| Quantity: | 1 box (.25 cubic ft.) |
|---|---|
| Access: | Open to research |
| Acquisition: | Purchase, Frank M. Thomas, June 1947 |
| Processed By: | Honor Conklin, Archivist, Manuscripts and Special Collections, December 1991; revised by Regina Berry, Student Assistant, State University of New York at Albany, June 2016 |
Rutger Bleecker (1745-1787) was the eldest son of Johannes Rutgerse Bleecker, also known as John R. Bleecker (1713-1800) and Elizabeth (Staats) Bleecker (1725-1811), of Albany, New York. He was descended from Jan Janssen Bleecker (1641-1732) of Meppel, Holland, who held the positions of recorder of Albany, justice of the peace, and member of the provincial assembly. He was also the mayor of Albany, a position several members of the Bleecker and collateral families would hold.
Rutger Bleecker married Catharine Elmendorf (1747-1808) in 1768 and had seven children: Johannis (1769-1770), Johannes (John Rutger) (1771-1849), Peter Edmund (1774-1793), Elizabeth (Mrs. Peter Brinckerhoff) (1777-1868), Maria (Mrs. Morris Smith Miller) (1780-1850), Blandina (Mrs. Charles Edward Dudley) (1783-1863), and Sarah (1788-1793).
The children of John Rutger Bleecker and of Maria (Bleecker) Miller married into the Tibbits and Seymour families and more material on Rutger Bleecker and his descendants may be found in the Seymour Family Papers (SC17350) and the Tibbits Family Papers (SC13256). See also Maps and Surveys of Otsquaga (Bleecker) and Bleecker Patents, Canajoharie and Minden Townships, Montgomery County, 1729-1772 (accession number 10816)
Bleecker was a wealthy Albany merchant who held property in the City of Albany, Albany County; the Springfield Patent [Groesbeck Patent, Springfield?], Otsego County; the Roseboom Patent, Root, Montgomery County; and Cosby's Manor, Oneida and Herkimer counties, among others. [William] Cosby's Manor was sold in 1772 to General Philip Schuyler, General John Bradstreet, John Morin Scott (a New York City lawyer and congressman), and Rutger Bleecker. The property was surveyed in 1786 and divided into 106 lots 1, 4, 8, 9, 12, 15, 20, 22, 104, 105, and 106 going to Bleecker. Bleecker had hoped to settle his children in homes on the Utica lots but only Mary (Bleecker) Miller resided there.
Rutger Bleecker died on October 4, 1787; his will was executed by his widow, Catharine, his brother, Barent, his brother-in-law, Peter Edmund Elmendorf, and his friend (the brother-in-law of Barent), John Lansing, Jr. Catharine lived to 1808. The couple is buried in Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, New York, along with four of their children.
The Rutger Bleecker papers are a small collection of primarily correspondence, deeds, and maps of Rutger Bleecker, his children, principally John Rutger Bleecker and Maria (Bleecker) Miller, and his grandchildren and great grandchildren of the Miller, Seymour, and Tibbits lines.
The correspondence series consist of miscellaneous letters, some of which concern matters of business, but most being relative to personal and family matters. Correspondents represent members of Green, Miller, Seymour, Conkling, Shonnard, and Tibbits family. Most notable was Roscoe Conkling, a member of the United States Senate from New York and a Seymour family relation.
The financial series contains two documents related to New York State Governor Horatio Seymour.
Land papers contain accounts due on Cosby's Manor and an unidentified patent; indentures for lands that include Cosby's Manor, in Oneida and Herkimer counties; the Springfield Patent [Groesbeck Patent?] in Otsego County; Remensneider's Bush in Manheim, Herkimer County; and Albany, New York; a list of lessees in the Springfield Patent; two maps of lots in Cosby's Manor and three maps of lots in Roseboom's Patent, Root, Montgomery County. The papers also contain surveys of Cosby's Manor, meeting minutes regarding land in Madison County, and a statement of the real estate of Catharine Bleecker, Gerrit Lansing Jr. and Abraham Varick.
