Martin Beekman
by
Stefan Bielinski


Marte Beekman was born in September 1695. He was the second son of Albany blacksmith Johannes Beekman and his second wife the former Eva Vinhagen. Their first ward household was large and the home of many Beekman children from two marriages.

In December 1728, he was among those named as heirs in the will filed by his father.

He married Albany native Geertruy Visscher in December 1721. By 1734, their five children had been baptized at the Albany Dutch church where he was a member and frequent baptism sponsor.

Martin Beekman was known as a blacksmith. He lived in a "good house" in the third ward and owned other property in the city of Albany as well. In 1715, he was a member of the Albany militia troop and later a contractor of the city. By the 1760s, he also was identified as a merchant. During the 1760s, his properties were valued substantially on city assessment rolls. He does not appear to have a surviving namesake son and Albany resident Marte Beekman, Jr. probably referred to a nephew.

Martin and Geertruy filed a joint will in September 1768. It stated that he was in good health and devised a substantial estate to his two surviving children. Into his seventies, this Martin Beekman may have lived through the Revolution without incident. He was dead in August 1784 when his will passed probate!

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notes

the people of colonial Albany Sources: The life of Martin Beekman is CAP biography number 3877. This profile is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.



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first posted 9/20/03; recast and revised 3/1/18