Person Page 853

Pieter Wouterse Vander Meulen was born approximately 1622 in Amsterdam, Holland. He resided in Leyden for a period of time, where he had been preparing for the ministry. There being some conflict in beliefs and challenges in conscience which caused Pieter to align with refugees coming to the colonies, it is said that Pieter fell out of grace with his father and was disinherited.

Not a lot is known of Pieter's early years in the colonies, but it is thought that Pieter spent much time in the early years of the colonies, traveling and involved in trade and commerce. Given evidence in later years of Pieter's success, influence, and concern for doctrines in the Connecticutt colony, one can correctly assume that Pieter was a well educated, and articulate businessman, devoted to his faith in God.

Known to many of his fellow colonists as Peter Mills, or simply "The Dutchman", there are several references to Pieter's connection with the "Dutch West India Company" and indeed he was referred to as "a tailor", a "merchant", and a "shopkeeper". Known as an honorable businessman, the logical conclusion would be that Pieter was also involved in "trade", given the circumstances in the colonies at that time.

Pieter is found in various places as a "squire", or a land owner. Pieter's first "roots" in Windsor, Ct. was after his marriage to Dorcas Messenger(1650-1688) in the spring of 1666. Dorcas' father Edward Messenger, on June 9, 1666, gave 20 acres of land to Pieter. Though there is no mention of it, this could very well have been dowry related.

By 1673 a conflict arose in the church at Windsor and eventually, Pieter, along with 29 other men in the church, signed a complaint protesting the interpretation of doctrine. One of the conflicts was apparently over the issue of who would be baptised in the church. Pieter and wife Dorcas had very strong, unbending beliefs.

Pieter's wife Dorcas was not entered into the church until 1685 and baptismal records for their children are not available. These facts, in my opinion, were most likely directly related to the earlier conflict and rebellion in 1673. Pieter died an honorable and respected member of the Windsor community, April 17, 1710. Dorcas and Pieter had 10 surviving children.

Over generations, Pieter's descendants helped build a nation. Pieter had a son, Peter Jr. who was a tailor and merchant. Peter Mills Jr's son Gideon Mills became a devout minister and fathered Lt. Gideon Mills who fought bravely in the revolutionary war with the Connecticutt company and became the father of Ruth Mills who became the mother of John Brown, the abolistionist. Her brother and the Lt's son, Dr. Oliver Mills, was a respected physician. His sons Edmund and Dr. Lucius moved west and settled in Illinois, Lucius being recommended for the position of "Superintendant of Freed men" and noted as a "man of excellent christian and moral character----loving the whole human family-----". As the number of Pieter's descendants grew, the principles brought from Amsterdam remained.

Testament van Heer Daniel van der Meulen ende eerbare Joncvrouwe Hester de la Faille, opgemaakt 30 juli 1599" source Jaarboek van het Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, p 141, 1986.

Tombe est/était en l'église St Pierre à Leyden: "Hic situs honoratissimus dominus Daniel van der Moelen, pietate, probitate, virtute, doctrina instructissimus, reique publicae amantissimus, natus Antwerpiae ante diem 23 octobris anno 1554, denatus Leydae ante diem 25 julii anno 1600" source Inscriptiones van Buchel, p 88.

Helen S. Ullmann discusses the origins of the Messenger family and the possibility that Edward, Andrew, and Henry were brothers at great length in the July 1998 New England Historical and Genealogical Register in article titled The Three Messengers - Clearing the Decks.Edward's close connection with the Drake family at Windsor suggests his wife might have been related to them, but not even her given name is known. 1 Children of Edward MessengerDorcas Messenger+ b. 23 Sep 1650, d. 18 May 1688Nathaniel Messenger+ b. 18 Jun 1653Deliverance Messenger b. 7 Apr 1655

Citations

[S165] Helen S. Ullman, "Three Messengers

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He is believed to be the son of Andrew Messenger, born abt. 1588 in England, and his wife, Sarah, and the brother of my ancestor, ANDREW MESSENGER.

