Gerrit Bancker (abt. 1620 - 1691)

Born about 1620 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Descendants

Died 1691 at about age 71 in Albany, Albany Co., Province of New York

Problems/Questions Profile managers: New Netherland Settlers WikiTree [send private message] and Thomas MacEntee [send private message]

Gerrit Bancker was a New Netherland settler. Join: New Netherland Settlers Project Discuss: new_netherland

Biography

Gerrit Bancker was a native of Amsterdam. ^[1] This Holland ancestor arrived in this country prior to 1655 and in 1657 was living in the Dutch colony of New Netherland at Beverwyck in the neighborhood of Fort Orange (now Albany, New York).

In the December "Disbursements of the Deaconry" for the year 1657, the account books were annotated that Gert Bancker was paid a bundle of sewant of 50 guilders.^[2] Note: sewant was "wampum" in the colonies; strung pieces of shell with a specific value according to color - six white equal to one purple; as a monetary standard it represented "light money" or 15 stivers to the guilder (which was the Dutch monetary unit.) ^[3][4]

On other pages of the same accounts books, (i.e. page 114) his name was spelled Gerret, and his collections were noted. On page 42 of the same reference, it is annotated that 27 beavers were given to Gert Bancker for goods used by the poor, which is counted in sewant. This may indicate that Gert/Gerret was working to distribute charitable goods to the poorer members of the congregation. On page 54 it is noted that an additional "38 beavers were given to Gerrit [sic] Bancker for the poor, explaining that each beaver costs 12 guilders and 5 stivers in sewant." Sometimes Gerret [sic] was paid in dosijinites, a kind of woolen cloth or kersey. A note of such a payment was on September 3, 1664 (page 130)

On April 10, 1658, he married Elizabeth Dirkse Van Eps, a daughter of Dirk Van Eps and Maritie Damiens. Gerrit had his home on the south side of what is now State Street, a little east of Pearl.

Gerrit Bancker was very prosperous as a merchant in Albany and accumulated considerable property both personal and real. He owned a house and lot in Esopus in 1664, where he seems to have lived for a time, as the court records state that he had left the village, and his house was rented for "rases" by the court.

He was one of the fifteen original proprietors of Schenectady in 1662. and besides owning farm lands had for his village lot the "northerly quarter of the block bounded by Washington, Union. Church, and State Streets." as the city is now laid out. He probably never lived here and his son Evert finally sold the property in 1702 to Isaac Swits.

From 1657 to 1659, his name appears frequently in conveyances and other business transactions that show him to have been an active, enterprising man. He died between Nov. 25, 1690, and May 7. 1601.*

According to his will his wife was made heir of all his property whether situated in Albany, in Schenectady, in New York, in England, in Holland, or at Sea. This would imply that he had considerable property widely scattered.

Children

1. kind: Annetje doopdatum: 12-12-1659
   kerk: Oude Kerk godsdienst: Hervormd
   vader: Baenken, Gerrit
   moeder [van] Eps, Lijsbet
   witness: Dirck de Wolff ^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Prominent families of New York; being an account in biographical form of individuals and families distinguished as representatives of the social, professional and civic life of New York city by Lyman Horace Weeks, The Historical company, 1897, page 35
2. ↑ Deacon's Accounts, 1652-1674 First Dutch Reformed Church of Beverwyck/Albany, New York, translated and edited by Janny Venema, The Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Introduction, page 46
3. ↑ Deacon's Accounts, 1652-1674 First Dutch Reformed Church of Beverwyck/Albany, New York, translated and edited by Janny Venema, The Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Introduction, glossary
4. ↑ See also: WikiTree page Weights, Measures, and Coinage in New Netherland.
5. ↑ Source: Amsterdam archief Baptism Annetje, 12 December 1659 Amsterdamright page, last entry , Annetje - 12-12-1659 - Oude Kerk - Hervormd - Baenken, Gerrit - [van] Exs, Lijsbet - DTB 9, p.255 - 000000034589 bronverwijzing: DTB 9, p.255 Archief van de Burgerlijke Stand: doop-, trouw- en begraafboeken van Amsterdam (retroacta van de Burgerlijke Stand) Doopregister: NL-SAA-24667378

• Banker, Howard James. A Partial History and Genealogical Record of the Bancker or Banker Families of America : and in particular the Descendants of Laurens Mattyse Bancker. Rutland, Vermont: Tuttle Company, 1909.
• Belknap, Waldron Phoenix. The De Peyster Genealogy, Boston: Privately printed, 1956. Page 14. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/005730533/
• Bielinski, Stefan. Gerrit Bancker. The People of Colonial Albany (online exhbit), New York State Museum, Albany. Published April 20, 2016; Accessed July 09, 2015.
• Connelley, William E. (writer and compiler), A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans. William E. Connelley, Secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka. [Revised ed.] Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919. Note states: "Biography transcribed from" this source.
• Pearson, Jonathan. Contributions to the History of the Ancient Dutch Families of New York, "The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record" (New York City, 1871) Vol. 2, Page 68
• Pearson, Jonathan. Contributions for the Genealogies of the Descendants of the First Settlers of the Patent and City of Schenectady, from 1662 to 1800. Albany, N.Y: J. Munsell, 1873.