The place and date of birth of Anthony de Hooges is not as yet known. He was younger than Arent van Curler and van Curler was 18 when he came over in 1637. Van Curler was said to have been baptised Feb. 6, 1620; so de Hooges was probably born between 1620 and 1623, as it is unlikely that he was younger than 18 when he came over in 1641. He was old enough also to have had a sweetheart in The Netherlands before he came to this country as in a letter of Kiliaen van Rensselaer to Domine Megapolensi dated March 13, 1643 van Rensselaer says:

"I hope that Anthony de Hooges will conduct himself well. What I fear most for him is that he may become addicted to drink, against which he must be strongly warned. His sweetheart here, Anneken Sporom, married at Campen (a city in the province of Overijsel, Netherlands), so that he need not wait for her any longer.  . I have sometimes thought that his thoughts were too much concentrated on her and that he liked the country less on that account.  You might tell him this when there is an opportunity, or have someone else tell him in order that he may be at ease, and especially warn him to abstain from strong drink and women. I understand that he says that he is little respected; let him behave well and have patience and he will be advanced in due time. One must first suffer before one can enjoy."

Mr. A.J.F. van Laer, archivist of the University of the State of New York, writes under the date of June 3 and 7, 1935: "Mr. Beernink, in his biography of Arend van Slichtenhorst and his father, Brant van Slichtenhorst, p 159, says in a footnote that a Johannes de Hooges was not only a shareholder, but also a bookkeeper of the West Indies Company, at Amsterdam. He does not give his authority for the statement and does not state that Anthony de Hooges was related to him. That, however, is quite likely and I assume therefore that Anthony came from Amsterdam." "The fact that Anthony de Hooges' only son was named Johannes certainly strengthens the supposition that the Johannes de Hooges mentioned by Mr. Beernick was his father."

On July 17, 1641, Kiliaen van Rensselaer issued the following: "Instructions to Anthony de Hooges, engaged as under bookkeeper and assistant to Arent van Curler, according to which he must faithfully conduct himself, this 17th day of July 1641, in Amsterdam . "

"Going on board at the Texel, with God's help, he shall first of all see whether the people who are to sail now for the colony, are on board the ship, namely, etc."

On June 30, 1641 Anthony de Hooges was on board den Coninck David, and commenced a journal of the voyage to America which he later sent to Rensselaer. This journal is published in its entirety in the Van Rensselaer Bowler Manuscripts, pages 580 to 603. The boat had a long and stormy passage of four months. On July 30, the company on board den Coninck David set sail from Texel with about 30 or  36 other boats. On August  19 they reached Plymouth where they stayed until the 30th. Setting sail again, this time with five other vessels, they passed the Madeira Islands on September 16th and 17th and on the 19th and 20th passed the Canary Islands, leaving the other ships, except one galley, there. By October 4th, they were running short of water.

"We began looking at each other. At last, after some questions had been asked, we decided unanimously that for the preservation of both man and beast it was necessary to go to the island of Christoffel (St. Christopher or St. Kitts in the West Indies) and continue our voyage after we had obtained a supply of water."

They reached the Leeward Islands on October 16th and anchored at St. Christopher on the 18th. Here they took on water and remained until the 23d. On November 3d, "At half past two in the night, the wife of Covert Lookemans (Ariaentje Jans) gave birth to a daughter." This child was baptised as Marritje at New Amsterdam on December 1, 1641. On November 29th den Coninck David sailed past Sandy Hook where they ran aground on a reef which delayed them two hours and finally anchored in the afternoon in the East River off Smits Vly.

For a time Anthony de Hooges stayed at the home of Oloff Stevenson van Cortlandt in New Amsterdam. He did not reach Rensselaerwyck until April 10, 1642. He was van Curler's assistant at a salary of f150. a year until October, 1644 when van Curler returned to Holland. He was then entrusted with the business management of the colony until van Slichtenhorst's arrival on March 22, 1648. From then until his death in 1655 De Hooges was secretary of the colony and gecommitteerde (commissioner), for which he received a salary of f360. and f100. a year. He also received a salary of f56. as voorleeser (reader in the church) for a little over two months in 1653. He was also a deacon in the church in 1654.

On June 8, 1642, Kiliaen van Rensselaer wrote a letter to De Hooges in which he gives him good advice. Among other things he says "If you continue in your course and do not allow yourself to be diverted from your toil, diligence and faithfulness, you will, if the Lord spare my life, distinctly notice the results of your good conduct even during the term of years for which you have engaged yourself."

March 18, 1643, was a busy letter writing day for Kiliaen van Rensselaer. He wrote one letter to de Hooges which again is filled with good advice: - "I must admonish you for your own good to continue to be religious and faithful and especially to guard yourself against drunkenness and lewd women .. .Fear the Lord; do right and fear no one ... Keep good order and peace, but not when things are wrong. .. If you walk uprightly among this wicked and adultrous generation, you will find peace for your soul·"

To Domine Megapolensis he wrote a very long letter in which he said: - "Confer some time with Anthony de Hooges, who spent winter before last at the Manhatens, and extract the quintessence of his discourse. .. .To return to the Manhatans, as to the charge that Curler and de Hooges have taken to drinking, it ought to be carefully investigated whether they have become, one more and the other less, completely addicted thereto or whether they drink occasionally."

And in a letter to van Curler, van Rensselaer says: "Follow the advice of Domine Megapolensis and do not lightly reject the advice of Hooges, although he is younger than you and not so experienced; I consider him an upright young man."

In 1644 and again in 1647 Willem Jeuriaensz attempted to stab de Hooges with a knife and, on Sept. 29, 1650 Jacob Jansz Stol struck him in the left eye with his fist.

On April 23, 1652, Stuyvesant made a grant of land to Anthony de Hooges.

