Sunset at Gowanus Bay

Sunset at Gowanus Bay
Sunset at Gowanus Bay, Henry Gritten, 1851

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Holsart Deed, Monmouth County, N. J., July 10, 1733

File no. 52, found in Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, Part III, is a deed from Hannah Holsart and John Holsart, executors of the last will and testament of Benjamin Holsart, to Thomas Werne of Amboy in Middlesex County, New Jersey.

No. 52, Holsart Deed

The deed is found in Monmouth County Deeds, Book H, pages 175-177. It begins at the bottom of the first page in the PDF. The deed is dated 10 July 1733 and was recorded in Monmouth County on 26 March 1737. The land that was transferred from the Holsarts to Thomas Werne was in Monmouth County.

I am not entirely certain as to why this document was included in a collection of documents regarding families and persons named Brower, Brewer, Bruere, etc., but it was in fact included so rather than simply discard it, I'll make it available for anyone who may have an interest in the Holsart family of Monmouth County.

The Holsart (Holsaert Hulsaart, Holzert, etc.) family has it's origins in Kings County, Long Island, and some members of the family were among the early settlers in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Descendants of both Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, and of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, would have been familiar with, and no doubt had dealings with some members of the Holsart family. The progenitor of the family was Johannes Holsaert who was probably born around 1640, immigrated to America from Flanders in 1684, witnessed a baptism at Flatbush in May 1687, but is not found on the oath of allegiance taken in Kings County in September of that same year (1687). About a year ago I had done some cursory research on this family and what I had been able to cobble together is online in the following documents:

Family of Johannes Holsaert, Immigrant to New York

Johannes Holsaert, Descendant Chart

Family of Pieter Hulsaart

Benjamin Holsaert (Holsart) was a son of Johannes Holsaert, and in all likelihood was born in Europe. He lived first at New Utrecht, Kings County, Long Island and relocated to Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey probably in 1716 or 1717. He wrote his will on 13 October 1732, and it was proved 26 May 1733. The executors were his wife, "Hanake," and his eldest son, John. They are the two (Hannah Holsart and John Holsart) mentioned in the deed who are conveying the land to Thomas Werne. "Hanake," or Hannah Holsart, was a daughter of Mathyas Pietersz Luyster and Cornelia Kip. She is also found with the name, Annatje Luyster, and Johanna Luyster. The three given names, Annatje (Anna), Hannah and Johanna, were sometimes used interchangeably during the colonial period. Benjamin and Hannah Holsaert had nine children and at least four but probably more, had descendants.

The research found above is not claimed to be complete, but it is offered here as a start to anyone who is researching this family. For example, I have not yet been able to find Pieter Hulsaart's place among Johannes Holsaert's descendants. Most, and probably all of those found in the above documents can also be found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website, where you will find sources.

BGB 415

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