Livinius Van Schaick

Livinius (Levinius) Van Schaick was born about 1661. He was the son of New Netherland pioneers Gosen Gerritse and his second wife, Anna Lievens Van Schaick.

In 1668, he was named among the heirs in the will filed by his parents. At that time, he was seven years old.

His marriages appear to have occurred after he left Albany but, during the 1680s (and perhaps into the early 90s), he was counted among the members of the Albany Dutch church.

Coming of age during the early 1680s, young Livinius was an Albany merchant and trader. In 1689, his name appeared on an assessment roll of Albany householders.

In 1686, he was appointed alderman under the Albany city charter. He served as alderman and assessor for the first ward through 1692.

After that, he seems to have relocated to New York City perhaps to better serve in the provincial Assembly where he was elected first in 1691. However, shortly thereafter, he appears to have returned to Europe where he married and raised a family. His marriage to the widow Anna in February 1694 was short-lived and childless. In early 1695, he wed one Anna Groenwout in Amsterdam. At least eight children were christened in Holland between 1695 and 1708.

In 1702 [sic], he transferred his bible to a young Johannes De Peyster of New York. At that time, Livinius Van Schaick was identified as a merchant of Amsterdam. American -based traditional sources also tell us that he had returned to Holland. In April of that year, he also was named heir and co-executor of his mother's estate. In 1706, he was in line to share share in the estate of his widowed sister. His last child (named Levinius) was christened in December 1708. At that time, he was living in Amsterdam. His widow buried a child in 1710.

We seek more definitive information on his passing!

Sources: The life of Livinius Van Schaick is CAP biography number 3965. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources. Until recently, we were able to present only the community-based (Albany) side of his life. This Livinius Van Schaick is one of only a few who were born in Albany to immigrant parents and who relocated to the Netherlands to live out the balance of their lives.

Online family information: For substantial information on this individual's out-of-Albany life (which makes the Albany context much less puzzling), we are grateful for the very accessible material provided by Richard van Schaik. We hope to be able to provide more on this welcome resource.