| Notes |
- Hans Hansen Bergen*; b. in or near Bergen, Norway emigrated to Amsterdam, Holland in 1633, as a young man with training as a shipwright or ship's carpenter. In the same year, 1633, he hired on as a ship's carpenter for passage to America. He arrived in New Amsterdam in 1633.
There is a comprehensive genealogy of the American family of Hans Hansen Bergen, compiled by Teunis G. Bergen in 1876.
Hans' date of birth is unknown. There are references that say he was born in 1627, but that is implausible because it is unlikely that he would have been hired at the age of 6 in 1633 to serve as a ship's carpenter, and that he would marry and sire his first child at the age of only 13. The latest date of his birth that would be believable is about 1617.
Very little is known about his family in Norway. The Bergen genealogy carefully explores all the variations in his name for hints of his ancestry. Clearly the surname, Bergen, is based on where he came from, and his middle name, Hansen, most probably means he is a "son of Hans". Several historical references refer to him as "De Bergen" or "Van Bergen", reinforcing the idea that his family is from Bergen, depending on whether one sees his name in Dutch ("Van" = from) or French ("De" = from). He was also known as "Hans De Noorman" or "Hans Van Noorman" ("Norman" = North Man) and its variants on certain documents, referring apparently to his homeland of Norway. The Bergen genealogy also found several references which identified him as the son of "Hans Boore*", which may or may not reflect an ancestral surname, perhaps an occupational name for a carpenter who can bore holes in wood.
Hans had very little, if any, formal education. His degree of literacy is questionable, because nothing has been found in his own writing, although he had testified as a witness in many court cases, where his verbal statements have been recorded by the meticulous Dutch wigged Magistrates of early New Amsterdam. As the owner of a tap-house, he was witness to many altercations and disputes. He signed documents with his "sign", which was the letter "H", laid on its side.
Evidently, he was a large, strong man, with a pleasant disposition, and liked to sing. The court records seem to show that he was a popular and highly trusted witness to many common disputes, many of which he could resolve by virtue of his bearing. Skilled as a carpenter, he would have been popular in the early colonial environment.
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Abt 1610 - 1654 (~ 44 years)
