Hamersfelt, a small village near Amersfoort, Holland, which in 1632 had a total of 162 inhabitants. There were three Klaarwater families, Gysbert (Jan Gysbert) born about 1610, he was at Klaarwater in 1650, and became the ancestor of the Van-Clearwater family. Then there was Anthony, (Jan Anthonis), born about 1650, he was the ancestor of the Klaarwater family at Amersfoort, while Anthony, (Jacob Thonis) born about 1613, lived at Hamersfelt. He married Besseltgen Wouters, had a son named Teunis Jacobs, born about 1636, who became the ancestor of the American Clearwater family.

Among the farmhands engaged by Jeremias Van Rensselaer to settle his colony at Rensselaerswyck was one Teunis Jacobsen. He made an agreement with Van Rensselaer on the 14th of June 1656, before a notary public, that he being 20 years of age, would hire himself out and would sail shortly on the ship (The Otter) to the North River in the New Netherland. From there, go up the river to the colony of Rensselaerswyck, to live as a farm hand for a period of four years starting at the time of his arrival in the colony. Although the agreement called for four years, the endorsed contract was for only three.

Alter two years of work, J. B. Van Rensselaer stated Teunis was no good, he had broken his contract, and even kept the clothes he had given him, so therefore be wanted him to pay back his passage to the new Land. Nothing has been heard as to how this argument came out, but in 1664, Teunis Jacobxz leased a farm at Wiltwyck.

During the interval, he probably worked and saved enough, until he could go into partnership to rent a farm. In the year following, they bought the farm. It was not until about 1677, when he was 41, that he married. According to Sylvester's - page 184, he signed a petition for an appointment of a minister at Kingston. His wife, Maria Hansen Vos, as evident in the baptisms of their children, was a daughter of Hans Vos, the Deputy Schout Fiscal of Fort Orange in 1650, and Deputy Provincial Schout Fiscal in 1661. Her mother’s name was Geertien. In the Court minutes of Fort Orange (Vol. 2. page 136) Hans Vos states he came from Baden, Germany.

On May 17. 1687, in a patent granted by Governor Dungan, Teunis was named as one of a group of men to be a trustee for the Freeholders and Community of Kingston. He also was among the inhabitants of Ulster County, who took the oath of allegiance to the English, on the first of September 1689. (Doc. History of New York, Vol. 1, p. 174.) It was thought at this time, he moved to Marbletown. With the exception of having their children baptised at the Dutch Reformed Church of Kingston, there is a period where the records are silent again until we find his name on the early Tax Lists from 1709-1720, published in the New York Genealogical & Biographical Records of 1931 & 1932. There he was taxed for his chimneys and slaves.

Later, he was included in the Freeholders of New Paltz, where his son Jacob had also settled at Bontecoe. The grant of land which Teunis Clearwater, his son Jacob and their Associates received is described (Clearwater's History of Ulster County, p. 62). But it seems as if Clearwater's statements and the original records do not agree, but the correct date was the 24th of March 1710.

An abstract of such patent reads that William Peartree, Rip Van Dam, Adolph Phillispse, Gerardus Beekman, Hendirck Verwye, Abraham Diljoe, Teunis Jacobsen Clearwater and Jacob Clearwater were granted by patent a certain parcel of land situated on the west side of the Hudson River. There is more to the patent, but I have ended with the patent embracing the present Town of Shawangunk, bounded by Wallkill on the East, Dwaarskill on the South and the Shawangunkill on the West.

Jacob Teunis Clearwater’s son was the first person of Dutch ancestry to take a bride of the Hugenot settlement of New Paltz, where they had their child baptised in the New Paltz Reformed Church. Theunis Jacobsen Klaarwater died in 1715 and was buried with his wife in the orchard of his farm at Bontecoe. Teunis and Maria had all their children baptised at the Kingston Reformed Church, they were as follows: Jacob, bpt. 11 April 1678 No. 145 sponsors were Jan Joosten & Geertie Adriansen. Elsje, bpt. 7 December 1679 No. 202 had no sponsors. Wessel, bpt. 24 April 1681 No. 221 sponsors were Gisbert Krom & Eghye Aryansen VanDerVlyt. Geertje, for whom no date of baptism has been found. Annetie, bpt. 11 February 1683 No. 306 her sponsors were Henry Paling & Neelie Rosa. Johannes, bpt. 20 January 1684 No. 343 same sponsors as his sister Annetie. Weyntie, bpt. 31 January 1686 No. 452 her sponsors were Joost Janse and Sara duBois. Marrus, bpt. the 14th day of May 1688 No. 371 had Cornelis Witts & Jannetje Witts as his sponsors. Teunis, bpt. 25 May 1690. No. 646 had his father Piternelle Van Vliet & Gerrit Van Vliet as sponsors. Maria, bpt. 3 June 1694 No. 787 her sponsors were Gerrit Van Vliet and Piternelle Swart. Aert, his baptism has not been found either, but in 1714 Aert Klaerwater was a sponsor for the baptism of a child of his brother Maurits (Maurus) Klearwater.

Jacob Klaarwater, the first son of Teunis Jacobsz Klaarwater, baptised 1678 at Kingston was born in the Town of Marbletown, of that we have the proof. Yet we have many unanswered questions concerning this man, and his two wives. From page 257 of the History of New Paltz by Ralph LeFever, he states, quote "that Jacob married Marie Deyo, daughter of Pierre Deyo, the Patentee". Also, on page 471, he states quote "that Jacob was born in Holland", which we know is incorrect. Page 162 of Anjou’s Wills, small paragraph, Anjou gives the parentage of Marie as Abraham Deyo, which is incorrect according to LeFever’s history of New Paltz.

