Connection with William Crosse/Peter Cross of Wethersfield, CT

I had written this in 2010 and posted it on Ancestry.com, but I am also going to post it here so that it available for searching.  If you subscribe to Ancestry and would like to view the pedigree, it is public.  I have edited this slightly for clarity.

Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Volume 4 by William Richard Cutter, William Frederick Adams (Lewis historical Pub. Co., 1910) has put forward that William Cross is the father of Peter Cross, who had children Peter (b 1650) and Mary (b 1659).  Cutter, in other works, states that William Crosse was in America by 1637, when he served in the Pequot War, and had owned land by 1644.  He bases this on the probate of the will of Jonas de Peister, which names William Crosse of London as his father-in-law and Peter and Josias Crosse as his brothers-in-law. However, this is conjecture and I believe William Crosse (aka Guiljame vander Cruicen) and family can be traced during this period in Europe.

The will of Jonas de Peister is as follows (from Genealogical gleanings in England, Volume 1  By Henry Fitz-Gilbert Waters, pp 765-766):

Jonas De Peister, born at Ghaunt, at present dwelling at London, son of late Jooas de Peister, also of Gaunte, 5 December 1638, proved 29 December 1638. ” Findinge myself weakned with an Ague.” Wife to be executrix. Poor of the Dutch Congregation. Poor of the Congregation at Haerlem. My cousin William de Peister that dwelleth with me (at 24). Peter de Peister, brother of William, ”because he is sickley.” Elizabeth de Key, my niece, daughter of my sister Mary, begotten by Jacob de Key, the son of Michael. George Barker, serving with me. Our daughter Anne. Wife, if with child. At death of child or children and marriage of wife to my right heirs, viz’, John, James and Lieuen de Peister the children of Joos de Peister, the children of Mary de Peister. My wife’s brothers Peter and Josias Crosse. I most friendly require my brother James and Lieuen de Peyster and first my father in law William Crosse, Mr. Nicholas Corselis, cousin William de Peister and George Barker for to be overseers of this my testament. [Among the names of witnesses was that of George Parker (not Barker). The widow’s name not given in Probate Act.]

So according to the will, Jonas de Peister married ___ Crosse and they had a daughter, Anne de Peister.

“Janne Vandencrewsen, wife of Jacob Fortrie” witnessed the baptism of Janne le Quesne, dau. of Isaac le Q. and Sara du Quesne on November 19, 1648 at the London church on Threadneedle Street.  In the registers of the Dutch church in London, we find an entry stating Joanna van der Cruicen, widow of Jonas de Peyster married Jacob de la Forterie on Feb 1, 1642. (Publications of the Huguenot Society of London, Volumes 13-14  By Huguenot Society of London, p 116).

In the “Dutch Congregation” of London at the time was a Guiljame vander Cruicen, or, in English, William Cross.  Guiljame vander Cruicen was a deacon and an elder in the Dutch Church ranging from 1626 until after 1642.  He was a merchant born in England.  In 1636, a Peter vander Cruicen left for a Grand Tour of Europe with a merchant’s son, Jacob Herrewyn and tutor Mr. op den Beke.

A Josias Cras van der Cruisen, from London, England, studied at the University of Leyden 12 Feb 1644.

The name Van Der Cruicen shows up occasionally.  A Jan van der Cruicen was active in Flanders around 1584, holding appointed positions (I don’t speak Dutch, but it seemed that he was based in Bruges and was a sailor/merchant).

In Mémoires de la Société des sciences, de l’agriculture et des arts de Lille  By Société des sciences, de l’agriculture et des arts de Lille, a few debts are noted by a Pierre Van der Cruicen in the late 1600s, and his they mention sister, Jean Van der Cruicen, in Menin, near Lille, France.

Van den Cruyce is a popular name, but it is interesting that those associated with England were known by “van der Cruicen” fairly consistently.

Based on the dates, Cutter’s connection is not possible.  The William Crosse mentioned in the will of Jonas de Peister was in London on December 1638, with Jonas de Peister, to be named an overseer of Jonas de Peister’s will.  William Crosse was in London from 1626 until after 1642 because he was active in the Dutch church there.  He could not be the William Crosse who served in the Pequot War in 1637.  Although possible that he was the William Crosse who owned land in Windsor, CT in 1644, it is more likely that the William Crosse who owned land in Windsor is the William Crosse who fought in the Pequot War for Wethersfield, CT–or that there were two separate William Crosses in Connecticut at that time.