David Pieterse Schuyler

Born in Holland into a modest family of a German-born baker, David joined his brother Philip in search of a better future in New Netherland. The brothers settled in Rensselaerswyck in the mid-1650s, and initially worked as carpenters before they decided to enter into the lucrative fur trade. Until the end of decade, both brothers were among the principal fur traders of the community. In 1657 David married Catalina Ver Planck, daughter of a New Amsterdam trader with whom he had eight children. As a man of prominence, David held numerous civic offices and was appointed alderman under the Albany city charter in 1686.