Franz

We know him by no other name than Franz, father to Jan Franz Van Husum (the first Van Huss, Van Hoesen to come to America). He possessed no last name. None was needed and if further distinction was required, he might be addressed as Blackbeard, or Red Franz or Tall Franz, or whatever distinguishing characteristic he might have possessed.

He was of the late 16th century (Jan was born in 1608) and was likely a seaman, for two reasons: first, this was the primary occupation of those living along the North Sea coast and second, his son was also a "sea-going" man.

We know that his name is Franz because of the marriage certificate which gives Jan's first name, his father's name Franz, and his place of origin, Van Husum. We do not know if he was Dutch or Frisian or Danish. Modern DNA tests might answer this question with some statistical probability. If we go simply by place of origin, then we would say that he was Danish or at least a subject of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein. Then again, the ancient North Frisians had inhabited the coastline of the Jutland Peninsula for millennia. The Dutch also have a claim on our Franz, for the name screams Dutch, but that is not to say that the Danish and the Frisians did not use similar names. Moreover, it was the Dutch who came to the island of Nordstrand and with their technical know-how, attempted, poorly as it turned out, to reclaim the land from the fierce North Sea.

What he looked like is anyone's guess, but we can imagine that he might have been a character out of Isack van Ostade painting, Workmen before the Inn, 1645, National Gallery of Art.

Franz likely visited an alehouse and drank ale to while away the time. While drinking he most likely broke out in song:

Come all you young Maidens & lend an ear
Come listen awhile and you shall hear,
How the Keepers did sport with the fallow deer
Amongst the leaves so green ah
Hey down derry derry down,
Hey down down, ho down down,
Het down ho down derry derry down
Amongst the leaves so green ah...
The Huntsmans Delight, Or, The Foresters Pleasure.