Abraham Van Buren (February 17, 1737 – April 8, 1817) was the father of

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

, the eighth president of the United States.

Biography

Abraham Van Buren was born in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

on February 17, 1737, the son of Marten Pieterse Van Buren (1701–1766) and Dirckje (Van Alstyne) Van Buren. The fifth of nine children, he was a descendant of Cornelis Maessen, a native of

Buurmalsen Buurmalsen is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of West Betuwe, and lies about 9 km west of Tiel. Part of the village is located in Buren. Buurmalsen was a separate municipality from 1818 to 1978, ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

who had come to North America in 1631. Van Buren owned a Kinderhook farm and several slaves, as well as a combined tavern and inn. Most of Kinderhook's residents were descendants of the Dutch colonists who created

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva P ...

, and they spoke

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

as their primary language. The Van Buren tavern was strategically situated on the main route between

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and Albany. In addition to being a prominent destination for stagecoach travelers, Van Buren's tavern was also a prominent local meeting place, and used for political gatherings, town meetings, and as a polling place. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, Van Buren was identified with the

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

cause, serving in the Albany County Militia's 7th Regiment with the rank of captain. After the war, Van Buren was active in politics as an

Anti-Federalist Anti-Federalism was a late-18th century political movement that opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and which later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution. The previous constitution, called the Articles of Con ...

and Jeffersonian, and he joined the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...

at its founding. In 1787, Van Buren was elected to serve as Kinderhook's town clerk, the first individual chosen for this position after it was created. He served until 1797 and was succeeded by his stepson James I. Van Alen. The details of Abraham Van Buren's education are not known, but according to 1914's ''A History of Old Kinderhook'', his excellent penmanship and the legibility of the town records he produced was still notable more than 120 years after he created them.

Family

In 1776, Abraham Van Buren married Maria Hoes (or Goes) Van Alen (1747–1818), the widow of Johannes Van Alen. From his wife's first marriage to Johannes Van Alen, Van Buren was the stepfather of: * Marytje (or Maria) Van Alen (1768–1829), who married John L. Hoes. * John I. Van Alen (1770–1805) * James I. Van Alen (1772–1822), who practiced law with

, succeeded Abraham Van Buren as town clerk and also served as a member of Congress (1807–1809). From his own marriage, Van Buren's children included: * Dirckie "Derike" Van Buren (1777–1865), who married Barent Hoes (1777–1853). Barent Hoes was the brother of Martin Van Buren's wife, and served in local offices including town clerk. * Jannetje (Called "Hannah" or "Jane") Van Buren (1780–1838), who never married and who resided with her sister Dirckie Van Buren and brother-in-law Barent Hoes. *

(1782–1862), 8th

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

. * Lawrence (or Laurence) Van Buren (1786–1868), a store owner and attorney who served as a militia officer in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

and held local offices including Kinderhook

Town Supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

, postmaster, and presidential elector in 1852. * Abraham Van Buren (1788–1836), an attorney who served as Columbia County Surrogate after Martin Van Buren and James I. Van Alen.

Death and burial

Van Buren died in Kinderhook on April 8, 1817. He was buried at Kinderhook Reformed Church Cemetery.

Reputation

Martin Van Buren apparently said and wrote very little about his father. In one of his few recorded recollections, Martin Van Buren wrote of his father that Abraham Van Buren was an amiable man who had no enemies, but also had little talent for making or saving money. Abraham Van Buren's children erected a marker over his grave, which contained a detailed epitaph:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Buren, Abraham 1737 births 1817 deaths American people of Dutch descent Burials in New York (state) Fathers of presidents of the United States Fathers of vice presidents of the United States Martin Van Buren New York (state) Anti-Federalists New York (state) Democratic-Republicans New York (state) militiamen in the American Revolution People from Kinderhook, New York Abraham 1737