Johannes Abeel

Johannes (sometimes written John) was born on March 23, 1667 in Albany, New York, the son of Christopher Janse Abeel (1621–1684), a prosperous merchant and landowner, and Neiltje Jans Croom. He was the third of four children and the only boy born to his parents, who emigrated to New York from Holland in 1647.[1]

Johannes was born shortly after Great Britain assumed control of the former Dutch colony of New Netherland and renamed it as New York in 1664.[2]

After his father died when Abeel was 13, Abeel became a successful trader and merchant in Albany and New York City, establishing relationships with Native American tribes in Western New York that enabled him to acquire furs for resale in Albany. He exported the furs to London and received rum, rice, dry goods, and other items, some of which were for British soldiers garrisoned in Albany and Upstate New York, and most of which he resold at a profit.[3]

Abeel used some of his profits to take part in land purchase, resale and development, including the 1705 Westenhook Patent.[4]

On April 10, 1694, Abeel married Catalina Schuyler (1678–1747).[6] She was the daughter of David Pieterse Schuyler (1636–1690) and Catharina Verplanck (1639–1690), who both died during the Schenectady massacre of 1690, and the sister of Albany mayors, David Davidse Schuyler (1669–1715) and Myndert Schuyler (1672–1755). They had five children:[1]

• Catalina Abeel (b. 1691), who married Vincent Matthews.[7]
• Christoffel Abeel (1696–1771), who married Margueritta Breese (1701–1758) in 1720.[1]
• Neiltje Abeel (b. 1698)[1]
• David Abeel (1705–1777), who married Mary Duyckinck (1702–1780)[1]
• Jannette Abeel (b. 1705)[1]

Abeel died in Albany on January 28, 1711. He was originally buried in the Second Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery on Beaver Street, one of several downtown burial grounds that had their remains removed to Albany Rural Cemetery in the 1830s. According to a contemporary newspaper account, workmen moving remains at Second Church uncovered his tombstone, which was inscribed "Here lies the body of John Abeel who departed this life ye 28 day of Jan'y. 1711, and in the 44 year of his age." It is not known what subsequently happened to the grave marker.[8]

After his death, his widow remarried to Rutger Janse Bleecker (1675–1756), a son of Jan Jansen Bleecker, both of whom served as Mayor of Albany.[6]