Jacob Janse

Looking for a better future a 15 years old Janse had left Holland and emigrated to New Netherland settling himself in Rensselaerswyck as early as 1637. Although it is unknown what he exactly dealt in these first years, it is recorded that he was arrested for selling firearms to the Indians ten years later, which was a right reserved exclusively to the West India Company. Although he was left without properties which were confiscated, Janse succeeded to avoid banishment and remained in colony. And while his first business ventures in America were unsuccessful, they significantly differed by those that followed. Janse emerged as a prosperous entrepreneur in the real estate and lucrative fur trading. He was particularly active on the Albany real estate market owning a number of parcels in several locations, and enjoyed a reputation as one of the major traders in the community.

Janse died in 1690 during or shortly after the "Schenectady Massacre". After his death the large and extensive estate in Albany and Schenectady went to his heirs from the marriage with Jannetje (Seegers) Van Voorhout.