Nicholas Roosevelt (born Nicholas van Rosenvelt) (bap. October 2, 1658 – died July 30, 1742) was an American politician. He was an early member of the
Roosevelt family and a prominent Dutch-American citizen of
New Amsterdam (later
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 was the 4th great-grandfather to
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
(1858–1919) and
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945). He was the first Roosevelt to hold an elected office in North America, as an
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 t ...
, as well as the first to use the familiar spelling of the family name.
Early life
Roosevelt was born in New Amsterdam and baptized on October 2, 1658. He was the son of Claes Maartenszen van Rosenvelt (c. 1626–1659), the immigrant ancestor of the Roosevelt family in America, and Jannetje Samuels Thomas (1625–1660).
He was baptized in the Reformed Dutch Church of New Amsterdam.
Life and career
By 1680, he had moved to
Esopus, near
Kingston, another early Dutch settlement in the
New Netherlands
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 ...
. There, on April 5, 1680, he signed a petition asking for a minister for Kingston. During his time in Esopus, he was a
fur trader on friendly terms with Native Americans.
In 1690, he returned with his family to New York, where he was listed as having the occupation of a "bolter." He was made a freeman on August 23, 1698. Politically active, he was a supporter of the party 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 ...
, who had led an insurrection in 1689 in support of the succession of
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 ...
''stadtholder''
William III of Orange-Nassau to the
English throne in the
Revolution of 1688. Nicholas Roosevelt was an
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 t ...
from 1698 to 1701 and again for the West Ward in 1715.
The Roosevelt family, including Nicholas, were
slaveholders. One of Nicholas's slaves, Tom, was
burned to death on suspicion of having participated in a
failed slave rebellion in 1712.
Personal life
He married Heyltje Jans Kunst (1664–1730) in the Reformed Dutch Church of New York on December 9, 1682.
With his wife, he had ten children, the first four baptized at Esopus and the rest in New York:
* Jannetie Roosevelt (b. 1683)
* Margaretta Roosevelt (b. 1685)
* Nicholaes Roosevelt (b. 1687)
*
Johannes Roosevelt (1689–1750), who married Heyltje Sjoerts (Shourd) (1688–1752) on September 25, 1708.
* Elsie Roosevelt (b. 1691)
* James Jacobus Roosevelt (1692–1776), who married Catharina Hardenbroek. They were the parents of
Isaac Roosevelt.
* Rachel Roosevelt (b. 1693), who died young
* Sarah Roosevelt (b. 1696)
* Rachel Roosevelt (b. 1699)
* Isaac Roosevelt (b. 1701), who died young
He died in New York City on August 30, 1742.
Descendants
Nicholas and his wife were the
last common ancestor
In biology and genetic genealogy, the most recent common ancestor (MRCA), also known as the last common ancestor (LCA) or concestor, of a set of organisms is the most recent individual from which all the organisms of the set are descended. The ...
s of the
Oyster Bay Roosevelts (including
Theodore and
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...
), founded by his son Johannes, and the
Hyde Park Roosevelts (including
Franklin Delano Roosevelt), founded by his son Jacobus.
There are also descendants of his other children.
See also
*
Roosevelt family
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roosevelt, Nicholas
Nicholas
1650s births
1742 deaths
American people of Dutch descent
American slave owners
New York City Council members