List of Original Schenectady, NY, Settlers

From: History of Schenectady, George Rogers Howell and Joel Munsell, 1886, pg 10.

 By tradition, it has been said that there were 15 families who signed the original petition to come to Schenectady to live.  The original paper seems to have been lost, but by carefully going over the records and deeds, 14 of the original proprietors can be traced.  However, one explanation of that 15th signer may be that Harman Albertse Vedder had a half interest in the land granted to Gerrit Bancker.  Some of those signers came to Schenectady a few years later and a few never came to occupy their land at all.

Here is the list of the signers of the indenture of 1663, wherein petition was made to have lands surveyed:

1. Arendt Van Curler
2. Alexander Lindsay Glen
3. Philip Hendrickse Brouwer
4. Symon Volkertse Veeder
5. Pieter Adrianse Van Woggelum (never resided)
6. Teunise Cornelise Swart
7. Bastian de Winter (attorney for Catalyn De Vos, widow of Arendt Bradt, who signed the original petition but who died before he could move to Schenectady)
8. Gerrit Bancker
9. William Teller (never resided)
10. Pieter Jacobse Borsboom
11. Pieter Danielse Van Olinda
12. Jan Barentse Wemp (Wemple)
13. Jacques Cornelise Van Slyck
14. Marten Cornelise Van Esselstyn
15. Harmen Albertse Vedder