Philippe du Trieux
Born circa 1588, Died, September 8, 1653
Philippe du Trieux was born circa 1588 at Roubaix, France (Wallonia). He fled to Amsterdam as a refugee of the ongoing religious wars (and the only male remaining of his family); there he married Jaquemyne Noirett (born circa 1592 at Ryssel (Lille), France, married 1615, died circa 1620 at Leiden, Netherlands).
Philippe du Trieux died on September 8, 1653 in New Amsterdam. He was also known as Philip de Truy. He emigrated from Leiden, Netherlands to New Amsterdam in 1624 with his second wife, Susanne du Chesne. They married in 1621. He and Susanne had one child and he had three with his first wife Jaquemyne.
It is believed that Jaquemyne and her deceased husband, Philippe du Trieux, were the parents of Philippe du Trieux. The deceased husband mentioned in the Leyden Church record seems to have come from Norwich, England.
A colony of Flemish weavers had introduced the manufacture of woolens at Worsted, England which is about 13 miles from Norwich. This suggests that it is possible this suspected father of Philippe was a worsted worker. It is further theorized that upon his death, his widow returned to the continent with their son Philippe. Philippe was a dyer from Robey (Robaix) which was located in Northern France (Flanders in Philippe’s day) and well-known for its dye works. It is not known who Philippe’s parents were.
The Leyden Church granted Philippe and his family letters of attestations on March 9, 1624 (as “pour Westinde” which meant he intended to go west) to present to his new church at his destination. Two and a half weeks after Philippe and his family received letters from their church (March 28, 1624), the future colonists who were to go to “The New Netherland” met and were given instructions from the Van Rappard document (now in the Huntington Library in California).
It is not known if Philippe and his family were among these. No passenger list of the voyage of “The New Netherland” is known to have survived but it is generally accepted that Philippe du Trieux and his family were on board among the 30 families which were mostly Walloons.
The Captain of “The New Netherland” (Nieu Nederlandt) was Cornelis Jacobz May of Hoorn. They sailed in the beginning of March and went by the Canary Islands, steered toward the west coast where they gained a west wind which took them to the river called Rio De Montaagnes (River Mauretius). The ship sailed up to the Maykens 44 leagues. They built a fort named “Orange” which had four bastions on an island they called Castle Island.
Wiley believes that all of the Walloons of the company settled on Long Island at Waal-Bogt (Wallon’s Bay) which is now Wallabout. However, there is no definite account of the disposition of these families.
More people came in 1625 bringing tools and livestock.In May 1626 another band of colonists arrived along with Peter Minuit who had been given the power to be Governor and organize a government. He built Fort Amsterdam on the southernmost point of the island.
Philippe received a patent for lands in ‘Smits Valley’ in 1640. Ref: “Hudson and Mohawk Valleys”, P. 272 – Truax – The patronymic De Trieux or Du Trieu is probably derived from the Village of Trieu (in southern Belgium). It is from De Trieux that the names Du Trieu, De Truy, Truax, Truex, etc. are derived. Individuals bearing the original form of the name abound in the Walloon Church Registers of the Netherlands as early as 1584, wandering from city to city and from country to country, evidently in search of business employment.
Anciently the Walloons were the race who inhabited parts of France, the Alps and the Danubian Valley. They eagerly embraced the Reformation, which was eventually crushed out by Charles V and Philip II, and hundreds of thousands of the Walloons sought refuge in neighboring countries; 100,000 exiled families settled in Holland. The Netherlands historian, Asher, declares that the whole greatness of Holland sprang from her hospitality to these exiled Walloon families.
Philippe was in New Amsterdam during Minuit’s Administration (1624-1629). When arriving in New Amsterdam Philippe and Susanne built a house on Bever Craft (Beaver Street). This was one of the first, if not the first, house to be built on Bever Craft. In 1683 Philippe was appointed Court Messenger in 1638 by Governor Kieft (who became Governor in March 1638). The salary for the Court Messenger (or Marshall) was “two thirds as large as was received by the Magistrate.”
In 1640 Philippe received a patent for land in Smits Vly (or Valley), although it is known that this parcel of land was in his possession as early as 1638. The land adjoined Secretary Van Tienhoven’s farm and occupied partly by Fulton Market in later years. A map of New Amsterdam as it was in about 1644 shows a large tract of land on the east side of the island marked “land of Philip de Truye”. It is assumed that Philippe was living on this land at Smith’s Valley because of a contract he made with Claes Groen and Pieter Lievesen to graze their goats for a year at the cost of one guilder per year per goat. This contract was entered upon the Register of the Secretary of the Council. Philippe leased or contracted to sell this house to Nicholas Stilwel.
In 1649 the records show Nicolas Stilwel promising to furnish Henry Bresar with palisades enough to fence the premises along the River Road and within two years to furnish enough to fence the other sides of the land. In consideration for which Bresar acknowledges that he “has taken off the hands of Nicolaes Stillwell the land and dwelling house in question”. Bresar seems to have remained in possession of the place until 1653 when he built a new house a short distance beyond the ferry on some land which he had acquired there and the former dwelling house of Philip De Truy, after one or two intermediate changes, was bought in August 1654 by Thomas Hall.
Philippe Du Trieux was killed by Indians as was his son Philippe on or before September 8, 1653. Some believe that Indians were not the guilty parties. Philippe’s exact date of death is not known. The records show that on September 8, 1653 “Carel Van Brugge, Pltf. vs. Isaac D’Foreest, Deft. as Vendue-Master of the personal estate of Pieter Cornelisen, mill-wright, demands payment of fl. 59.8 for goods purchased at public vendu. Deft. acknowledges having purchased the goods, but says, in the name of Philip D’Truy’s widow, that her son Philip, who was also murdered, had earned fl.100 monthly wages of Pieter Cornelisen deceased, which are still due him. Deft. is ordered to prove at the next court day his demand against the State of the above-named Pieter Cornelisen deceased.” On October 23, 1654, Susanna De Scheve, widow of Phillippe De Truwe, late Court Messenger at New Amsterdam, confers power of attorney upon her son-in-law Isaac De___. ??????
Philippe could have been dead as early as March 16, 1651 when a certified copy of a note of Alexander Boyer was made in favor of Susanna Du Truy. It is doubtful that she would have had to conduct this business if her husband had still been living.
From the House of Truax edited by Howard S.F. Randolph from a manuscript ty T. de Truax in the possession of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. The dates of their membership into the church at Leydon is given as August 15, 1617.