The legal series includes a case of Horatio Seymour v. Augustus and Douglas Hooper, fragments of lists of papers borrowed by John R. Bleecker and Morris Smith Miller and a warrant of attorney from Asaph Seymour to Horatio Seymour.
Additionally, there is a sketch of columns for an unidentified drawing room and a printed description of the route of the Mohawk Valley Rail Road from 1853.
The holdings of New York State Library, Manuscripts and Special Collections, includes several other small collections pertaining to this family. The Bleecker Family Papers (SC20557) includes land records of John R., James and Barent Bleecker for properties in Albany, Saratoga, Schoharie and Plattsburgh. The Lyon Bleecker Collection (SC18047) has land papers of the Bleecker, Truax and Lansing families, collected by a descendant. The Barent Bleecker Papers (SC20601) relate to the real estate interests of the brother of Rutger and James Bleecker, in several New York counties.
The John N. Bleecker Papers (SC10431) is a larger collection documenting the activities of this second cousin to Rutger, James and Barent, and is also at the New York State Library.
| Box | Folder | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Correspondence | ||
| 1 | 1 | To Henry Seymour from David E. Evans, 1836 |
| 1 | 2 | From Rutger B[leecker] Miller to Farmer's Loan and Trust Company, 1837 |
| 1 | 3 | To John Forman Seymour from Roscoe Conkling, Benjamin Tibbits, W.C. Johnson, A.L. Learned, and Alfred B. Street, 1855 [1835?]-1858 (11 items) |
| 1 | 4 | To Seymour, Savage & Co. (firm) from William Coffin, 1843 |
| 1 | 5 | To Horatio Seymour from William L. Bigelow, Exchange Bank of Darling & Co., R.E. James, and F.F. Marbury, 1849, 1859, 1860, 1862 (4 items) |
| 1 | 6 | To Benjamin Tibbits from William J. Cornwell, 1852 |
| 1 | 7 | From Henry S. Miller to Morris Miller and Mrs. Rutger B. Miller, 1857, 1858 (2 items) |
| 1 | 8 | From Benjamin Tibbits to [?], 1858 (4 items) |
| 1 | 9 | To Simon and Miller from Kent and Bros., 1858 |
| 1 | 10 | Re: Mary F. Miller by R.F. Hicks, New York State Court of Appeals, 1858 |
| 1 | 11 | To Morris S. Miller, [Jr.?] from Horatio Seymour and Benjamin Tibbits, 1858 (2 items) |
| 1 | 12 | From Morris S[mith] Miller to clerk of Cattaraugus County, N.Y., 1858 |
| 1 | 13 | From Frances C. Green to her father [Andrew Green?], 1861, n.d. (2 items) |
| 1 | 14 | From E.A. Wood to William Pierrepont White, re: Tibbits Block in Utica, N.Y., 1892 |
| 1 | 15 | From Fred Shonnard to Buck [?], n.d. |
| Financial | ||
| 1 | 16 | Bank note and insurance receipt of Horatio Seymour, 1853, 1856 (2 items) |
| Land Papers | ||
| 1 | 17 | Statement of arrears of quit rents in part of land granted to Adoniah Schuyler and others by the New York State comptroller. Unidentified patent, 1798 [Waggoner Patent in Springfield?]. Conveyance by Philip Schuyler to Johannis, Lawrence and Jacob Sawyer, 1772. (2 items) |
| 1 | 18 | Accounts due on Cosby's Manor, Oneida and Herkimer counties, N.Y., 1805 |
| 1 | 19 | Land papers of Rutger Bleecker, 1771-1798 (6 items):
|
| 1 | 20 | Land papers of Rutger Bleecker and heirs, 1801-1811 (6 items):
