Vredenburg Searcher Vol. 1 No. 3, Oct - Nov. 1993

Queries
Coats of Arms
1850 Michigan Census

RESEARCH NOTES

Washington Researcher Writes

Donna Jean Bruce writes that her interest in the Vredenburg family, is a Mary Vredenburg, who was known as Polly. She was born abt. 1799 in New York and married Jonathan Hills. Both Jonathan and Mary are buried in the Mapleview Cemetery in Mexico, Oswego Co., New York. She also thinks that their daughter, Hannah Mills married Orville Denney. She would be grateful to anyone who can share any information with her. You can write Donna Jean Bruce at 624 NE Ryan St. Poulsbo, WA 98370

Oregon Researcher Writes

Catheine Lauer is from Portland, Oregon and writes thatshe has found her great grandmother, Elizabeth Teeal on the 1850 census of Monroe Co., Michigan. She is in the household of David and Elizabeth Teal. Also in the household was a John Fredenburg, age 85. Matilda was known as Louisa Matilda Fredenburg. According to Family sources, Matilda Louisa's parents are John and Elizabeth Fredenburg. Her research has been around Raisinville, Monroe Co., Michigan where she has located the following other Fredenburg data. Marriages: Alexander Fredenborough 32 married Sarah Bebee 15, on Dec. 16th, 1854. W. M. Fredeenburg 30, Married Sarah Gregory 26, on March 28th, 1861. Also Helen Fredenburg 18, married George G. Stump 26, on Apr. 25th, 1869. Anyone who would like to correspond with Catherine Lauer, you can contact her at 2743 SE 36th Ave. Portland, OR 97202.

Another Washington Query

Maxine Daly of Seaview, Washington is seeking the siblings of Dorcas Bassett, born March 24th, 1799 in the Mohawk Valley, New York. She moved to Hamilton Co., Ohio where on August 11th, 1818, she was united in marriage with Isaac Fredenburg. Her Mother's name may have been Sarah who was living with her in 1850 in Switzerland Co., Indiana at the age of 75 years. I believe that we have researchers searching this line that are on this mailing list and might be able to assist her. You can contact her at PO Box 247 Seavies, WA 98644.

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Vredenburg Coats of Arms

Mr. Gary Fredenburg of Warren, Ohio has given me some data regarding the Vredenburg family Coats of Arms. I have also seen others and have received other from various persons. What I would like our readers to do, is to look at the ones that Gary has sent in and give your comments. None of these are being claimed as the official Coats of Arms of the Van Vredenburg family, but are included in this publication for some feedback form the many researchers that are now in correspondence with the Vredenburg Seacher. Please write in with your views. There is another Coat of Arms that will be in the next issue that was sent in by a viewer from Colorado. Be sure to catch Gary's article on pages 3 and 4 of this publication. On page 5 Gary has included a picture of the Vredenburg Castle, which is no longer in existence. An article will appear in the next issue of the Vredenburg Searcher about the Vredenburg Castle, where we hope we can also get some discussion on this topic. Gary will be assisting in the publication in the future as co-editor.

Keep up the Good Work

So far the response of this publication has been great our viewers have sent in all kinds of information. We are trying to get everything in as we go along. We have already received enough for the first issue in 1993, so keep it coming. Send in your queries, family group charts, etc. the next issue will list some interesting research notes from a couple in Tustin, Michigan. The Vredenburghs on computer here now, number over 6,000 which include associated families.

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Vredenburg Family Crests
By Gary C. Fredenburg
Warren, Ohio, August, 1993

Photocopied below are three sketches of armorials of (van) Vredenburch families of Holland, as shown in J. B. Rietstap's PLANCHES DE L' ARMORIAL GENERAL (La Haye: Martinus Nijhoff, 1926, p. 123) in another work this author lists and describes (in French) four armorials from (van) Vredenburch families of Holland. See J. B. Rietstap's ARMORIAL GENERAL (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1965, p.1027). I don't read or speak French at all, but from what I could ascertain using a French-English dictionary it would appear that only the first armorial depicted below on the far left is applicable to the ancient (van) Vredenburch family. The others are from the 19th century, and contain additions signifying intermarriage with other families. Evidently this first crest contains a rose at the top and a crowned herring at the bottom.

van Vredenburch Coats of Arms

There is a conflict of opinion among various authors whether this armorial belongs to the North American Vredenburg families, descendants of Willem Isaacsszen van Vredenburg, who emigrated to "Nieuw Nederlandt" in May 1658.

