GRIETJE, DEAR…WERE YOU REALLY A PROSTITUTE?

What an interesting ancestor I have found for myself. An early colonist in New Amsterdam before it was taken over by the British. Married to the son of a PIRATE whose father was Dutch and whose mother was likely a Moor and his Moroccan concubine. And then, check this out…the ancestor colonist, Grietje Reiniers (also spelled Reyniers), was tried as a prostitute!! Her husband, Anthony Janszoon van Salee was the first known Muslim in the colonies and was wealthy to boot probably as a result of his pirate father’s plunder. Quite a story, right?

Besides me, she is the ancestor of such eminent and interesting folks as Jackie Bouvier Kennedy, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Humphrey Bogart. According to my current research, this fascinating woman would be my 10th great grandmother. Yeah, that’s a long ways back but I got really excited about the prospect anyway until I realized there’s a significant portion of these connections which have nary a shred of documentation verifying the links. There isn’t even any documentation to build a case connecting me to them based on the preponderance of evidence. So, I’m beginning a journey to see if I can find the evidence to make the connections and I’ll keep you in the loop as I go along. I would love it if, as I’m digging into the past, I learn of someone who’s already done much of the work.

Here’s a link to a PBS Frontline article about the pirate, his son and the alleged prostitute, if you are interested.

And below I will post the unproven connections from me to her.

Janelle Tapscott (me)
Shirley Snyder (mom)
Maysia Arends (grandmother)
Asia May Johnson (great grandmother)
James Johnson (great great grandfather)
Elizabeth Hamilton (3rd great grandmother)
James Hamilton (4th great grandfather)

Connections get a little muddier with this guy, James, and by Grietje, everything could be suspect. 

Sarah Westfall (5th great grandmother 1751-1785)
Catherine Emmons (or Emans) (6th great grandmother 1730 to 1787)
John Emans (7th great grandfather 1694 to 1732)
Abraham Emans (8th great grandfather 1670 to 1756)
Sarah A Van Salee (9th great grandmother 1635 to 1720)
Grietje Reiniers (10th great grandmother 1602 to 1666)