Gerrit Ryckse Van Vranken
by
Stefan Bielinski


Gerrit Ryckse probably was born during the mid 1670s. He was the son of pioneer farmers Ryckert and Hillegont Van Vranken. They were early residents of Niskayuna and of Albany as well.

Traditional sources have called him a resident of Nistagicone. However, by 1697, he was identified as an Albany resident and householder. Two years later, he signed an oath swearing allegiance to the king of England. Subsequent assessment rolls in 1702 and 1709 valued his modest holdings in Albany's third ward.

In September 1696, he married Barber Jans at the Albany Dutch church. By 1715, seven children had been baptized in the church where he had been a member since 1695.

Although he served as a juror, assessor, and constable in the third ward, in 1699 Gerrit Ryckse was identified and cited as one of those trading without a license - that is without the "freedom of the City." That meant he was not born in Albany and thus was obliged to apply for a trading license.

After the first decade of the eighteenth century, his name dropped from Albany city rolls. Perhaps he returned to the countryside. Gerrit Ryckse Van Vranken died in January 1748.

biography in-progress



notes

the people of colonial Albany Sources: The life of Gerrit Ryckse Van Vranken is CAP biography number 6473. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources. Online.




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first posted: 12/5/04