Comments on: The Schenck Houses – their story through the Museum Library and Archives /2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/ Technology blog of the Brooklyn Museum Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:30:41 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.5.3 By: Barry Schenk /2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/comment-page-1/#comment-18704 Sun, 02 Mar 2014 23:31:45 +0000 /bloggers/2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-%e2%80%93-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/#comment-18704 In reply to Deirdre Lawrence.

I, too, am a descendant of Jan Martense Schenck. My father is William Henry Schenk. Our family has a bound book of our lineage dating back to my teenage years or before. I am fifty-three. I visited the Brooklyn Museum with my wife last year to see the Schenck houses for the first time. Fascinating to say the least. My father’s family came to Fairport, N.Y. from Brooklyn as a child in the thirties after/during the Great Depression. One of my uncles, John Schenk, has continued our lineage search and has information tracking us back to Holland, circa 1100 A.D. Apparently, we were the Schenck Van Nydecks back then. I haven’t seen the paper trail of this lineage from him yet, but I have discovered it online. I believe there is an Ohio branch of Schencks, as well, who were quite historically prominent.

]]> By: Scott N Schenck /2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/comment-page-1/#comment-14024 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:54:26 +0000 /bloggers/2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-%e2%80%93-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/#comment-14024 In reply to Schuyler Van Rensselaer Schenck Hamilton.

Hello Mr Hamilton,
I too am a direct decendant of Jan Martense Schenck. Like your sons I am very interested in our family’s history. I loved it when my father and grandfather took my brother and I to see the house in the mid-70’s.

]]> By: Chris Coward /2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/comment-page-1/#comment-13777 Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:49:34 +0000 /bloggers/2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-%e2%80%93-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/#comment-13777 For Jane Warren:
Hi Jane, Not time to respond fully at this time.
I have visited the Brett Homestead. Three lovely women opened up for us as we were in Beacon on a non-opening day and as we were visiting from the UK, laid on tea and cakes. I know the family tree you are referring to and can help you with a copy. The original was drawn up by a family member. A descendant had a number of reproductions made. A cousin very kindly sent me one of those. Before I had it framed I took it to local reprographics company and had a full size scan done (too large for a home scanner). I can send you a copy suitable for printing. EMail me on cpcoward at gmail.com and we can sort out how to get it to you.

]]> By: Jane Warren /2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/comment-page-1/#comment-13775 Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:26:14 +0000 /bloggers/2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-%e2%80%93-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/#comment-13775 For Chris Coward: Hello, Cousin! Do you have any information tracing the generations between Johannes Schenck of Bushwick and Henry Schenck of Fishkill NY (or of that area)? I am always interested in how and where husbands and wives originally met each other, which information sometimes leads to indications of when families migrated from one locale to another. The date and reasons for the Schencks’ move from Brooklyn to Fishkill are still a mystery to me.

Have you ever visited the Brett Mansion in Fishkill / Beacon NY? If not, I highly recommend it. The house is open only one day a month part of the year, but the folks in charge are especially gracious and welcoming to Brett descendants and will be interested in having you trace your own connection for them. On a wall in an upstairs corridor is a fantastic, enormously detailed family tree on which you will be able to trace your lineage from long ago in Europe to within a few generations of yourself. My grandmother told me about this, saying that her grandmother is named on this tree; I found the name there when I visited the house in 2011. Sadly, no copies of the tree are available, and one cannot photograph it either. Still, it was a thrill for me to see so many names which have become familiar to me through my own wanderings among family archives.

]]> By: Chris Coward /2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/comment-page-1/#comment-13774 Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:05:09 +0000 /bloggers/2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-%e2%80%93-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/#comment-13774 In reply to Erin Yarger.

For Erin Yarger,
The Peter H Schenck could be either Peter Henry Schenck (1779-1852) or Peter Francis Henry Schenck (born 1825) son of the above and Harriet Courtney (1784-1850). Harriet Courtney was buried in the vault but removed in 1852 along with many other occupants in 1905 – why I don’t know. Presumably you seen the NYC Marble Cemetery website. Details of vault 33 can be found at: http://www.nycmc.org/intermentvaults.html

]]> By: Chris Coward /2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/comment-page-1/#comment-13773 Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:50:58 +0000 /bloggers/2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-%e2%80%93-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/#comment-13773 For Jane Warren, I am also a descendent of Henry Schenck and Hannah Brett.
Henry Schenck was descended from a Johannes Schenck of Bushwick. He arrived in America in about 1683.
A useful book can be found on Long Island Genealogy website at: Memoir of Johannes Schenck
I’ve not yet found any connection between the Johannes Schenck and Roelef Schenck families. Whether both or either families are actually descended from Martin Schenck Van Nydeck I don’t know.

