Pieter Van Wie

Pieter Van Wie was born in February 1737. He was the eldest son in the large family of Hendrick and Catharina Waldron Van Wie. He grew up on the family farm located south of Albany.

During the 1760s, his name and those of his brothers appeared on the roster of an East Rensselaerswyck militia company. However, he was not included on either of the existing assessment rolls for the Manor during that period.

In 1766, he joined two younger brothers in signing a community-based constitution for the Albany Sons of Liberty.

He was thirty-seven in December 1774, when he married Ebbetje (Abigail) Vandenbergh at the Albany Dutch church. By 1780, three children were christened in the Albany church. His will mentioned two additional offspring.

In 1777, he signed a number of petitions for the return of prisoners. At that time, he was called a resident of Albany County. In May of 1780, he posted a bond of a hundred pounds guaranteeing good behavior for a neighbor. At that time, he was identified as a farmer of the West District of Rensselaerswyck. Afterwards he was accorded a land bounty right for service in conjunction with the Third Regiment of the Albany County militia.

Following his death, his will was recorded on July 25, 1788. It named his wife co-executor and Abigail and five children as heirs. His wife was identified as head of their Watervliet household in 1790. Pieter Van Wie had lived about fifty years. His widow's Bethlehem household was configured on the census in 1800. His son, Gerrit, became a prominent resident of Glenmont.

Sources: The life of Pieter Van Wie has not been assigned a CAP biography number. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.