Mounted prints of Bergen family houses
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Abstract
The Mounted prints of Bergen family houses is comprised of nine black-and-white mounted non-photographic prints depicting houses built and owned by the Bergen family in Brooklyn and Long Island.
Biographical note
The Bergen family that settled and proliferated throughout New York and New Jersey beginning in the 17th century is descended from the common ancestor, Hans Hansen Bergen, a native of Bergen, Norway. A ship's carpenter by trade, Bergen moved to Holland as a young man, and subsequently immigrated to the colony of New Amsterdam (now New York City) in 1633. His name appeared in land and church records in different forms, including Hans de Boer, Hans Noorman, Hans Hanszen Van Bergen, Hans Hansen, and Hans Hansen Bergen. It was not until the late 17th or early 18th century that his descendants formally adopted the surname, Bergen.
In 1639, Hans Hansen Bergen married Sara Rapalje and they had eight children. Among them was Michael Hansen Bergen (baptized November 4, 1646), who held civil office for several years and was one of the patentees named in Governor Thomas Dongan's patent of May 13, 1686, which provided the land grant that established the village of Breuklen in the colony of New York. He and his wife, Femmetje Bergen (nee Theunis) had five children.
Michael Hansen Bergen's son, Hans Michielzse Bergen (baptized March 11, 1689) was a baker who resided near Brooklyn Ferry with his wife, Rachel (nee Bensing or Benson). They had seven children, among them Tunis Bergen (baptized October 15, 1730), who held civil and military office in Brooklyn. Tunis and his wife, Johanna (nee Stoothoff) had nine children, including their son, Garret Bergen.
Garret Bergen (born January 11, 1772) held civil and church office in Brooklyn, and was married to Jane Wyckoff on January 6, 1806. Together they had 11 children, including their first born, Teunis G. Bergen, who was born on October 6, 1806 in the town of New Utrecht (later annexed to the City of Brooklyn in 1894, several years before Brooklyn's consolidation into the City of New York in 1898).
Teunis G. Bergen was a surveyor, farmer, civic leader, member of the 241st regiment of the New York State Militia, as well as an avid historical researcher, genealogist, and published author. His published works include The Register of the Early Settlers and Freeholders of Kings County, NY, from its First Settlement by Europeans, to 1700, with Biographical Notices and Family Genealogies; Genealogy of the Van Brunt Family, 1653-1867; The Bergen Family; or, the descendants of Hans Hansen Bergen, One of the Early Settlers of New York and Brooklyn, L.I., with Notes on the Genealogy of Some of the Branches of the Cowenhoven, Voorhees, Eldert, Stoothoof, Cortelyou, Stryker, Suydam, Lott, Wyckoff, Barkeloo, Lefferts, Martense, Hubbard, Van Brunt, Vanderbilt, Vanderveer, Van Nuyse, and Other Long Island Families; Genealogy of the Lefferts Family, 1650-1878; and his seven volume A History of New Utrecht, Long Island. Additionally, he contributed frequently to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. Teunis G. Bergen died of pneumonia at his residence in New Utrecht at the age of 74, and was interred at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
Scope and Contents
The Mounted prints of Bergen family houses is comprised of nine black-and-white mounted non-photographic prints depicting houses built and owned by the Bergen family in Brooklyn and Long Island. All houses are in the Dutch colonial architectural style. The houses depicted in the collection are: the John C. Bergen House located in Gowanus; the Cornelius Bergen House located in Flatbush; the Tunis Bergen House located in Gowanus; the Adrian Bergen House located in Gravesend; the Garret G. Bergen House located in Gowanus; the Tunis J. Bergen House located in Yellow Hook; the Johannes Bergen House located in Gowanus; and the John Bergen House located on Bergen Island (Flatlands). The images were used in a book written by Teunis G. Bergen titled, The Bergen Family; or, The descendants of Hans Hansen Bergen, one of the early settlers of New York and Brooklyn, L.I., with notes on the genealogy of some of the branches of the Cowenhoven, Voorhees, Eldert, Stoothoof, Cortelyou, Stryker, Suydam, Lott, Wyckoff, Barkeloo, Lefferts, Martense, Hubbard, Van Brunt, Vanderbilt, Vanderveer, Van Nuyse, and other Long Island families. The book was published in 1866 and again in 1876.
Subjects
Families
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Mounted prints of Bergen family houses, V1986.011, Box number, Object ID number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Source and date of acquisition for this collection are unknown. The collection was formally accessioned in 1986.
Other Finding Aids
Item level description and digital versions of images from the collection are available for searching via the image database in the library. Please consult library staff for more information.
