154. Every family has skeletons in their closets! Here is one of ours -- 450 years ago! A Pirate!
Every family has a few skeletons in their closets! If you haven't found them yet, you probably will someday. The story below, although around 450 years old, is about one ancestor who was a pirate, and his son, who wasn't too reputable of a person either. They are on my Pennsylvania Dutch Ancestry line. I hope you enjoy reading about them -- Hopefully by now they have repented!
JAN JANSZOON VAN HAARLEM
The Pirate King of the Barbary Coast
c. 1575-c. 1641
About 1575 a child christened Jan, was born in the city of Haarlem, North Holland, the Netherlands. Jan grew up an average Dutch boy, and when he reached maturity, he married a local girl whose name is unknown. Lysbeth Van Salee was born to this union in 1596. There were likely other children.
Jan Janszoon Van Haarlem was Jan's full Dutch name: Jan, his given or Christian name, Jansen his patronymic or patrilineal name, and Van Haarlem his toponymic surname. Jan was the brief Dutch form for Johannes, or John in English. Janszoon or Jansen, indicated who his father was, literally Jan's son. Sometimes a person's complete name would consist of only two names such as Jan Janszoon (or Janson). Some persons, usually the upper class, would have an additional name, as we have surnames today. His surname was toponymic, that is, based on his place or origin. Van Haarlem meant that he was from the city of Haarlem.
He was destined to become a pirate king on the Barbary Coast in North Africa. Jan was known in the English speaking world as Captain John, John Barber and Little John Ward. His Arabic names were Caid Morato, Morat, Morat Rais, Murad, Murad Reis, Mutare Reis, Morato Reis and Murat Reis. Reis or rais in Arabic means captain.
About 1600 Jan Janszoon became a merchant seaman, and one of his ports of call was Cartagena, Murcia, Spain. He married a second wife in Cartagena. She was probably a Mudejar, a Muslim who belonged to a family employed by a Christian Spanish noble. Having two wives was permitted by Islam, the Muslim religion. Jan had several children by her, one of which was Anthony Jansen Van Salee, our ancestor.
Jan Janszoon sailed from La Rochelle in 1605 with letters of marque to capture Spanish pirates from Duinkerken, a town on the coast of France that is also known as Dunkirk. In 1559 Spain attacked and conquered it. The port became one of the three main bases of operation for Spanish pirates in the years 1583-1609 and 1621-1646 during the 80-year War between the Dutch Republic and Spain. From 1609 to 1621 a truce existed, but the depredations of the privateers, who turned to piracy, continued unabated. They were expelled from Spain in 1610, and the Jan Janszoon's Cartagena family certainly moved to Salé, Morocco.
Jan Janszoon, Pirate King
In 1618 Jan Janszoon was captured at Lancerote, Canary Islands, by the pirate group, Corsairs, and taken to Algiers, Algeria, where he became a Corsair himself. His base of operations was Algiers. He sailed with Van Veenboer, aka Sulayman Rais, who quit to shore that same year, and Jan become captain of Sulayman's ship.
Jan Janszoon did not protect the crews of Dutch ships as De Veenboer did. That same year Salé was declared a semi-independent pirate republic and became the home base for the Sally Rovers (Corsairs). He was elected Admiral of the corsair fleet at Salé and President of the city. Beginning in 1617 Jan Janszoon built about 17 fast corsairs (the type of ship they sailed was also called a corsair.)
In 1622 Jan Janszoon converted to Islam and became a renegado. Sporting the Moccocan flag and claiming diplomatic immunity, he entered the port of Veere, Zealand, the Netherlands, for repairs in November. The Dutch brought his wife and children to the dock to try to convince him to return home. Doubtless he was already supporting the family. A number of Dutch seamen joined Jan Janszoon's crew, contrary to the wishes of the Dutch government. Leaving Veere, he attacked several French ships.
About 1623, Sultan Moulay Ziden laid seige to Salé, but failed to capture it. To save face, Moulay Ziden appointed Jan Janszoon Governor of Salé. Jan married a third time to a Moorish woman in 1624, the daughter of the Sultan, to cement the friendship. This counted as only two wives in his Muslim religion, because the first was a Christian. He probably had children from her as well.
In 1626 Jan Janszoon captured a Spanish ship, and docked at Veere, Zealand, to sell it. The next year he sailed out and moved his base of operations to Algiers. He led a raiding fleet to Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland the following year, and returned to Algiers with booty and 400 slaves for sale.
There was a famine in Morocco in 1629, and he sent two of his sons, Abraham and Anthony, to Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands for safety. Soon, on Dec. 15, 1929, Anthony Van Salee married Grietje Reyniers onboard a ship in transit to New Amsterdam, New Netherlands.
Jan Janszoon was at the Sack of Baltimore at Cork, Ireland, in 1631, and returned to Algiers with booty and 108 slaves.
He was captured by the Maltese Knights in 1635 (from a small country in the Mediterranean Ocean.) Four years later, his son Anthony Van Salee and wife Grietje Reyniers were expelled from New Amsterdam, finding refuge on Long Island. The next year, Jan Janszoon escaped from the Knights of Malta after five years of captivity.
When Jan returned, the Sultan appointed him Governor of Oualidia in southern Morocco. Jan Janszoon Van Haarlem served as Governor of the Castle of Maladia, on the west coast of Morocco from 1640-1641.
His daughter Lysbeth Van Haarlem and her husband visited Jan during those years at the castle. 1641 was the last year of record for Jan, and he must have died soon after. His body lies in an unmarked grave, according to Muslim custom.
