Meserole family papers
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Abstract
The Meserole family was one of the original five families who settled in the areas that are now the Greenpoint and Williamsburg neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Jean Miserol (d.1695), a French Huguenot, came to New Amsterdam, now New York City, in 1663. Originally from Picardy (now Picardie), France, Jean left France for Holland where he married Jonica Carten. With their young son Jan, Jean and Jonica immigrated to New Amsterdam and arrived on April 16, 1663. In 1667, Jean bought a farm in New Utrecht, now the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bay Ridge. He then bought another farm, Kyckout ("the Lookout"), that ran along the East River. Today, this farm would be located in Williamsburg between North 1st Street and Broadway. Jean lived at this farm until his death in 1695. The Meserole family papers spans the period circa 1717 to 1915 and measure 2.1 linear feet. The collection includes a handwritten volume containing the Meserole family genealogy; a bill of sale for a sloop from Anson Benton to Abraham Meserole, 1816; and an oversized parchment documenting a legal decision regarding a land dispute over the Miserole family farm, Kyckout ("the Lookout"), in the Town of Bushwick (now the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn), circa 1717.
Biographical note
The Meserole family was one of the original five families who settled in the areas that are now the Greenpoint and Williamsburg neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Jean Miserol (d.1695), a French Huguenot, came to New Amsterdam, now New York City, in 1663. Originally from Picardy (now Picardie), France, Jean left France for Holland where he married Jonica Carten (d. 1712). With their young son Jan (1662-1712), Jean and Jonica immigrated to New Amsterdam and arrived on April 16, 1663. Soon after, they joined the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1667, Jean bought a farm in New Utrecht, now the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bay Ridge. He then bought another farm, Kyckout (or "the Lookout"), that ran along the East River. Today, this farm would be located in Williamsburg between North 1st Street and Broadway. Jean lived at this farm until his death in 1695.
Jean and Jonica's son Jan married Marytje Covert in 1682 and they had five children; Margrietje, Debora, Jan (later anglicized to John), Cornelius, and Jannetyje. Jan and Marytje Miserol's eldest child, Margrietje, married Carel de Beauvois (alternately spelled Debevoise) in 1705. John Miserole (d. 1756), Jan and Marytje's eldest son, married Elizabeth Praa (1691-1754), daughter of Pieter Praa, a prominent land owner in what would be the present-day neighborhood of Greenpoint. John and Elizabeth Miserole both inherited and purchased land, resulting in their ownership of nearly all of the land that comprises present-day Greenpoint, as well as the riverfront area of Williamsburg, from 1727 to 1750.
Adrian Meserole compiled and wrote Genealogy of the Meserole Family of Greenpoint. In 1915, this volume was later expanded upon by Francis Vandervoort Morrell (1844-1922), also a descendent of the Meserole family.
Variations of the family name include Miserol, Miserole, Meserole, and Messerole. The Meserole family was one of the most established families in Greenpoint and Meserole Avenue in Greenpoint was named after them.
Sources:
- Meserole, Adrian. Genealogy of the Meserole Family of Greenpoint. Additions by Francis V. Morrell, 1915.
Scope and Contents
The Meserole family papers span the period circa 1717 to 1915 and measure 2.1 linear feet. The collection includes a handwritten volume containing the Meserole family genealogy. The genealogy was written by Adrian Meserole, with additions by Francis V. Morrell in 1915. The volume consists of 123 pages and includes an index of names. Also included in the collection are a bill of sale for a sloop from Anson Benton to Abraham Meserole, 1816; and an oversized parchment documenting a legal decision pertaining to a land dispute in the present-day Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg, circa 1717.
The four page document verifies that the complainant, John Miserole, was the grandson of John (anglicized from the original spelling, Jean) and Jonica Miserol, and the eldest son of John (Jan) Miserol, John and Jonica's son. The family farm, called Kyckout (translated into English from Dutch as "the Lookout") was the land in dispute. Originally purchased by John (Jean) Miserol, Kyckout was located in the Town of Bushwick, now part of Williamsburg, and it over looked the East River. In the document, many depositions were taken from people who knew the complainant, John Miserole, John's brother, Cornelius Miserole, or other family members. The land seems to be in dispute between John Miserole, who claims to be the rightful heir, and Charles Beauvois (possibly Carel de Beauvois), who married into the Miserole family. The document was issued by the Governor of the Province of New York, General Robert Hunter, during the reign of George I.
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Families
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Meserole family papers, ARC.063, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
A portion of this collection was a gift of Francis V. Morrell, date unknown. The source and date of acquisition for the remainder of the collection is unknown.
About this Guide
Processing Information note
Minimally processed to the collection level.
This collection combines the accessions 1974.193, 1974.280, and 1978.183.
