The following is a translation of a text file (in Dutch) I got from J. van der Molen

I’ve had some difficulty finding the right translations for some of the old Dutch terms that could not be found in a dictionary so I would like to apologize for my English. If parts of the text are funny or simply impossible to understand please let me know.

Text between square parentheses is my interpretation or comment.

Some people believe that the Turcq family is related to the Torck family from the county "Marck" [Germany?].

The oldest known Torck lived about 1204.

A lot of members of the Turcq family supported Philips [Philips II, King of Spain from the house of Habsburg when the Netherlands were under Spanish rule]. E.g., Caspar Turcq, who was "drossaart",[a kind of governor or high judge] and lord of the castle of Gorinchem [South Holland, NL] was forced to give up his castle on June 27, 1572. The rebels, called "Geuzen" ,and the citizens took him and his wife and daughters captive and took him to Den Briel [South Holland, NL]. His son Willem then marched up with 600 men but came too late to set him free. Willem went on to Loevenstein but was late again. In the town of Schoonhoven [South Holland, NL] he was not admitted. July 7 of that year he moved into Culemborg [Gelderland, NL]

[I wonder why Casper was taken from Gorinchem to Den Briel, near the coast, and then back again to Gorinchem (Loevestein). Any comments on this are appreciated]

I Pascasius Justus Turcq

* abt. 1540 Eecloo, Flandres

Occupation: Physician in Bergen op Zoom

X Cornelia Velters

* Flandres

+ after 1591

Children:

1. Israel continues with II

2. Joos [derived from Latin: Justus] secretary of Wouw [North Brabant, Netherlands]

X Elisabeth van Sevenhoven

Pascasius Justus Turcq was born in Flandres. He wandered through Europe and studied literature at the unversities of Rome, Bologna, Padua, and Pavia. In his time he was known a gifted and civilized man, a perfect humanist. He was often seen as a guest at the royal courts of Europe. In Pavia, in the year 1561 he wrote his best known book: Pascasii Justi de Alea, sive de curanda ludendi in pecuniam cupiditate (The game of dice by Pascasius Justus from Eeklo, Doctor of Philosophy and Medicine, being two books discussing a way to cure people from the passion of playing for money). The book was printed in Basel [Swi], reprinted in 1616 in Frankfurt [Ger], and again in Amsterdam in 1642.

After writing this book, he took up residence in Bergen op Zoom and was subscribed to the Guild of St. Anthony. There he became court-physician of Jan IV, marquis of Bergen op Zoom. From October 28, 1562 he also was designated "Master of Medicine of the City". Still later he became the court-physician of the Duke of Anjou-Alencon, an ally of prince William of Orange. When the latter got severely wounded in an assasination attempt by Jean Jaurequy on March 18, 1582, Turcq was able to stop the Prince’s bleeding. From that time on he was on a friendly basis with Prince William.

[This friendship didn’t last very long: In 1584, Balthazar Gerards was succesful in an attemt to assassinate the Prince.]

[The date of birth of Pascasius does not seem to be right. He called himself Doctor of Philosophy and Medicine in 1561 – at age 21!?-. My guess is that he was born about ten years before the date mentioned above (abt. 1530).]

(Sources: Encyclopedia of Noord Brabant/ Navorscher 1889, 1914, 1923/ De Nederlandsche Leeuw 1914, 1915, 1917/ De Wapenheraut 1918, 1919.

To be consulted: W. Wijnaendts van Resandt, 256 kwartieren en kwartierwapens van H.W. van Woelderen, Middelburg, 1939 (p. 41 en 211)/ Brabantia 1952 en 1955/ Zeeuws tijdschrift 1954).

II Israel Turcq

* abt. 1570 [abt 1560? see my remarks on Pascasius’s birthdate]

Occupation: Mayor of Bergen op Zoom

X1 Jacqueline van Cuyck

Children:

1. Pascasius Justus continues with III

2. Barbara x Cornelis de Grauw (bailiff of the clerical goods in Bergen op Zoom)

3. Jan (Major of the citizens of Bergen op Zoom from 1631 to 1651)

4. Jacob x Mar. 16, 1614 Elisabeth Monteau (they had 12 children. The oldest (Anna) bapt. Jan 7, 1615)

X2 April 2, 1595 with Elisabeth Willems, daughter of Willem Franssoon, Mayor of Bergen op Zoom.

Children:

5. Cornelia x Charles d’Assigny duc de Calwart, captain in service of the Netherlands

6. Catharina

7. Willem

8. Elisabeth

9. Joos [Justus]

X3 Feb. 16, 1605 with Janneke Dierix

(Sources: Nederlandsche Leeuw 1914 and Navorscher 1914. These sources are not completely consistent. The NL only mentions two marriages whereas the Nav mentions three of which the first marriage with an unknown woman. The above is a result of combining both sources. Furthermore, Nav only mentions two children: Pascasius and Jacob.)

