WELCOME TO: "VanMatre Ancestry"

VAN METEREN/ VAN METRE / VAN METER / VAN MATRE

My name is Vincent M.Van Matre and I am a Genealogist and an author, my wife's name is Jan, she is an artist and an author. I started researching my ancestry about 1980, shortly after we were married and in 1993, wrote a book entitled "Van Matre Ancestry" which I have revised in 1998. When I stop and think about it, I sometimes say to myself, "why are you spending so much time in researching your family background?" Then I sort of satisfy myself by thinking that some descendant, possibly many years from now, will thank me for recording data that probably would otherwise be lost. I hope so. It all started in the late 1970s. I was visiting a friend in Washington, D.C. area and somehow in our conversations, I mentioned that it would be interesting to know more about my family background. He told me that he had a friend who was doing genealogical research and he arranged for me to meet him. We went to the National Archives one day and that experience certainly spurred me on. My wife, Jan and I moved to North Carolina in 1978 and on one of our trips to West Virgina, we read about an old "Van Matre" mansion that was on the National Register, located in the northeastern part of that state. So, we desided to take a look at it. We learned that Isaac Van Meter first settled in this area in 1740 and in 1744 built a home and fort that he named Fort Pleasant. The house and fort were built on a gentle rise overlooking wide open fields stretching south down the valley of the South Branch of the Potomac River. Later, the Van Meter lands were passed on to his son, Garrett, who amassed a fortune in cattle and horses and eventually built the house we now know as "Fort Pleasant" Isaac was buried on this land. We were able to go through the eighteen-room mansion. Nothing has been added to it since Garrett's death. The foundations and walls are of brick with rises above the cellar from a brick base. The show rooms are large with many-paned high windows. Fireplaces throughout the house have refined Federal mantels and openings large enough for logs. The rooms have no cornices but each had a chair rail. The floors are polished pine. In the front hall, a restrained and plain Federal staircase runs curving to the attic. On one of the walls was a picture of Isaac. My wife, Jan said to me- "I believe that I can see a family resemblance". As a result of this latter experience, I really felt an urge to research my Van Meter (Matre lineage and when we returned home, I began doing so in earnest and ultimately decided to write a book. "An informative works for those interested in genealogy and the relation thereof". Thank-you for taking time to view our site.

"VANMATRE ANCESTRY"

The first mention of a Van Meteren was in a deed dated September 1253. "Meeteren", also called Meteren, is a village in the Tielerwaard and the village of Meteren is still shown on the maps of Holland. It belonged to the community of Geldermalsen, of which it constitutes the southernmost section. One of the branches of the family lived in the "Huise Van Meteren" in Geldermalsen. This mansion was rebuilt in 1768/1769 but was torn down sometime after 1906. Some genealogical records mention a Jan Gysbertsen Van Meteren who is said to have emigrated from Bommell, Province of Gelderland, to New Amsterdam in 1663, bringing with him a son, Kryn Jansen Van Metern. It is surmised that Jan Gysbertsen and Jan Joosten were cousins sons of two brothers, Gysbert and Joost, and that Kryn married Neeltje Van Cleef. Kryn Jansen was on the new Utrecht assessment rolls from 1675 to 1709, then he moved to Middletown, New Jersey in 1709 and died there on March 10, 1720. There are many descendants of Kryn now living in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Some of them started spelling the name as "Van Matre" as early as 1717. I believe that I am a descendant of Jan Joosten Van Meteren, and his wife Maycke(n) Hendricks(en), who arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York) on the ship D/Vos (Fox), August 31, 1662, sailing from Amsterdam, described on the ship's log as "Jan Joosten, from Tielderweert, wife and five children, 5,12,9,6, and 2-1/2 years old". And this is how my book begins...

THE BOOK & HOW TO CONTACT ME

The Book, 11 generations in America "beginning with Jan Joosten Van Meteren-Maycke Hendricks(en)" Apprx. 150 pages. rev. 1998, spiral bound, photos, bibliography, ped. charts, indexed, $30 ppd. If you are interested in purchasing "Van Matre Ancestry" please contact me, Vincent M. Van Matre, in writing, to: 511 Windchase Dr. Dayton, Nevada 89403-7354 You may call me at: 1-775-246-3326. Or you may e-mail me at: vlaurelwood@aol.com We thank-you for your interest in this site. Please view the links. They are very informative. Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks again. Vince M.Van Matre

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