The Starr Family of America

[Hahn-Powell-Ford.FTW]

Harmans the Portuguese
Magdalena married Harmans Hendricksen Rosenkranz two years later, inFebruary 1657. He was born in 1612, making him 24 years older than her.Harmans had been a soldier for the Dutch West India Company in Brazil,and had the nickname "Harmans the Portuguese," although he was neitherPortuguese nor Dutch. His father was Hendrick Rosenkranz of Bergen,Norway.

The Dutch had forced their way into 100-year-old Spanish-PortugueseBrazilian colony in 1630, by capturing the sugar-growing district atPernambuco. The Portuguese landowners rebelled against the Dutch in 1644,forcing hundreds of Dutch soldiers and civilians to escape by ship. PeterStuyvesant, then governor on the Dutch island of Curacao in the WestIndies, sent 130 of the soldiers and 90 of the civilians north to NewAmsterdam. Most remained long enough to help the New Netherlands colonyrestore peace with the local Indian nations, before they eventuallyreturned to Holland. Harmans was one of those who chose to stay and makea living in the New World.

http://members.home.net/apr1jan/1-angel.html

Another source says

Herman Hendricksen (Rosenkranz) was from Bergen, Norway. It is not known
when he came to New Amsterdam, where he, on March 3, 1657, married
Magdalene Dircks (Madalena Dirx), widow of Cornelius Caper, or Cornelius
Hendricksen from Dort.

She had been married to her first husband on October 24, 1652 (The New
York Genealogical and Biographical Report, VI., p. 85. ). At her
marriage with Herman she had a minor child named Mara Cornelis, for whom
she set apart 500 guilders, mortgaging her house and lot at New
Amsterdam, next to Evert Duyckingh's (Year Book of the Holland Society of
New York, 1900, p. 162. ). She had become a widow in 1655, and as her
deceased husband had no relations in New Netherland, and Jan Vinje was
related to her, she requested, on November 9, 1655, the orphan-masters
that Jan Vinje and Hendrick Kip be appointed guardians for the child. The
request was granted, but Vinje refused to serve. A week later the
orphan-masters appointed as guardians of her child Abraham Verplanck and
Andries de Haas (Ibid., p. 112. Jan Vinje was not, as has been supposed,
a Scandinavian.).

Only a few days after the wedding of Herman and Magdalena, the court
records of New Amsterdam registered the following:

[March 15, 1657] "The Scout N: de Silla, pltf. v|s Madaleen Dirckx and
her bridegroom, defts. The pltf. says that the defts. have presumed to
insult the Firewardens of this City on the public highway, and to make a
street riot, according to the complaint made to his Worship. Requesting
for the maintenance of the aforesaid gentlemen's quality that the
petitioners [?] be publicly punished or fined as their W. shall think
proper. Deft. Madaleen Dircx appears alone in Court; admits, that she and
her sister passed by the door of the Firewarden Litschoe, and as they
always joked, when the Firewarden came to their house, she said:—'there
is the chimney sweep in the door, his chimney is well swept, and not
another word was said about it.' And as such cannot, and ought not to be
tolerated on account of its bad consequences, the Burgomasters condemn,
as they do hereby, the abovenamed Madaleen Dircx in a fine of two pounds
Flemish, to be applied, one half for the Church and one half for the
Poor, and notify her at the same time to avoid all such and similar
faults, or in default thereof other disposition shall be made. Done in
Court at the City Hall at Amsterdam in N. Netherland." (The Records of
New Amsterdam, 1653–1674, VII., p. 146.)

On August 13, 1657, "Herman Hendricksen conveyed to Joost Goderus a house
and lot between Evert Duyckingh and Myndert Barents; width on the street
2 rods and 7 feet, and in the rear 1 rod, 8 feet. Depth on the east, 8
rods, and on the west 8 rods, 4 feet, being premises patented to Adrian
Dircksen Coen, October, 1655." (D. T. Valentine, Manual of the
Corporation of the City of New York, 1861, p. 594.) This seems to have
been the house Herman got by his marriage. It was situated at the present
South William Street.

