The Captain John SCHENCK Homestead


SCHENCK Homestead at CROOKE's Island, erected about 1656



	In this sketch the compiler has traced back to the year 1346 when we 
find Hendrick SCHENCK van NYDECK, Knight, Lord of Merden and Walbeek 
and Feoffer of Wachtendonck, a man of importance in the low countries,
who married Aelide RAYDE, heiress of Walbeek. They had a son and heir
Hendrick, Knight, Lord of Merden, Walbeek and Blynbeek, Feoffer of 
Wachtendonck, Bailiff of Gelderend; who died December 8th 1452, and 
married Aleide van GOON van KELDENBROCK. They were the parents of 
Diederick, Lord of Merden and Blynbeek and half of Walbeek and Wachtendonck, 
Marshall of Cleve; who married Adelkeit van BUREN and died August 1487. 
Their son and heir Derick, Lord of Merden, Blynbeek and Walbeek, 
married Aleid COSTER of Aerzen. He died at Blynbeek, August 3rd, 1525, 
leaving heir his son, Derick, Lord of Afferden and Blynbeek, 
who married Maria VAN GALEN and had a son and heir Derick, Lord of Merden 
and Blynbeek, who mamed Anna van BERLAER. They were the parents of the 
progenitor of the race of SCHENCK, who valued a noble name above a title.

	General Peter SCHENCK van NYDECK was a son of the last named Derick, 
Lord of Merden, etc. He was born at Gosh in 1547, 
married at Doesburgh, May 17th, 1580, to Johanna van SCHENPENZEEL. To them 
was born a son at Doesburgh on August 7th, 1584, whom they named 
Martin SCHENCK van NYDECK. He was the father of Jan Martinse SCHENCK, 
probably born at Amersfoort Holland, and married at Amersfort (Flatlands), 
Long Island, in 1672 or 1678 to Jannetjie STEPHENS VAN VOORHEIS. He 
emigrated with other members of his family to America in. June, 1650, 
and was the father of Martin JANSE SCHENCK, of Flatlands, born in 1675, 
married on December 2nd, 1708, to Cornelia Van WESSELEN or Van WESELL, 
widow of Domine LUPARDIUS. Inherited by his father's will the 
"Old land with the small island and mill."

	He had issue John (known as Captain John), born December 18th, 1705; 
married November 15th, 1728, Femmetie HEGEMAN. His heirs and legatees 
sold the mill property, containing about 66 acres of upland, 
6 acres of woodland and a parcel of salt-meadows, on April 15th, 1784, 
to Joris MARTENSE, of Flatbush, for L2300.

	"The old dwelling house of wood standing on Mill Island, according to 
tradition, was erected by the SCHENCK'S after their purchase, and is now" 
(1909) over 250 years old. If this is true, it is the oldest habitable 
house in Kings County, if not in New York State.

	Joris MARTENSE, who purchased this property, was a leading citizen and 
large land holder. He is said by Mr. Strong to have advanced $5,500 to the 
American cause, while the British supposed he was favoring them. It was 
at his house that Major MONCRIEF was quartered when Captain William MARRINER, 
in his secret midnight expedition against Flatbush described in the sketch 
on the VAN PELT Manor House, took him prisoner. The premises described in the 
deed of the heirs of John SCHENCK to Joris MARTENSE, were devised by him to 
his daughter, Susan Martense, who afterwards married Patrick CATON. She is 
frequently mentioned in Strong's History of Flatbush, and Caton Avenue is 
named in her honor.

	Mrs. CATON devised the property to Robert L. CROOKE, as trustee for 
her daughter, Margaret, wife of General Philip S. CROOKE. Mrs. CROOKE 
devised the property to her husband, General Philip S. CROOKE, as 
trustee for her children, and on his death to go in fee simple to the 
said children. General CROOKE had the power to sell and convey in fee or 
lesser estate.

	On July 5th, 1870, Philip S. CROOKE, as trustee under the will 
of Margaret CROOKE, conveys to Robert L. CROOKE this farm, which he 
bounds as follows: "All that Grist mill and mill dam or mill pond and 
meadows there-unto belonging, situated lying and being within the bounded
limits of the Township of Flatlands aforesaid, as also all that island 
commonly called the Mill Island, all the meadows, marshes, creeks, and 
ditches thereunto belonging. Containing by estimation five hundred acres 
of meadows or marshes, and five acres in Mill Island and all that tract 
of upland lying in the Township of Flatlands aforesaid; 
Bounded westerly by land formerly of Martin SCHENCK; 
northerly by meadows formerly of Jacobus DEVENTER and meadows formerly 
of the Estate of said John SCHENCK; 
southerly by the Mill Creek and meadows formerly of Johannes DITMARS; 
westerly and southerly by the land formerly belonging to William STOOTHOFF, 
containing by estimation sixty-six acres."

	On July 5th, 1878, Robert L. CROOKE conveyed these premises to 
Philip S. CROOKE. On October 18th, 1876, Philip S. CROOKE conveys these 
premises to Frank CROOKE. After a series of eleven affecting conveyances between
various members of the CROOKE family and others, the title became vested in 
Robert L. CROOKE, in so much as we are speaking of Mill Island, and he 
and Elizabeth, his wife, sold it on January 12th, 1906, to Florence C. SMITH. 
On the next day she deeded it to "Flatbush East," a real estate company, who, 
on December 3lst, 1906, transferred it to the Flatbush Improvement Company, 
who developed the property by dredging out the creeks with hydraulic dredges 
and filling up the meadows with the sand thus excavated. They practically 
created 332 acres of upland, raising the meadows some eight feet above high tide. 
The work was done by the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Company under the direction 
of Captain-Alexander Ross PIPER, late of the United States Army and a former 
Deputy Police Commissioner of New York City. The financial panic of 1907 
caused the company some difficulty, and on January 14th, 1909, they deeded 
the property to the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Company, who are now the owners.

	It is an interesting fact, when we consider the coming construction of the 
great port of entry at Jamaica Bay, that the SCHENCKs, who came from Holland, 
were interested in ships which carried freight between New Netherlands and 
Old Netherlands, that they had a dock here at Mill Island and their boats came 
regularly across the ocean, using Jamaica Bay as a terminal. Thus commerce 
existed here two hundred and fifty years ago, and Flatlands lost that commerce 
through lack of attention to its demands.


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