Sara, the daughter of Anneke Jans and Roelof Jansen, was married three times at the Dutch Reformed Church at New Amsterdam. Her first marriage on 29 June 1642 to Dr. Hans Kierstede gave ten children to the world of which seven survived to reach adulthood. After the death of her first husband about 1667, she married for the second time on September 1, 1669 to Cornelius Van Borsum, the son of Egbert Van Borsum and his wife Annetje Hendricks. They came from Embden, Holland. From this marriage one child was born, a daughter, Anna. Cornelius died in September of 1682. In her third marriage she exchanged vows with Elbert Elbertzen Stoothoff on 21 July1683. Sara was now 56 years old. Elbert was a widower whose first wife's name was Altje Cornelius Cool. Sara, who had been baptized 5 April 1627 at Amsterdam, had come over to the new world with her parents in 1630. She spoke both English and Dutch and became greatly proficient in the Indian languages. Her capabilities did not go unnoticed and were often used by the leaders of the Dutch colony. In 1664 she acted as an interpreter in negotiating a treaty made by Peter Stuyvesant with the Hudson River Indian tribes. Sara's talent did not go unappreciated and on account of her excellant services over a number of years she was rewarded a patent of land that was granted to her second husband, Cornelius Van Borsum, on October 14, 1673, ". . of a lot on Manhattan Island, north of the windmill on the west side of the road that runs to Klatchhook." Sara died before the 21st of October 1693, as on that date both a will and a codicil were proved in her name. The codicil to her will was dated August 7, 1693, thus, we know she died between those two dates, in her 67th year. There is no question that she lived a long, hard, and fruitful life. She was a true pioneer woman and obviously an intelligent person. She had just turned 15 at her first marriage and in the years that followed she would bring ten children into the world. She is an ancestor surely worthy of our memory.
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The Dutch In New Amsterdam
Developed Feb 16, 1998