]]> By: Belinda Cross /2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/comment-page-1/#comment-11734 Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:45:58 +0000 /bloggers/2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-%e2%80%93-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/#comment-11734 I just learned last week that the man who built the Jan Martense Schenck house is my 9th great grandfather. My father was a carpenter, as was his father, as was his father, & so on. Now I know where it comes from. We are planning a trip to NYC for 2013. Is there a particular time of year, weekday/time that would be your museum’s slowest time of the year? I would really like to just sit and reflect there over this. Thanks.

]]> By: Erin Yarger /2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/comment-page-1/#comment-9369 Sat, 28 Jul 2012 01:39:05 +0000 /bloggers/2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-%e2%80%93-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/#comment-9369 I have a crypt key with Peter H Schenck, vault 33, N. York City, Marble Cemetary on one side , the other says J.L. Hull, keeper and undertaker 40 second avenue, would love some info on it. Also have a letter type out about the family no date but is old, a family tree and a letter from 1895 with a government seal stating that Ella C. Schenck is an American citizen signed by Clyde Thropshire, Vice and deputy consul general. Please contact me back thanks
Erin Yarger

]]> By: Deirdre Lawrence /2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/comment-page-1/#comment-6022 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:46:56 +0000 /bloggers/2007/12/18/the-schenck-houses-%e2%80%93-their-story-through-the-museum-library-and-archives/#comment-6022 Posted on behalf of Katy Christensen, Brooklyn Museum Library Guest Blogger:

Dear Ms. Warren,
I was unable to find a specific reference to any of the family members you listed, but I have compiled a list of the family members and their locations if you would like to search out any of their names in your family research.

According to the Library records, the first members of the family to come to the United States were Roelof, Jan, and Anetje Martense Schenck. Their place of origin is not definite, but one record indicates that they were the children of Marten Schenck, son of Peter Schenck van Nydeck and Johanna van Scherpenzel. Anetje married Adrian Reyersz. Roelof had six children by his first wife, m. (1661) Neeltje Gerritsen van Couwenhoven:
Martin (1661) m. (1686) Susanna Abrahamse Brinkerhoff and (1693) Elizabeth Minnen van Voorhees
Anetje (1663-1685) m. (1681) Jan Alberte Terheun
Jonica (1665) m. (1684) Peter Neefus
Marike (1667) m. (1687) Isaac Hegeman
Jan (1670) m. Sara Willemse van Couwenhoven (10 children) moved to Freehold, NJ
Garret (1671-1745) (11 children) Deacon in Freehold, NJ
He had additional children by his second wife, Anetje Pieterse Wyckoff:
Margaretta (1671-1745) m. (1700) Cornelius Willemse van Couwenhoven moved to Middletown, NJ
Neeltje (1681-1751) m. (1701) Albert Willemse van Couwenhoven moved to Middletown, NJ
Mayke (1684-1736) m. (1704) Jan Lucase van Voorhees
Sara (16875-1799) m. (1705) Jacob Willemse van Couwenhoven moved to Middletown, NJ
He married a third time (1688) to Catryntyna Crigers. Jan (the builder of the Jan Martense Schenck house) had at least 8 children by his wife Sarah Couwenhoven:
Sara m. Joseph van Mater
Katrintje
Katrya m. Simon Dettart, 3rd m. Peter Couwenhoven
Jan m. Jacomyntje Couwenhoven
Daniel
Neeltje m. Garret Jacobse Couwenhoven
Eengetie
Hendrick m. Catryna Holmes
Jan and Jacomyntje had 5 children:
Jahnetjie (1673)
Martin (1675) m. (1703) Cornelia van Wesselen
Willemtje (1677)
Neeltje (1683)
Stephen (1685-1767) m. (1757) Willemtje Wyckoff
Stephen and Willemtje had nine children, one of whom was Nicholas who built the Nicholas Schenck house.

Unfortunately the sources are somewhat contradictory and perhaps not accurate. I can recommend some additional Library sources for further information if you would like to visit the Museum library – or another library – to look through them yourself:
Alice Crandall Park’s Schenck and Related Families in New Netherlands CS71 Sch26 P1

Dorothy Robinson Schenck’s Schenck Family History SCR CS71 Sch2 D73

William E. Schenck’s Ancestors and Descendants of John Schenck SCR CS71 Sch2 A3

Papers associated with the Schenck family bible SCR OVERSIZE BS185 1791 T7 coll.

We also have resources on the Schenck houses themselves. Here are a few citations:

Dutch by Design BMA REF NA735 B8 St2
The Jan Martense Schenck House BMA REF NA735 B8 B79

Family Guide: Dutch Houses, Brooklyn Homes BMA/REF NA735 B8 B79f

Regards,
Katy Christensen

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