Thomas Seeger

Spelled variously, Thomas Seeger was born in January 1726. He was the son of Johannes and Bridget Wheeler Seeger. He grew up in the Southside home of a career city retainer as a member of a large family that included several future Albany residents.

In January 1748, he married Josina Wheeler at the Dutch church in her native Kinderhook. She died in September 1753 after giving birth to three children. In July 1757, widower Thomas married Judik Hogland also in Kinderhook. That marriage added three more children to their combined family. His second wife died in 1791.

In 1761, he was named constable for the first ward. He seems to have served in that capacity for several years until 1769 when he officially succeeded Johannes Seeger as city marshall. He had been compensated for services several times prior to his actual appointment. He may have served in that post for more than a decade. Like his father, this individual was a lifelong Albany resident and employee of the city corporation.

During the mid-1760s, his first ward property was accorded a modest assessment. In 1779, only his real property holdings in the first ward were considered on the city tax rolls.

Fifty years old in 1776, during the war, he seems to have served the revolutionary cause in a capacity similar to the job of the city marshall - a position he seemed to have retained throughout the war years. However, his name has not been found on other wartime rolls. A younger, same-named nephew is said to have died in 1778 while serving in the Revolutionary army.

In 1790, Thomas Seeger's first ward household included two men and five females. In 1799, his "house and lots" was located in a marginal area near the southern city line. At that point, the name of Thomas Seeger leaves the mainline roll - except for the city poor list where he received regular sums for a number of years. Seeger had admitted to poverty as early as September 1788 when he was unable to pay rents due to the city. In December 1794, the city government ordered that his lot be re-possessed and leased to someone else as Seeger is "not only insolvent, but treats the board with ridicule and contempt." Entries on a number of subsequent poor lists followed.

Thomas Seeger filed a will on March 1, 1809. It ordered payment of all his bills and then left his property and belongings to his two married daughters. He died a few days later at the age of eighty-four. The newspaper notice read that he "was for many years public crier and crier of courts held in the city." The will passed probate in early April.

Sources: The life of Thomas Seeger is CAP biography number 7008. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.