DeRuyter is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an or ...

in Madison County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

, United States. The population was 1,589 at the 2010 census. The town is named after

Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch admiral. Widely celebrated and regarded as one of the most skilled admirals in history, De Ruyter is arguably most famous for his achievements with the Dutch N ...

, a famous

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

in the

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 ...

navy. The name de Ruyter (de Ruĳter) means "the Rider". The Town of DeRuyter has a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in it also called DeRuyter. The town is in the southwestern corner of the county. An early settler was Elijah Cornell, father of

Ezra Cornell Ezra Cornell (; January 11, 1807 – December 9, 1874) was an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was the founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University. He also served as President of the New York Agricul ...

, founder of

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company chang ...

and

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teac ...

History

DeRuyter was one of five towns formed before Madison County was created. It was established by a partition of the Town of Cazenovia in 1798. DeRuyter is in the southwestern corner of the county. The town is part of a region called "The Gore," a territory created by a surveying error. Previous to 1795, DeRuyter was included in the town of Whitestown and was part of the "Lincklaen Purchase". "Tromp Township" was the original name given by

John Lincklaen John Lincklaen (24 December 1768 – 9 February 1822) was the founder of Cazenovia, New York. Lincklaen was the Resident Land Agent for the Holland Land Company in Cazenovia, New York, and later the owner and sales agent for the same tracts. A b ...

, a Holland Land Agent in honor of a fellow countryman, Admiral

Maarten Tromp Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp (also written as ''Maerten Tromp''; 23 April 1598 – 31 July 1653) was a Dutch army general and admiral in the Dutch navy. Son of a ship's captain, Tromp spent much of his childhood at sea, including being captured ...

. The new town of DeRuyter was formed on March 15, 1798. Jan Lincklaen once again named it in honor of a fellow countryman, Admiral Michiel DeRuyter. The Village of DeRuyter was incorporated in 1833.

, founder of

re-located from

Westchester, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population of ...

to DeRuyter in 1819. Sig Sautelle's Circus wintered and trained in DeRuyter from 1896 to the early 1900s. The first Four-County Fair ( Cortland, Madison, Chenango and

Onondaga Onondaga may refer to: Native American/First Nations * Onondaga people, a Native American/First Nations people and one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois League * Onondaga (village), Onondaga settlement and traditional Iroquois capit ...

) was held in DeRuyter in 1908. The first DeRuyter Fireman's Fair was held in 1927.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

The DeRuyter Central School District is located on the eastern edge of the village on Railroad Street. DeRuyter Central School is a public school district located in southwestern Madison County. The school houses grades K-12. The current school enrollment is approximately 380 students from the area. The DeRuyter Central School district includes students from DeRuyter, Sheds, Cuyler (in Cortland County) and Lincklaen (in

Chenango County Chenango County is a county located in the south-central section U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,220. Its county seat is Norwich. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning 'large bull-thistl ...

Geography

The western town line forms a border with

and Cortland counties. The southern town line is the border of

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of 31.3 square miles (81.0 km²), of which 30.5 square miles (79.0 km²) is land and 0.8 square mile (2.0 km²) (2.49%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,532 people, 592 households, and 412 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPop ...

was 50.2 people per square mile (19.4/km²). There were 867 housing units at an average density of 28.4 per square mile (11.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.06%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.31%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...

, 0.26% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.07% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.91% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties form ...

or Latino of any race were 0.33% of the population. There were 592 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,911, and the median income for a family was $41,417. Males had a median income of $30,909 versus $22,063 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $17,339. About 7.3% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of DeRuyter

* DeRuyter – A village located in the southwestern corner of the town on Route 13. * DeRuyter Reservoir – A

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

in the northwestern corner of the town, one of the largest in the area. Although it is a reservoir, it is commonly called "DeRuyter Lake." *Puckerville – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Den ...

in the southwestern corner of the town and northeast of DeRuyter village on Route 13. *Quaker Settlement or Quaker Basin – A location in the southeastern corner of the town on Route 58 and east of DeRuyter village. *Sheds – A hamlet in the northeastern corner of the town at Routes 13, 60, and 80. *Sheds Corners – A hamlet southwest of Sheds on Route 13.

Notable people

Francis Marion Burdick Francis Marion Burdick LL.D. (1845–1920) was an American legal scholar. Personal life Francis Marion Burdick was born at De Ruyter, New York on August 1, 1845. His parents were Albert G. Burdick and Eunetia Yale Wheeler Burdick. On June 8, 18 ...

– American legal scholar *

Lyman Gage Lyman Judson Gage (June 28, 1836 – January 26, 1927) was an American financier and Presidential Cabinet officer. Biography Early life He was born in DeRuyter, New York, educated at an academy in Rome, New York, and at the age of 17 be ...

– Secretary of the Treasury

References

External links

http://www.deruyternygov.us/DeRuyter Lake Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deruyter (Town), New York Syracuse metropolitan area 1798 establishments in New York (state) Towns in Madison County, New York Populated places established in 1798