Jacobus G. Van Schoonhoven was born in Albany, the eldest son of carpenter/farmer Geurt Hendrickse and Maria Cornelis Van Schoonhoven. Growing up on his father's farms on the Upper Hudson, the census of 1697 noted that he was living alone in an Albany house next to that of his parents.

His Albany property was referenced in a will filed by a neighbor in 1714.

In 1714, he married Albany native Susanna Bradt - the mother of their seven children. In 1702, he was named a constable for the Half Moon. Over the next decades, he relocated to Half Moon (freeholder there in 1720) and held land at Schaghticoke as well. During the 1720s, he was operating a sawmill at Tomhannock.

Like most of his neighbors, Jacobus served in the Albany County Militia. However, his commitment to homefront defense was stronger than most as he was a lieutenant in a ranger company in 1703. In 1715, he was captain of the militia company drawn from Niskayuna and Halfmoon. A captain needed to be a man of means as he was responsible for raising and outfitting his company. Then his expenses could be reimbursed.

Jacob G. Van Schoonhoven's death on January 24, 1749 was recorded in his son's bible. Two days later, he was buried from the Albany Dutch Reformed Church where he had been a member for more than fifty years.

first posted 3/20/03; last revised: 6/25/08