|
| 1 | 21 | Land papers of John R. Bleecker, 1824-1846 (3 items):
|
| 1 | 22 | List of leases, Springfield Patent, [Groesbeck Patent, Springfield?], Otsego County, N.Y., includes Rutger Bleecker, 1741-1771 |
| 1 | 23 | Map, Lot 12, [Cosby's Manor?], Deerfield, Oneida County, N.Y., by G.M. Weaver, showing lands of A. Bawman, J.R. Bleecker, A. Weaver, F.G. Weaver, and G.M. Weaver with letter by Calvin Guiteau (copy) to John R. Bleecker, n.d., 1816 (2 items) |
| 1 | 24 | Map, west line of Lots No. 82 and 83, Cosby's Manor, Utica and New Hartford, Oneida County, N.Y., by David Babcock, showing property of Bleecker, Darling, John A. Green, Samuel, Thomas, Underwood, Wentworth, 1843 |
| 1 | 25 | Map of subdivision of Lots No. 3 and 4, Roseboom's Patent, Root, Montgomery County, N.Y., surveyed by T.A. Stoutenburgh, 1819. Shows Lots No. 1 and 10 Dutch Church, Lots No. 2 and 9 Jacob J. Lansing, Lots No. 3 and 8 H.I. Blake, Lots No. 4 and 7 unknown, and Lots No. 5 and 6 C. Truax |
| 1 | 26 | Map and surveyor's account, Roseboom Patent, Root, Montgomery County, N.Y. Copy of map by Thomas Machin, ca.1830. Shows lands of Wandel [Wandle?] Burns, Dutch Church, Conrad Rikert, and John Weaver. [Known also as Rutger Bleecker Patent] (2 items) |
| 1 | 27 | Map of Roseboom Patent, Root, Montgomery County, N.Y. Shows lands of H.J. Blake, Wandle [Wandel?] Burns, Dutch Church, J.J. Lansing, Conrad Rickert, and John Weaver, n.d. |
| 1 | 28 | Minutes, meeting of proprietors of the Great Swamp, Sullivan and Lenox, Madison County, N.Y., David Collins, Jr., chairman, 1842 |
| 1 | 29 | Notice to James Jackson to appear before the State Supreme Court in James Jackson vs. John Stiles regarding land in Oneida County, N.Y., 1824 |
| 1 | 30 | Power of attorney to John R. Bleecker, Jr., from executors of Rutger Bleecker -Catharine Bleecker, John Lansing, Jr., Barent Bleecker, and Peter Edmund Elmendorf - to sell lands in Springfield Patent [Groesbeck Patent, Springfield?], Otsego County, N.Y., 1798 |
| 1 | 31 | Statement of the real estate of Catharine Bleecker, Gerrit G. Lansing, Jr., and Abraham Varick purchased of the creditors of John Post, 1807-1811 |
| 1 | 32 | Survey, Lots 9, 12, 80, 81, 82, 92, 93, 94, 104, 105, and 106 in Cosby's Manor, Oneida and Herkimer counties, N.Y., n.d. |
| 1 | 33 | Survey, Quarry Lots 81 and 82, Cosby's Manor, [81, Frankfort, Herkimer County, and 82, Utica and New Hartford, Oneida County, N.Y.], n.d., belonging to Bleecker, Brinkerhoff, Dudley and Miller |
| 1 | 34 | Survey of six farms, unidentified, n.d. |
| Legal | ||
| 1 | 35 | Warrants of attorney, Asaph Seymour to Horatio Seymour, 1844 (2 items) |
| 1 | 36 | Case: Horatio Seymour v. Augustus and Douglas Hooper, 1857 |
| 1 | 37 | Memoranda of papers received by J[ohn] R. Bleecker and of Morris S[mith] Miller to be returned, fragments, n.d. (2 items) |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| 1 | 38 | Elevation sketch showing columns for a drawing room, unidentified, n.d. |
| 1 | 39 | Printed circular containing a description of the whole line or route of the Mohawk Valley Rail Road, 1853 |