On November 12, 1658, Herman received the small burgher's right in New
Amsterdam, for which he signed an obligation to pay to the treasurer
twenty gulden in beavers within eight days. (The Records of New
Amsterdam, 1653–1674, VII., p. 200.)

On April 12, 1659, he had his child, Alexander, baptized in the Dutch
Reformed Church at New Amsterdam. The sponsors were Barent Gerritsen and
Sarah Dircx, referred to above as the sister of Magdalene (Collections of
the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, II., p. 52. Sara
Dircks is called Sara Dircks de Noorman. Cf. Ibid. II., p. 55.).

After the birth of this child the parents seem to have moved to Esopus.
On September 29, 1659, Herman Hendricksen escaped from the Indians at
Esopus, by whom he had been kept a prisoner. On regaining his liberty he
informed Ensign Dirck Smith of their strength (New York Colonial
Documents, XIII., p. 115.).

Other children were born to Herman and Magdalene: Annetje, who was
baptized August 27, 1662, the sponsor being Lysbet Jans; Rachel, who was
baptized October 21, 1663, at whose baptism Aechjen Ariaens acted
sponsor; Harmanus, baptized May 2, 1666, the sponsor being Greetje
Hendricks; Anna, who was baptized October 9, 1667, no name of any sponsor
being given. All these children were baptized in the church at Esopus.141
One of their children (no name given) was baptized April 28, 1674, in New
Amsterdam.

It seems also that some other children were born in this marriage. For on
January 17, 1726, Sarah Rosenkranz, who was perhaps the child above
referred to as baptized in 1674, made a will...

Herman must have had considerable property, for under date of January 19,
1681, a document, signed by five Indians, states:

"This day all the Indians have acknowledged that the land called Easineh,
which Kentkamin has given to Harmen Hendricksen and Hendricus Beckman,
shall belong to them and they may dispose of it at their pleasure." This
and other papers were received in Court of Sessions of Sarah Rosenkranz,
October 8, 1732 (New York Colonial History, XIII., p. 402. Harmen
Hendricksen Rosenkranz must not be confounded with Harmen Hendricksen,
mentioned in Innes', New Amsterdam and Its People, p. 168.).

Herman Hendricksen died at Rochester, N.Y., about 1697. His descendants
are known as the Rosenkrans family. The best known member of this family
is General William Stark Rosecrans, born in Ohio, 1819. He was a graduate
of West Point Academy. In the civil war he was commissioned as a
Brigadier General of the Regular Army. In 1867 he resigned his commission
in the army, and was afterwards Minister to Mexico. He served one term as
Congressman from California, and as the first Register of the Treasury
under President Cleveland. While at West Point he was converted to the
Roman Catholic faith. His brother Sylvester Horton Rosecrans became a
prominent bishop of the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1890, a genealogy of the Rosenkrans family was published, the author
being Allen Rosenkrans. It gives the history of the family, and makes
public much of the correspondence passed between the author and various
archives and legations in Europe, for the purpose of ascertaining whence
Herman Hendricksen originally came. "Rosenkrans" may be German, Dutch,
Danish, Norwegian. There is a possibility that Herman was related to
Henrik Rosenkrans who between 1617 and 1629 obtained permission to the
fisherey of herring and whales at the coast of Greenland and Norway. This
Henrik was likely an immigrated Hollander, not, however, of the
nobility.

Herman Hendricksen was in all probability a plain born Norwegian, without
title, and without Dutch pedigree. There were many Herman Hendricksens in
New Netherland, and still more in Scandinavia. Why should Herman, in
order to avoid a confusion of names, not add a new surname, taking the
name of one, for whom he, perhaps, had worked in Bergen. There would be
no objection to doing this in the New World. The writer knows of an
instance when a Norwegian immigrant, some forty years ago took the
surname of Kraft. He had worked for a Norwegian official by that name.
Other Norwegians, upon coming to our country, have taken the name of the
manor where they had worked or were born.
[Phil's Copy.FTW]

!Immigrated from Bergen, Norway l655 age 43. Marriage recorded ReformedDutch
Church 6/24/1661
Will June 25, l692.