William Provost and his second wife, Maeijken Stevens, may have fled Antwerp in 1576 at the time of the Spanish Fury.
At some time William Provost and his family seem to have moved to nearby Middelburg in the Province of Zeeland.
William's will, written in 1606, lists three of his children: Elijsabeth (deceased but whose child was alive), Katherina, and Wilhelmus.
[11] This version of William's life lists his children as Johannes, David, Wilhelmes, Elias, and Benjamin.
Perhaps the story that William Provost was warned by a Colonel in the army and fled is correct ... only that it occurred in Antwerp prior to the Spanish Fury.
Some of the descendants of William Provost may have incorrectly linked this event with the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in Paris.