Peter Sharp

Peter Sharp was born about 1735. He was the son of Rensselaerswyck residents Jurrian and Barbara Sharp. This individual was an Albany resident and should not be confused with at least another same-named contemporary living in greater Albany County.

In October 1762, he married Catherine Berringer at the Albany Dutch church. His second wife was Mary Donneway. The two marriages produced at least five children. Peter was a member and trustee of the First Presbyterian Church in Albany. Beginning in 1766, he also was a regular baptism sponsor at the Dutch church.

From the mid1760s on, this Peter Sharp was an Albany mainstay - moving from the first to the third ward by 1788. He was a carpenter who was paid by a number of clients for work done on buildings in and around Albany. His frequent work for the city government included constructing drains and cisterns. Late In 1775, his account with the city for more than eighty-nine pounds was ordered to be paid. In May 1781, he was allowed a parcel of land to satisfy a debt owed him by the city government. Assessment rolls showed his Albany holdings to be of moderate value. In 1800, his third ward household included only a young boy and a man and a woman - both born before 1756.

In February 1773, he was identified as the "barracksmaster at Albany" when he was paid from the Provincial treasury.

As a middle-aged tradesman, he would be expected to have been kept home during the War for Independence. He served on the homefront despite being suspected of being "unfriendly to the American Cause." Afterwards, he was accorded a land bounty right in conjunction with the Albany militia regiment.

During the 1780s, he continued to perform building and repair work for the city government, sold land, and also leased the city docks in 1786. In 1788, he was a member of the Albany Antifederal committee.

In 1803, he was a founding member and officer of the Albany St. Andrew's Society.

Peter Sharp died in May 1813 at the age of seventy-eight. He was buried in the Presbyterian plot. The first Albany city directory gave his address as 8 Market Street - near the original northern boundary of the city. His widow lived at that location or closeby until 1821.

Sources: The life of Peter Sharp is CAP biography number 7015. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources. At this point, we hesitate to assign qualitative information from beyond Albany to the biography of this individual.