Frederick Harmanse Visscher
by
Stefan Bielinski


Frederick Harmanse Visscher probably was born during the 1660s. He was a younger son of Albany residents and New Netherland pioneers Harman Bastiaense and Hester Dircks Visscher.

He followed his father and older brothers into the fur trade which sent him into the Indian country where he was taken prisoner by the French. By 1697, he was an established Albany merchant and was raising a family. Assessment rolls point to a moderate degree of wealth. He also stood with his neighbors in support of petitions sent to the provincial government.

In 1692, he married Margarita Hanse. Following her death, he married the widow Elizabeth Sanders Wendell in January 1706. By 1709, the two marriages had produced seven children who were baptized in the Albany Dutch church where he was a deacon and frequent baptism sponsor.

Living in the third ward, he became an Albany mainstay - serving as juror, assessor, and firemaster. In 1715, he was an ensign in a militia company. In that year, he also owned a mill on the Beaverkill.

He was still living when his second wife died in 1739.

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notes

the people of colonial Albany Sources: The life of Frederick Harmanse Visscher is CAP biography number 4069. This profile is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.




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first posted: 2/25/03