Frederick Van Cortlandt (1699 – February 2, 1749) was an American merchant and landowner.

Early life

Van Cortlandt was born in 1699 and christened on April 23, 1699. He was the only surviving son born to

Jacobus Van Cortlandt Jacobus van Cortlandt (1658–1739) was a wealthy Dutch-born American merchant, slave owner, and politician who served as the 30th and 33rd Mayor of New York City from 1710 to 1711 and again from 1719 to 1720. Early life Jacobus Van Cortland ...

(1658–1739) and the former Eva de Vries Philipse (b. 1660). His older sister, Margaret Van Cortlandt, was married to Abraham de Peyster, a son of

Abraham de Peyster Abraham de Peyster (July 8, 1657 – August 3, 1728) was the 20th mayor of New York City from 1691 to 1694, and served as Governor of New York, 1700–1701. Early life De Peyster was born in New Amsterdam on July 8, 1657, to Johannes de Peyst ...

, and his younger sister, Mary Van Cortlandt, was married to Peter Jay (the brother of Van Cortlandt's wife). Mary and Peter were parents of

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

man

James Jay Sir James Jay (October 16, 1732 – 1815) was an American physician and politician. He was brother of John Jay, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. While initially a supporter of American independence, he later changed his views b ...

, and

John Jay John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the f ...

, a

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor h ...

and the 1st Chief Justice of the United States. His father served as the 30th and 33rd

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

. His paternal grandparents were

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

born Annetje "Anna" (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Loockermans) Van Cortlandt, and Dutch born Captain Olof Stevense van Cortlandt, who arrived in

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...

in 1637, a soldier and bookkeeper that rose to high colonial ranks through his work with the

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ...

, eventually serving many terms as

burgomaster Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chie ...

and

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members ...

. Among his extended family was uncle

Stephanus van Cortlandt Stephanus van Cortlandt (May 7, 1643 – November 25, 1700) was the first native-born mayor of New York City, a position which he held from 1677 to 1678 and from 1686 to 1688. He was the patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor and was on the governor' ...

(who married Gertruy van Schuyler) and aunt Maria van Cortlandt (who married

Jeremias van Rensselaer Jeremias van Rensselaer (Amsterdam, 16 May 1632 – October 12, 1674) was the third son of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, one of the founders and directors of the Dutch West India Company who was instrumental in the establishment of New Netherland a ...

). His maternal grandparents were Margaret (née Hardenbroeck) de Vries and Peter Rudolphus de Vries. After his biological grandfather's death, his grandmother remarried to

Frederick Philipse Frederick Philipse (born Frederick Flypsen;Appleton, W.S. ''The Heraldic Journal, Recording the Amorial Bearings and Genealogies of American Families'', Wiggen & Lunt, Boston, 1867 1626 in Bolsward, Netherlands – December 23, 1702), first Lord ...

, the 1st Lord of Philipsborough Manor, who adopted his mother Eva and changed her last name to Philipse upon their marriage (which produced another eleven children).Morris, F.O., ''Philipse of Philipsburgh'', in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 10 (1856

Married 1662, name listed as "Philipszen", New York Genealogical & Biographical Record (quarterly), 1875, selected extracts After his maternal grandmother's death , his adopted grandfather married his paternal aunt, Catherine (née van Cortlandt) Derval, the widow of Johannes Derval.

Career

Upon his father's death in 1739, Frederick inherited all of his father's lands, known as

Van Cortlandt Manor Van Cortlandt Manor is a 17th-century house and property built by the van Cortland family located near the confluence of the Croton and Hudson Rivers in the village of Croton-on-Hudson in Westchester County, New York, United States. The colonial ...

, which had been owned by his family since 1691 and expanded under his father's ownership. Frederick's father had established a wheat growing and processing business which included a saw mill, grist mill, and a fleet of draft boats that carried the flour from the south end of his lake down

Tibbetts Brook Tibbetts Brook, originally Tippett's Brook or Tibbitt's Brook, is a stream in the southern portion of mainland New York, flowing north to south from the city of Yonkers in Westchester County into the borough of the Bronx within New York City. Or ...

and out to the

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

and

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...

s to market. In 1748, Van Cortlandt began construction on a large family mansion that is today known as the Van Cortlandt House, the oldest surviving building in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

Personal life

On January 19, 1724, Van Cortlandt was married to Frances Jay (1701–1780), a daughter of Auguste Jay and Anne Marika (née

Bayard Bayard may refer to: People *Bayard (given name) * Bayard (surname) *Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard (1473–1524) French knight Places * Bayard, Delaware, an unincorporated community * Bayard (Jacksonville), Florida, a neighborhood * Bayard ...

