Bastian T. Visscher
by
Stefan Bielinski


Bastian T. Visscher was born in 1728, the eldest son of Albany residents Teunis and Machtelt Lansing Visscher.

He married farmer's daughter Engeltie Vandenbergh in 1751. They set up housekeeping on Pearl Street where their seven children were born between 1751 and 1771.

By 1756, he had followed his father into the brewing business. As time passed, he seems to have been more involved in construction work - particularly in clearing land, logging, and in building and repairing roads. In 1754, he served as a firemaster and had a number of contracts with the city government related to road repair. During the 1760s, his second ward property was prominently figured on the city tax rolls. By that time, however, he also had secured some land in Rensselaerswyck and was moving into the countryside.

By the mid-1770s, he was a prominent resident of Rensselaerswyck and ready to join the crusade for American liberties. He was a Rensselaerswyck member of the Albany Committee of Correspondence for several years and was active in securing wood and other supplies for the American cause. He also was delegated to meet with prominent revolutionaries and to make enquiries on behald of the committee. In these activities, he often worked with his son, Matthew, the committee secretery. Although he had served in the Albany militia in the past, in 1778, Bastian Visscher was fifty years old. He was placed in a special category called "Associated Exempts" - those who would be deferred from active military service and instead aid the American cause on the homefront.

After the war, he returned to business and began acquiring lots along Foxes Creek and elsewhere in the city. Engeltie Lansing Visscher died 1789. In 1790, Bastian's still large household including two slaves was enumerated in the Watervliet section of the census.

Bastian T. Visscher died on May 9, 1809 at age eighty-one. He was buried from the Albany Dutch church and was remembered for having "performed active service during the Revolution."

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notes

the people of colonial AlbanyThe life of Bastian T. Visscher is CAP biography number 4063. This profile is derived chiefly from community-based resources.



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