Frederick de Veaux

Frederick de Veaux was born about 1645 in Festubert, Province of Artois, France.^1,2,3 He was the son of Nicolas de Veau and Susanne François. Frederick was a native of St. Hubert, Province of Artois, France, now in the département of Pas-de-Calais.⁴

Frederick's parents and their family escaped from Festubert in Artois probably around 1658, arriving in Mannheim, Germany by 1667.^1,5 The genealogy by Thomas F. De Voe describes Frederick's dramatic escape from France:
     When a boy of 12 or 14 years of age he, with his parents and two brothers, at least, set out from their home to escape the various inflictions put upon them by the authorities, and, after much difficulty and suffering, they arrived at Manheim, in Germany.
     Their absence from their home soon became known to the king’s murderous troopers, who trailed them over the country, and were so close on these Huguenot refugees that it was only by the friendship of a woman that they escaped; after which they dared only to travel at night and hide in the day, and this with almost starvation among them, as they were not provided for such an emergency.
     The incident of their narrow escape has been handed down through the several generations of those who settled near New York, which appeared as follows: When the small party left their home they made a rapid flight for several days and nights, and supposed they had a good start unknown to the authorities; then, by travelling through the forests as opportunity offered in the daytime, and the fields and bypaths at night, they had great hopes of having eluded any troops which might have been sent after them. On one occasion, however, they had become short of food and were almost starving, but on arriving near a friendly-looking farm-house early one morning one of the party cautiously advanced toward the house, when he saw a woman come out, who became very much alarmed when she discovered him. She, however, knew by his haggard looks who and what he was, and what he wanted. She then motioned him to hide behind one of the small out-buildings in which swine were kept, when she turned back into the house and in a few minutes brought out a pan of milk and made towards the pen as if to feed her hogs, but conveyed it around to him, at the same time informing him that there were a number of the king’s troopers then lying asleep on the floor of her house who, no doubt, had been on their trail.
     The Huguenot took the pan of milk and carried it to the others who were hid, when it was soon emptied by them. In the meantime the woman had returned with other food, gave it to them, and hurried them off in a new direction, and they safely arrived in the town of Manheim, Germany, where they found some of the earlier fugitives of the family who had escaped at various periods before.⁶

Frederick de Veaux married Marguerite Bonde, daughter of Jean Bonde, on 12 February 1668 at the French Church, Mannheim, Germany; a translation of the church record reads Frederick de Vaux, young man, native of St. Hubert in Artois, son of Nicholas de Vaux, habitant at Mannheim, and Margueritte Bonde, young woman, daughter of Jean Bonde, bourgeois at Mannheim, have been married in this Church the 12 of February 1668.⁷ Frederick's first wife died after 9 January 1674 when she appeared as godmother to Marie du Chesne,⁸ and before 23 February 1675 when Frederick obtained a passport to leave Mannheim.⁹ Thomas De Voe states that she died soon after their marriage.⁹

Frederick de Veaux emigrated in 1675 from Mannheim, Germany, via England to Harlem, New York.⁹

Frederick de Veaux married second Hester Terneur, daughter of Daniel Tourneur, on 24 June 1678 at Harlem, City of New York, New York.^9,10 Through his wife, Frederick came into possession of land on the east side of the inlet of Cromwell Creek at the Harlem River.¹¹ A comparison of a 1868 map with a modern map of the Bronx, New York, shows that this inlet was at the present location of Macombs Dam Park. Mackenzie places the property on the Harlem River below the present 149th Street, which is considerably south of Macombs Dam Park.¹² In 1721, upon the death of his wife, Frederick deeded this land to his son Frederick.¹³

On 25 June 1694 Frederick de Veaux purchased the neck of land, containing 184 acres, that in 1885 was at the east end of Central Bridge; this was afterwards known as "Devoe's Point."¹⁴ Central Bridge is now Macombs Dam Bridge, crossing the Harlem River at 155th Street. The land apparently would have included the High Bridge area of what is now the Bronx, and what was then part of Westchester County. He sold this farm to his son Daniel in 1728.¹⁵ In 1705 Frederick purchased land in Morrisania from Col. Lewis Morris. In 1718 he purchased 200 acres of land in New Rochelle from his daughter Leah, and in 1719 bought the adjoining farm of 100 acres. The two farms in New Rochelle were occupied by his son Abel.¹⁶ Some or all of this land in New Rochelle eventually became the Thomas Paine farm at the end of the American Revolution (see Frederick Deveau, born 1726).

Frederick de Veaux died in November 1743 in the house of his son Daniel, Morrisania, Westchester County, New York.^17,18 He left a will dated 23 January 1741.^19,18