In the National Register of the Sons of the American Revolution (1901, p. 725), one such American descendant, George Ward Van Vredenburgh, reportedly illustrates his biography with the above-mentioned coats-of-arms (my review of the article

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discloses a completely different armorial), thus arguing that this crest is applicable to the American Vredenburg Families. The biography states that Willem Isaacszen van Vredenburg was "...from the distinguished family of the Van Vredenburch at the Hague."

Another article, entitled An Armory of American Families of Dutch Descent, published in Volume LXIX of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (1938, pp. 228-229), rejects this contention, submitting instead that these arms are borne by a family of the Netherlands of the same name, since the 17th century important magistrates of the cities of Rotterdam and Delft, and at present belonging to a family of Dutch nobility.

Yet another article, written by William R Vredenburgh, Additions to the Genealogy of the Vredenburgh Family of North America (Springfield, IL., 1958), lists a Willem van Vredenburch of Utrecht, who, it is stated, was born in 1553, married (first) Maria Boeien, married (second) Maria van Wallenburg, and further states that he was "...Shefen of Rotterdam 1586 and Burgomaster 1592." There is some evidence to suggest the possibility that this Willem was the paternal grandfather of the American settler. See Dr. Kenneth Scott's article, The Vredenburg Family, published in Volume XCV of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (1964, pp. 79-80).

Considering the fact that the American settler, Willem Isaacszen van Vredenburg, after emigrating to the New World in 1658, served for a time as a soldier in the Dutch West India Company, and afterward filed a petition on June 16, 1661 for the remission of the price of his passage (a request which was ultimately granted), I tend to agree with the conclusion that this does not sound like a man of means. But this is merely speculation on my part. No doubt the answer to this question, if attainable, lies within the genealogical records of the Netherlands from 16th and 17th centuries.

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Het kasteel Vredenburg te Utrecht

Het kasteel Vredenburg te Utrecht

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1850 Michigan Federal Census Index
Fredenburg / Vredenburg

Name Place Page
Fradenborough, Matthew Ida Twp,
Monroe, MI
276
(551)
Freden, Henry Raisinville Twp.,
Monroe Co.
(671)
Fredenburg, Alexander Raisinville Twp. 334
(667)
Fredenburg, Clinton W. Prairie Ronde Twp., Kalamazoo Co. MI 78R
(156)
Fredenburg, John Raisinville Twp.,
Monroe Co.
335R
(670)
Fredenburg, Philetus Tyrone Twp. 
Livingston Co. MI
902 
(902)
Fredenburgh, Aaron Novi Twp. 
Oakland Co. MI
201R 
(402)
Fredenburgh, Abram Lyon Twp. 
Oakland Co. MI
288R 
(576)
Fredenburgh, Benjamin Fredonia Twp. 
Calhoun Co., MI
239R 
(478)
Fredenburgh, James Farmington Twp. 
Oakland Co. MI
192R 
(384)
Fredenburgh, Jason Redford Twp. 
St Joseph Co.
(512)
Fredenburgh, John Lyon Twp. 
Oakland Co. MI
297R 
(594)
Fredenburgh, John B. Fredonia Twp. 
Calhoun Co. MI
240 
(479)
Fredenburgh, Lewis Novi Twp. 
Oakland Co. MI
201 
(401)
Friedenburgh, Henry Leonidas Twp. 
St. Joseph Co.
(652)
Vredenburg, Albert Otsego Twp. 
Otsego Co. MI
67
Vredenburg, Charles Prairie Ronde, 
Kalamazoo Co.
(153)
Vredenburgh, Joseph Yankee Springs, 
Barry Co.
(180)
Vredenburgh, Louisa Plymouth Twp. 
Wayne Co. MI
371R 
(740)
Vredenburgh, William Leslie Twp. 
Ingham Co. MI
104 
(207)
Vredenburg, Samuel R. Jackson Twp/City 
Jackson Co. MI
339 
(677)



NOTE: The above table was combined from two sources, the information designated by page numbers in paranthesis, were moved from the December 1994 issue of the Vredenburg Searcher. The ultimate source of both tables is unknown to me (LMV).

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