Stephanus Van Cortlandt

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Stephanus van Cortlandt
17th Mayor of New York City
In office 1686–1688
Governor	Thomas Dongan
Preceded by	Nicholas Bayard
Succeeded by	Peter Delanoy
10th Mayor of New York City
In office 1677–1678
Governor	Edmund Andros
Preceded by	Nicholas De Mayer
Succeeded by	Thomas Delavall
Personal details
Born	(1643-05-07)May 7, 1643 New Amsterdam, New Netherland (New York City)
Died	November 25, 1700(1700-11-25) (aged 57) New York, New York
Spouse	Gertruj van Schuyler
Children	5
Signature

Stephanus van Cortlandt (May 7, 1643 – November 25, 1700) was the first native-born

Stephanus van Cortlandt was born on May 7, 1643, the son of Captain Olof Stevense van Cortlandt. His father had been born at Wijk bij Duurstede, in the Dutch Republic, and in 1637 arrived in New Amsterdam. Beginning as a soldier and bookkeeper, Olof Stevense van Cortland rose to high office in the colonial service of the Dutch West India Company, serving many terms as burgomaster and alderman before dying in 1684.^[1] His mother, nicknamed "Anna", was Annetje (née Loockermans) van Cortlandt^[2] (born Turnhout; March 17, 1618), who may have been the person who began the "Santa Claus" tradition in America.^[3]

His parents had four children:^[4] Stephanus van Cortlandt (1643–1700); Jacobus van Cortlandt (1658–1739), who married Eva de Vries Philipse (born 1660); Maria van Cortlandt, who married Jeremias van Rensselaer (1632–1674); and Catherine van Cortlandt, who married firstly Johannes Derval and secondly, after his death, Frederick Philipse (1626–1702), the first lord of Philipsborough Manor. Philipse was previously married to Margaret Hardenbroeck (1637–1691) and during that marriage, had adopted her daughter, Eva de Vries (born 1660), who thus took the name of Philipse. Eva's father and Margaret's first husband was Peter Rudolphus de Vries (died 1661).^{[citation needed]}

Career

In 1668, he was appointed ensign of one of the militia companies of New York City. In 1677, he was appointed by the English Governor of the

Van Cortlandt married Gertruj van Schuyler (b. 1654), the daughter of Philip Pieterse Schuyler and the sister of Pieter Schuyler (a colonial governor of New York and mayor of Albany).^[4] They lived at the "Waterside," on the present line of Pearl street, near Broad, where he engaged in business as a merchant.^[5] Together, they had:

• Johannes Van Cortlandt (1672–1702), who married Anna Maria Van Schaick.^[6]
  • Gertrude Van Cortlandt (1697–1766), who married Philip Verplanck, a grandson of Gulian Verplanck.^[7]
• Margaretta Van Cortlandt (b. 1674), who married Judge Samuel
  Loyalists
  who relocated to England.
• Anne van Cortlandt (1676–1724), who married
  Stephen DeLancey
  (1663–1741).
• Catherine Van Cortlandt, who married New Jersey politician
  Andrew Johnston (1694-1762), the son of John Johnstone
  (1661–1732), the 32nd Mayor of New York City.
• Elizabeth Van Cortlandt, who married the Rev. William Skinner.
• Philip Van Cortlandt (1683–1746), who married Catherine de Peyster (1688-1766), daughter of Abraham de Peyster the 20th Mayor of New York City and his wife Catharine de Peyster. Philip and Catherine had six children:
  • Stephen (1714–1756), who married Mary Walton Ricketts in 1738.
  • Abraham (1713–1745)
  • Philip (1715–1745)
  • John (1718–1747)
  • Pierre Van Cortlandt (1721–1814), first Lt. Governor of the State of New York, who married his second cousin, Joanna Livingston (1722–1808), daughter of Cornelia Beekman (1693–1742), niece of Gerardus Beekman and granddaughter of Wilhelmus Beekman, and Gilbert Livingston (1690–1746), a son of Robert Livingston the Elder and Alida Schuyler;^[8][9]
  • Catherine Van Cortlandt (1725–1735), who died young.^[10]

Stephanus Van Cortlandt died in New York on November 25, 1700.^[11]

Descendants

His granddaughter, Gertrude Bayard, married

It was revealed on a 2024 episode of Finding Your Roots that the American writer, director, actor, and producer Lena Dunham (b. 1986) is a descendant of Stephanus van Cortlandt.^[12]

References