I believe that a Jacob Clearwater married a Marie Deyo. But, was he the same one who on the first of February 1702, declared as a young man not widowed born in Mormel (Marbletown) and resides at the Pals (New Paltz) and Mayke Crom, young daughter, born in and resides in Marbletown were married? A manuscript that I had read in the Library of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society gives the information as true, that Jacob was married twice, but has no positive proof that both Jacob's are one and the same man. At a later date I will attempt to unravel this puzzling series of statements about Jacob Klaarwater.

In the meantime, we do have as proof that a Jacob Clearwater and his wife Mary had a son Abraham baptised on the 2nd of July 1699 in the New Paltz Reformed Church records, page 60. Then we have the following children, born to Jacob Klaarwater and Mayke Crom, baptised in the Dutch Reformed Church of Kingston. Page 69 No. 1411, Geertje baptised 8 August 1703, sponsors were Gysbert Crom and Geertje Crom. Page 93 No. 1918, Wessel baptised the 18th of March 1711 had Corn Elten and Rebecca Van Metere as his sponsors. Page 102 No. 2136, Zacharias, Johannes (Twins?) as the sponsors were Abraham de Jouw, Zacharias Hofman, Hester Bruyn and Elsje Klaar-water. Page 112 No. 2342, Rachel baptised 6th of November 1715 her sponsors were Aldert Roos and Aagjen Krom. Page 120 No. 2531, Johannes baptised the 17th of November 1717 his sponsors were Theunis Swart and Aagjen Van-Vlied. Page 128 No. 2721, Benjamin baptised the 3rd of January 1720 sponsors were Abraham dejoo, Abraham Klaar-water and Elsjen Klaar-water. This is all the children of Jacob and Mayke Klaarwater.

As we continue with the Klaarwater, Clearwater families, we will take up the subject of Abraham Klaarwater - who was the first son of Jacobus Klaarwater and Mary Deyo (daughter of Pierre Deyo and Agatha Nicoll). Abraham, who was born in New Paltz on the 2nd of July 1699, married on 20th of October 1738 at Kingston R.D.C. to Elizabeth Schoonmaker, born in the Town of Rochester, and baptised in Kingston at the Reformed Dutch Church on the 8th of November 1719. She was the daughter of Frederick Schoonmaker and his 2nd wife, Eva Swartwout. Abraham Klaarwater and his wife are buried in the Coxen Cemetery on the Bruceville Road, Town of Rosendale, Ulster Co. N.Y. He died on the 27th of December 1782 and Elizabeth in 1780 (according to their gravestones). There has been some controversy about their gravestone, as it had been erected by their descendants many years after their deaths. They had given Elizabeth's birth as 1701. We know she was baptised in 1719, but none know her age at baptism, so you may choose either date. In "The Schoonmaker Family" Part 1, it states she was born in 1719. Her father, as well as her husband, served in the Revolution. Abraham is listed in "The Patriot Index" of DAR on p. 137, also in "Ulster County in the Revolution" on p. 37. While Frederick Schoonmaker is listed on page 211 same book, he is not in "The Patriot Index". This makes it seem as if no daughter has claimed him as a Revolutionary ancestor for her proof of membership in the DAR.

Abraham Klaarwater was one of the founders of the Church of Marbletown on the 1st day of December 1743. He and Frederick Schoonmaker gave by subscription for the purpose of erecting a house of worship in the Town of Marbletown. Abraham and Elizabeth's children are as follows: Eva bpt. 13 July 1740 at Kingston RDC, p. 247, her sponsors were Thomas Schoonmaker and Lisabeth Roberts. Abraham bpt. 3 Oct. 1742 Kgn. DRC, p. 262, sponsors: John Robberson and Elsje Robberson. Mary b. 7 Sept. 1748, married Peter Vernoy. Hester bpt. 19 Feb. 1749 Kgn. DRC, p.298, married Jacob Sheeley, Revolutionary soldier. His sponsors were Andries Rosa and Hester Schoonmaker. Jacob bpt. 26 Jan. 1750, p. 6 Mar-bletown Ref. Ch. Isaac bpt. 18 Feb. 1753 at the Rochester Ref. Ch., p. 3 sponsors were Elija Rosekrans and Annaatje Osterhout. Johannis bpt. 10 March 1755, p. 14 Marbletown Ref. Ch. no sponsors. Thomas bpt. 12 March 1757, at the Mar-bletown Ref. Ch., p. 16 sponsors: William Woed and Franceyntje Schoemaker. Thomas was a Revolutionary soldier. He was married to (1) Leah Wood, (2) Elizabeth Grey. They are also buried in the Coxen Cemetery. Elizabeth bpt. 5 June 1761 at Marbletown Ref. Ch., p. 22 sponsors: Jacobus Elmendorph and Esther Schoonmaker, syn vrow. Wenyntie bpt. 7 July 1765 at New Paltz, p. 188 sponsors: Frederick and Mareytie Clearwater, young man and young daughter (not married). Then we have the following listed by "Anjou’s"[*Note: Gustav Anjou was a genealogist who sold manufactured genealogies, at enormous profits, in the early years of our country. Because much of what he wrote was pure fiction, ALL references to his work should becarefully considered as suspect until verified by original sources.- Jeff Scism]: Frederick David - died young, and Joseph who also died young. They had thirteen children in all.