by
Stefan Bielinski
Cornelia Ray was born about 1758. She was a daughter of the Ray family of New York City. She was the niece of Manhattan businessman Robert Ray who fled to Albany during the War for Independence. In April 1781, she married attorney and Revolutionary officer
John Lansing, Jr. at the Albany
Dutch church. By 1800, their ten children had been baptized there. After the war, their large, new home was a Market
Street landmark as Lansing rose through the political ranks to become
mayor of Albany in 1786. With a large and growing family and with her
husband in often away on business, Cornelia's household was attended by
several household servants. Her long marriage ended when Chancellor Lansing disappeared in 1829. The following year, letters of administration were issued on his estate. "Widow" Cornelia Ray Lansing died on January 24, 1834. She had lived seventy-six years.
notes
Sources: The life of Cornelia Ray Lansing is CAP biography
number 6944. This profile is derived chiefly from family
and community-based resources. We seek information
on her precise origins!
first posted: 9/15/02