Abraham Devoe

The Dafoe Family includes Abraham Devoe, the first generation to start a family in the New World. Abraham was born in Switzerland and travelled with his father to the New York area in the early 18th century.

	Born	1703	Missy, Vail, Switzerland
	Died	1753	Rhinebeck, Dutchess Co., New York
	Married	1724	Anna Maria Catharina Reiffenberger

Parents:

• Father: Daniel Thevou
• Mother: Marianne Delcour

Chidren:

1. John Ernst Dafoe; b. 1726
2. Abraham Devoe; b. 1729 in Rinebeck, Dutchess Co., New York
3. Daniel De Foe; b. 1 Aug 1732 in Rinebeck, Dutchess Co., New York
4. Johannes Teevoe; b. 4 May 1733 in Rinebeck, Dutchess Co., New York
5. Maria Elizabeth Dafoe; b. 30 Sept 1735 in Rinebeck, Dutchess Co., New York
6. Anna Margaretha Dafoe; b. 9 Feb 1738 in Hunter, Greene Co., New York
7. Eva Devoe; b. 14 April 1740 in Rinebeck, Dutchess Co., New York
8. Ernst Dafoe; b. 1746 in Rinebeck, Dutchess Co., New York

The Parents of Abraham

Abraham’s Early Years

Abraham and Maria

Abraham married Anna Maria Catharina Reiffenberger and lived in nearby Rhinebeck. Many of these Palatine-Americans appear in the Germantown/Rhinebeck and other parish registers, which have been expertly transcribed from the old German language by Arthur Kelly of Rhinebeck, New York.

Abraham Devoe had at least five sons and three daughters. The American Revolution split the loyalities in many families. Most of Abraham's children were neutral or Loyalist-leaning, but son George joined the Continental Army and actively fought against the King. After the war they all made peace with the new government and stayed in New York State except for son John Ernst and his sister Eva [Devoe] Katzebach; the latter living in Sorel, Lower Canada (later called Quebec).

Footnotes

-- JimBenedict - 30 Dec 2005