Cornelis Segers Van Voorhout
In November 1663, one Cornelis Segers Van Voorhout filed a joint will with his wife, one Bregje Jacobsen. At that time, he was identified as a farmer of "Rensselaerswyck Colony." The Dutch language document named a son, three daughters, and referenced the children of another deceased son. That New Netherland pioneer also was known by a variety of names and appears to be the first American ancestor of those Albany residents who would identify under the surname "Seeger."
Cornelis Segers Van Voorhout appears to have arrived in the colony in 1642. In August 1643, he signed a contract and took up residence on a farm on Castle Island. Within a few years, the couple had drafted a will that stated "they possess nothing."
At the time of his arrival, his wife "Bregje" (the subject of a number of compiled profiles) was forty-five year old and, by that time, the couple reputedly had six children - all or most of them born in Europe. Thus, Cornelis Segers (the patriarch) may have been born prior to 1600.
In 1646, he appears to have taken over the other farm on the island formerly held by Adrian Van Der Donck.
In March 1649, he is said to have engaged the son of Thomas Coningh to help him with the harvest. It is unclear whether this and subsequent references to similarly named individuals (including a namesake son) refer to the Seeger family patriarch or to one of his descendants or other kin.
He appears to have died prior to 1680. With so many similarly unassignable references, and missing important demographic data, we move on for now from the life of the pioneer settler known as Cornelis Segers Van Voorhout.
Sources: The life of Cornelis Segers Van Voorhout has no CAP biography number. This compilation sketch is derived chiefly from family and traditional resources.
Cornelis Segers was a pioneer settler of New Netherland and particularly of Rensselaerswyck. However, he probably did not live in the community that became Albany in 1664. This summary sketch of the patriarch of the Albany Seeger family is included here to provide biographical context for his descendants who did become Albany city residents. We claim little original contribution to his life and have attempted to identify pertinent online sources.
Entry notes from VRBM, p.833: "Cornelis Segersz (Zegersz) van Voorhout; in his contract with the Patroon, Aug. 25, 1643, referred to as Cornelis Segertsen van egmont. Voorhout is a small place near Leyden; Egmont lies near Alkmaar. He sailed...with his wife, Brechtje Jacobs, 45 years of age, and six children, Cornelis, 22; Claes, 20; Seger, 14; Lysbeth, 16; Jannetje, 10; and Neeltje, 8 years of age. On his arrival in the colony, he entered upon the farm formerly occupied by Brant Peelen, deceased, which was one of two farms on Castle Island; in 1646, he took over from Adriaen van der Donck the other farm for the remaining three years of the lease, and thus came into possession of the entire island. In an undated will, recorded between 1643 and 1648, Cornelis Segersz and his wife declare that they possess nothing.... At the time the will appears to have been drawn, Lysbeth was married to Gijsbert Cornelisz from Weesp, the tavern keeper. Shortly after his death, in 1653 or 1654, she married Francois Boon."