New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Albany Rural Cemetery

Revolutionary Soldier John Nicholas Bleecker Marker Dedication

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The John Nicholas Bleecker was born in August 1739, the son of Albany businessman Nicholas Bleecker, Jr. and his wife, Margarita Roseboom Bleecker. When the American Revolution began in 1775, Bleecker was elected to represent the second ward on the Albany Committee of Safety, Protection and Correspondence.

He was commissioned in a militia company and while serving in the Commissary Department of the Northern Army he was involved in the removal of the cannon from Crown Point and Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. Bleecker died in October 1825 at the age of 87. [Read more…] about Revolutionary Soldier John Nicholas Bleecker Marker Dedication

Erastus Corning & His Ironworks

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Portrait of Erastus Corning by Mathew Brady, c. 1860Erastus Corning (1794-1872) got his business started in Troy and made the bulk of his fortune in railroads, including the production of iron tracks and hook-headed railroad spikes. Corning and his partner, John Flack Winslow, received the contract to make the deck and skirt armor for the USS Monitor and at least eight additional monitor class ironclad warships.

Born in Connecticut, Corning began his business career working in a relative’s hardware shop.  His interest in the iron trade would eventually lead him to establish the New York Central Railroad which, during his lifetime, was the largest corporation in the United States.  He served as Mayor of Albany, founding a political dynasty that continued into the 20th-century with Mayor Erastus Corning II. [Read more…] about Erastus Corning & His Ironworks

Simeon DeWitt: America’s Surveyor General

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The Roemer map of Albany 1698 showing fort orange and BeverwyckTjerck Claeszen DeWitt immigrated to New Amsterdam (now New York City) from Grootholt in Zunterlant in 1656. Grootholt means Great Wood and Zunterland was probably located on the southern border of East Friesland, a German territory on the North Sea only ten miles from the most northerly province of the Netherlands.

By 1657, Tjerck DeWitt married Barber (Barbara) Andrieszen (also Andriessen) in the New Amsterdam Dutch Church and moved to Beverwyck (now Albany). While in Beverwyck, he purchased a house. At this time Albany contained 342 houses and about 1,000 residents, about 600 of whom were members of the Dutch Church. [Read more…] about Simeon DeWitt: America’s Surveyor General

Albany Rural Cemetery’s Hidden Lakes & Ponds

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Albany Rural Cemetery pondThe Friends of the Albany Rural Cemetery will host “Hidden Lakes & Ponds of Albany Rural Cemetery,” a two-part historical introduction to the many lakes and ponds that were part of the natural landscape of Albany Rural Cemetery, set for Saturday, April 23rd. [Read more…] about Albany Rural Cemetery’s Hidden Lakes & Ponds

‘Cars & Crypts’ Event Planned For Albany Rural Cemetery

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Funerals by AutomobilesThe Albany Rural Cemetery will host “Cars & Crypts,” a classic car show centered around Cypress Pond and Millionaires Row on June 11th.

This event will provide a chance to see some vintage and classic automobiles, as well as view the inside of some of the cemetery’s historic “Millionaire’s Row” vaults, and more. [Read more…] about ‘Cars & Crypts’ Event Planned For Albany Rural Cemetery

Presidential Wreath Laying Set For Grave of Chester A. Arthur

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President Chester Arthur grave courtesy Albany Rural CemeteryBorn in Fairfield, Vermont, Chester A. Arthur was a graduate of Union College and an educator at several local schools. As an attorney, he helped represent Elizabeth Jennings Graham, an African-American teacher, in the 1854 case to desegregate New York City streetcars. During the Civil War, he served as Quartermaster General of the New York State Militia.

He was elected Vice-President of the United States in 1880 and, following the assassination of James A. Garfield, Arthur became the 21st President. During his time in office, he signed the Pendleton Act which prohibited the solicitation of federal employees for political contributions, and created the Civil Service Commission (now the Office of Personnel Management). He also presided over the dedication of the Washington Monument and the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge. [Read more…] about Presidential Wreath Laying Set For Grave of Chester A. Arthur

Albany’s Ira Harris: From Rights Advocate to Lincoln’s Assassination

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Ira HarrisIra Harris was born at Charleston, Montgomery County, NY on May 31st, 1802 to Fredrick Waterman Harris and Lucy Hamilton. When he was six years old, his family moved to Preble, NY where his father became one of the largest landowners in Cortland County.

Harris attended Homer Academy and graduated from Union College in 1824. He studied law for one year in Homer, New York and then moved to Albany where he assisted one of that city’s most highly regarded jurists, Ambrose Spencer. [Read more…] about Albany’s Ira Harris: From Rights Advocate to Lincoln’s Assassination

Jermain Family Philanthropy Helped Shape The Capital District

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John Jordan-JermainJohn Jordan left Edinburgh, Scotland in 1755 arriving in White Plains, colony of New York, the same year. Edinburgh had been the family home since Jordan’s father and grandfather fled France for Scotland following the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre of French Huguenots in the late 1600s. John struck out on his own and decided to immigrate to America.

John married Mary Ann Daniels, a young woman of Dutch descent, and in 1758 they had a son, John Jordan, Jr. With the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775, John Jordan, Sr. and his wife left New York and helped found the loyalist colony of St. John, New Brunswick, just across the Maine border. Their 19-year-old son, John Jr., stayed behind. [Read more…] about Jermain Family Philanthropy Helped Shape The Capital District

Irish Immigrant, Medal of Honor Winner Terrence Begley Being Honored in Albany

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Terrence Begley cenotaphThe Friends of the Albany Rural Cemetery will hold a ceremony on Saturday, August 21st to dedicate a military marker for Irish immigrant Civil War Medal of Honor recipient Terrence Begley.

Begley was born in Ireland and raised in Albany. He enlisted as a private in the 7th NY Heavy Artillery regiment, an Albany regiment, on February 11th, 1864.

[Read more…] about Irish Immigrant, Medal of Honor Winner Terrence Begley Being Honored in Albany