HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



93 



1657. Contemporary records also refer 

 to the mill as a "horse mill," the truth 

 of the matter being most probably that 

 the horse mill was set up to serve until 

 the tide water mill was completed. The 

 low marshy nature of the land and the 

 turning up of the mud to the sun caused 

 an epidemic from which Barentse died 

 July 26, 1658. A letter written by Vice- 

 Director Jacob Alricks, from New Ani- 

 stel, (New Castle) to Stuyvesant, under 

 date of September 5, 1658, and published 

 in documents relating to tTie Colonial 

 History of New York, vol. xii, p. 224, 

 relates entirely to the affairs of the wid- 

 ow and children of Christian Barentse. 

 It states that the widow had requested 

 within three days of his burial that she 

 desired to return to New Amsterdam, 

 and that the property which he left be 

 sold and that though he consents there- 

 to he "advised and proposed to her that 

 it woulld be for her best to remain in 

 possession, she should be assisted in 

 completing the mill, with income where- 

 of, which through the grists she would 

 be able to diminish the expenses and 

 live decently and abundantly with her 

 children on the surplus, besides that 

 she had yet three or four cows with 

 sheep and hogs, which also could help 

 her to maintain her family, she and her 

 children should have remained on and 

 in her and the father's estate, which 

 was in good condition here, wherein the 

 widow with the children could have con- 

 tinued reputably and in position to much 

 advantage; but she would not listen 

 to advice, * * * tj^at she was to 

 be restricted in her inclinations and well 

 being, which I shall never think of, 

 much less do." The wife of Christian 

 Barentse was Jannetje Jans, and it is 

 probable that they were married before 

 coming to America, as the baptism of 

 their eldest child is not recorded in 

 the New York church. On December 

 12, 1658, Jannetje Jans, widow and ex- 

 ecutrix of Christian Barents, presented 

 an inventory of his goods and chattels 

 to the court at New Amsterdam, and 

 requested that Vice-Director Alricks, 

 "Director of the City's Colony on the 

 South River, where her husband died, be 

 written to in order that the chattels 

 which are there may be sent from the 

 South river to this place." The widow 

 married on September 12, 1658, Laurens 

 Andriessen Van Boskerk, who was born 

 in Holstein, Denmark. He was a mem- 

 ber of Bergen court in 1667, its presi- 

 dent in 1682, a member of the governor's 

 council for many years. He died in 

 1693 and Jannetje on July 13, 1694. 

 They were the parents of four children, 

 Andries, Lourens, Peter, and Thomas, 

 the two latter, according to the Dutch 

 custom, being known as Lourensons, 

 appear later to have become known by 

 the name of Lawrence. Peter joined his 

 half-brother, Barant Christian Van 



Horn, in his purchase of land in Bucks 

 county in 1703. His youngest son John 

 married Alee Van Horn, granddaugh- 

 ter of Christian Barents, and his daugh- 

 ter Jannetje, married Cornelius Corson, 

 of Staten Island, and became the ances- 

 tress of the Bucks county Corsons. 

 The children of Christian Barents and 

 Jannetje Jans were as follows: Barendt 

 Christian Van Horn, born in Holland, 

 married Geertje Dircks; died in Bergen 

 county. New Jersey, in 1726. 3. Cor- 

 nelius Van Horn, baptized August 3, 

 1653, married Margaret Van de Berg, 

 died in Bergen county in 1729. 4. Jan 

 Van Horn, baptized March 18, 1657, 

 married Lena Boone, died in Bergen 

 county. 



2.' Barent Christian Van Horn, eld- 

 est son of Christian Barents and Jannet- 

 je Jans, as before stated was probably 

 born in Holland, a theory which is borne 

 out by the early date at which he ac- 

 quired title to land. On March 26, 1667, 

 Governor Philip Carteret granted to 

 Barent Christian, of Menkaque, planter, 

 fifty acres of land at Pembrepach and 

 eighty-five acres on the bay called Kill 

 Van Kull, both in Bergen county. On 

 September 29, 1697, he obtained a grant 

 from the proprietors of East Jersey, 160 

 acres on "Hackingsack River," joining 

 that of his half brother Thomas Law- 

 renson (Van Boskerk). On May 15, 

 1703, Barnard Christian and his half- 

 brother, Peter Lawrence, purchased i,- 

 000 acres of Robert Heaton, on Ne- 

 shaminy creek, in Bucks county, which 

 on September 18, 1707, they partitioned 

 between them. Two days later, Sep- 

 tember 20, 1707, Barnard Christian con- 

 vej^ed his portion to his two sons, Peter 

 and Christian Barnson, Peter receiving 

 257 acres and Christian 294 acres. On 

 September 29, 1707, Barnard Christian 

 purchased 550 acres in Bucks county, of 

 Thomas Groom, 274 acres of which he 

 conveyed to his son Barnard Barnson, 

 June 17, 1714. He also acquired other 

 land in Bucks county, and on June 2, 

 1722, conveyed to his son, Isaac Van 

 Horn, 276 acres, and on May 6, 1722, 290 

 acres to his son, Abraham Van Horn. 

 He thus owned in all 1381 acres of land 

 in Bucks county, though he continued to 

 live in Bergen county. New Jersey, and 

 died there in 1726. He married, in 1679, 

 at the Bergen Dutch Reformed church, 

 Geertje Dircks. daughter of Dirck Clas- 

 sen, who was baptized in New York, 

 March 5, 1662. The children of Bar- 

 ent Christian Van Horn and Geertje 

 Dirckse were: 



5. Richard Barentsen Van Horn, 

 born at Bergen, New Jersey, died at 

 Hackensack, New Jersey, in 1763; mar- 

 ried, April II, 1704, Elizabeth Garretsen. 



6. Christian Van Horn, born Octo- 

 ber 24. 1681. died in Northampton 

 township, Bucks county, November 22, 

 1751; see forward. 