III Pascasius Justus Turcq

* abt 1595

Occupation: Physician and mayor (Bergen op Zoom, 1622)

The following positions with dates are known:

"Schepen", a member of the local authority, 1610, 1611, 1613, 1614

"Weesmeester" [Master of the guardianship board ?translation?] 1612, 1619, 1632, 1634, 1635

"Burgemeester binnen der bank", Mayor ….. 1615-1618, 1629, 1631

"Burgemeester buiten der bank", Mayor ….. 1622- 1628, 1630

"Rentmeester" bailiff, 1620, 1621

X Anna (Janneke) van Houte

*Gent (Belgium)

Children:

1. Justus Continues with IV

2. Israel

3. Willem (Guilliam) Bapt. Nov 23, 1614

[Again the date of birth does not seem to be right. Compare this with his positions as a "schepen" in 1610! My guess is that he was born about ten years earlier (Abt. 1585) This seems to be in agreement with the dates of his father’s marriages and the baptismal date of his son Justus (IV)]

IV Justus Turcq

Bapt. Oct. 1, 1611 Bergen op Zoom

+ after 1680

Occupation: Physician and "counselor of her Royal Highness Princess zu Zollern, Marquise of Bergen [op Zoom]", [viceroy, mayor of Bergen, and bailiff of the clerical goods (Source: NL 1914).

In 1636, 37, 39, and 40 he was a member of the local authority [Schepen]. In 1638 bailiff. Mayor "buiten der bank" in 1641, 42, 45-48. Mayor "binnen der bank" in 1643-44.

According to a Bergen op Zoom list of functionaries he practized as a physician from 1638 to 1681. From 1656 to 1659 he was a secretary and in 1660 and 1661 he was a "pensionaris" [city-barrister ?translation?]

X Margaretha Hoveniers

Children:

1. Pascacius Captain in regiment of Sir Collenel [?Colonel?] Turcq, major of the citizens from 1653-1681

x Maria Waskin

2. Israelius

3. Ludovicus Secretary of Bergen op Zoom from 1662 to 1692 x Maria van der Beeke

4. Cornelis Major of the citizens from 1683-1705 x Margaretha Schaeck

5. Hendrik "drossaart" of Oudenbosch x Dana van Vrijberghe

6. Franciscus Continues with V

(Again the sources are inconsistent. NL 1914 does not mention Franciscus whereas Nav does.)

Biographical notes:

On Oct. 4, 1642 there is an assembly of the "binnenraad" [city counsel]. Captain Boetseler of this garrison had an outburst of rage on Oct. 2 while visiting the house of Sir Adriaen Drabbe, former alderman and at present bailiff of this town. He challenged him to a duel and insulted him. Mayor Turcq accompanied by two "schepenen" visited Governor Morgan to request that justice should be done.

Maria Turcq (~ Jul. 25, 1621 Bergen op Zoom) married (Oct. 12, 1649) Matthys Drabbe (widower of Cornelia Franchoys). (Source: De wapenheraut 1918)

V Franciscus Turcq

* abt 1645

+ June 12, 1710

A.k.a. Franciscus Turcaeus

Occupation: Minister in Namen (B) and from 1666 to 1710 in Bergen op Zoom (source: Inventory Reformed Parish, Bergen op Zoom 1630-1951)

X Anna van Erff (Herff)

Children:

1. Simon ~Oct. 8 1670

2. Maria ~Nov. 30, 1673

3. Aemilius ~Feb. 19, 1677

4. Johanna ~Oct. 7, 1678

5. Cornelia ~Dec. 12, 1679

All born in Bergen op Zoom.

There must have been another son: Jacobus Nicolaes Turcq, minister in Halsteren and from 1701 to 1738 in Bergen op Zoom. He died Oct 17, 1738. (Source: Inventory Ref. P., Municipal Archive inv. nr. 3511)

During the first half of the 17th century, Bergen op Zoom was a protsestant city in the otherwise Catholic western regio of Noord-Brabant. Between 1651 and 1660, for example, the number of baptisms in protestant churches was as high as 2623 compared to 425 Roman-Catholic baptisms. From 1617 there were three ministers. In 1652, a fourth preacher was admissioned. When the Wallon parish was established, in 1685, this fourth place expired. (Source: Inventory Ref. P.)

In the municipal archive (inv. Nr. 3511) a letter can be found in which Rev. Turcq defends himself against accusations of forcing the nomination of his son as a preacher. Other names that are mentioned in this letter are:

Johannes Quint, came in 1690 from Aarlanderveen, died in B.o.Z. in 1701

Adrianus Reygersman, came in 1701 from Stavenisse, died in 1705

Christophorus Maten, came in 1666 from ’s Heer Arendskerke, died Apr. 6, 1700