by Stefan Bielinski
The Schuyler story in America began with the arrival of brothers Philip Pieterse and David Pieterse about 1650. The rise of these one-time tradesmen is a classic early American success story! They were among the founders of the trading community called Beverwyck, prominent fur traders, and able to acquire land in what became the Albany hinterland. By the close of the seventeenth century, nine Schuyler-named households were counted in the city of Albany. These included the homes of first mayor Pieter Schuyler and two more future mayors of the city. During the first half of the eighteenth century, the Schuylers branched-out into greater Albany County - establishing country seats up and down the Hudson Valley, into New York City, and to New Jersey. They were able to intermarry with the most important colonial families thus establishing crucial kinship networks throughout the colony. With several untimely deaths, the Albany Schuylers experienced a temporary leadership void that was eased by the marriage of Elizabeth Schuyler to widower Robert Sanders in 1747. In 1756, six Schuyler households were prominent on Albany's best streets with widow Schuyler's home a community landmark since the 1680s. Her son, General Philip Schuyler, built Schuyler Mansion, served in the colonial Assembly, was a General in the Revolutionary army, and served in the United State Senate. His business revolved around sawing and shipping lumber from his Saratoga estate. In 1790, the General's city estate called "the Pastures" was one of just two Schuyler households listed on the first Federal census. In 1815, the city directory named three Schuyler householders including Captain Samuel Schuyler.
Today, Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, Schuyler Flats park, the Schuyler House in Schuylerville, Philip Schuyler Elementary School, Philip Schuyler condominiums, and dozens of local establishments commemorate the family today. For more than two hundred years, the name "Schuyler" has been used frequently across the country in the naming of places and organizations. It seems to connote the confidence and success that characterized early Albany's first family! ![]() notes Adaptation of a drawing of the Schuyler coat of arms copied from a stained glass window in the the First Church by Marcus T. Reynolds about 1916. Reproduced in an exhibition entitled State Street Stories (2002) at the University Art Museum. Collection of John G. Waite Associates. The coat of arms is described further by Kristin L. Gibbons in Christoph's Schuyler Genealogy, p. xv. first posted: 9/20/03; last revised 11/15/04 |