Cornelis Melyn is our 10th great grandfather through this path: You (the Abbott sibling) → RWA→ Vera Esler Abbott → Martha Tappan Esler → Emily Harned Tappan → Abigail Acken Harned → Phoebe Hatfield Acken → Moses Hatfield → Matthias Hatfiled → Matthias Hatfield → Isaac Hatfield → Maria Mariken Melyn Hatfield → Cornelis Melyn
Cornelis Melyn was born in Antwerp, Netherlands and was baptized there on September 17, 1600. Both his parents died in 1606 after which he was reared by guardians. He apprenticed as a tailor at age 12. He left Antwerp for Amsterdam and married Janneken Adriaens in 1627. His occupation at the time of his marriage was seemtouwer which is someone who works with fine and fancy leather.
He made a voyage to the New World in 1638, returned to the Netherlands, and was on his way to migrate permanently to Staten Island in 1640 when the ship was captured by raiders. He was then back to the Netherlands, but made the trip to New Amsterdam in 1641 with his wife and children. In 1642, he was granted the patent (granted proprietary rights along with the group of settlers that came with him) to all of Staten Island except for one farm that had been allocated to someone else.
In 1643, the settlers had a bloody conflict with the neighboring Lenape tribe and he and his family fled Staten Island. The next year he purchased land in lower Manhattan. The Dutch colony was drifting into disorganization with the leader (Kieft) coming under criticism. Melyn was named chairman of a council of eight to assist in ruling the colony. He is believed to have written Vertoogh van Nieu Nederland' ('A Tale of New Netherland'), an early description of colonial life.
Melyn got himself into big political trouble in 1647 when Peter Stuyvesant was brought in to take over the colony after Kieft was removed as leader. Melyn and another leader continued to press to have further investigation of Kieft, which apparently annoyed Stuyvesant who had charges brought against Melyn and his comrade and Melyn was banished from the colony. Melyn sailed to Europe to make an appeal to higher powers but his ship ran aground in Wales. Nevertheless, he was later able to make his appeal which he won in 1648. He went back to New Amsterdam and had a confrontation with Stuyvesant which did not turn out as hoped. Melyn is then back to the Netherlands, but returned to the colonies again in 1650. He continued to conflict with Stuyvesant who had Melyn arrested without charges or trial in 1655. While he was in prison, there was another Indian conflict which resulted in the destruction of the Staten Island colony. Melyn then took his family to the colony at New Haven and pledged allegiance to the English crown. He gave up his rights to Staten Island in 1659. It is not really clear when or how he died.
Information about a really interesting work authored by Meyln: https://www.themorningnews.org/article/murderer-thief-whoremonger-cheat
Article from the Historical Society of the New York Courts: http://www.nycourts.gov/history/legal-history-new-york/legal-history-eras-03/history-era-03-melyn.html
Betrothal Certificate of Cornelis Melyn and Janneken Adriaens
http://dgmweb.net/Resources/BMD/Mar-MelynCornelis-JannekenAdriaens.html