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Jacobus
G. Van Schoonhoven
Jacobus G. Van Schoonhoven was born in Albany, the eldest son of carpenter/farmer Geurt Hendrickse and Maria Cornelis Van Schoonhoven. Growing up on his father's farms on the Upper Hudson, the census of 1697 noted that he was living alone in an Albany house next to that of his parents.
In
1714, he married Albany native Susanna Bradt - the
mother of their seven children. In 1702, he was named
a constable for the Half Moon. Over the next decades,
he relocated to Half Moon and held land at Schaghticoke
as well. During the 1720s, he was operating a sawmill
at Tomhannock.
Like
most of his neighbors, Jacobus served in the Albany
County Militia. However, his commitment to homefront
defense was stronger than most as he was a lieutenant
in a ranger company in 1703. Later he was captain
of the militia company drawn from Niskayuna and Halfmoon.
A captain needed to be a man of means as he was responsible
for raising and outfitting his company. Then his
expenses could be reimbursed.
Jacob
G. Van Schoonhoven's death on January 24, 1749 was
recorded in his son's bible. Two days later, he was
buried from the Albany Dutch Reformed Church where
he had been a member for more than fifty years.
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Notes: The
life of Jacobus G. Van Schoonhoven is CAP biography
number 5896. This profile is derived chiefly from
family and community-based resources.
By Stefan Bielinski, Colonial Albany Social History Project [http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany]
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