Wouter Vanderzee was born during the early 1670s. He was the son of Albany residents Storm and Hilletie Lansing Vanderzee. His father died in 1679 and his mother soon re-married. However, Storm's children received bequests in their father's will.

In July 1695, Wouter married Jannetje Swart at the Albany Dutch church where he was a member and occasional baptism sponsor. The marriage produced nine children who joined their parents at the Albany church.

His family's first ward household was configured on the Albany census in 1697. Two years later, he signed an oath swearing loyalty to the King of England. He was identified as a merchant, sometimes called "Walter," and served on an Albany jury.

He was listed on the roster of an Albany militia company in 1715. However, his name is absent from Albany assessment rolls for that period. In 1706, he purchased half of a plot on the "Oniquothe creek" called "the Heath or Hay Flat."

Wouter Vanderzee died after 1719 when his last child was born. He may be the "Wouter Vandersee" listed on a list of freeholders in Rensselaerswyck in 1720!

Sources: The life of Wouter Vanderzee is CAP biography number 5584. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.