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Chapter 5: The Abraham Varlet Family

Page history last edited by Liz Johnson 13 years, 8 months ago

 

The family of Abraham Varlet and Haesje Claes

 

by Cor Snabel and Elizabeth A. Johnson

 

 

 

Abraham Varlet, oldest child of Caspar Varlet and Judith Tentenier, was baptized in the Walloon Church of Utrecht on the 6th of October 1616. [1] Sponsors at his baptism were Magdaleina Sanders van Os, the second wife of his grandfather Abraham Tentenier, and Guillaume Tentenier, a brother of that same grandfather.

His family moved to Amsterdam around 1627. His first wife was Maria Hack, who died before the 1st of June 1644, when he filed intentions to marry Haesje Claes. [2]

 

Abraham Varlet of Uytregt age 27 years, residing in the Runstraat, accompanied by his father Gasper Varlet, & Haesje Claes age about 24 years, residing on the Lastage, accompanied by her father Claes Cornelis. He is widower of Maria Hack.

 

Haesje Claes was the daughter of Claes Cornelisz. and Marijtje Dierx, baptized in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam on the 30th of January 1620. [3]

 

The children of Abraham Varlet and Haesje Claes were:

 

i. Niclaes Varlet, baptized in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam on the 21st of February 1645. [4] Sponsors were Caspar Varlet and Annetje Claes, sister of Haesje Claes.

ii. Maria Varlet, married Jan Wolfskuijl. [5]

iii. Anna Varlet, baptized in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam on the 15th of February 1652. [6]

iv. Fransijna Varlet, baptized in the Nieuwe Zijds Kapel in Amsterdam on the 9th of April 1653. [7] Sponsors were Jeronimus Varlet [8] and NN Jorijssen.

v. Anna Varlet, baptized in the Nieuwe Zijds Kapel in Amsterdam on the 20th of June 1655. [9] Sponsors were Frans Cornelisse Snijder (husband of Annetje Claes, above) and Maria Schut.

vi. Judick Varlet, baptized in the Zuider Kerk in Amsterdam on the 26th of September 1657. [10] Sponsor was Judith Tentenier. Buried in the Oude Zijds Kapel in Amsterdam on the 16th of October 1657. [11]

vii. Casparus Varlet, baptized in the Zuider Kerk in Amsterdam on the 30th of October 1658. [12] Sponsors were Frans Cornelisse Snijder and her aunt Francina Varlet. Buried in the Oude Zijds Kapel in Amsterdam on the 23th of October 1664. [13]

viii. Cornelis Varlet, baptized in the Zuider Kerk in Amsterdam on the 11th of May 1661. [14] Sponsors were Frans Cornelisse Snijder and Maria Schut. He married Roelofje Campen in January 1685 in Amsterdam. [15]

ix. Abraham Varlet, baptized in the Zuider Kerk in Amsterdam on the 5th of March 1664. [16] Sponsor was his aunt Francina Varlet. He was buried in the Oude Zijds Kapel in Amsterdam on the 11th of April 1664. [17]

 

Abraham was the godfather of his nephew Abraham Varlet, son of his brother Nicolaes Varlet and Susanna Jans. The little Abraham was born aboard the ship "Fortuna" near Martha's Vineyard as the Caspar Varlet family was voyaging to New Amsterdam. Baby Abraham was baptized on the first of January 1651 in the Dutch Reformed Church in New Amsterdam. [18] Abraham Varlet was most likely not present at the baptism, having remained in Amsterdam, and the same is probably true of the other sponsor, Pieter Heijblom, also of Amsterdam, husband of Fransijna Varlet, another daughter of Caspar.

 

Abraham Varlet took part in the First Anglo-Dutch War in the Battle of the Gabbard (12-13th of June 1653) and in the Battle of Scheveningen (aka Battle of Ter Heijde) on the 10th of August 1653. This latter battle would have a dramatic effect on the careers of many sea captains. [19]

 

In the Battle of Scheveningen, every available war- and merchant ship, even the dilapidated ones, were annexed to the fleet, in order to impress the enemy with the greatest possible number of sails. The course of the battle shows how pernicious this order of the Admiralty was. It's not so strange that many captains of the worn-out ships dissociated their ships and crew from the battle. Among those who chose to withdraw were Captain De Gaulery with his ship "Jonas", described as "a leaking barrel", and Captain Jan Coenders of the "Graeff Willem", whose ship was so mouldered that the decks could not hold any cannon. Other runaways were the "Blaeuwen Arent", "'t Huijs van Nassau", the "Swarte Bol" and the "Peereboom", which had recently qualified as 'inadequate.' Engaging these ships in naval warfare would have meant certain death for most, if not all, of their crewmen, so although they would face a court-martial later, the captains of these ships wisely withdrew.