) Jay. Together, they were the parents of: * James Van Cortlandt (1727–1781), who married Elizabeth Cuyler (1731–1815), a daughter of Albany mayor

Cornelis Cuyler Cornelis Cuyler or Cornelius Cuyler (baptized February 14, 1697 – March 14, 1765) was a prominent American of Dutch ancestry who served as the Mayor of Albany, New York, from 1742 to 1746. Early life and family Cuyler was born in 1697 and ba ...

. * Augustus Van Cortlandt (1728–1823), who married Elsie Cuyler (1737–1761), also a daughter of Cornelis Cuyler, in 1760. After her death in 1761, he married Catherine Barclay (1744–1808), daughter of Andrew Barclay and Helena (née

Roosevelt Roosevelt may refer to: *Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president Businesses and organisations * Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation) * Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank * Rooseve ...

) Barclay. Augustus, a

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British C ...

, was the last Clerk of the City and County of New York under British rule. * Frederick Van Cortlandt II (1730–1800), who did not marry. * Eva Van Cortlandt (1732–1733), who died in infancy. * Anne Van Horne (1736–1790), who married Nathaniel Marston III (1730–1759). After his death, she married Augustus Valette Van Horne (1736–1796). * Eva Van Cortlandt (1737–1836), who married Henry White (1732–1786). Van Cortlandt died on February 2, 1749, shortly before his house (which was left the house to his eldest son James) was completed. Frederick was buried at the family burial grounds established on what has today become known as Vault Hill in

Van Cortlandt Park Van Cortlandt Park is a park located in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, it is managed with assistance from the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance. The park, the city's third-lar ...

. After James' death in 1781, the house passed to Frederick's second son, Augustus.

Descendants

Through his son Augustus, he was the grandfather of Anne Van Cortlandt (1766–1814), who married her first cousin (also a grandchild of Frederick), Henry White Jr. (1763–1822), and Helen Van Cortlandt (1768–1812), who married James Morris (a son of

Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Contin ...

, signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

). Through his granddaughter Anne, he was the great-grandfather of Helen Van Cortlandt White, the wife of

Abraham Schermerhorn Abraham Schermerhorn (April 9, 1783 – February 3, 1850) was a wealthy New York City merchant who was also prominent in social affairs. He was the father of Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, known as the Mrs. Astor. Early life Schermerhorn was b ...

and mother of Caroline Webster Schermerhorn, who was well known in New York society during the

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Wes ...

for her marriage to

William Backhouse Astor Jr. William Backhouse Astor Jr. (July 12, 1829 – April 25, 1892) was an American businessman, racehorse owner/breeder, and yachtsman who was a member of the prominent Astor family. His elder brother, financier and philanthropist John Jacob Astor II ...

Through his youngest daughter Eva, he was the grandfather of Margaret White (1774–1857), who married

Peter Jay Munro Peter Jay Munro (January 10, 1767 – September 22, 1833) was an American lawyer and Federalist politician from New York. Early life Munro was born on January 10, 1767, in Rye in the Province of New York in what was then British America. He was ...

(1767–1833), owner of

Manor Park, Larchmont Manor Park is a park in the village of Larchmont, New York. It consists of about of land (with a shoreline of more than ) that lies along the Long Island Sound and Larchmont Harbor. It is well known for its striated rocks, gazebos, scenic views a ...

and a cousin and law partner of Peter Augustus Jay (eldest son of Frederick's nephew

). Through his daughter Anne, he was the grandfather of Mary (née Marston) Philipse (wife of Frederick Philipse, son of

Philip Philipse Philip Philipse (1663–1699) was the eldest son and heir of Frederick Philipse, a Dutch-born merchant trader, slaver, land baron, and 1st Lord of Philipsburg Manor. However, he died before his father, and by Frederick's will Philip's legacy was ...

and grandson of

Frederick Philipse II Frederick Philipse II ( – July 26, 1751), was a colonial American merchant, landowner, and politician. Philipse was the only son of Maria Sparkes, daughter of the Governor of Barbados, and Philip Philipse, eldest son of Frederick Philipse I, 1s ...

, 2nd Lord of Philipsburg Manor); Frances (née Marston) Mongan-Warburton (wife of Terence Charles Mongan-Warburton), and Elizabeth (née van Horne) Clarkson (grandmother of Thomas Streatfeild Clarkson).

References

;Notes ;Sources

External links