Follow the sun

Image from Pano LA short by Joe Capra.

It has been a good few days here in LA, even with the rain. Today the clouds have cleared and it is a beautiful day on the Best Coast. The image above showing the Santa Monica Pier is from a wonderful time lapse video called Pano LA by Joe Capra.

As much as I would like to stay a little longer, it is time to return to DC. My thoughts are with family and friends at the Women's March in DC and around the country today.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Playa Vista, 21 Jan 2017.

Above the clouds

Photo by Patrick Jones. Above Otis, Colorado, 18 Jan 2017.

I am back in LA for meetings. Yesterday on my flight I captured a view of frosty fields above Otis, Colorado. Thanks to flight tracking, I can see the exact path of the plane as it delivered me West. I did not capture a picture as we passed over the Grand Canyon and snow-capped mountains outside LA, but it was a beautiful sight. I know I am lucky to see this view of the country, peaceful and scenic above the clouds.

Source: Flightaware. Route from 18 Jan 2017.

5th Anniversary

I started this blog five years ago this week, back in January 2012. At the time I had no idea where this would go, but nearly 1250 posts later, it has been quite a journey. This has been a creative outlet and a place to publish my research, photos from my travels, and nuggets of personal and family history. I have used this blog to breakdown brick walls and connect with distant cousins. It has been an interesting and enjoyable platform for sharing what I find.

My most-read post continues to be my recap on my 9th-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Grinstead Key, published in February 2012. She has such a fascinating story, and I hope to locate original documents relating to her case with the Virginia General Assembly at some point in 2017 from the Library of Virginia in Richmond.

The beauty of the blog is I can publish what I want, in the order I want. Sometimes I publish an article aimed at a wider audience or aimed at potential cousins who may stumble on the research. In other cases, I am publishing photos or bits for my kids to see later, as they start to learn more about the great history in the family.

I plan to keep writing and posting for the foreseeable future, and if the blog goes another five years that will be quite an achievement.

Jasper

Source: Amsterdam Archives. 2 Apr 1616.

While looking through the indexes of the Amsterdam Archives, I located another link between the Du Trieux and Noiret families. Yesterday's post included screen shots for the marriage of Philippe Du Trieux and Jacquemyne Noirett in April 1615. A year later, Philippe's younger brother Jasper Du Trieux married Jacquemyne's sister Jeanne Noirett. The record shows Jasper was 26 at the time, putting his date of birth about 1590. Like Philippe, he was born in Roubaix. Jeanne Noirett was born in Lille, France and her father Arnoult Noirett appears on the record.

Jasper appears on another record, as a witness on the birth of Philippe Du Trieux (spelled Filip on the record), first son of Philippe and Jacquemyne. Arnoult Noirett was also listed, along with Jacquilaine Hiole. I do not know her connection with the Du Trieux and Noirett families, or if she was just a friend of the family.  Jacquilaine had married Jeromse Vittori in 1612, and she had a child one month after Philippe and Jacquemyne in February 1616.

Source: Amsterdam Archives. 3 Jan 1616.

The Windmill on the Onbekende Gracht, Amsterdam, Claude Monet. 1874.

Roots of the Family

The Dam and the Damrak, Jan van der Heyden. 1663.

I am only scratching the surface on volumes of research material on the Du Trieux (later Truax) family, from their time in Amsterdam in the early 1600s to their settlement in New Amsterdam and later years as this settlement became New York.

Philippe Du Trieux was born in 1585 in Roubaix, in present-day France, then part of Belgium. Philippe was a worsted dyer and he worked with velvet and other fabrics. Perhaps his father was also a dyer and he learned the trade from him. Philippe later moved to Amsterdam, plying his trade in the Walloon community.

In Amsterdam he married Jacquemyne Noirett in May 1615. Their engagement record from April 1615 is found in the Amsterdam Archives. He was 27 at the time, and had lived on the "Wale pad" or Walloon Avenue for three-quarters of a year. His bride Jacquemyne was 22, born in Lille, and had lived on the Wale pad for 12 years. Her parents were listed as Arnauld Noirett and Barbe Du Chesne.

Amsterdam Archives, April 1615.

Philippe and Jacquemyne had four children:
- Philippe Du Trieux, January 1616-1619 in Amsterdam
- Maria Du Trieux, April 1617-sometime before 1684 in Schenectady, New York
- Philippe Du Trieux, February 1619-about September 1653 in New Amsterdam
- Madeline Du Trieux, February 1620-sometime before 1624 in Netherlands

The family was received into the Walloon Church in Leiden, Netherlands in August 1617, but moved back to Amsterdam in December 1617.

Source: Google Maps.

Jacquemyne Noirett died about 1620, leaving Philippe with three young children to raise. Some researchers have noted Philippe's second wife, Susanna Duchesne, may have been a cousin or related to his first wife's mother. Susanna was 20 when she became engaged to Philippe in 1621. She was born in Sedan, France. At the time of her engagement she was an orphan. According to the document below, Philippe was living on the "Runstreat" in 1621. This appears to be Runstraat on the present day Amsterdam map, and not too far from the Walloon Church.

Amsterdam Archives, Jul 1621.

Google Maps view of Amsterdam.

Philippe and Susanna received an attestation from the Church in Leiden in March 1624 signaling their intent to transfer to a new church after their arrival in the West Indies.

I am descended from Philippe and Susanna through their last son Jacob. They had at least the following children:
- Jerome Du Trieux, October 1623-before March 1624.
- Sarah Du Trieux, born 1625 in New Amsterdam, died 9 November 1692
- Susanna Du Trieux, born 1626, died 1660
- Abraham Du Trieux, born 1632
- Rachel Du Trieux, born 1635
- Isaac Du Trieux, born 1642
- Rebecca Du Trieux, born 1643
- Jacob Du Trieux, born 1645, died 1709 in Delaware

In 1638, Philippe became the Court Messenger of the Governor of New Amsterdam. He died sometime between July 1649 and September 1653 (possibly as early as March 1651). His exploits as the Court Messenger will be covered in another post.