Johannes Van Zandt was born in 1690 and was baptized at the Albany Dutch church on August 3. He was the son of Johannes and Margarita Vanderpoel Van Zandt. A few years, later his father re-located the family to New York City and then Long Island where Johannes Sr. died in 1724. However, Johannes Jr's. life would play out on an early Albany stage.

In May 1718, he married Albany native Sara Hilton at the Albany Dutch church. By 1738, eleven children had been christened in Albany where he was a lifelong pewholder. In 1762, he had a seat in the "Old Men's pew."

These Van Zandts lived in Albany's first ward where Johannes was a member of a small but prominent enclave of weavers. In 1717, he began to acquire additional lots in the first ward. His name appeared first ward voter lists in 1720 and 1742 and he was a member of an Albany militia company.

After serving as constable in 1717 and 1718, in 1750, he was elected alderman in the first ward. He was re-elected in each of the next nine years - serving the decade of his sixties on the city council.

Johannes Van Zandt lost his wife in 1743. But as his sons reached adulthood and daughters married sons of neighboring families, his home was a Southside landmark. He probably died during the 1760s!

Sources: The life of Johannes Van Zandt is CAP biography number 281. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.