Earliest Rue Immigrants in America
Francois LaRUE, born circa 1600 in Rochelle, France, immigrated to America via Manheim, Germany, and fathered the following known children who at one time or another are all believed to have lived in the vicinity of Esopus, Ulster County, NY:
1. Abraham LaRUE, b. circa 1655 in Manheim, Germany; d. 6 Jan 1711 in Hunterdon County, NJ; m. (1) Magdaline D'UZILLE, b. circa 1665; d. 1687/88 in Kingston, Ulster County, NY; and also m. (2) Olive (Alche) ____, b. circa 1670.
2. Matthew (Matthias) RUE, B. 1656 in Manheim, Germany; d. in Staten Island.
3. Jacob Jacques Jacobus LaRUE, b. circa 1657 in Manheim, Germany; m. Wybrecht HELLING (b. 1659) d. 1730 in Hackensack, Bergen County, NJ;
4. Susanna LaRUE, b. 9 Oct 1658 in Manheim, Germany; m. Jan D'Ailyaljee ALEE (b. circa 1655 in France; d. 1718 in Kent County, Maryland); d. 1708 in Hackensack.
5. Isaac LaRUE, b. circa 1660 in Manheim, Germany.
6. Reuben LaRUE, b. circa 1661 in Manheim, Germany.


Conclusive documentation connecting Francois LaRue to Matthew Rue, and the assertion that Matthew was born in Germany, is not presently in my possession. The proposed tie came to me in August 1996, in research material provided by Mr. Werner Stanley of St. Louis Park, Minn., who explained:
Francois LaRue may be buried in an old burial ground of Kingston. Too often, these are unattended and unmarked. It was said they farmed near Esopus, which is now Kingston on the 'French Patent.' The surname varied a lot - LaRue, LeRoux, LeRoe, leRoy, Larroway, Rue, Roux, and many more. Some were said to have gone to Canada as they were Tories in the Revolution. If they did, perhaps to Quebec, where the Franch-Canadian is still used. Some sources I used: The LDS Church (Mormons) have IGI files and Ancestral files which are very helpful. And many pointers on where to look further:
  • "Six Generations of LaRue" by Mather, Otis (1898 & 1921), CS71.L3281
  • "Jacques LaRoux" by Champine, E.D. (1939), CS71.S559
  • "Colonial Ancestors" by LaRew, Karl G. (1975), CS71.L328
  • The following statement made by Lee (1910), seemingly with reference to a possible ancestor of the Rue family which later settled in Bucks County, Pennsylvania: "Franz, Jacques and Abraham LeRoy came to New Amsterdam (now New York) from Manheim, in the Pfalz, prior to 1680, having fled to the Palatinate from France some years earlier." Please send e-mail here if you can assist with this question. -TSR



    Matthew RUE of Staten Island, born circa 1656 in Manheim, Germany, and his immediate lineage are the subject of an article by Albert L. Stokes (1970).
    Stokes begins: "It is assumed that this Matthew was the immigrant ancestor but from whence he came has not been ascertained. Rue is a name occurring in many western European counties including England, where even a Matthew Rue is mentioned in the records of the Walloon Church at Canterbury: `Pierre du Riew son of the late Matthew, native of Lille, and Marie duBois, widow of Francois Jaquesman, native of Canterbury, married May 18, 1685."
    A century before the revolution, Americans were already struggling for liberty and experimenting with democratic government. In 1683, the Duke of York sent a new Governor, Thomas Donegan, with instructions to call a general assembly which provided that the supreme legislative authority "under his Majesty and Royal Highness should forever be and reside in a governor, council and the people met in General Assembly." The body was to raise money, but the Governor would control expenditures. The Assembly met for the first time on October 17, 1683, at Fort James, near the present Battery in Manhattan, and adopted a "Charter of Liberties and Privileges" including freedom of worship, trial by jury, and a court system; and which also established the 12 original counties of New York State. One year after the Duke of York became King James II in 1685, he rejected this charter as too strong a challenge to his powers. He also abolished the Assembly.
    In the first year of the reign of King James II, on 23 December 1685, Governor Donegan, granted Matthew LaRUE a tract of land on Staten Island. Matthew had possession of it before the grant, which merely confirmed title already passed, but there is no record of any deed in the land records. (Book A, the earliest, is missing).
    Francois LaRUE, the immigrant and Matthew's father, died circa 1689 and is said to be buried in the former Dutch settlement of Wildwyck, renamed Kingston in 1664 when it came under British control. Kingston was then distinguished by a stockade and palisades standing eight feet above the ground and protecting what is now an area of about eight square blocks.
    Matthew RUE died and reportedly lies buried on Staten Island. His known children include James, John and Matthew RUE.


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    Related Links:
  • Anonymous, "Kingston: A little history."
  • Anonymous, "The New York State Assembly: A historical perspective."