Person:Johannes Polhemus (1)

BIOGRAPHY 1: Rev. JOHANNES THEODORUS POLHEMUS was born in 1598 probably at Boi Kirchen in Rhenish Bavaria. He died at Flatbush, Long Island on 9 Sep 1676. It is recorded that he had a daughter baptized at Meppel in 1629; his next known child was born some fifteen years later indicating that his first marriage in the Netherlands was to an unknown wife; he married (2) about 1643 probably in Brazil CATHERINA VAN DER WERVEN who died at Flatbush Long Island about 1702.^{Citation needed}

BIOGRAPHY 2: In 1620 he entered Heidelberg University as a student of divinity. After graduating, he served in various localities in the Netherlands until 1635. He then applied for service overseas and was selected to be sent to the West Indies. A large expedition to Brazil was being prepared and in Jan 1637, he landed at his new post on the Recif of Permanbuco, Brazil. There he was in care of the spiritual needs of the settlers and soldiers. In 1638 he went with those sent to colonize the island of Itamaraca, adjacent to Recif. Due to civil unrest, he was forced to return to Recif in 1647/48. By 1654, the Dutch administration in Brazil had become inefficient and corrupt. The Portuguese revolted and the Dutch were given three months to either depart or embrace the Roman Catholic faith and become Portuguese citizens. In April of 1654, the Dutch Protestants with others were evacuated; for some reason not known, Catherina and four children took a different ship than that of her husband, Rev. Polhemus. She and the children arrived safely in Holland. The ship on which Rev. Polhemus sailed was captured by a Spanish privateer, which in turn was captured by a French Man-of-War, the ship St. Charles. He arrived at New Amsterdam in September 1654. This family was separated for two and a half years before Catherine and the children finally arrived in America in Sep 1656.^{Citation needed}

BIOGRAPHY 3: When Rev. Polhemus arrived at New Amsterdam, there were three Dutch settlements on the western end of Long Island and called Midwout, Amersfoort and Brueckelen; they later became, respectively, Flatbush, Flatlands, and Brooklyn. They were in need of a church and minister and welcomed the appearance of Dominie Polhemus. At his age, it was a difficult task to get adequate housing, secure a regular salary and serve these three congregations.^{Citation needed}

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Beekman, George Crawford. Early Dutch settlers of Monmouth County, New Jersey. (Freehold, N.J.: Moreau Bros., 1901)
   page 13.

   Rev. Johannes Theodorus Polhemus was a minister who arrived in New Netherland in 1654 from Itamaca in Brazil. He preached at Flatbush in the morning and Brooklyn and Flatlands in the afternoon every Sunday until 1660. When Brooklyn obtained a minister in 1665 he ceased to be associated with the church at Flatbush. He moved to Brookly and died there in 1675.