Gerritje Van Schaick Drayer

Gerritje Van Schaick was born in 1657. She was the first child born to the marriage of New Netherland pioneers and Beverwyck founders Goosen Gerritse and his second wife Anna Lievens.

In 1668, she was named an heir in the joint will filed by her parents. At that time, she was said to have been eleven years old. Her father was the patriarch of the Albany Van Schaick family until his death about 1676. Her mother then carried on until 1702 when she named Gerritje in her final will. A number of her siblings were prominent residents of early New York.

On January 23, 1674, she married Danish-ancestry Andries Drayer. Albany Domine Schaets performed the ceremony that linked a young bride from one of Albany's most prominent families to the new Dutch commandant of her hometown then re-named Willemstadt. The marriage probably produced several children. However, only one later became a resident of Albany.

Following the return of Willemstadt to the English later that year, Drayer seems to have taken his budding family back to Europe where he is said to have died in 1686. At some time thereafter, widow Gerritje and her children returned to New York - probably to live with her aged mother.

In 1699, Gerritje and Andries Drayer (probably her son) became members of the Dutch church in New York City.

In 1702, she still had five living siblings. In October 1706, she was named as an heir and sister of the widow Anna Van Cortlandt formerly of New York City. Gerritje Van Schaick Drayer probably passed on sometime thereafter.

Sources: The life of Gerritje Van Schaick Drayer is CAP biography number 3954. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.