Evert Bancker (January 24, 1665 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 ...

– July 1734 in

Guilderland, New York Guilderland is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. In the 2020 census, the town had a population of 36,848. The town is named for the Gelderland province in the Netherlands. The town of Guilderland is on the central-northwest border ...

) was an American trader and politician who was

Mayor of Albany From its formal chartering on 22 July 1686 until 1779, the mayors of Albany, New York, were appointed by the royal governor of New York, per the provisions of the original city charter, issued by Governor Thomas Dongan. From 1779 until 1839, may ...

from 1695 to 1696 and from 1707 to 1709.

Early life

He was the only surviving son of Gerrit Bancker (1635–1691), a pioneer fur trader, and Lysbet "Elizabeth" Van Epps (1630–1691), a trader's daughter with ties to the Mohawk Valley. His younger sister, Anna Bancker (1670–1740), married Johannes de Peyster, the Mayor of New York City. His father died in 1691, and he was named co-executor of the estate. Upon the death of his mother in 1693, he inherited a substantial family estate that included holdings in Albany and New York. He was among a number of Albany natives who maintained dual residency - being admitted to the "Freedom" of New York City in 1697.

Career

He followed his father in the fur trade and used his earnings to acquire land. His Albany house was located on the South side of today's State Street just east of his father's home. He was elected to the Albany Common Council - serving as assistant for the First Ward in 1688 and as alderman beginning in 1689. He was one of the few City Fathers who accepted appointment to the Council during the regime of

Jacob Leisler Jacob Leisler ( – May 16, 1691) was a German-born colonist who served as a politician in the Province of New York. He gained wealth in New Amsterdam (later New York City) in the fur trade and tobacco business. In what became known as Leisler ...

. Re-elected as alderman in 1691, he held that seat until 1707. Bancker was appointed the third Mayor of Albany in 1694 and served for a year. He was appointed mayor again in 1707, serving until 1709. He was elected to the Provincial Assembly of New York in 1702 and, with his brother-in-law Johannes Abeel, was appointed Master of the Provincial Chancery Court in 1705. After the Peace of 1713, he retired from municipal affairs and gave the State Street property to his nephew Johannes De Peyster. He moved with his family to his farm in Guilderland, several miles west of Albany. He continued trading and maintained his position as

Commissioner of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and ...

, making a number of trips to the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

country.

Personal life

On September 24, 1686, he married Elizabeth Abeel (1671–1734). She was the sister of

Johannes Abeel Johannes Abeel (March 23, 1667 – January 28, 1711) was an Albany, New York, merchant and public official. He was the second and thirteenth mayor of Albany. Early life Johannes (sometimes written John) was born on March 23, 1667 in Albany, New ...

, who also served as

. He was an officer of the church and the friend of

Dominie Dominie ( Wiktionary definition) is a Scots language and Scottish English term for a Scottish schoolmaster usually of the Church of Scotland and also a term used in the US for a minister or pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church. Origin It comes fr ...

Johannes Lydius. Their family was large as they baptized thirteen children in the Albany Dutch Church between 1688 and 1710, including: * Gerardus Bancker (b. 1688), who died young. * Neeltje Bancker (1689–1712) * Gerardus Bancker (b. 1691), who died young. * Elisabeth Bancker (1693–1744), who married Gerrit Lansing, son of Johannes G. Lansing, in 1715. * Christoffel Bancker (1695–1762), who married Elizabeth Hooglant (b. 1699), in New York 1719. * Anna Bancker (1697-1706), who died young. * Willem Bancker (1699–1772), who married Annatje Gerritse Veeder (b. 1703), daughter of Gerrit Symonse Veeder (1674–1755), in 1726. * Jannetje Bancker (1701–1757), who married Harmanus Schuyler (1700–1748), son of David Davidse Schuyler. * Adrianus Bancker (b. 1703), who married G. Elisabeth Van Taerling in 1729. * Gerardus Bancker (1706–1755), who married Maria de Peyster (1710–1759), daughter of Johannes de Peyster, in 1731. * Anna Bancker (1708–1709), who died young. * Johannes Bancker (1709–1710), who died young. * Johannes Bancker (b. 1710), who married Magdalena Veeder (b. 1710), sister of his brother's wife. Following the death of his wife in March 1734, he made his last will. The widower left his estate including the "farm where I now live" to his seven living children. Intending to live there under the care of his son, Johannes, he died in July and was buried on the Guilderland farm.

Descendants

His grandson Evert Bancker (1721–1803), was Speaker of the New York State Assembly from 1779 to 1783.

Sources

External links

Evert Bancker
biography at the

New York State Museum The New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol ...

Evert Bancker's
will at the

Evert Bancker's
biography at

RootsWeb Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...