Pieter Van Brugh
Encyclopedia
Pieter Van Brugh was the Mayor of Albany, New York
from 1699 to 1700 and from 1721 to 1723.
Pieter Van Brugh was a member of the Dutch aristocracy of Albany. His sister, Catharina, was the daughter-in-law of Rensselaerswyck patroon
, Jeremias van Rensselaer
, and Pieter was the great-granduncle of American Revolutionary War
soldier, Peter Gansevoort
. Van Brugh was also the father-in-law of the second lord of Livingston Manor
, Philip Livingston
.
Pieter Van Brugh was the oldest son of Johannes Pieterse Van Brugh and Catharina Roeloffs (sometimes shown as Trijntje Roeloffs). Pieter's mother's parents were from Norway
. Roelof Janse (1602–1637) was born in Marstrandsön, a small island situated in Bohuslän
province in Norway, today a part of Kungälv Municipality
, Västra Götaland County, Sweden
. Anneke Jans (1605–1663) was born on Flekkerøy
, an island situated outside the town of Kristiansand
, Vest-Agder
county, Norway
.
His father, Johannes, had made a fortune by migrating from the Netherlands
to New Netherland
and exporting furs and other natural resources from Manhattan
. Pieter Van Brugh married Sara Cuyler in November 1688. Uncharacteristic for the era, the couple had only one child, Catharina, who was born in 1689. After serving time as a militia lieutenant in New York City
, Van Brugh entered the family business and lived with his wife's family in Albany. He became a constable
in 1692 followed by several other public duties in the following years. In 1697, he inherited the Cuyler's home.
In 1699, Van Brugh's prominence led to his appointment as Mayor of Albany which he held until the following year. In the following decades, he became one of the wealthiest businessmen in Albany and was named mayor for a second time from 1721 to 1723.
When he died in 1740, Van Brugh and his wife had twelve grandchildren and had raised several orphaned nieces but had no sons thereby ending the Van Brugh family name in Albany. Van Brugh was one of the last to be interred beneath Albany Dutch Reformed church.
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
from 1699 to 1700 and from 1721 to 1723.
Pieter Van Brugh was a member of the Dutch aristocracy of Albany. His sister, Catharina, was the daughter-in-law of Rensselaerswyck patroon
Patroon
In the United States, a patroon was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland in North America...
, Jeremias van Rensselaer
Jeremias van Rensselaer
Jeremias van Rensselaer was the third son of Kiliaen van Rensselear and the fourth patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck.-Life:...
, and Pieter was the great-granduncle of American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
soldier, Peter Gansevoort
Peter Gansevoort
Peter Gansevoort was a Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is best known for leading the resistance to Barry St. Leger's Siege of Fort Stanwix in 1777. Gansevoort was also the maternal grandfather of Moby-Dick author Herman Melville.-Early life:He was born...
. Van Brugh was also the father-in-law of the second lord of Livingston Manor
Livingston Manor
This article contains information related to Livingston Manor, the 18th century New York estate. Livingston Manor, New York is a town in Sullivan County...
, Philip Livingston
Philip Livingston (1686-1749)
Philip Livingston was an American politician.He was born in Albany, New York in his father's town house. Upon the death of his father, Robert Livingston the Elder, he became the Secretary of Indian Affairs, as well as the second Lord of Livingston Manor. He was a member of the Provincial Council...
.
Pieter Van Brugh was the oldest son of Johannes Pieterse Van Brugh and Catharina Roeloffs (sometimes shown as Trijntje Roeloffs). Pieter's mother's parents were from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Roelof Janse (1602–1637) was born in Marstrandsön, a small island situated in Bohuslän
Bohuslän
' is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Götaland on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the west, and the county of Østfold in Norway to the north...
province in Norway, today a part of Kungälv Municipality
Kungälv Municipality
Kungälv Municipality is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Kungälv....
, Västra Götaland County, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Anneke Jans (1605–1663) was born on Flekkerøy
Flekkerøy
Flekkerøy is an island situated outside the town of Kristiansand, part of Kristiansand municipality. Since 1989 it is connected to the mainland through a 2320 meter long tunnel. It has 2,632 inhabitants .-History:...
, an island situated outside the town of Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
, Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder
In the 16th century, Dutch merchant vessels began to visit ports in southern Norway to purchase salmon and other goods. Soon thereafter the export of timber began, as oak from southern Norway was exceptionally well suited for shipbuilding...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
His father, Johannes, had made a fortune by migrating from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
and exporting furs and other natural resources from Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Pieter Van Brugh married Sara Cuyler in November 1688. Uncharacteristic for the era, the couple had only one child, Catharina, who was born in 1689. After serving time as a militia lieutenant in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Van Brugh entered the family business and lived with his wife's family in Albany. He became a constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
in 1692 followed by several other public duties in the following years. In 1697, he inherited the Cuyler's home.
In 1699, Van Brugh's prominence led to his appointment as Mayor of Albany which he held until the following year. In the following decades, he became one of the wealthiest businessmen in Albany and was named mayor for a second time from 1721 to 1723.
When he died in 1740, Van Brugh and his wife had twelve grandchildren and had raised several orphaned nieces but had no sons thereby ending the Van Brugh family name in Albany. Van Brugh was one of the last to be interred beneath Albany Dutch Reformed church.
Other sources
- Pieter Van Brugh - Biography written by Stefan Bielinski at New York State Museum web site.
- Sara Cuyler Van Brugh - Biography written by Stefan Bielinski at New York State Museum web site.
- Johannes Pieterse Van Brugh and Trijntje Roeloffs - The Genealogy of Walter Gilbert
- Zabriskie, George Olin, The Founding Families of New Netherland—The Roelofs and Bogardus Families (de Halve Maen, vol. 48, no. 2, July, 1973, Part IV, p. 9.)
- Roelof (Roeloffse) Jansen Scandinavian Immigrants In New York 1630 - 1674 by John O. Evjen