Peter Goelet (January 5, 1727 – October 11, 1811) was a merchant and real estate entrepreneur of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Early life

Peter Goelet was born on January 5, 1727, in

. He was the fifth of thirteen children born to Jan "John" Goelet (1694–1753) and Jannetje (

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 ...

Cannon) Goelet (1698–1778), who married in 1718. Among his siblings was Raphael, Jacobus, Frans, Maria, John, and Catharine Goelet (wife of Peter Theobaldus Curtenius). He was descended from a family of

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss politica ...

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

who, due to the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV and granted the Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was in essence completely Catholic. In the edict, Henry aimed pr ...

, escaped in 1621 to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. His paternal grandfather, Jacobus Goelet, was ten years old when he arrived in New York in 1676 with his widowed father, François "Francis" Goelet. Francis returned to Amsterdam on business, and left Jacobus in the care of

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 ...

(who became 1st Lord of

Philipsburg Manor Philipsburg Manor (sometimes referred to as Philipse Manor) was a Manorialism, manor located north of New York City in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County in the Province of New York. Netherlands-born Frederick Philipse I and two p ...

in 1693), but was lost at sea before his return. Peter's father was one of six children born to Jacobus Goelet and Jannetje (née Cossart) Goelet (daughter of Dutch-born Jacques Jacob Cossart). His maternal grandparents were merchant Jan Cannon and Mary (née Le Grand) Cannon.

Career

Goelet was at first in partnership as a hardware merchant with his brother-in-law, Peter Theobaldus Curtenius, but from 1763 his place of business was Hanover Square, at the sign of the Golden Key. After their partnership dissolved, he moved his business to his residence at 113-115 Pearl Street, where he sold musical instruments, brushes, hardware, and cutlery. In May 1775, he was elected a member of the Committee of One Hundred and the

Committee of Correspondence The committees of correspondence were, prior to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, a collection of American political organizations that sought to coordinate opposition to British Parliament and, later, support for American independe ...

in support of the American patriots. He used his profits from his merchant business, and the Revolutionary War, to buy real estate in Manhattan, later acquiring a wharf and yard on Exchange Slip, and establishing the

Goelet family The Goelet family is an influential family from New York, of Huguenot origins, that owned significant real estate in New York City. History The Goelets are descended from a family of Protestant Huguenots from La Rochelle in France, who escaped per ...

fortune. In 1799, Goelet wrote to

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

regarding Gen.

Philip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler (; November 18, 1804) was an American general in the Revolutionary War and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler. Born in Alba ...

's purchase of lands from Robert Morris as a trustee of the American Iron Company.

Personal life

In 1755, he married Elizabeth Ratsey (1734–1769) at Trinity Church in New York. Elizabeth was the daughter of another prominent New York merchant. Elizabeth inherited extensive lands around 14th Street. They were the parents of six children (two sons married daughters of wealthy Scottish merchant Thomas Buchanan, at one time a director of the United States Bank): * Alice Goelet (1756–1793) * Jannetje Goelet (1758–1840), who married Lt. Colonel

Robert Troup Robert Troup (1757 – January 14, 1832) was a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New York. He participated in the Batt ...

of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

. * John Goelet (1759–1853), who married Eliza Taylor Buncombe (1766–1840), daughter of

Edward Buncombe Edward Buncombe (1742–1778) was a plantation owner from the Province of North Carolina who served as a colonel in the North Carolina militia and Continental Army (the army of the Patriot side) in the American Revolutionary War. He is the namesak ...

. * Peter P. Goelet (1764–1828), who married Almy Buchanan (1768–1848) in 1799. * Elizabeth Goelet (1766–1856), who married William Cornelius Bucknor. * Robert Ratsey Goelet (1769–1824), who married Margaret Buchanan. After his first wife's death in 1769, Goelet remarried to Mary Ludlow (1734–1773), daughter of Henry Ludlow, Esq. of New York, on December 4, 1770. Before Mary's death in 1773, they were the parents of Mary Goelet (1773–1774), who died in infancy. After the death of his second wife, Goelet remarried for a third time to Elizabeth Farmer, the daughter of Thomas Farmer and Sarah (née Billop) Farmer, who inherited the Bentley estate in

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

. Peter and Elizabeth, who married on October 26, 1775, had five children, Sarah, Thomas Billop, Mary, Catherine, and Christopher Billop Goelet. Elizabeth also died and Peter married her sister, Rachel Farmer, on February 1, 1792. Goelet died in New York on October 11, 1811.

Descendants

His son, Peter P. Goelet, added to his real estate holdings and had four children, Peter (1800–1879), Jean Buchanan (1802–1882), Hannah Green (1806–1895), who married Capt.

Thomas Russell Gerry Thomas Russell Gerry (December 8, 1794 – October 8, 1848) was an American sailor who was active in the Sons of the American Revolution and was a son of the fifth U.S. Vice President Elbridge Gerry. Early life Gerry was born on December 8, 1794 ...

USN The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

(a son of U.S. Vice President

Elbridge Gerry Elbridge Gerry (; July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death in 18 ...

), and

Robert Goelet Robert Goelet Jr. (September 29, 1841 – April 27, 1899) was an American heir, businessman and yachtsman from New York City during the Gilded Age. Early life Robert Goelet was born on September 29, 1841 in Manhattan, New York City, to Sarah ...

(1809–1879). Peter and for a time, his sister Hannah lived in a mansion on the northeast corner of Broadway and 19th Street, which grounds were known for peacocks, storks, and other exotic birds. Robert was the father of

and

Ogden Goelet Ogden Goelet (June 11, 1851 New York City – August 27, 1897 Cowes, Isle of Wight) was an American heir, businessman and yachtsman from New York City during the Gilded Age. With his wife, he built Ochre Court in Newport, Rhode Island, his so ...

, who were both prominent in New York and grew the Goelet wealth further. Peter Goelet's great-grandson

George Goelet Kip George Goelet Kip (January 15, 1845 – June 27, 1926) was a New York lawyer, heir and member of the Goelet family during the Gilded Age. Early life Kip was born on January 15, 1845, in New York City. He was the son of Elbert Samuel Kip (1799� ...

was also a prominent landowner in Manhattan and a business associate of his cousins Robert and Ogden.

References

External links

Peter Goelet Papers
Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library,

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goelet, Peter 1727 births 1811 deaths Goelet family Huguenot participants in the American Revolution Businesspeople from New York City