Jochem Van Wart Christina Jans   John Conklin unknown

Gerret Van Wart Cathleen Conklin

Abraham Van Wart Anna Mey

Martin Van Wart Rachel Williams

Isaac   Abraham Van Wart Mary Youngs

Stephen   Nancy   Isaac   Henry

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Davids family history

• Jochem Woutersz (i.e., son of Wouter or Walter) Van Wart, the founder of the family in this country, was born about 1637. He married Christina Jans and lived on Long Island near Midwout (present day Flatbush, Brooklyn) until 1683, when the family moved to Tarrytown, Westchester
• Gerret Van Wart, son of Jochem, was born on Long Island about 1668. He married Cathleen, daughter of John Conklin, and resided in Tarrytown.
• Abraham Van Wart, son of Gerret, was born in Tarrytown (baptized Mar 21, 1710). He married on Aug 23, 1729 to Anna, daughter of Martin Mey, and resided near Elmsford, N.Y.
• Martin Van Wart, born near Elmsford (baptized Apr 17, 1733). He married on Oct 7, 1752, to Rachel Williams. During the Revolution he was a private in the Westchester County militia, and took part in a number of battles in the vicinity. He died in 1784.
• Isaac, son of Martin, (1758-1828) was one of three Westchester County militiamen who captured John Andre and thus foiled the plan of Benedict Arnold to surrender West Point to the British. For this act Isaac Van Wart was awarded the first-ever Congressional Medal of Honor. The other co-recipients of this medal were David Williams and Mr. Paulding. These names were household words from about 1780 to 1830.
• Abraham Van Wart, son of Martin, was born near Elmsford (baptized June 16, 1753). He married about 1776 to Mary Youngs, whose father Joseph Youngs, Esq. was a prominent rebel leader in Westchester County. Abraham was a lieutenant in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, and was known as "the King of Holland" due to his "splendid bearing and fine physique." He died in 1784. It is worthy of note that his younger brother Isaac (1758-1828) was one of three Westchester County militiamen who captured John Andre and thus foiled the plan of Benedict Arnold to surrender West Point to the British. For this act Isaac Van Wart was awarded the first-ever Congressional Medal of Honor.
• Mary Youngs, father Joseph Youngs, Esq. was a prominent rebel leader in Westchester County. Married Abraham Van Wart, having children Stephen, Nancy, Isaac, and Henry. Mary's brother, Samuel Youngs, was apparently the model for the character "Icabod Crane".
• Joseph Youngs, whose home was apparently a staging area for rebel movements, whereupon the British burned his house down. He later appealed for compensation from the US Congress, which generated records of his life.
• Stephen, born about 1777, married Catherine Storm. He was the captain of the Hudson River steamboat "General Jackson", and was killed when that boat exploded near Peekskill, N.Y. on June 7, 1831. He was survived by his wife and eleven children.
• Nancy Van Wart of Tarrytown, daughter of Abraham and Mary (Youngs) Van Wart. She was born in Tarrytown about 1779 and died in Fishkill Landing, N.Y. July 28, 1849.
• Abraham Davids, parentage unknown, was born in the vicinity of Tarrytown, Westchester County, N.Y. in 1774. Another Abraham DAvids is recorded as born 1772, and it is possible this person died in infancy, and the next child was again named Abraham. About the year 1800 he brought his family down to New York City, and continued to reside there until about 1812 when he moved to what is now Chelsea, Duchess County, N.Y. He was the master of a sloop which sailed up and down the Hudson, ran grocery stores in both Fishkill and New York, and later in life was a U.S. Customs inspector in New York City. At one stage in his career he also ran the ferry between Newburgh and what is now Beacon, N.Y. After his retirement he lived with his daughter and son-in-law in Matteawan (now part of Beacon), N.Y., where he died Nov. 15, 1863 aged 89 years. Abraham Davids married, about 1795, to NANCY VAN WART.
• Isaac, son of Abraham, born about 1781
• Henry, born 1783, married Sarah Irving, sister of the American writer Washington Irving. He moved to Edgebarton, England, where he died in 1873.

  Information on the Davids and Brinckerhoff families come from [A] a record in a bible, and research by James Downey communicated and saved by Kathryn Greene and Pat Stephenson. Jim Downey suggested reading the book Sloops of the Hudson