Nicholas Roosevelt (1658–1742)

For other people named Nicholas Roosevelt, see Nicholas Roosevelt (disambiguation).

Dutch–American colonial alderman (1658–1742)

Nicholas Roosevelt

Alderman of New York City
In office
1715
In office
1698–1701
Personal details
Born|

Nicholas van Rosenvelt

October 2, 1658
New Amsterdam, New Netherland
Died| July 30, 1742(1742-07-30) (aged 83)
New York City, Province of New York
Spouse|

Heyltje Jans Kunst

(m. 1682; died 1730)​

Relations| See Roosevelt family
Children| 10, including Johannes Roosevelt
Parent(s)| Claes Maartenszen van Rosenvelt
Jannetje Samuels Thomas
Occupation| Politician

Nicholas Roosevelt (born Nicholas van Rosenvelt) (bap. October 2, 1658 – died July 30, 1742) was an American politician. He was an early member of the Roosevelt family and a prominent Dutch-American citizen of New Amsterdam (later New York City), and was the 4th great-grandfather to Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945).[1] He was the first Roosevelt to hold an elected office in North America, as an alderman, as well as the first to use the familiar spelling of the family name.

## Early life

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Roosevelt was born in New Amsterdam and baptized on October 2, 1658. He was the son of Claes Maartenszen van Rosenvelt (c. 1626–1659), the immigrant ancestor of the Roosevelt family in America, and Jannetje Samuels Thomas (1625–1660).[2] He was baptized in the Reformed Dutch Church of New Amsterdam.[3][4]

## Life and career

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By 1680, he had moved to Esopus, near Kingston, another early Dutch settlement in the New Netherlands. There, on April 5, 1680, he signed a petition asking for a minister for Kingston. During his time in Esopus, he was a fur trader on friendly terms with Native Americans.

In 1690, he returned with his family to New York, where he was listed as having the occupation of a "bolter." He was made a freeman on August 23, 1698. Politically active, he was a supporter of the party of Jacob Leisler, who had led an insurrection in 1689 in support of the succession of Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau to the English throne in the Revolution of 1688. Nicholas Roosevelt was an alderman from 1698 to 1701 and again for the West Ward in 1715.[5][self-published source]

The Roosevelt family, including Nicholas, were slaveholders. One of Nicholas's slaves, Tom, was burned to death on suspicion of having participated in a failed slave rebellion in 1712.[6]

## Personal life

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Main article: Roosevelt family

He married Heyltje Jans Kunst (1664–1730) in the Reformed Dutch Church of New York on December 9, 1682.[7] With his wife, he had ten children, the first four baptized at Esopus and the rest in New York:[8]

* Jannetie Roosevelt (b. 1683)
* Margaretta Roosevelt (b. 1685)
* Nicholaes Roosevelt (b. 1687)
* Johannes Roosevelt (1689–1750), who married Heyltje Sjoerts (Shourd) (1688–1752) on September 25, 1708.[8]
* Elsie Roosevelt (b. 1691)
* James Jacobus Roosevelt (1692–1776), who married Catharina Hardenbroek. They were the parents of Isaac Roosevelt.
* Rachel Roosevelt (b. 1693), who died young
* Sarah Roosevelt (b. 1696)
* Rachel Roosevelt (b. 1699)
* Isaac Roosevelt (b. 1701), who died young

He died in New York City on August 30, 1742.

### Descendants

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Nicholas and his wife were the last common ancestors of the Oyster Bay Roosevelts (including Theodore and Eleanor Roosevelt), founded by his son Johannes, and the Hyde Park Roosevelts (including Franklin Delano Roosevelt), founded by his son Jacobus.[9][self-published source][10] There are also descendants of his other children.

## See also

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* Roosevelt family

## References

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1. ^ Baker, K. (1998). "Roosevelt Family Genealogy" (PDF). nps.gov. National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
2. ^ Bardhan-Quallen, Sudipta (2007). Franklin Delano Roosevelt: A National Hero. New York: Sterling Publishing Company. p. 6. ISBN 978-1402747472. Retrieved 5 December 2016. "nicholas roosevelt (1658–1742)."
3. ^ Felch, William Farrand; Atwell, George C.; Arms, H. Phelps; Miller, Francis Trevelyan (1908). The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. Connecticut Magazine Company. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
4. ^ York, Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New (1916). Genealogical Record. The Society. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
5. ^ Caliendo, Ralph J. (2010). New York City Mayors. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1450088145. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
6. ^ Blackman, Paul H.; McLaughlin, Vance (2004). "Mass legal executions in America up to 1865". Crime, History & Societies. 8 (2): 33–61\. doi:10.4000/chs.460. Retrieved 9 October 2020. "The most painful executions were efforts to suppress revolts in New York City, first in 1712, and then in the better known revolt of 1741. The 1712 revolt resulted in far fewer executions. After arson, stabbing, and shooting killed 9 whites and injured another 7, about 20 black males were executed over a period of about three months after convictions on charges of murder or accessory to murder. The law did not specify the means of execution, so the governor opted for selective viciousness due to the fear the revolt had created among the populace. Several were just hanged, but one was hung in chains until he died of starvation, another broken on the wheel, and three burned. Tom, the slave of Nicholas Roosevelt – the last common ancestor of both Presidents Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt – was roasted slowly, the process reportedly taking more than 8 hours."
7. ^ Burke, Arthur Meredyth (1908). The Prominent Families of the United States of America. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN 978-0806313085. Retrieved 5 December 2016. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
8. ^ a b Whittelsey, Charles Barney (1902). The Roosevelt Genealogy, 1649-1902. Hartford, Connecticut: Press of J.B. Burr & Company. p. 36. Retrieved 19 September 2016. "oliver."
9. ^ Kienholz, M. (2008). Opium Traders and Their Worlds – Volume One: A Revisionist Exposé of the World's Greatest Opium Traders. iUniverse. ISBN 978-0595910786. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
10. ^ Cusack, Jeri Diehl. "The FDRs: A Most Extraordinary First Couple" (PDF). lakesideohio.com. Retrieved 5 December 2016.

*[m.]: married