The story of Jan

I've been scanning lots of archival material onto my computer lately, and trying to re-acquaint myself with the very old stories on all those pages. This is material I copied while in the Mormon Church's large main library in Salt Lake City. Since you can't check out any of these reference volumes, you end up doing a lot of photocopying!
Anyway, the following is an interesting historical account of someone whose life definitely had some ups and downs. (Note: I don't think anyone uses the phrase "Mohammedan" for Muslim anymore!)

1607
Jan Janse, a Dutch sailor, had a son, Anthony Jansen, born this year in Cartagena, Spain. The family, with a second son and daughter, later lived at Haarlem, Holland.

1618
While on a trading mission at the Island of Langarote in the Canaries, Jan Janse was captured by pirates, taken to Algiers and forced into slavery. Jan was offered the choice of continuing to be a Christian slave and be castrated or forswear his religion and become a Mohammedan (!) Jan became a Mohammedan and later a famous pirate captain working out of Salee, Fez and Vaas, Morocco. Jan had a winning way and it is believed for political reasons he married a second wife, a Mohammedan lady said to be a daughter or granddaughter of Muley Zidan, the Sultan of Morocco from 1608 until his death in 1627. Jan Janse became the Admiral of Muley Zidan's fleet and Admiral Jan's son, Anthony, joined him at age 15 at Salee.

1627 ("Republic of Selee", promounced "Sally'l)
There was by now much political change and worst of all famine. Early in September the naturally protected port city of Salee formed the "Republic of Salee". It had originally been founded by pirates of Carthage (Jan's old stomping ground) to trade in gold and slaves. There were, however, some reservations in the "Republic” as it had to send Zidan some slaves each year to show his superiority. A town on the other side of the bay where the Kasbah is located originally known as “New Salee", is now RABAT.

His Majesty Moulay Zidan died September 20th, some say of the pest, others say by assassination. By 1629 horrors turned to pestilence forcing thousands to flee. Great numbers of Moors and Jews died of starvation and our Admiral Jan Janse sent his son Anthony, the other son and a daughter who had come to visit all back to Holland. Since Jan was now a man of enormous wealth it is believed he sent them back loaded with gold. Jan also had other children by his second wife in Morocco; it is believed at least another daughter and two more sons, one named Philip and one Abraham. As time went on conditions improved and Jan was responsible for much civic improvement in Salee and also continued loyalty to the succeeding Sultan, Moulay Abd el-Malek. An additional title was given him, Governor of Salee, and his living quarters the castle EI-oualidia.

The last reference found of Jan Janse van Haarlem, alias Morat Rais, the Caid Morato, was in 1641. He was a man of commanding appearance, great ability, authority and charm. It took all this to be able to control a group of renegade pirate captains, to treat and to form friendships with the envoys from the European countries and finally to gain and retain the devotion of the Sultans. At all times Jan had maintained good political relations with the Dutch officials….

Jan is one of my direct ancestors. From the account here, it's clear he had children with his moslem wife. So the descendants of that union would be related to me, also. I wonder what the odds are of locating any of those descendants? I think it would be great to find at least one of them! I'm curious as to whether there are any surviving local records that far back in Morocco. I guess it'll depend on if they had any General "shitwad" Sherman types who swept through the region, torching everything in sight - like what happened here in the south (#&@%#*@^$ !).