"Pieter Dirck Keyser. --
Pieter Dirck Keyser the then surviving child of our first ancestor here,
and the ancestor of the whole family now living, was born in Amsterdam, November
25th, 1676, and was twelve years of age on his arrival. He married when
twenty-four years of age, Margaret Souplis (Sieplie, afterward written)
daughter of Andreas Souplis, a Burgher of New York, and lived twenty-four
years thereafter; he died, leaving a widow and numerous family. The first
of these and the first of the family born in America, was a son Dirck Keyser,
named after his grandfather and his uncle. He married Alice Neus.
The second, Andries named after (Andreas) Keyser, his grandfather
and his uncle Andreas Souplis, married Hannah _____________.
The third, Pieter Dirck Keyser, named after himself, married Susanna
Pennebacker. The fourth Jacob Keyser, named after his uncle,
Jacob Souplis, that is to say Jacob Keyser, married Margaret
_____. The firfth, named after a cousin or nephew, Johannes Keyser.
The sixth, named after a cousin or nephew, Abraham Keyser. The
seventh, Elizabeth Keyser, after his mother, and her grandmother; married
Peter Pennebacker. The eighth child, named after her grandmother
and aunt, Anneke Keyser; married John Pennebacker. Two brothers, Peter
and John Pennebacker, marrying these two sisters, of our family. His
ninth child, a daughter, named after her aunt, Kathelina (Cateleynte);
married Ludovick Horning. His tenth, Johannes Keyser, after
his the son's uncle and deceased brother, married Barbara Funk. His
eleventh child Margareth (Margaret) after her mother. She married Cornelius
Conrads of Cresheim. Of these children Johannes the first died
23 Sept, 1711, and Abraham 30 Dec., 1717. From one or another of
the remaining nine children living at the time of his death all the descendants
of Dirck Keyser, the first emigrant, either in the male or female lines,
have their origin. The will of Pieter Dirck Keyser for its kind
consideration for his wife's mother and the confidence it shows in his wife's
future care of his children, merits mention here. He died in 1724, 12th of
September; and his will devises and bequeaths his whole estate to his wife
during her life if she remains his widow, and if not then provides for his
children, giving her still a large share of his estate. He wills further
then, that his wife shall take all possible care of his old mother-in-law, Elizabeth;
if she be helpless or in want of some attendance, that then his wife if she
shall be living shall assist her, with all necessaries for her livelihood, and
if his said wife shall die before his said mother-in-law, that then his
executors shall take the same care for his mother-in-law; that she should be so
taken care of and maintained out of his estate. He was naturalized with
his father 7th of March, 1691, and subsequently by act of Assembly 1708.
"He was a subscriber to the Pastorius school on the 19th of May, 1708.
"One of the last acts of his life was to join in a subscription to build
the front wall of the upper Germantown burial ground which was begun May, 1724,
the year in which he died. He was a member of the Mennonite church when it
was first built of logs, in 1708, and was very probably one of its builders.
"There is in the Scriptures and in other ancient tomes a peculiar use
and recurrence of the number seven and its multiples, with Peter Dirck Keyser
the number four and its multiples were a part of his fatalities; he was
twenty-four years of age when he married, he lived twenty-four years of age when
he married, he lived twenty-four years after his marriage, he was married on the
4th of September, he died on the 12th of September, the year of his birth was
1676, a multiple of four, and he died in 1724. "
TO:
Keyser Bicentennial Reunion Book (Beginning)
TO:
DIRCK KEYSER (Emigrant)
TO:
DIRCK KEYSER, Junior (Son/Emigrant)
TO:
PIETER DIRCK KEYSER, Junior (Son/Emigrant)
TO:
ENDURANCE AND STATURE OF KEYSERS
