Piersom subsequently married a woman by the name of Peronne Hennebo, who died at Leyden, A. D. 1589, leaving two daughters, Maria and Martha, both born at Hoorn. This Martha was the wife of Doctor Dirk Volkertsz Velius, who wrote the Chronicles of Hoorn, and the mother of Pieter Velius of Hoorn.
Piersom’s third wife was Habeau de la Motte, mother of Margriete des Muliers, who resided at Gonda.
Piersom fell asleep in the Lord in Leyden, in the year 1591, leaving a son by his first wife Claudine, two daughters by his second wife Peronne, and a daughter by his last wife, as already said.
Claudine was beautiful of person, and a good singer, so that she moved the bystanders by her singing. Especially on the last day of her life, people stood before the prison, to hear her sing with a joyful heart, when death was announced to her. One who related it to me had heard her sing with a clear, strong voice the 27th psalm of David:
Le Seigneur est la clarte qui m’addresse.
And the people firmly believed that if they had not gagged her when they brought her to the place of execution, she would have departed life singing and praising God.
This account we received from D. N. M., the son of Piersom and Claudine, by the help of D. D. V., Claudine’s brother-in-law.
FURTHER ACCOUNT OF THE AFORESAID CLAUDINE LE VETTRE.
The descendants of Piersom, the husband of Claudine le Vettre, claimed to have received, by way of tradition, that this Piersom at the time of the imprisonment of his aforementioned wife betook himself to a miller who lived in or near his mill, which stood close under the walls of Ypres, in order to be able there daily to get tidings from his beloved wife, which, gleaned from street rumors, were brought to him by the miller’s wife, as often as she returned from town, though without knowing that it was his wife, or that he was an Anabaptist.
She judged Claudine not to be in her right mind, because she had allowed herself to be rebaptized, and let so many sufferings be inflicted upon her on this account, and would rather die, than do what the priests said. This every time pierced Piersom’s heart like a dagger, and often compelled him to step aside to give vent to the deep feelings of his heart.