 

But also among those who avoided any contact with the enemy were, according to Vice Admiral Witte de With, several very battle-worthy ships, such as four ships of the Admiralty from Amsterdam, and two merchant ships of Amsterdam, "De Moor" with captain Adriaen Cornelisz. van Akersloot, and the newly built "Walvisch", carrying 30 guns and a crew of 110 men, commanded by Abraham Varlet.

 

On their return to Texel, by order of Vice Admiral Witte de With, the captains of these "runaway" ships were arrested, accused of desertion from battle. In war, mutiny is a capital offense, but the behavior of de With towards these captains was so unreasonable that the entire Admiralty turned against him, refusing to sentence any of the captains to death. Instead, the whole affair, as the Dutch saying goes, bled to death, meaning it was allowed to die out with no further action taken against the so-called mutinous captains.

 

Abraham Varlet lived until at least 1664 in Amsterdam, [20] but probably retired to Monnickendam, Noord-Holland (north of Amsterdam on the Zuider Zee), where he died on the 6th of February 1667, [21] at the age of 50. He was buried at Monnickendam on the 10th of February 1667. Haesje Claes died twelve years later, and was buried in the Oude Zijds Kapel in Amsterdam on the 13th of December 1679. [22]

 

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NOTES AND SOURCES

 

1. Utrechts Archief: doopregister, akte 20p28.

2. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: ondertrouwregister, akte 460p444. Marriage intentions, Amsterdam, 1 June 1644: "Abraham Varlet van Uytregt out 27 jaren wonend op de Runstraat, geasst met sijn vader Gasper Varlet ten ene, & Haesje Claes out omtrent 24 jaren wonend op de Lastage geasst met hare vader Claes Cornelis. Hij is wedr. van Maria Hack." (transcription from digital image and translation by Cor Snabel and Elizabeth A. Johnson)

3. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: doopregister, akte 5p307.

4. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: doopregister, akte 8p43.

5. Baptism not found; Maria has been placed as the second child, fitting into the gap between siblings Niclaes (1645) and Anna (1652).  

6. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: doopregister, akte 9p20.

7. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: doopregister, akte 65p117.

8. Probably her uncle Guilliam Varlet.

9. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: doopregister, akte 65p141.

10. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: doopregister, akte 94p315.

11. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: begraafregister, akte 1063p11.

12. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: doopregister, akte 94p432.

13. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: begraafregister, akte 1063p75.

14. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: doopregister, akte 94p.717. 

15 Stadsarchief Amsterdam: ondertrouwregister, akte 513p214. Marriage intentions, Amsterdam, 12 Jan. 1685: "Cornelis Abrahamsz. Verlett van A(msterdam), oud 24 jaaren, woont op de Zingel, ouders doot, geasst met sijn swaager en voogt Jan Wolfskuijl & Roelofje Campen van A(msterdam), oud 20 jaaren, woont op 't ----------, geasst. met haar moeder Aeltie -----" (Cornelis Varlet was accompanied by his brother-in-law Jan Wolfskuijl).(transcription from digital image and translation by Cor Snabel and Elizabeth A. Johnson).

16. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: doopregister, akte 95p120.

17. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: begraafregister, akte 1063p62.

18. Thomas Grier Evans, Editor; Records of the Reformed Dutch Church in New Amsterdam and New York; Baptisms from 25 December, 1639, to 17 December, 1730l Volume II (1901), p.28. Text: [1651 ]1 Jan; Nicolaes Verleth; Abraham; Abraham Verleth, Francois Heyblom, Judith Verleth.

19. Johan E. Elias, Schetsen uit de geschiedenis van ons zeewezen, Vol.V, 1928, notes on page 203.

20. Stadsarchief Amsterdam, begraafregister, akte 1063p75, when his son Casparus was buried he lived in the Koningsstraat in Amsterdam.

21. Aantekening der familie der Varletten, Drents Archief, access nr. 0604, inv. nr. 14: 1667. Abraham Varlet, our cousin, died on the 6th of February at Monnikendam and was buried there on the 10th ditto.

22. Stadsarchief Amsterdam: begraafregister, akte 1064p7.

 

 

Next: The Francina Varlet Family

 

 

 

© 2008, Cor Snabel and Elizabeth A. Johnson

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