AMERICAN H ISTORICAL MAGAZINE VOL . 2 JANUA RY, IOO7 . NO . I h FA M I L Y THE VAN RENSSELAER . W P BY W . S OON ER . F the early Dutch colonial families the Van Renssela ers w ere th e first to acquire a grea t “ ” landed esta te in A merica under the patro on em e e amon e a e e syst ; th y w re g th first, ft r th n n e f e e an E glish co qu st o N ew N th rl d, to have “ n man n ed n their po ssessions erec ted i to a or, a t ati g the Livingstons and Van C o rtlandts in this pa rticular ; and they were the la st to relin quish their ancient prescriptive rights and to pa rt with their heredita ry demesne s under the on n m al tered s ocial and po litica l c ditio s of modern ti es . S o fa r as an a s oc ac in the c n e andn of the ri t r y, stri t u d rst i g e m be a to a e e s e n e me c n institu t r , may s id h v xi t d u d r A ri a — tion s and it is an un do ubted histo ri cal fact that a quite formal aristocratic s ociety o btained throughout th e co l onial f r om ime e en es period and o s e t subs qu tly, pecially in N ew — n en e ae e e en e a ke e Yo rk, the Va R ss l rs r pr s t d li its high st r e mo e e a e o an a on n i atta ined p ivil ges , its st l v t d rg iz ti , a d ts mos n e e ess on . e e e in the ace t dig ifi d xpr i Th y w r , first pl , no e in the ld co n r w c ca nno be f n bl s o u t y, hi h t said o a y o f the o e manor a ami e of N ew o k a o e e th r i l f li s Y r , lth ugh s v ral f i o these claimed gentle descent. Thus n b ec oming patro on s and a e mano r a o s in me ca the n n l - l t r i l l rd A ri , Va R e sse aers but enj oyed an extension in kind (tho -ugh scarcely in de gree ) o -f a ristoc ra tic dignities which had al ready been theirs f r o genera tions . Mea sured by the standard o f American an e ake n tiquity, th y t precede ce of every o ther N ew Yo rk family of present con sequence, their p -atro onship having een c ea e in 1631 on e e b r t d , ly ight y a rs after the first per ( 1 ) 2 AMERICAN H IS T O R IC A L MAGAZIN E n ei ma nent s ettlem ent o f the Dutch on Manh a tta n Isla d . Th r territo rial po ss ession s were from the first o f grand dimen — n — m en - o - ei m e in sio s so e tw ty four by f rty ght il s , surpa ss g An d na e ma ny a Euro pean principa lity. fi lly th ir special — privileges by which we identify and rec ognize a regularly n m oc a m e esta blished, as disti guished fro a s i lly i provis d , — i a ristoc racy were the highest acco rded to any fam ly in me e e n e the c e me r the n . A rica , ith r u d r Dut h r gi o E glish a en e ae oma n or mo e co ec o min T he V n R ss l r d i s ( , r rr tly, d n n h n io s ) , as o rigi ally acquired by t e fo u der of the ho use th e anc on of the o e nm en o f o an on te with s ti g v r t H ll d, c stitu d n c on no t ec in uv nn a disti ct ol y, subj t a ma er to th e po litical co ntro l o r jurisdicti on o f the general administra tion o f N ew Netherland ; and indeed their independence was so sharply e ne a o e no ve an in d fi d th t G v r r Stuy s t, a dispute with the Van en e ae ec o e a n e o al R ss l r dir t r r g rdi g t rrit ri rights , could find no o e eco an r th r r urse th an act o f w a . When the Dutch a o n was con er e n o an n mano the e p tr o ship v t d i t E glish r, p culiar privileges o f the Van R enssel aers suffered no ma terial a r men in ce a n e ec b idg t, but rt i r sp ts were given a m “ ” o e ono nce c a ac e . T he m ano o r hi r pr u d h r t r r, lo rds p, wa s o rmal set a e the erm of the n an s f ly sid , by t s E glish gr t, a a sepa ra te politica l entity ; and whil e the powers of its o e o n e en ome mo ca on pr pri t rs u d rw t s difi ti s , as was inevit a e i the c an e om c bl w th h g fr Dut h to Bri tish laws, they were co nceded all the very considerable privil eges and function s e on in to man o o in n an b l g g r l rds E gl d, such a s exclusive o ce o e in e e r o p li p w r with th ir t r it ries , appo intment and con ‘ o o e nec es a ofiicials a min tr l f th s ry , d istra ti on of justice in o na ca e and the f o rdi ry us s , right o adv wson . As a further en a emen o f the o f the man o l rg t dignity r, its inh abitants were given the right to elec t and s end a special deputy to the ene a a em of the ov nce nd g r l ss bly pr i ; a , as a matter o f co e the e c o urs , d puty h sen was invari ably either the head o f the famil o r s mmedi a e ersona re res en y hi i t p l p ta tive. a n the o n i Ag i , p sitio of th e Van Renss ela er Fam ly a s one T H E VA N REN SSELA ER FAMILY of the fo remo st in the aristocratic o rder in America was sec ured so long as that o rder sho uld endure by the applica e e r n the e e al tion o f the law o f primo genitur , r qui i g p rp tu tran smission of the entire landed esta te in the eldest ma le line ; a law which prevented the dispersal of the pro perty h m ose o n the ec among t e younger branches, and i p d up dir t succeeding line an obligation to maintain the famil y preten sionsupon a plane and in a mann er befitting the undivided r inhe itan ce. T he exceptiona l po sition conferred upon the Van Rens l amil an f r ene a on ain e e o f se aer F y, d o g r ti s sust d, by virtu i r e a al the mos cons icu ts grea t pro prieta y estat , is n tur ly t p n f ous fact in its histo ry. T he pa troo nship o r ma o r o Bens ' sel ers ck as o na e ec e waS diminished at a a wy , rigi lly r t d, v ri ous tim es in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by aliena tions includin g a considerable tract ceded to the city “ ’ n e ar ce on the o e man of Al ba y, two oth r l ge ssi s ( C y s T rac and an: extensive strip transferred to the sta te of f m o an Ma s sa chusetts ) , and a territo ry o so e sixty th us d “ ” “ ” on n o e o r a e ack ano acres , c stituti g the L w r Cl v r M r, h m with o ther lands vested in the yo unger branch of t e fa ily, ‘ i h f h e emen of he rimo eni a s ts sha re, at t e tim e o t e s ttl t t p g r hi in n of e nn e.