What do the Revolutionary War, the founding of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Brooklyn records from the Dutch days going missing have in common? John Rapalje, the great-great-grandson of Joris Rapalje and Catalyna Trico.
John (Jan Joris) Rapalje (1728-1802) was a politician and a Loyalist to the British. His younger brother, Garret, was an importer, iron forger, and also a Loyalist. John resided at the land Joris Rapalje settled at the Wallabout in Brooklyn. The Rapalje brothers were affluent, as evidenced by Garret and his children's portraits painted in 1768 by John Durand. There are no portraits of John Rapalje but we can imagine he must have looked similar to his brother Garret.
From Women & the American Story on nyhistory.org:
Pictured, from left to right, are 11-year-old Garret, 13-year-old George, 6-year-old Anne, and 16-year-old Jacques. The portrait is full of small clues about the lives of the children. Their relaxed pose, which is unusual in colonial portraits, indicates their confidence in their status and upbringing, and their arrangement, which just barely fits within the canvas, suggests that they share a close family bond. Their brightly colored, textured clothing was likely made from fabric imported by their father. The young men are all dressed as colonial gentlemen in miniature, indicating their future place in society. Young Anne holds a rose, a sly reference to her fertility and fitness for marriage.
At some point during the war, John was tarred and feathered by Patriots. Garret was imprisoned and left for New Orleans upon release. John left New York for Nova Scotia, absconding with the early Brooklyn records.
In 1779, his land was confiscated under the "Act of Attainder." He appealed but was denied. The Brooklyn Navy Yard was established where John's bouwery once stood in 1801. He left for England where he was compensated for losing his land for being a Loyalist. He died in Kensington, England in 1802.
This is just one more reason why genealogy research is so fascinating and sparks ideas for historical fiction. Was John a bad man or was he simply on the wrong side of history? On one hand, I curse him for stealing early Brooklyn records but on the other hand, I can't imagine being tarred and feathered!
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