RYDER - VAN CLEEF HOUSE
38 Village Road North
Lawrence RYDER, the son of Jacob I. and Maria JOHNSON-RYDER, was known
as Uncle Low (to rhyme with cow) by his neighbors.
He was born 29 January 1809 and on 14 September 1830, married Margaret
SCHENCK EMMANS (b. 31 March 1817 - d. 2 January 1889). His father-in-law
Cornelius J. EMMANS conveyed to him a plot of ground bordering on Village
Road North, 9 October 1837.
About three years later, Uncle Low, who was a carpenter, built a small
and attractive house on the plot and went to live in it. He had four children:
Maria (baptized 26 August 1837),
Cornelius (baptized 5 September 1840),
Elizabeth (baptized March 1845, who married Daniel C. BARRE) and
Ellen (baptized 5 November 1850).
He died 11 December 1863.
In 1867, his property was deeded to John Stephen VAN CLEEF who had married
his daughter Maria, 23 February 1865.
VAN CLEEF willed the property to his RYDER connections with the order that
Ellen was to live in it as long as she lived. Among its new owners was his niece
Maria BARRE who married Wheeler Newman VOORHEES.
In 1928, under condemnation proceedings the property was transferred to the
City of New York; its land to be used for a public playground. Uncle Low's
house was moved to a site farther east on Village Road, where it now stands,
the home of Lester VAN SICKLEN.
John Stephen VAN CLEEF (baptized 30 Augus 1846 - d. 1904) was the son of
Stephen VAN CLEEF (b. 22 February 1815 - d. 27 October 1874) and Rime D. WYCKHOFF.
Stephen was the son of John and Nancy (DONLY) VAN CLEEF. He was descended from
Cornelis VAN CLEEF who took the oath of allegiance in New Utrecht in 1687 as a
native and who married Femmetje VANDERVENTER. He was on the New Utrecht assessment
roll of 1693 but he evidently moved to Gravesend for he was on its census roll in
1698 and was living there on 30 April 1706. His father was Jan VAN CLEEF who was
born in 1628 and emigrated to New Netherland in 1653 probably from Cleef in the
Netherlands.
Jan VAN CLEEF was a farmer in Gravesend in 1656. He was living in New Utrecht
in 1659 and bought a farm there in 1662. In 1677 he was a member of the New Utrecht
Church. He is mentioned as the town constable in Dongan's Patent of 1686.
His wife was Engeltie, daughter of Louwerens PIETERSE, whom he married prior
to 10 March 1681. Their children were :
Catharine (born in 1681),
the twins, Benjamin and Joseph (born in 1683),
Cerie (born in 1688),
Nelke.
Cornelis and Rebecca.
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