Johannes Roosevelt (bap. February 27, 1689 – April 4, 1750), known as John Roosevelt, was a
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 ...
businessman and politician and the progenitor of the
Oyster Bay Roosevelts, including
Theodore and
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...
.
Early life and career
Johannes Roosevelt was baptized on February 27, 1689, in
Esopus,
Province of New York
The Province of New York was a British proprietary colony and later a royal colony on the northeast coast of North America from 1664 to 1783. It extended from Long Island on the Atlantic, up the Hudson River and Mohawk River valleys to ...
(near
Kingston) while his father
Nicholas Roosevelt (1658–1742) and mother, Heyltje Jans Kunst (1664–1730), were living there. Nicholas, born in
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...
, was the son of the Roosevelt immigrant ancestor, Claes Maartenszen van Rosenvelt (c. 1626-1659). He moved his family back to New York City, where he was born, by 1690.
In 1730, Johannes became a
freeman. He was assistant
alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
from 1717 to 1727 and alderman from 1730 to 1733.
According to one history, "he was successful in farming and business ventures, and took what seemed to his friends a strange and extravagant delight in works of art. He is said to have been one of the first to import paintings, fine furniture, and artistic metal ware from the Netherlands. He did it on so generous a scale that his home was viewed as a wonderland by his less enterprising fellow-citizens."
Slavery
Johannes Roosevelt's slave, Quack, was one of the accused conspirators in the alleged
slave rebellion
A slave rebellion is an armed uprising by slaves, as a way of fighting for their freedom. Rebellions of slaves have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery or have practiced slavery in the past. A desire for freedom and the dream o ...
that terrified New York City in 1741. He was convicted of setting fire to
Fort George and executed by being burned at the stake.
[Lepore, pp. 59–60, 96–99, & 102–03.]
Personal life
Johannes married Heyltje Sjoerts (Shourd) (1688–1752) on September 25, 1708, at the Reformed Dutch Church of New York. She was the daughter of Olvert Sjoerts (1661-1710), who was born in The Netherlands and emigrated to New Netherlands. Johannes and Heyltje had eleven children:
*Margreta Roosevelt (1709–1776), who married William De Peyster (1701–1751) on May 5, 1730, son of
Johannes de Peyster.
*Nicholas Roosevelt (bap. 1710, died in the
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
)
*Johannes Roosevelt (bap. 1712)
*Heyltje Roosevelt (bap. 1714)
*Olphert Oliver Roosevelt (1716–1785), who married Elizabeth Lounsbury in 1740.
*Jacobus Roosevelt (bap. 1718, died in infancy)
*Maria Roosevelt (1720–1755), who married Abraham Duryea (b. 1720) on February 11, 1743
*Jannetje Roosevelt (bap. 1723, died 1724)
*Jacobus James Roosevelt (bap. 1724), who first married Annetje Bogart (b. 1728) on December 2, 1746. On July 14, 1774, he married Helena Gibson, widow of Mr. Thompson.
*Aeltje Roosevelt (bap. 1726, died 1727)
*Cornelius Roosevelt (bap. 1731), he married Margaret Haering (1733–1821) on December 9, 1751.
Descendants
Johannes was an ancestor of the
Oyster Bay branch
The Oyster Bay Branch is a rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The branch splits from the Main Line (Long Island Rail Road), Main Line just east of Mineola station ...
of the
Roosevelt family
The Roosevelt family is an American political family from New York whose members have included two United States presidents, a First Lady, and various merchants, bankers, politicians, inventors, clergymen, artists, and socialites. The progeny ...
. He was via his son Jacobus James the grandfather of
James Jacobus Roosevelt (1759–1840) and the great-grandfather of
Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt (1794–1871), 3x great-grandfather of
United States President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
and the 4x great-grandfather of
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...
.
See also
*
Roosevelt family
The Roosevelt family is an American political family from New York whose members have included two United States presidents, a First Lady, and various merchants, bankers, politicians, inventors, clergymen, artists, and socialites. The progeny ...
References
;Notes
;Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Roosevelt, Johannes
Johannes Roosevelt
1689 births
1750 deaths
People from Esopus, New York
Businesspeople from colonial New York
New York City Council members
American slave owners