In October 1647, De Hooges married Eva Albertse Bratt, daughter of Albert Andriesz Bratt and Annetje Barents. By her he had five children - Maria, Anna, Catrina, Johannes, and Eleanora. All of these children grew up and married and had children of their own.

Anthony de Hooges is thought to have died on or about October 11, 1655 as his wages were paid up until that date.

On August 13, 1657, Roeloff Swartwout "in the presence of his father, Thomas Swartwout and Eva Albertson (Bratt), widow of the late Anthony de Hooges, in the presence of Albert Andriessen (Bratt), her father", signed a marriage contract before Johannes (de) La Montagne, in which Eva reserved "for the children of her and Anthony de Hooges, for each of them, a hundred guilders, to wit, for Maricken, Anneken, Catrina, Johannes and Eleanora de Hooges, for which sum of one hundred guilders for each child respectively (she) mortgages her house and lot lying here in the village of Reverwyck." In 1670, Roeloff Swartwout was trying to collect money for these children. Swartwout made a visit to Holland. While there, he was appointed sheriff of Esopus (Kingston) on April 15r 1660. The next day he sailed on the ship Bonte Koe and later settled at Esopus. Two of the children, Maria and Catrina de Hooges, married at Albany but the remaining three went with their mother and step-father to Kingston where they were married and where they raised their children.

According to Egbert Benson (Memoir read before the Historical Society of New York, Dec. 31, 1816, p 63.) Anthony's Nose, the mountain on the east bank of the Hudson at the division line between Westchester and Putnam Counties was named after Anthony de Hooges. This statement has been widely quoted but it is hard to determine at this time if it is founded on fact.

Anthony de Hooges left many descendants. This article traces no less than 25 grandchildren and 143 great-grandchildren. He left only one son and that son had an only son, named for his grandfather, who probably died in infancy; so the name became extinct in this country.

Probably there is no more picturesque a personality in all the colonial records than Anthonij de Hooges. We first learn of him in 1641 when he entered the employ of Rensselaerswyck, sailing on den Coninck David, the skipper being commanded to allow him to eat and sleep in the cabin. He brought letters of introduction to William Kieft, Director-General, and also to Arent van Curler to whom he was sent as an assistant.

He kept a journal of his long voyage for the patroon. It begins: "In the year of our Lord 1641, the 30th of July, I commenced this journal in the name of the Lord. May the Lord conduct us to the place of our destination in order that on our arrival we may offer to the Lord the offering of our lips to His honor and our salvation. Amen."

They had an unusually stormy passage. He closes his journal saying: "At daybreak we ran to the sand point (Sandy Hook) and we rounded it too close. We got aground on a reef which had formed there within a year. After two hours we got afloat again. God be praised we suffered no damage and with good speed passed between the Hoofden (the headlands at the sides of the Narrows) and in the afternoon came to anchor at the Manhatens, in front of Smits Vly (on the East River). Thus the Lord delivered us at last, after much adversity, for which He be praised forever, Amen. The next day a dead horse overboard.
(Endorsed)
"Journal of Anthony de Hooges, of his voyage to New Netherland beginning 30 July ending 29 November 1641,"

One year later Kiliaen van Rensselaer writes him that the journal had been received and had given him great satisfaction. The letter is filled with advice and van Rensselaer evidently felt a great interest in him. "In the beginning," he writes, "hear and see, notice and learn, obey and make yourself agreeable and liked; in that way you will be able to accomplish much." That he considers his counsel worth seeking was shown by a letter to Domine Megaolensis urging him "to confer sometimes with de Hooges and extract the quintessence of his discourse."

Van Curler, De Hooges' superior officer, was somewhat dissipated and, going from bad to worse, all his papers were turned over to de Hooges. Then van Rensselaer writes again to Domine Megapolensis: "Every effort ought to be made to stop the excessive drinking and now that there is a public brewer (Evert Pels) I hope that private brewing will cease. I hope that Anthony de Hooges will conduct himself well. What I fear most for him is that he may become strongly addicted to drink against which he must be strongly warned. His sweetheart here in the Netherlands, Anneken Sporom, married at Campen so that he need not wait for her any longer. I have sometimes thought that his thoughts were too much concentrated on her and that he liked the country less on that account. you may tell him this when there is an opportunity or have someone else tell him in order that he may be at ease ......Let him behave well and have patience and he will be advanced in due time."

That he stood high in the opinion of van Rensselaer a letter to van Curler shows for he told the latter "not to lightly reject the advice of Hooges although he is younger than you and not so experienced. I consider him an upright young man." March I8, 1643, the patroon writes to de Hooges:

"I have your letters of the first of March and the 13th of August of last year, 1642 ... .I have recommended you well, as you will learn from de Megapolensis, but I must admonish you to be religious and faithful and especially to guard yourself against drunkenness and lewd women. There are many rumors current about the first, but you can best test the matter yourself; heed the faithful admonitions of your pastor, de Megapolensis, and do not follow the footsteps of those who may be guilty thereof, but fear the Lord; do right and fear no one. You will do well to keep and send me a daily journal, giving a truthful account of affairs, for I have no use for things that are not true. . I hope that you will have more and more satisfaction; all new things are difficult but matters will turn out to your advantage if you conduct yourself well. I must thank you for communicating to me the text of the first sermon of de Megapolensis; no other foundation can and ought to be laid. Vale."

The position of De Hooges was a responsible one. He was commissioner and administrator of goods suitable for merchandise and was to pay the laborers. We find him leasing farms and making contracts for buildings. From the departure of van Curler for Holland October 1, 1646 until the arrival of Brant Aertsz van Schlichtenhorst flarch 22, 1648; he was entrusted with the business management of the colony. In a petition for the payment of his salary he states that he must have a house built for him.

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