52 Ancestors: George (Joris) Woolsey Sr.: The Patriarch of American Woolseys
This post is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. This week's theme is "Oldest Story." As I continue exploring my Woolsey lineage in preparation for my book launch "His Greatest Regret," I'm sharing the story of my most distant Woolsey ancestor, the man from whom nearly all American Woolseys descend.
In the deep roots of American genealogy, few family lines run as extensively as that of the Woolsey family. The branches of this family tree spread across centuries and continents, all growing from a single seed: George (Joris) Woolsey Sr., my 10th great-grandfather and the progenitor of virtually every American Woolsey.
Born around 1584 in Langhale-Kirstead, Norfolk, England, George's life spanned an era of tremendous change, carrying him from rural England to the bustling ports of Holland and eventually, through his descendants, to the shores of the New World.
English Origins
George Woolsey was born in Norfolk, England, in the small village of Langhale-Kirstead. Records indicate he was the son of William Wolsey and Elizabeth Stanhoe. The Woolsey family (variously spelled Wolsey, Woolcey, Wulcye) had deep roots in Norfolk, with records of the family in the area dating back to at least the mid-15th century.
In 1604, at approximately twenty years of age, George was apprenticed to Nicholas Cuttinge, a grocer in Great Yarmouth. After completing his seven-year apprenticeship, George earned his "Journeyman's License" and was enrolled as a Freeman of Great Yarmouth in 1611. This status granted him important privileges, including the right to trade and own property within the town.
That same year, George took on his own apprentice, his younger brother Philip. By this time, George had also married Frances (Franchina) Roberts, believed to have occurred around 1610.
Family Life in England
The parish records of St. Nicholas Church in Great Yarmouth document the christenings of George and Frances's children:
- John Wolsey, christened on October 27, 1611
- Robert Wolsey, christened on March 13, 1613
- George Wolsey Jr. (our direct ancestor), christened on May 15, 1616
- Francijntje Robberts Woolsey, born about 1617
This discovery by researcher Wilford Whitaker was significant, as it corrected long-standing errors in the Woolsey genealogy. For years, researchers had mistakenly sought a George Woolsey born on October 27, 1610, a date that appeared in multiple secondary sources but had no primary documentation.
Move to Rotterdam
Sometime before 1623, George Sr. relocated his family to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. This move coincided with what historian Jessica Brain has called the "Elizabethan Strangers" period—when thousands of Dutch citizens found refuge in Norfolk during the Eighty Years' War between the Netherlands and Spain (1568-1648). The cultural exchange went both ways, with many English merchants establishing trade connections in Dutch ports.
As descendant Nathan Woolsey notes, it's likely that George's move to Rotterdam may have been influenced by the "Twelve Year Truce" between the Netherlands and Spain (1609-1621), when many Dutch who had fled to England returned home. If Franchina Robbechtser (as she's recorded in Dutch documents) was indeed Dutch, this could explain their migration to Rotterdam.
In Holland, George worked as a "tobacconist," indicating he was an importer and trader of tobacco—a lucrative business in the early 17th century. Evidence suggests that his wife's father may have been involved in the tobacco trade in Rotterdam.
Final Years
George Woolsey Sr. remained in Rotterdam until his death in late October 1629, at approximately 45 years of age. After his passing, an English minister named Hugo Pietersz and an English merchant called Johan Sanders took responsibility for his children, who were handed over by their mother Franchina Robbechtsdr on December 18, 1630. At this time, George Jr. (our direct ancestor) would have been about 14 years old.
Following her husband's death, Franchina married Robert Hunt, another merchant. She lived until August 4, 1652, when she died in Rotterdam and was buried from the Dutch Reformed Church.
The American Woolsey Lines
Though George Woolsey Sr. never set foot in America, his children would establish the Woolsey name in the New World:
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John Woolsey (1611-c.1692) - Married Maeijke Fransdaughter in Rotterdam in 1637. Some researchers believe he later settled in Jamaica, Long Island, New York.
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Robert Woolsey (1613-?) - Less is known about Robert's fate, though his christening is well-documented.
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George Woolsey Jr. (1616-1698) - Born in England and raised in Holland, George Jr. would eventually settle in New Amsterdam (later New York) around 1635, where he married Rebecca Cornell in 1647. Most American Woolseys, including my own line, descend from George Jr.
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Francijntje Robberts Woolsey (c.1617-?) - Married Abraham Jansz Brouwer on July 20, 1633, in the Reformed Dutch Church in Rotterdam.
The Woolsey Legacy in America
The legacy of George Woolsey Sr. through his sons is remarkable in its scope. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, approximately 6,949 people in the United States carried the surname Woolsey, representing about 2.36 individuals per 100,000 Americans. Nearly all these individuals can trace their lineage back to George's sons, who established themselves in colonial America.
What's particularly fascinating is that these nearly 7,000 contemporary Woolseys represent only those who still carry the surname—primarily descendants through the male line. When we consider female-line descendants and those who have taken other surnames through marriage (like myself), the total number of George Woolsey's descendants in America today likely ranges between 200,000 and 2 million people.
In just ten generations, two brothers created a legacy that touches the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans—a testament to the profound impact a single family can have on a nation's genetic landscape.
Historical Context
George Woolsey Sr.'s life spanned a fascinating period of Anglo-Dutch relations. The Norfolk region where he grew up had been transformed by Dutch influence. As Nathan Woolsey points out, the Dutch had "remade Norfolk in their own image, adding dykes and sluices over the English marshes; building windmills and gable-end houses, as well as updated docks and piers at Great Yarmouth, with direct North Sea access to Holland."
This cultural exchange would later influence his son's ability to navigate between English and Dutch worlds in colonial America, where both cultures played important roles in early American society.
Conclusion
While George (Joris) Woolsey Sr. never witnessed the flourishing of his family line in America, his legacy lives on through countless descendants who trace their lineage back to him. His journey from rural Norfolk to the international port of Rotterdam reflects the increasingly interconnected world of the early 17th century—a world his descendants would help shape in the centuries to come.
As I research my Woolsey ancestors for my upcoming book "His Greatest Regret," I'm reminded that George Sr. stands as the foundation of our American Woolsey heritage—a testament to how a single life can branch into thousands over generations.
Sources:
- Parish Register of St. Nicholas Church, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England (baptism records from 1611-1616)
- Whitaker, Wilford W. "Primary Source Research," Woolsey Website
- WikiTree profile Woolsey-128, merged with research by Kelly Sullivan, June 2015
- Brain, Jessica. "History of the Dutch in Norfolk," Historic UK: The History and Heritage Accommodation Guide
- Delafield, John Ross. "Delafield the Family History," Volume 2, 1945
- Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society. "A Calendar of the Freemen of Great Yarmouth 1429-1800"
- Dutch Reformed Church, Rotterdam, Zuid Holland, Netherlands (burial records)
- Woolsey, Nathan. Historical notes on the Dutch in Norfolk and potential connections to George Woolsey Sr.
- United States Census Bureau, 2010 Census Surname Data
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