Cornelia Van Cortlandt was born in 1698 - the daughter of Manhattan magnate Stephanus Van Cortlandt and Albany native Geertruy Schuyler. She grew up in New York City to inherit one of the foremost fortunes in the province.

Even at the late age of twenty-five, Cornelia would be a coveted match for the son of any elite New York family. In 1723, she married Johannes Schuyler, Jr. in the New York City Dutch church. He was the son of a one-time mayor of Albany and heir to one of the premier estates in the upriver region. The new couple resided in Albany where she gave birth to at least ten children.

As the wife of a prominent merchant and civic leader, Cornelia lived an advantaged life that was augmented by her own inherited lands on Van Cortlandt Manor and in New York City. With her children, she was a frequent visitor in Westchester and also maintained a house on Manhattan.

While her husband was serving as mayor of Albany, he became ill and died in November 1741. She was left an extensive estate and the responsiblity of caring for and educating five almost grown children. For many years, she conducted business in the manner of her late husband from the Schuyler family home which, by the mid-1750s, she shared with her oldest son Philip.

Cornelia Van Cortlandt Schuyler died at home in October 1762 at age sixty-four. She had outlived her husband by more than twenty years. Their family bible was closed with a commentary on her death. It read: "Lovable were they in their lives. The Lord grant them salvation in their death."