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by Stefan Bielinski Jacobus Clement was born in Schenectady in 1718. He was the eldest son of the five children born to Joseph and Anna Peek Clement. His father was a Mohawk Valley farmer and frontier trader. In 1743, Jacobus married Jannetje Van Woert in the Albany Dutch church. Their marriage produced at least three children between 1747 and 1750. However, only one son lived past childhood. During the 1750s, he was an interpreter of some note - serving at a number of conferences with the Iroquois and informing Sir William Johnson of the proceedings and other matters. A British army census of Albany householders in 1756 identified him as an "Indian Trader." He also may have served as a ranger during the Seven Years War. Jacobus Clement died between 1759 and 1766. His widow lived in their Southside home until her death in 1796. 
His activities as interpreter are chonicled in volume 9 of the Johnson Papers. The last recorded reference to his life comes from a baptism he witnnessed with his wife on November 15, 1759. He probably did not die in Albany. His wife was called a widow in 1766. first posted: 7/18/01 |
