De Friest
De Friest is
derived from de Foreest, which in Dutch means “the
forest”.
Perhaps the name ultimately derives from Late
Latin de Foresta and early French de Forest, both
of which mean “of or from Forest”. Villages named “Forest”
owe their name to being situated near a woods. Over the ages the surname
underwent spelling changes to reflect Dutch pronunciation as the weakly sounded
“o” in the unstressed first syllable fell out: thus, De Foreest
>De Freest >De Friest.
The
family traces its origins to the town of Avesnes in Henegouwen, which for many
hundreds of years was a province of the Netherlands, but is now a province of
Belgium (though Avesnes itself, due to boundary changes which took place in the
late seventeenth century, lies across the border in France, in the province of
French Flanders). In the early seventeenth century the De Foreest family
migrated to Leiden in the northern Dutch province of South-Holland. Variations
include De Freest, Defrees, Defreese, De
Friest, Defries, Defrieze, De Forest, De Foreest, Van Foreest.
Jehan de Forest was born in 1543 in Avesnes,
Henegouwen, Netherlands (now France). He was baptised in the Roman Catholic
Church. His brother Gillis was a priest and prominent canon of the Cathedral of
Antwerpen in the then southern Netherlands (now Belgium). Jehan was a wealthy
wool merchant. He wed Anne Maillard on 5 Jun 1570 in Avesnes. He died in 1620
in Vosmeer, Netherlands. His wife Anne Maillard was
born in 1551 in Felleries, Henegouwen, Netherlands. She died on 20 Apr 1640 in
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. They had four known children: Melchior, Jesse, Gerard, Anne.
Jesse de Forest son of Jehan and Anne, was
born in 1576 in Avesnes, Henegouwen, Netherlands. Having accepted the new
protestant faith, in 1609 he left Avesnes and eventually established himself in
Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands. As Captain and Lieutenant in the service of
Prince Maurits van Nassau, Jesse played a major role in the founding of the
Dutch colony Nieuw-Nederland (New Netherlands – now New
York). He wed Marie du Cloux on 23 Sep 1601. He died on 22 Oct 1624 during an
exploration trip in Guyana. His wife Marie du Cloux
was born on 17 Nov 1576 in Avesnes and died in 1622. They had ten children:
Maria, Johannes, Hendrick, Elisabeth, David, Rachel, Jesse, Isaac, Israel,
Philippus.
Isaac de
Foreest, son of Jesse and Marie, was born on 7 Jul 1616 in Leiden,
Zuid-Holland, Netherlands and there was baptised in Saint Gertrude’s Church
(the Walloon Church) on the Breedestraat (Broadstreet). He wed
Sarah du Trieux on 9 Jul 1641. He died on 25 Jul 1674. His wife Sarah du Trieux
was born in 1625 and died on 9 Nov 1692. They had fourteen children: Jessen, Susanna, Gerrit, Gerrit, Marie, Michael, Jan,
Philip, Isaac, Hendrick, David, David, Maria, David.
My direct line
· 1. Simon de Forest was born in Cambresis,
Henegouwen, Netherlands.
· 2.
Gaspard de Forest born in 1450,
died in 1520 in Avesnes, Henegouwen.
· 3.
Melchior de Forest born in 1472,
died 4 Jun 1530 in Avesnes.
· 4.
Melchior de Forest born in 1497 in
Avesnes, wed Jacqueline Bronchin
in 1520, died in 1549.
· 5.
Melchior de Forest born in 1521 in
Avesnes, wed Catherine de Fosset in
1543, died in 1572.
· 6. Jehan de Forest born in 1543 in Avesnes, wed
Anne Maillard in 1570, died
1620 in Vosmeer.
· 7. Jesse de Forest born in 1576 in
Avesnes, wed Marie du Cloux in 1601, died 22 Oct 1624.
· 8. Isaac de Foreest born 7 Jul 1616 in Leiden,
wed Sarah du Trieux in 1641, died 25 Jul 1674.
· 9.
Philip de Foreest baptised 28 Jul
1652 in the Dutch Reformed Church, wed Tryntje
Kip in 1676, was buried 18 Aug 1727.
· 10. David de Freest baptised 8 Sep 1700 in the
D.R. Church, wed Abigael van Alstyne
in 1718.
· 11.
Marten de Freest baptised 14 May
1724 in the D.R. Church, wed Tanneke
Winne in 1751, died 12 Apr 1802.
· 12.
Jacobus de Freest baptised 28 May
1771 in the D.R. Church, wed Annatje
Lansing in 1794.
· 13.
Jacobus de Friest born about 1790,
baptised in the D.R. Church, wed Ester
Heit, died probably before 1855.
· 14.
Johannes de Friest born 5 Dec 1824,
baptised in the D.R. Church, died 14 Nov 1872 of typhus; his wife Maria Schoenmaker was born in Feb 1832, died 15 Oct 1903 following
a fall.
· 15. Emma de Friest born 5 Dec 1859, baptised in
the D.R. Church, died 13 Jan 1906 of lung sickness, in 1880 wed Edward MacNamara, who was born
in 1855, baptised in the Roman Catholic Church, and died 19 Oct 1905 of heart
illness.
· 16. Earl de Friest Macnamara born 27 Dec 1889, died 8 Jul
1972.
· (17. N.N. born 23 jun 1922, died 10 aug 2008.)
· 18.
Myself, Bert , born Robert John, baptised and confirmed in the R.C. Church as
Albertus Casimirus.