Van Rensselaer, Kiliaen

Biography

Kiliaen was the son of William Van Rensselaer (1805-1872), and his second wife Sarah Rogers (1809-1887). The Van Rensselaers were one of the wealthiest families in New York. Kiliaen's ancestor and namesake obtained from the Dutch West India Company a large grant of land encompassing most of what became Albany and Rensselaer counties. The Van Rensselaer family ruled this area as patroons until about 1830 when the manor was divided up among the heirs. Kiliaen's grandfather Stephen Van Rensselaer (1764-1839) served in the state senate and as a lieutenant-governor of New York during John Jay's term as governor. Kiliaen served in the Civil War, and was at its end a Captain in the Thirty-ninth Volunteers. He married Olivia Phelps Atterbury (1848-1923) on 13 December 1870 and had three sons, including Kiliaen (1878-1949), and four daughters (two of whom died in childhood). [Compiled from sources and references recorded on CMS]

Bibliography

1905

The New York Times. 27 November 1905: 9 (obituary)

1913

Cutter, William Richard, ed. Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley. 3 vols. New York, 1913: 1:11-12

1956

Van Rensselaer, Florence. The Van Rensselaers in Holland and America. New York, 1956: 73-74

1984

McClave, Elizabeth W. Stephen Van Rensselaer III: a Pictorial Reflection and Biographical Commentary. Stephentown, NY, 1984

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