Author Valerie H. McKito’s new book, From Loyalists to Loyal Citizens: The DePeyster Family of New York (2015 SUNY Press) takes a look at the DePeyster family, one of the first families of New Amsterdam. The family ranked among the wealthiest of New York during the early days of the American Republic. The DePeysters were also unapologetic Loyalists, serving in the King’s forces during the American Revolution.
After the war, the four sons left the United States for Canada and Great Britain. Ten years later, one son, Frederick DePeyster, returned to New York, embraced his Loyalist past, and utilized his British connections to become a prominent and successful merchant. The DePeysters went on to become true Patriots, zealously supporting US interests in the War of 1812.
This book examines the forces at work in the lives of the DePeyster family and the decisions they made to navigate their way from loyal subjects of the British crown to loyal citizens of the United States. How this transformation occurred challenges many of the preconceived ideas we hold both about the Revolution and the formation of the American identity in the years following the war.
Author Valerie H. McKito is an independent scholar who lives in Lubbock, Texas.
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The de Peysters were involved in colonial government in NY from shortly after arrival in 1647 until the end of the Revolutionary war. de Peyster descendants were all up and down the Hudson river valley and married into most of the prominent families. Thus when he returned, Frederick de Peyster had relatives throughout early New York, New Jersey and US Goverment. The Livingstons, Van Courtlands, Jays, and Alexander Hamilton’s wife were part of his extended family and his marriage to Helen Livingston Hake was approved by letter* from her solicitor Aaron Burr, the Livingston family lawyer (her parents died while she was a teenager) He returned to extended family.
Fighting for the British followed from his descent from an Axtell grandfather who had been a British officer, as well as generations of service in colonial government in the NY colony.
His son James Ferguson de Peyster was given that middle name in honor of the British officer, Patric Ferguson, who dies leading the loyalist troops at Kings Mountain, SC.
JF de P was my grandfather’s grandfather.
* I have the original letter