We wonder about this ancestor ? ? It was quite the interesting and violent era.
Next entry will be about his son:
ANTHONY JANSEN VAN SALLEE, 1607-1676
JAN JANSZOON VAN HAARLEM
The Pirate King of the Barbary Coast
c. 1575-c. 1641
About 1575 a child christened Jan, was born in the city of Haarlem, North Holland, the Netherlands. Jan grew up an average Dutch boy, and when he reached maturity, he married a local girl whose name is unknown. Lysbeth Van Salee was born to this union in 1596. There were likely other children.
Jan Janszoon Van Haarlem was Jan's full Dutch name: Jan, his given or Christian name, Jansen his patronymic or patrilineal name, and Van Haarlem his toponymic surname. Jan was the brief Dutch form for Johannes, or John in English. Janszoon or Jansen, indicated who his father was, literally Jan's son. Sometimes a person's complete name would consist of only two names such as Jan Janszoon (or Janson). Some persons, usually the upper class, would have an additional name, as we have surnames today. His surname was toponymic, that is, based on his place or origin. Van Haarlem meant that he was from the city of Haarlem.
He was destined to become a pirate king on the Barbary Coast in North Africa. Jan was known in the English speaking world as Captain John, John Barber and Little John Ward. His Arabic names were Caid Morato, Morat, Morat Rais, Murad, Murad Reis, Mutare Reis, Morato Reis and Murat Reis. Reis or rais in Arabic means captain.
About 1600 Jan Janszoon became a merchant seaman, and one of his ports of call was Cartagena, Murcia, Spain. He married a second wife in Cartagena. She was probably a Mudejar, a Muslim who belonged to a family employed by a Christian Spanish noble. Having two wives was permitted by Islam, the Muslim religion. Jan had several children by her, one of which was Anthony Jansen Van Salee, our ancestor.
Jan Janszoon sailed from La Rochelle in 1605 with letters of marque to capture Spanish pirates from Duinkerken, a town on the coast of France that is also known as Dunkirk. In 1559 Spain attacked and conquered it. The port became one of the three main bases of operation for Spanish pirates in the years 1583-1609 and 1621-1646 during the 80-year War between the Dutch Republic and Spain. From 1609 to 1621 a truce existed, but the depredations of the privateers, who turned to piracy, continued unabated. They were expelled from Spain in 1610, and the Jan Janszoon's Cartagena family certainly moved to Salé, Morocco.
Jan Janszoon, Pirate King
In 1618 Jan Janszoon was captured at Lancerote, Canary Islands, by the pirate group, Corsairs, and taken to Algiers, Algeria, where he became a Corsair himself. His base of operations was Algiers. He sailed with Van Veenboer, aka Sulayman Rais, who quit to shore that same year, and Jan become captain of Sulayman's ship.
Jan Janszoon did not protect the crews of Dutch ships as De Veenboer did. That same year Salé was declared a semi-independent pirate republic and became the home base for the Sally Rovers (Corsairs). He was elected Admiral of the corsair fleet at Salé and President of the city. Beginning in 1617 Jan Janszoon built about 17 fast corsairs (the type of ship they sailed was also called a corsair.)
In 1622 Jan Janszoon converted to Islam and became a renegado. Sporting the Moccocan flag and claiming diplomatic immunity, he entered the port of Veere, Zealand, the Netherlands, for repairs in November. The Dutch brought his wife and children to the dock to try to convince him to return home. Doubtless he was already supporting the family. A number of Dutch seamen joined Jan Janszoon's crew, contrary to the wishes of the Dutch government. Leaving Veere, he attacked several French ships.
About 1623, Sultan Moulay Ziden laid seige to Salé, but failed to capture it. To save face, Moulay Ziden appointed Jan Janszoon Governor of Salé. Jan married a third time to a Moorish woman in 1624, the daughter of the Sultan, to cement the friendship. This counted as only two wives in his Muslim religion, because the first was a Christian. He probably had children from her as well.
In 1626 Jan Janszoon captured a Spanish ship, and docked at Veere, Zealand, to sell it. The next year he sailed out and moved his base of operations to Algiers. He led a raiding fleet to Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland the following year, and returned to Algiers with booty and 400 slaves for sale.
There was a famine in Morocco in 1629, and he sent two of his sons, Abraham and Anthony, to Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands for safety. Soon, on Dec. 15, 1929, Anthony Van Salee married Grietje Reyniers onboard a ship in transit to New Amsterdam, New Netherlands.
Jan Janszoon was at the Sack of Baltimore at Cork, Ireland, in 1631, and returned to Algiers with booty and 108 slaves.
He was captured by the Maltese Knights in 1635 (from a small country in the Mediterranean Ocean.) Four years later, his son Anthony Van Salee and wife Grietje Reyniers were expelled from New Amsterdam, finding refuge on Long Island. The next year, Jan Janszoon escaped from the Knights of Malta after five years of captivity.
When Jan returned, the Sultan appointed him Governor of Oualidia in southern Morocco. Jan Janszoon Van Haarlem served as Governor of the Castle of Maladia, on the west coast of Morocco from 1640-1641.
His daughter Lysbeth Van Haarlem and her husband visited Jan during those years at the castle. 1641 was the last year of record for Jan, and he must have died soon after. His body lies in an unmarked grave, according to Muslim custom.
We wonder about this ancestor ? ? It was quite the interesting and violent era.
Next entry will be about his son:
ANTHONY JANSEN VAN SALLEE, 1607-1676
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