Johan van Rensselaer
Encyclopedia
Johan van Rensselaer also Johannes van Rensselaer (Amsterdam, 4 September 1625 – Nijkerk
, 6 May 1662), second patroon
of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, was the eldest son of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, and his only son by his first wife, Hillegonda van Bylaer.
When his father died in October 1643 Wouter van Twiller
and Johan van Wely managed the inheritance. Johannes had to promise or testify in a will his inheritance would go to his eight half-brothers and sisters. Samuel Blommaert
and Joannes de Laet
tried to get more influence in the colony
, as both owned one fifth and opened a legal case.
Johannes became head of the family in 1650 when he was 25 years old, although the States-General of the Netherlands
decided in the same year he was allowed to keep his title and call himself "patroon" of Rensselaerswijck, but without any legal power.
Johannes never visited Rensselaerswyck; it looks he was uninterested but he might have been unqualified. The sources keep silent and the case might never been solved. His brother Jan Baptist van Rensselaer
took over the business and left with the 19-years old Jeremias for Rensselaerswijck in 1651 to organize the estate.
In 1655 Johannes married his cousin Elizabeth van Twiller and they had two children: Kiliaen van Rensselaer and Nella van Rensselaer. His oldest son Kiliaen followed him as the third partoon of the colony. Johan died in 1662 and his children went under the guardianship of their uncle Jan Baptist
.
Nijkerk
Nijkerk is a municipality and a city in the middle of the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland.- Population centres :...
, 6 May 1662), second patroon
Patroon
In the United States, a patroon was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland in North America...
of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, was the eldest son of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, and his only son by his first wife, Hillegonda van Bylaer.
When his father died in October 1643 Wouter van Twiller
Wouter van Twiller
Wouter van Twiller was an employee of the Dutch West India Company and the Director-General of New Netherland from 1633 until 1638...
and Johan van Wely managed the inheritance. Johannes had to promise or testify in a will his inheritance would go to his eight half-brothers and sisters. Samuel Blommaert
Samuel Blommaert
Samuel Blommaert was a Flemish/Dutch merchant and director of the Dutch West India Company from 1622 to 1629 and again from 1636 to 1642...
and Joannes de Laet
Joannes de Laet
Joannes or Johannes de Laet was a Dutch geographer and director of the Dutch West India Company. Philip Burden called his History of the New World, "...arguably the finest description of the Americas published in the seventeenth century" and "...one of the foundation maps of Canada"...
tried to get more influence in the colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
, as both owned one fifth and opened a legal case.
Johannes became head of the family in 1650 when he was 25 years old, although the States-General of the Netherlands
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
decided in the same year he was allowed to keep his title and call himself "patroon" of Rensselaerswijck, but without any legal power.
Johannes never visited Rensselaerswyck; it looks he was uninterested but he might have been unqualified. The sources keep silent and the case might never been solved. His brother Jan Baptist van Rensselaer
Jan Baptist van Rensselaer
Jan Baptist van Rensselaer was the second son of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, and his first son by his second wife, Anna van Wely. He was the third patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck and the first to visit the colony in 1651, accompanied by his brother, Jeremias. He assumed the office of director...
took over the business and left with the 19-years old Jeremias for Rensselaerswijck in 1651 to organize the estate.
In 1655 Johannes married his cousin Elizabeth van Twiller and they had two children: Kiliaen van Rensselaer and Nella van Rensselaer. His oldest son Kiliaen followed him as the third partoon of the colony. Johan died in 1662 and his children went under the guardianship of their uncle Jan Baptist
Jan Baptist van Rensselaer
Jan Baptist van Rensselaer was the second son of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, and his first son by his second wife, Anna van Wely. He was the third patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck and the first to visit the colony in 1651, accompanied by his brother, Jeremias. He assumed the office of director...
.