Herman Knickerbocker
Herman Knickerbocker | |
---|---|
Asa Fitch Robert Le Roy Livingston | |
Personal details | |
Born | July 27, 1779 Williamsburg, New York |
Political party | Federalist |
Spouse | Mary Delia Buell |
Children | 13, including David |
Parent | Johannes Knickerbocker |
Residence | Knickerbocker Mansion |
Herman Knickerbocker (also Harman, Harmen; also Knikkerbakker, Knickerbacker
Early life
Herman Knickerbocker was born in Albany on July 27, 1779. He was the son of Johannes Knickerbocker (1749–1827).[2] His grandfather, Colonel Johannes Knickerbocker (1723–1802), who was the commander of the 14th Regiment of the Albany County militia during the American Revolution,[3] was a grandson of Harmen Jansen Knickerbocker, of Friesland, the Netherlands, one of the earliest settlers of New York.[4]
Knickerbocker completed preparatory studies,
Military service
Knickerbocker served in the militia in the early 1800s. Initially appointed the commander of a cavalry troop with the rank of captain, in 1810 he was promoted to major in New York's 3rd Cavalry Regiment. According to an 1816 newspaper article from Troy, New York, Knickerbocker was still active in the militia as the commander of a squadron in the 3rd Regiment, and led it during its annual muster and parade.
Career
Knickerbocker served on several occasions as Schaghticoke's
In 1808, Knickerbocker was elected as a
Personal life
In 1801 he married Arietta Lansing (d. 1814), the daughter of Abraham Lansing and Else Van Rensselaer. They had five children before her death in 1814. Four of his daughters attended the
- Abraham Lansing Knickerbocker (b. 1802)[6]
- Elizabeth Maria Knickerbocker (b. 1805)
- Catharine Knickerbocker (b. 1808)
- Rebecca Knickerbocker (b. 1813)
In December 1814 he married Rachel Wendell (d. 1823), daughter of John H. Wendell, an officer in the Revolution, and Catherine Van Benthuysen. Together, they had five children:[5]
- Arietta Knickerbocker (b. 1815)
- Cathalina Wendell Knickerbocker (b. 1817)
- Maria Van Veghten Knickerbocker (b. 1819)
- John Knickerbocker (b. 1821), who died in childhood
- Rachel Jane Knickerbocker (b. 1822)
On July 20, 1826, he married Mary Delia Buel, who was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, and was the daughter of David Buel and Rachel McNeil. Together, they had:[5]
- Sarah Bird Knickerbocker, who married Reverend Samuel Haskins
- Charlotte Knickerbocker
- Herman Knickerbocker
Knickerbocker died in
Legacy
Through his friend Washington Irving borrowing his name for a fictional figure, Diedrich Knickerbocker, he gave rise to the name Knickerbockers for a kind of trousers. During one of Irving's visits to Washington to meet President James Madison, he introduced Knickerbocker to the President as "My cousin Diedrich Knickerbocker, the great historian of New York."[4]
References
- ^ Courts and Lawyers of New York
- ^ The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. William B. Van Alstyne, M.D. Jan 1908 Pg 35
- ^ The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. William B. Van Alstyne, M.D. April 1908 Pg 118
- ^ a b "Herman Knickerbocker". www.newnetherlandinstitute.org. New Netherland Institute. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- ^ a b c Herman Knickerbacker, Early Life. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- ^ Congressional Serial Set. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1851. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- ^ Google books: A sketch-book of the American episcopate during one hundred years, 1783-1883, by Hermon Griswold Batterson, 1878, pp. 332-333
- United States Congress. "Herman Knickerbocker (id: K000282)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.