"The Paternal Lineage and some of the Descendants of Isaac Messenger of Connecticut" by Anne Ferrell (Higgins) Wood, Vol. 2:

In 1650 he was living in Windsor in the Colony of Conn. with three children. That same year, he had land in Greenfield (now Bloomfield), Conn., which he gave (20 acres) to his daughter Dorcas (married Peter Mills) to build upon in 1660.

He was sentenced by the Windsor Court to be whipped for merciless treatment of a servant and for lying about it.
He was in the list of Windsor residents in 1669 as having a family and a horse. The name of his wife and the date of his death is unknown.

Also could have been born in Yorkshire England. Arrived in Mass. from England about 1630. He is probably from Lincolnshire or Yorkshire. The name Messenger is probably French Norman, it can be traced to almost the beginning of surnames (1060 to 1307 A.D.). A. Messenger signed the "Fundamental Agreement at New Haven " June 4 , 1639 . It was the first written constitution known to history which created a government."Topigraphical dictionary of 2,285 English immigrants to New England, 1620 to 1650" by Charles Edward Banks includes the names of Andrew's three sons.Andrew arrived in America from England with his famil y about 1630. He is probably from Lincolnshire or Yorkshire . Though their origin is not positively known, we might entertain the possibility that our ancestors are from Gloucestershire whose arms "Ar., a chevron between three close helmets S a.,;". In the church at Painswick, 6 miles south of Gloucester, are several memorials of the Massinger family , formerly of Gloucester, whose arms are : "Argent a chevron gules between three helmets sable." . In the Herald's college, London, the same arms are entered as borne by john Messenger of Newisham , county of York, who died in 1616, aged 70 years , and was buried at Kirk Ravensworth. Two of his sons, Henry and Anthony , were killed in the service of K ing Charles I , and another, John Messenger , Esq., born in 1590 , was the owner of the Fountain Abbey estate, near Ripon, in 1627 . That the family of Andrew had the right of Arms is shown by the will of the widow Messenger of Boston, which mentions that Simeon (the eldest son of Henry then living), is to have the "Messinger coat of arms.". As Simeon died without male heirs, these arms were probably lost.

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The surname Messenger, also spelled Massinger, Messinger, Messager, and Messanger can be found be found in various counties in England as early as 1273.
Andrew Messenger is often said to have come to American on the Hector, but there is no proof of this. He signed the Fundamental Agreement in New Haven in the New Haven Settlement on June 4, 1639. In 1640, he was one of the New Haven settlers who had land in Greenwich in the Colony of Conn. and was considered a founder of that settlement, selling land there in 1648 to Robert Husted.

He was an original settler of Jamaica, Long Island, New York and magistrate in 1661-2. In 1661 he was one of ten men to inform the Governor and Council against Quakers, and in 1662 he & his grand son-in-law, Richard Darlng entered into a contract with the Town of "Rustdorp", later named Jamaica, to erect a minister's house. The price of the building, which was completed in August of 1662 was 23 pounds, one half to be paid in wheat, and the other half in Indian corn. The contract was signed by Richard Darling (who was the town clerk) and Andrew Messenger made his mark. On Feb. 11, 1656, he was granted land in Jamaica. Andrew Messenger was a carpenter and was referred to as "Goodman Messenger" in the records.

He married Rachel (possibly Manning or Seeley) probably in New Haven prior to 1640, and they were the parents of six known children:
1. Daniel b. about 1640
2. MARY (MESSENGER) BENEDICT (my ancestor)
3. Sarah (Messenger) Palmer Gregory
4. Samuel Messenger (1645-1685)
5. Abigail (Messenger) Mills, m. Zachariah Mills
6. Andrew Messenger, Jr. b. 1650 in Jamaica, LI, m. Rebecca Pickett.