Van Vechten

by

The story of the Van Vechten family in early Albany begins with Teunis Cornelise who brought his family to New Netherland in 1638. Like most New Netherland names, Van Vechten/Vegten/Vactor has been spelled in a variety of ways.

His son, Cornelis Teunise, was a fringe Albany person but a prominent resident of surrounding Rensselaerswyck. At the same time, other Van Vechten sons and daughters married into families throughout the region.

In 1697, the household of trader Teunis Dirckse was configured on the Albany census.

In 1720, the names of Philip and Reuben Van Vechten appeared on a list of Albany freeholders.

The early death of Johannes Van Vechten, Jr. in 1746 set the Albany branch of the family back to where no Van Vechten households were listed on the census of city households taken in 1756.

In February 1776, three family members stood up for American liberties when they signed the General Association in Albany County.

In 1790, three Van Vechten-named households were configured on the Albany census. Two years earlier, four pieces of Van Vechten property were valued on the city assessment roll.

Catskill native Abaham Van Vechten was a respected Albany-based attorney and jurist during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. His older brother, Teunis T., served in the War for Independence and then became a mainline Market Street businessman.

Teunis Van Vechten was a prominent Albany lawyer and city official of the nineteenth century.

Although the Van Vechten name is known across the country and through American History, residential Van Vechten Street in Albany honors this prominent pioneer family today.


biography in-progress


notes

the people of colonial Albany Sources: This access page on the Van Vechtens of early Albany first serves as an entry point for this website's offerings on the family. It is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources. Printed resources begin with the genealogical work of Cuyler Reynolds. See also Van Vechten Genealogy. The core collection of family papers resides at the New York State Library.

Follow this link to more on this family on this website.
   Van Vechten biographies in the website Index.




first posted 6/10/06; last updated 9/13/13