Simon Boerum (February 29, 1724 – July 11, 1775) was a farmer, miller, and political leader from

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

, New York. He represented New York in the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

in 1774 and 1775. He signed the

Continental Association The Continental Association, also known as the Articles of Association or simply the Association, was an agreement among the American colonies adopted by the First Continental Congress on October 20, 1774. It called for a trade boycott against Br ...

. Boerum's family settled on Long Island when it was a part of the Dutch colony of

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 ...

. His parents were William Jacob Boerum (1687–1766) and Rachel (Bloom) Boerum (1690–1738), who farmed in the town of

New Lots East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are roughly the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough lin ...

, in Kings County, New York, which is now part of

. Simon was born there on February 29, 1724, and was baptized in the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family a ...

on March 8. He attended and graduated from the Dutch school in Flatbush. Boerum farmed and operated a mill in Flatbush. In 1748, he bought a home and garden at what is today is the southwest corner of Fulton and Hoyt streets in

downtown Brooklyn Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City after Midtown Manhattan and Lower Manhattan), and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is known for its office and ...

. On April 30, 1748, he married Maria Schenck (1726–1771), and the house became their home for the rest of their lives. In 1750, Governor George Clinton appointed Boerum as

county clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

for Kings County. He would hold that office for the rest of his life, as well as a seat in the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the ...

Assembly after 1761. In 1774, the Assembly could not reach agreement about the Continental Congress. Kings County selected him to represent them, and on October 1, 1774, the Congress added him to the New York delegation. In the Congress, he supported the non-importation agreement and the more radical members in general. He helped to defeat the Galloway Plan for union and reconciliation with England. Early in 1775, the Colony's Assembly rejected the work of the first Congress and was hurriedly adjourned to prevent further measures from consideration. In April, Boerum was elected to the revolutionary New York Provincial Congress. That body in turn named him once again to the Continental Congress, but illness soon forced his return from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Simon died at home on July 11, 1775, and was originally buried in the Dutch Burying Ground in New Lots. In 1848, he and his wife, Maria, were re-interred in the

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several ...

in Brooklyn.''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boerum, Simon 1724 births 1775 deaths Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery Members of the New York General Assembly Members of the New York Provincial Congress Continental Congressmen from New York (state) 18th-century American politicians People from Brooklyn People of the Province of New York Signers of the Continental Association