Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his early Dutch ancestors

[Leo van de Pas]

With apologies, as it only just touches the year 1600 but I believe many people in America will be interested in this. I hope some kind person will pass this on to Gary Boyd Roberts.

Today I received the October issue of Gens Nostra, a Dutch genealogical magazine. On the front page is a beautiful coloured portret of FDR.

I will try to translate the beginning of the article and then make a genealogical presentation.

The ancestors from Utrecht of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
by Ir. W.H.M. Nieuwenuis and Dorothy A. Koenig

In the acestor list of FDR, presendent of the United States from 1932 till his death in 1945, appears under nr.71 a Cornelia Roos (see Gary Boyd Roberts's ancestors of the USA Presidents page 81) who on 14 March 1708 in New York married Robert Benson. Several American genealogists took for granted that she is the Cornelia Roos who was baptised on 6 May 1683 in the Dutch Reformed Church of Albany, as daughter of Johannes Roos and Cornelia NN, however the distance between these two places makes it less likely. Other genealogists believed that she was a daughter of Jan/Johannes's elder brother Peter (Pieter) and his wife Elizabeth NN.

However, for this Peter/Pieter Roos there was no marriage to be found in either Albany or New York, nor baptisms of any of their children.

In our research we found that Peter/Pieter Roos in reality married in Utrecht, The Netherlands, on 16 February 1676 in the Jacobs church and eight children were baptised there. One was Cornelis baptised on that church on 3 May 1685.

Because Robert Benson and Cornelia Roos called their first daughter Elizabeth, after the mother of Cornelia Roos, and amongst the baptism witnesses an Aaltje Roos and a Geurt Roos appeared, a brother and a sister of Cornelia Roos, as well as Willempje Pieters Luyster, the second wife of Cornelia's father, we have to come to the conclusion that Cornelia was the daughter of Peter?Pieter Roos and Elisabeth van 't Horsken.

Ghislain Vigne (with accent on e) died circa 1632/1635 married Adrienne Cuvellier, she married (2) Jan Jansz Damen

Ghislain and Adrienne Cuvellier are parents of
Marie Vigne
she married (1) Jan Roos (2) Abraham Verplanck
from 1st marriage

Gerrit Janszoon Roos,
married (1) 31 December 1651 New Amsterdam
Aaltje Lamberts Wolf (also Aeltgen)
baptised 26 March 1627 JacobiKerk, Utrecht
daughter of Lambert Hermanszoon Wolf . and Emmerentia Gosens van Nieuwersluys
married (2) 5 September 1659 New Amsterdam
Trijntje Arents
from 1st marriage
Peter/Pieter Roos
baptised 19 January 1653 in New Amsterdam
married (1) 16 February 1676 Janskerk, Utrecht
Elisabeth van 't Horsken
buried 5 June 1697 Utrecht
daughter of Geurt Peterszoon van 't Horsken and Aaltje van Issem
married (2) 21 September 1704 New York
Willempje Pieters Luyster
widow of Gerrit Coerten
and daughter of Pieter Corneliszoon Luyster and Aeltje Tyssen
from the 1st marriage
1.Aletta baptised 17-12-1676 Jacobikerk, Utrecht
married in 1704 Gerrit Provoost

2.Mechteldjen, baptised 18-12-1679 Jacobikerk, Utrecht

3.Geurt
baptised 10-11-1682 Dom, Utrecht, died 1728
married 17-7-1725 Emmerentia Verplanck

4.Cornelia
baptised 3-5-1685 JacobiKerk, Utrecht
married (1) 14-3-1708 New York
Robert Benson
married (2) 2508-1716 New York, Anthony Rutgers

5.Gerrit
baptised 18-12-1687 Jacobikerk, Utrecht
died 1772, married 2-5-1719 New York
Urseltje Arens

6.Lambertus baptised 12-12-1689 JacobiKerk, Utrecht

7.Johannes, baptised 7-6-1691 Jacobikerk, Utrecht

8.Emmeremsje, baptised 11-6-1693 Jacobi kerk, Utrecht

2nd marriage
9.Johannes baptised 9-9-1705 New York

The two authors express their gratitude to Henry B Hoff and Scott C Steward for their assistance.

Hope this is of interest as this adds a few ancestors to the ancestor list of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Best wishes
Leo van de Pas
Perth, Western Australia