History of Albrecht Zaborowskij (1638 - 1711)

Contributed By

Garry Bryant

History of Zabriskie Family

by Garry Bryant

One of the earliest Polish immigrants to the new world was Albrecht Zaborowskij. A man in whose veins flowed the blood of Polish nobility. A man of education and enterprise.

There is much speculation as to the origins of the Zaborowski family and a family tradition that Albrecht or Albert was a cousin to King John III Sobieski, the last King of Poland. Most researchers do believe that he was a cousin to the King, but a distant cousin. Obviously not of royal blood [Cornelius Burnham Harvey (editor), Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey. (New York: The New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Co., 1900) P. 49-53, “Abraham Oothout Zabriskie.” (FHL-USA/CAN 974.92 D2d.)], but probably of noble blood. Author George O. Zabriskie states that the family does not share in the lineage of the Sobieskis which is claimed by some researchers, and that the claimed descent from the Zborowski family is probably not correct. However the American Zabriskies may belong to the Zaborowski family lineage [George O. Zabriskie, “The Zabriskie Family and Its Progenitor,” de Halve Maen, Vol.XXXVI, #2 (July 1961), pp. 9-15.].

The beginning of the family pedigree is not proven to be a hundred percent factual. Only one researcher has found this information, but it is included for the sake of posterity and the chance that it may help some future researcher [George O. Zabriskie Records Collection. (FHL-USA/CAN microfilm # 1421771.)].

Stanilas Zaborowski - Born 1480 A.D. Was a famous juris-consult, whose works were widely published. Secretary to King Alexander of Poland from 1501-1506. He was closely related to the Sobieskie family. His family was ancient. The two most powerful Polish tribes at this time were the Grsymala and Nalencz.

Ignace Zaborowski - Born 1506 A.D.

|Jacobus Zaborowski - Born 1524. Was an advocate and legal writer of prominence. Died in 1603.

Sigismund Zaborowski - Was Grand Chancellor of Poland under King Sigismund 1587 - 1632. Born in

1554 and died in 1632.

Sigismund Zaborowski II - Born in 1580. Served as an juris-consult and an advocate in Warsaw. Died in 1649.

Hans Zaborowski - Born in 1605. Died in 1675 in New York City.

The last named Hans had two sons, Hans born in 1628 and died 28 September 1718, at age 90. His death recorded in the Lutheren Church in New York City, but the spelling of the name is Hans Karoski. The other son is “supposedly” Albrecht. But there is no family tradition that Albrecht had family in New Netherlands [Zabriskie, de Halve Maen, p. 10.].

***********CAUTION ABOVE POSSIBLE***********

Albrecht Zaborowskij

Justice of the Peace, interpreter

(1638 - 1711)

As stated earlier the beginnings of Albrecht or Albert is very speculative. Most researchers have stated that he obviously was of the lesser nobility of Poland and of the Grsymala Tribe. This Zaborowski family used the heraldic arms of Strzemie (Stirrup), which included the symbol of the Grsymala Tribe. Polish heraldry is different from British heraldry where heraldic arms are granted to an individual; no arms are to be alike. In Polish heraldry the tribe has a particular design to identify it. All tribal members have the right to those tribal arms, but to make them identify an individual one must add changes to the design such as a border around the shield etc. One Polish tribe is known to have 600 different surnames connected to the parent tribe with rights to the basic tribal arms.

There is also great debate as to the town of his birthplace. On a church register he wrote he was from the town of Enghstburgh. But where this town is today is unknown. Some writers list it in Austrian Silesia, while others state that it was in eastern Prussia. Several writers have stated he was born in Zolkwa but this is false. The town he wrote as Enghstburgh was probably Engelsburg (Pokrzywno in Polish), located in the county of Grudziadz [George Olin Zabriskie, The Zabriskie Family. Volume 1 & 2 (1963); George O. Zabriskie, “The Zabriskie Family and Its Progenitor,” de Halve Maen, Vol.XXXVI, #2 (July 1961), pp. 9-15; “Albert Zabriskie’s Five Sons,” #3 (October 1961), p. 16.1961. (NOTE - All data is from these two sources except where noted.)]. But an eminent Polish leader, Henry Kalussowski, concluded that Albrecht came from the province of Dobrzyn located in North-western Poland [Miecislaus Haiman., Poles in New York in the 17th and 18th Centuries. (Chicago: Polish R. C. Union of America, 1938) Pp. 39-44, “Albert Zaborowski,.” (FHL-USA/CAN 974.7 F2h.)].

