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Evert Bancker
Henry Van Dyck was the last in a long line of Albany physicians. He was born in October 1726, the third child and oldest surviving son of Albany residents Cornelis and Maria Bries Van Dyck.
He
married Margarita Douw of Rensselaerswyck in 1752.
By 1760, their six children had been baptized in
the Albany Dutch church where both parents were pewholders.
Like
most of his American forebears, Henry Van Dyck served
the people of Albany and its hinterland as a traditional
physician. Probably trained by his father and uncles,
his practice was extensive if not distinguished.
In 1756, he was one of two "doctors" listed on a census of Albany householders. His home and office were on east side of Court Street from where he served the people of his neighborhood and family members as well.
By
the late 1760s, Dr. Van Dyck was an Albany mainstay
whose practice was connected to the operations of
city government where he served as its unofficial
physician. He derived additional income from the
sale of wines and other products. Earlier, he had
inherited his father's estate. In 1766, his Albany
holdings made him one of the city's wealthiest residents.
On
the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, this talented
Albany native was not fifty-years-old and figured
to be called on to serve the American cause. However,
it soon became apparent that his sympathies were
not with the revolutionaries. In May 1777, he refused
to take the oath of allegiance to New York State
and was ordered confined. A year later, he was sent
to the British in New York. On parole, he lived on
Long Island and in New Jersey while unsuccessfully
seeking to be re-instated in Albany.
In
September 1779, a petition signed by sixty-three
prominent Albany people asked Governor Clinton to
send Dr. Van Dyck back to Albany where his skills
were sorely missed. However, on the advice of other
informants, Clinton was not persuaded that Van Dyck
should be allowed to return home or even that his
wife and her sister be permitted to visit him. Branded
as a Tory, his name was on a list of those to be
banished from Albany in March 1783!
Notwithstanding
the banishment order, Dr. Van Dyck returned home
with the end of the war. However, he did not regain
his pre-war prominence. Henry Van Dyck died in January
1786 and was buried from the nearby Dutch church
where he was longtime member. His will passed probate
in January 1788. A detailed inventory articulates
his extensive medical practice.
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Notes: The life of Dr. Henry Van Dyck is CAP biography
number 832. This profile is derived chiefly from
family and community-based resources.
Wealth: City assessment rolls available for 1766 and 1767 place
him in the top five percent in assessed wealth.
American
Revolution: This section is based on documents presented
in the Clinton Papers, particularly in volumes four
and five. See also, the minutes of the Albany Committee
of Correspondence.
Estate
Inventory: Henry Van Dyck died intestate. A detailed
inventory of his estate and a list of his many creditors
printed in EN pp. 141-145. His estate also included
a portrait of King George III!
By Stefan Bielinski, Colonial Albany Social History Project [http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany]
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