by Stefan Bielinski Maria Vanderwerken probabaly was born during the 1670s. She was the daughter of Albany residents Roeloff Gerritse and Jeertruy Jacobs Vanderwerken. In May 1698, she married a Barbados-born soldier named John Kidney at the Albany Dutch church. By 1708, four children had been baptized at the Albany church where Maria was a member. These Kidneys lived in Albany's first ward in a neighborhood populated by soldiers and others connected to the fort. Her husband had died by 1722, when she received letters of administration on his estate. She also received a monetary bequest in the will of Jan Rosie filed in 1737. Maria Vanderwerken Kidney may have lived until November 1760 when her son, Roeloff Kidney, paid for a pall to bury his mother! notes Sources: The life of Maria Vanderwerken Kidney is CAP biography number 6678. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources. first posted: 11/5/04 |