Phillip du Trieux and Susanna du Chesne - my 9th Great Grandparents

The Du Trieux family were Walloons, people of Celtic stock in northeast France (present day Belgium), French speaking, who became Protestants in large numbers at the Reformation. This small area of Europe, which at the time was under Spanish rule, was marked by bloodshed, repression and wide-spread loss of life. Many of the Du Trieux family fled. Some found sanctuary in England and a large family group went, in exile, to the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, which had recently declared its independence from Spain, the Du Trieuxes and other Walloon families settled in Leiden and Amsterdam. As skilled artisans, these Walloons found employment, assistance civil and religious freedoms. Among these was Philippe Du Trieux, born ca. 1586 at Roubaix in what is now France. By 1614 Philippe was a skilled craftsman, serving as a dyer. In 1615, in the Walloon Church of old Amsterdam, he married Jacquemine Noiret, a fellow Huguenot, from Lille, France. In 1620 Jacquemine died, leaving Philippe with three small children (Marie, Philippe Jr., and Madeline, who died in Infancy). In 1621 Philippe married Susanna Du Chesne, a Huguenot from Sedan, France. To them was born a son, Jerome, in the fall of 1623, Jerome died prior to Philippe's emigration in 1624.
Philippe and his fellow Walloons had long been seeking the means to settle either in North or South America. His family, along with 29 other families largely of Walloon identification, entered into a contract with the West India Company to relocate to America. They came to 'New Netherlands' from exile in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Sailing on the vessel "New Amsterdam", Philippe, wife Susanna du Chesne, his son Philippe Jr. and daughter Maria of his first marriage, departed the Netherlands at the beginning of April 1624 and arrived in New Amsterdam (New York City) in mid-May 1624, seeking religious freedom. 
Philippe was one of the first settlers of Schenectady. He was appointed court messenger of New Amsterdam, 1638 by Director-General Kieft. He and his wife Susanna Du Chesne probably came to New Amsterdam aboard the New Netherland in 1624. (Source "House of Truax," NYGBR July, October 1926, January 1927.)   Upon the purchase of Manhattan Island in 1626, all Dutch and Walloon settlers were gathered from their original 1624 settlement points and brought to Manhattan. There, Philippe and Susanna's family continued to expand (four daughters and three sons, all of whom had children). 

 Philippe and his eldest son, Philippe Jr., were killed in 1652, probably by Indians.

With very few exceptions, all those with the surname Truax, Truex, Trueax, Truaxe and other variants are descended from Philippe du Trieux.