Jacob Boelen (c. 1657 – April 4, 1729) was an early American

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exact synonyms, as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are (or were, at least) largely the same but differed in that t ...

, active in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He was father to silversmith

Henricus Boelen Henricus Boelen II (May 5, 1697 – August 27, 1755) was a noted American silversmith active in New York City. Boelen was born in New York City, the son and apprentice of Dutch immigrant silversmith, Jacob Boelen I, who willed his business to He ...

. Boelen was born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, and brought to New York with his family in 1659. In 1676 he was admitted to the Dutch Church, and married Katharina Klock on May 21, 1679. He became a freeman in 1698, and served as alderman of the North Ward from 1695 to 1701. In 1702 he also served as a juror in the trial of Colonel

Nicholas Bayard Nicholas Bayard (c. 1644–1707 or 1709) was a government official and slave trader in colonial New York. Bayard served as the mayor of New York City from 1685 to 1686. He is historically most notable for being Peter Stuyvesant's nephew and for ...

for high treason. His works are collected in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

Winterthur Museum Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library is an American estate and museum in Winterthur, Delaware. Winterthur houses one of the richest collections of Americana in the United States. The museum and estate were the home of Henry Francis du Pont ...

, and

Yale University Art Gallery The Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG) is an art museum in New Haven, Connecticut. It houses a major encyclopedic collection of art in several interconnected buildings on the campus of Yale University. Although it embraces all cultures and period ...

References

* ''Jacob Boelen: Goldsmith of New York and His Family Circle'', Howard Stelle Fitz Randolph, New York Genealogical and Biographical Scociety, 1941. * ''American Silversmiths and Their Marks: The Definitive (1948) Edition'', Stephen G. C. Ensko, Courier Corporation, 2012, page 25. * ''American silver at Winterthur'', Ian M. G. Quimby, Dianne Johnson, Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, 1995, page 199. * ''A Complete Collection of State Trials and Proceedings for High Treason and Other Crimes and Misdemeanors from the Earliest Period to the Year 1820. (etc.)'', Thomas Bayly Howell, Longman, 1816, pages 472-482.
"Jacob Boelen"
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American Silversmiths. {{DEFAULTSORT:Boelen, Jacob American silversmiths 1650s births 1729 deaths Year of birth uncertain