Johannes de Peyster Sr. (born in
Haarlem,
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
, about 1600; died in
New Amsterdam (now
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 ...
) about 1685) was a Dutch merchant who immigrated to
New Netherland
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 ...
some time before 1651. He was the patriarch of a long line of influential and wealthy
family members, who, along with the
Van Cortlands,
Schuyler Schuyler may refer to:
Places United States
* Schuyler County, Illinois
* Schuyler County, Missouri
* Schuyler, Nebraska, a city
* Schuyler County, New York
* Schuyler, New York, a town
* Schuyler Island, Lake Champlain, New York
* Schuyler C ...
s,
Livingstons, and others, formed New York City’s social and political elite.
Biography
The family name was originally spelled "Peijster," "Peister," or "Pester." De Peyster came of a French
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
family that took refuge in the
United Provinces about the time of the
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. He immigrated to New Amsterdam on account of religious persecution. During the brief period in 1673-74 in which the Dutch regained possession of New Netherland, he took a prominent part in the conduct of public affairs, and he was one of the last to take the oath of allegiance to the
British Crown on the final cession of the province to that power.
Notwithstanding his tardiness in taking an oath of allegiance, he still remained active in municipal affairs under English rule. At different times, he served as alderman and deputy mayor, but he refused the mayoralty on account of his ignorance of English. At the time of his death, he was one of the wealthiest citizens of the province.
Family
Johannes married Cornelia "Neeltje" Lubberts (aka de Peijster, de Peyster, van Elburch) in 1651 in New York City. Of his sons,
Abraham
Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Je ...
, born when Johannes was 57, became mayor of New York City and Chief Justice of the province;
Johannes
Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as "John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, ''Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' Yeh ...
, born when Johannes, Sr., was 66, also filled the mayor's chair; and Isaac was a member of the provincial legislature.
Johannes senior’s wife Cornelia was the first chamberlain of New York City, besides acting in various other public capacities. His son-in-law
David Provost
David Provost or David Provoost (January 16, 1670 – 1724) was the 24th Mayor of New York City, serving his appointment to the position from 1699 to 1700.
Early life
David Provost was born at his family's Pearl Street home, near Fulton Street ...
also served as the city's mayor, succeeding his son Johannes.
Descendants
Filmmaker
Ken Burns is a descendant.
References
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peyster, Johannes de Sr.
1600 births
1685 deaths
Dutch merchants
Businesspeople from Haarlem
People of New Netherland
De Peyster, Johannes
De Peyster, Johannes
Johannes Sr.