Dirck Claeszen

Born in Leeuwarden, Friesland, Nederland abt. 1635, Dirck Claessen (or Claessen) was a potter who arrived in New Netherland in 1653. He settled in Harlem in 1662 and that same year was appointed as one of the settlement's three magistrates - one of the others being Daniel Tourneur.

Dirck married first to Wijntie Roelofs, with whom he had four children, including Jannetje, who married Cornelius Dykeman. "Dirk Claessen" is listed as "Hollander", on the list of pioneers New Harlem's first charter. Claessen married second to Anneken (or Amertie) Dirckson in 1663. They had one known daughter, Geertie (Diercks) Dircks. He may have married a third time. He was one of the 22  who received land on Van Keulen's Hook, later Tourneur's. He died on March 15, 1708, in Bergen, Hudson County, New Jersey.

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The Year book of the Holland Society of New York, (Banta, 1900) p. 146, contains the following entries pertaining to Dirck Claesen:

• 1662. Aug. 12. Dirck Claesen, potter, rents for three years, his house to Hubert Lamberts Mol. House, garden and orchard were situated on the East River between the ferry-house and the Watermill on the Fresh water. Witnesses, Jan Jansz Bestevaer and Abraham De la Noy. 

• 1662. Oct. 4. Ryck Hendricx, woodsawyer, grants to Dirck Claesen, pastrybaker, a lot East of the "Princegraft", bounded on the North by the lot of Henrik van der Walle, East and South by the lot of Fiscal De Sille, West by the aforesaid "graft" (canal). Witnesses: Huygh Barentse De Kleyn and Paulus Van der Beeck. The document was also subscribed by Weyntie Roelofs, in the absence of her husband (Dirck Claesz) who subscribed to it afterward.