In honor of Father's Day- this post is about Sarah's dad.
In the previous What is a Walloon post, I described how Joris was born "illegitimate" amidst war, revolt, and religious oppression. And then... both his parents die and it appears, by some records, all his siblings as well.
Joris was born April 24, 1604 in Valenciennes, Spanish Netherlands (now France) and baptized four days later as Georges Rapareilliet in the St. Nicolas Catholic Church. The Godparents at the baptism were Noe Vasseur and Jehenne de Latre. (His name was later interpreted by the Dutch as Joris Jansen Rapalje. Spellings were phonetic and based on the record-keepers own linguistic interpretation.) Joris was marked as illegitimate- the 5th (or perhaps 7th) child of Jean Rapareilliet.
Jean and his wife Elizabeth died in 1606. Some records say his siblings died in the years proceeding Joris' birth. The number of deaths may have been caused by plague that occurred in the Low Countries in this time period.
Did Joris have aunts or uncles to live with? Was his birth mother still alive, whoever she was? Perhaps his Godparents took care of him? We don't know. This is why I write historical fiction.
Church records don't exist with his name in any Walloon churches until he marries Catalyna Tricot on Jan 21, 1624. His marriage record states his occupation as boratwercker (woolworker), residing at the Waale-padt (Walloon section of Amsterdam).
Sarah's dad likely grew up rough with a hard-knock life. It's noted he didn't read or write because he signed with his mark and not a signature on his marriage certificate. He surely obtained grit and perseverance through these opaque early years.
He was likely street-wise and good at code-switching: appearing respectful and pious when addressed by a Spanish Catholic official, excitedly speaking about the Revolt with a Flemish Netherlander, and maybe finding he could be himself in his native French Walloon dialect with Catalyna.
In any case of upbringing, Joris had what it took to make it in the New World. He was a jack-of-all-trades: farming, running a taproom, acquiring land, assuming civic and liturgical duties. He was a journeyman doing the hard labor of woolworking in his native land but his people were known for their craftsmanship and ingenuity. I think those instincts must have helped his survival and prosperity in New Netherland.
I'm tempted to go on with details of his life, but I won't giveaway any spoilers for my novel. I hope this will enrich your understanding of him and my characterization.
He became a good father and a pillar of his community, without having his own father around to model that. It makes me think he had some good father figures to look up to at least.
Note: If you want to learn more, one of the best resources is:
Zabriskie, George Olin. "The Founding Families of New Netherland, No. 4-- The Rapalje-Rapelje Family." In: de Halve Maen 46 (January 1972), 7-8, 16, 47 (April 1972), 11-13; 47 (July 1972), 11-14.
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