Entirely typed down to ***, then handwritten
Letterhead: Hiawatha Academy, G.A. Hoffman, A.M. Principal, Hiawatha Kansas,
January 18th, 1904
My dear Dr. Thompson: -
The Testament & Psalms came to day. Thank you again most heartily. The
leaves from the old Candor Bible came also. They had written me that the leaves containing the Dutch record had become loose, and they would send them with or without the Bible. So I replied to send the leaves as they would answer my purpose. The Bible was printed in Holland in 1637,
I send you by express to day= First the Cole Memorial and Genealogy, and with them the leaves containing the Candor Bible record. The leaves are packed between two paper boards, which will protect them I hope. They are old and faded and I fear that none of the families will photograph well enough for a fac similie. (sic)
I think you will agree with me that it is a wonderful record. The hand that wrote the record of the children of Adrian & Jacobje, was an artist in the use of the pen.
The record of the Van Neste and Middagh family; the entry of the deaths of Hendrick Aten and Mary L. is in certainly the same handwriting. Can there be any doubt of this? What do you think? Then too, I am quite sure the line “Vader Adrian Aten and Moeder Jacobje” is also by the same hand. If I am correct in my belief, then we must discard our supposition that Adrian was the son of Thomas and Elsje Schillman. Indeed, the only evidence we had tending in that direction was the fact that Thomas Aten and Elsje Schillman had a child named Adrian bap. in N.Y. at about the right time to have been our Adrian. But here we have a family record descending in an unbroken line, on the mothers side from her first ancestor in America, in which is recorded in its proper place the date of the death of both the father and mother Aten. In this the name of Hendrick and his wife appears, and not that of Thomas & wife. I frmly believe that Adrian was the son of Hendrick and not the son of Thomas. What do you think after examining the record? Tell me frankly the conclusion you arrive at.
*** ***The entry of the death of Hendrick can mean the son of Adrian
Hendricks(e?) only for this reason. We know of but one other Hendrick in the family at that time and that was Hendrick brother of Judick. We know he was living yet & died later when
page 2 (Letterhead: Springfield Insurance Co., H.J. Aten Agent; again handwritten)
he signed the deed to Derick with his brothers and sisters in 1764.
This brings me to another question. You wrote me some four or five years ago that Adrian the brother of Judick lived to be 90 years of age & that he had 15 children. Lately you wrote that Adrian died at 50 & that all his brothers and sisters lived to a great age. Have you not got the names mixed? Hendrick died aged 50, in 1773. If the Adrian who died in Allegheny Co. in 1826, was the brother of Judick, then he died as you first wrote me on his 90th year. The fact the (sic) the Candor Bible does not mention the names of his children Bap. on the Raritan may be explained by another omission. The record only gives the names of 11 children, when in fact there were 12; the eldest William being omitted. This William was born in 1770 & was appointed and acted as one of the executors of Adrian’s will.
Sincerely yours, Henry J. Aten
(note: “I was wrong in this, & wrote him so. JBT.)