Jan Gerritse (aka Johannes) was born during the 1670s. He was the second son of Gerrit and Anna Jans Ryerse. He was known by the patronymic "Gerritse."

In 1694, he was identified as a shoemaker who had a tan pit on the south side of the "little creek." He inherited that property from his father. In 1712, he was named to share in his mother's estate. Later, he held an additional lot in Rensselaerswyck.

The census of 1697 placed him alone in a third ward house next to that of his widowed mother. In 1699, he joined neighbors who signed a loyalty oath to the King.

He was a member of the Albany Dutch church which sanctioned his marriage to tailor's daughter Christina Pruyn in 1706. She died after only one son. Then in his forties, by 1713, he had married widow Maria Winne Vandenbergh. By 1722, she had given birth to three Gerritse children.

He served as an assessor for the first ward in 1702 and 1703. However, his name does not seem to appear on Albany assessment rolls for the first decade of the eighteenth century. In 1715, he was identified as a private in John Mingael's company of the Albany County Militia. Five years later, he was listed on a freeholder's list.

Jan Gerritse died in November 1725 and was buried beneath the church. His widow was still living in 1745.

Sources: The life of Jan Gerritse is CAP biography number 6008. This profile is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.