Franciscus Lansing

Franciscus Lansing was born in July 1708. He was a middle child in the large family of Albany mainstays Jacob H. and Helena Pruyn Lansing. He probably was named for his maternal grandfather - the Pruyn family patriarch.

In January 1737, he married "Maritje Lieverse" at the Albany Dutch church. By 1754, nine of their children had been christened in Albany where both parents also were regular baptism sponsors. A number of those offspring would become residents of Albany.

These Lansings apparently made their home mostly in Rensselaerswyck - with two properties shown on a map of the manor dated 1767. In 1763, his name appeared on a list of freeholders living in the Colony. A few years later, his property in the west manor was valued substantially. In 1767, a Franciscus Lansing was listed as a private on the roll of a Rensselaerswyck militia company - although this subject would have been in his 50s.

In 1746, he was paid for supplying sixty-four loads of wood to Albany. About that time, he was paid for transporting provisions to Saratoga in 1745. In December 1768, the city government paid "Francis Lansing" four pounds for a bull.

References to Franciscus and/or Francis Lansing appear in the regional historical record across the long eighteenth century. This subject was the son of Albany residents but appears mainly to have lived beyond the parameters of our study. A number of same-named but younger individuals also lived in the region. None of them would be listed on the state census in 1790.

Perhaps as early as 1771, the names Francis and Franciscus Lansingh appeared on a list of property owners in Lansingburgh.

Following our latest sweep of online resources, and still missing defining demographic and qualitative information on his life, we move on for now from the life of Albany native Francis Lansing.

Sources: The life of Franciscus Lansing is CAP biography number 3252. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.