Albrecht was born in 1638, and given a liberal education. He aligned himself with the dissident faction (Protestants) and was in college studying for the Lutheran ministry. One tradition tells that he dropped out of school and was drafted into the army, of which he deserted from and fled to the Netherlands. However, it does appear that he fled the country or was banished with the other dissidents which started in 1658.

At Amsterdam on 31 August 1662, the West India Company (Amsterdam Chamber) charged the New Netherland branch for Albrecht’s passage fare. Albrecht boarded the Dutch ship ‘D’Vos’ (The Fox) on 2 September, at which time an additional charge was made for a sea-coat and a pallet to sleep on. D’Vos arrived in the port of New Amsterdam on 14 November 1662. The ledgers with the fare and additional charges is important for it shows no credits, which indicate that Albrecht was employed by the West India Company and remained so until the English took over the New Netherlands on 8 September 1664, at which time Zabriskie found himself unemployed [George Olin Zabriskie, “Personal Biases In Genealogical Research,” Genealogical Journal, Volume 6, #4 (December 1977), pages 169-171.].

It appears from the Kingston (Ulster County, New York) records that Albrecht Zabriskie removed to that area. Kingston is halfway up the Hudson River between New York City and Albany. This record states that on 25 October 1667, Ablert Sabaers Rosky was a witness in a lawsuit. He gave evidence on various things he heard “when busy cutting the oats.” It is possible that Zabriskie was hired to be a soldier for the new colony, perhaps Kingston (also known as Esopus) [Zabriskie, Genealogical Journal, p. 170.].

On 17 December 1676, he married a young lady named Machtelt Van der Linden of New York City.

Over the next several decades the surname of Zaborowski is found spelled many different ways; Saboriski in the Lutheran Church records, Zaborowsky, Saburasky, Zaboriskwy, Zaborowskij, Zaborischoo, Saborsiski and finally corrupting to Zabriskie. In all there are about 119 different spellings of the name.

Within the next decade Albert negotiated with the Tappan and other surrounding Indians to become one of the largest land owners in northern New Jersey. One transaction alone brought him 1,067 acres. By 1682 his estate reached from the Hudson River on the east, to the Hackensack River on the west. In time he owned more than 4,000 acres of land which was called Paramus, also known as ‘The Point.’

In this same year of 1682 he was made the first Justice-of-the-Peace for Upper Bergen County.

Zabriskie also had a flair for language. His native tongue was Polish, he spoke German, and the language of New Netherlands was Dutch, until the English gained control in 1664. But he also spoke the native language of the Indians and he served as interpreter for the authorities and natives in various transactions of record. He was also a trader and farmer. For his time, he was a very wealthy man.

The Indians greatly admired Zabriskie, for he treated the Indians fare and was kind to them, paving the way for the natives willingness to sell land to him.

One family tradition tells of his son Jacob being kidnaped by a local Indian Chief. In time the Chief approached Zabriskie and told him what he had done. The Chief explained that he like the boy very much and wished for him to live with his village, learn the language and customs of his people so that in the future when problems arose between the to peoples that he could serve as mediator. Zabriskie agreed, and for many years his son grew-up in the lodge of the Chief.

Albert Zabriskie was one of the original founders of the Hackensack Dutch Church, and his name is engraved in a stone on the front wall, dated 1696.

Albert Zabriskie died on 1 September 1711 at Hackensack, New Jersey, age 73 years. A man of great resource, courage, and most of all integrity.

His wife Machtelt VanerLinde, was the daughter of Joost VanderLinde and Fytie Van Gelder of New York City (please see Vanderlinde family history). She was born in 1656 at Bergen, New Jersey and was baptized on 19 January 1661. She died in 1725.

Albert and Machtelt (Vanderlinde) Zabriskie had six children [George Olin Zabriskie, “Albert Zabriskie’s Five Sons,” de Halve Maen, Vol.XXXVI, #3 (October 1961), p. 16. 1961.].

CHILDREN

1. Jacob Zabriskie - Born 12 April 1679.

2. Jan Zabriskie - Born 1682.

3. Joost Zabriskie - Born 1687.

4. Christian Zabriskie - Born in 1693. Baptised 3 July 1694. Married to Lea Hendriksze Hoppe on 28 May 1715. He died 7 June 1774.

5. Hendrick Zabriskie - Baptized on 1 November 1696.

6. Albert Zabriskie - Died between 1714-1719, at Hackensack. (This son is not 100% fact as belonging to the family.)