Jacobus Abeel

Jacobus Abeel was born January 1737. He was the son of Christoffel and Margarita Bries Abeel. He grew up a younger son in the small family of an Albany-based Indian trader. A number of similarly named and more prominent contemporaries complicates the assignment of qualitative information. This sketch focuses on the one-time Albany resident, husband , father mostly (but not exclusively) known as "Jacobus Abeel."

In November 1757, the young man married an even younger Egbertje Van Buren at the Albany Dutch church. Their first child arrived the following August. By 1779, eight children had been christened in the Albany church where the parents were members and occasional baptism sponsors. In May 1779, they also witnessed a baptism in Schaghticoke.

The young couple began to raise their family in a modest home in the second ward. In 1767, Jacobus was a private in an Albany militia company.

In July 1772, he was identified as the owner of a share of the Westenhook Patent originally patented by his grandfather and conveyed to him by his father in September. About that time, he was seeking title to more land nearby.

In November 1771, the new Albany Gazette noted that Jacobus Abeel's sloop Schohary had arrived in Albany, and had been damaged in a hurricane. However, we are not certain that the skipper was the subject of this sketch.

In 1787, Jacobus owed two small sums to the estate of an Albany merchant. The next year, he owed a small sum to the estate of Dr. Van Dyck.

After that, his name seems to have dropped from the community-based record. However, two same-named individuals later were prominent in the northern and western parts of the region.

In 1789, a "Jacobus Abeel" was among those present at the first election of officers for the Dutch church in Saratoga.

In 1808, one Jacob Abeel was promoted to captain in Col. John Roff's regiment.

We seek defining information on the rest of the life and passing of Albany resident Jacobus Abeel. With important and unanswered questions, we move on for now.

Sources: The life of Jacobus Abeel is CAP biography number 122. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.