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Schenectady County, New York: Its History to the Close of the Nineteenth Century
Chapter XXIV: Genealogy of the DeGraff Family

Go back to: Chapter XXIV | Marcellus / Marselis Family | ahead to: Gerritse Family

[This information is from pp. 250-254 of Schenectady County, New York: Its History to the Close of the Nineteenth Century by Austin A. Yates (New York: New York History Co., 1902). It is in the Schenectady Collection of the Schenectady County Public Library at Schdy R 974.744 Yat, and copies are also available for borrowing. Thanks to Carol Di Crosta for data entry help with this page.]

Class Andrease DeGraff, 1688, left the following well authenticated lineage:

Abraham, the oldest son of Class Andrease, born November 14th, 1688, married, August 17th, 1725, Rebecca, daughter of Abraham Groot. He lived in the old red house, standing on the margin of the Sacandaga turnpike, near the residence of Phillip R. Toll, Esq., and his burying-ground lies not far from the rear of the house.

In his family Bible, still in tolerable preservation, are transcribed the following entries on the fly-leaf, which entries are well sustained by traditionary history:

"1746, October 30th, Abraham DeGraff and his son William, were taken captive to Canada."

"1747, June 12th, Abraham DeGraff, died at Quebec, in Canada, and was buried there."

"1748, July 18th, Nicholas DeGraff, (son of Abraham), and twenty-six others, were murdered at Beukendahl by the savage Indians."

Nicholas, the oldest son of Abraham, born May 26th, 1726, married Ariantje, daughter of John Schermerhorn. We have seen, by the Bible entry, that he was killed at Beukendahl, when only a little more than twenty-two years old. He left surviving him an infant son, Abraham, who, on the 29th of January, 1774, married Margaretta, daughter of William Schermerhorn. Desolate as his father's family was left, Abraham died June 1st, 1810, leaving surviving him the following children:

Elizabeth, a daughter, born July 23d, 1775, married Thomas Chapman.

Tenneke, also a daughter, born November 1st, 1778, married Cornelius Viele.

Rachel, another daughter, born March 11th, 1781, died unmarried.

Abraham, a son, born December 16th, 1790, died at the advanced age of nearly eighty-eight years.

Lawrence, also a son, born May 25th, 1793, is lately deceased.

All the children of Abraham left numerous descendants, except Elizabeth and Rachel.

Abraham, another son of Abraham, who died at Quebec, born August 24th, 1732, married, August 4th, 1753, Rachel, daughter of Johannes Clute. He died January 19th, 1756, leaving an only child, Abraham, born April 20th, 1754.

Cornelius, another son of Abraham, born November 23d, 1738, married, September 16th, 1769, Rebecca, daughter of Frederick Van Patten. He was for thirty-two years Voorleger [Voorlezer?] of the Dutch church of Schenectady, and stout lungs his old admirers claim for him. He lived on the south side of State Street, in a house next west of Mrs. Abel Smith's house and owned the lot on which her dwelling stands. In 1800 he removed to his farm in Glenville, near the location of the Beukendahl massacre, where he died July 11th, 1830, aged ninety-one years, seven months and seven days, having had three sons and three daughters. Albert W. Vedder, Esq., of Glenville, an aged citizen, was one of his grandchildren.

William, also a son of Abraham, Sr., born November 20th, 1734, who was carried, with his father, captive to Canada, never returned. He probably died there, as his father did.

Hester, a daughter of Abraham, Sr., born April 18th, 1728, married Philip Ryley.

Jesse, son of Class Andriese, born August 4th, 1688, married, October 20th, 1705, Aaltie Henmon in New York. He was carried away captive to Canada at one time, but returned.

Daniel, son of Jesse, born May 26th, 1708, married, June 26th, 1735, Gezina, daughter of Simon Swits. He died March 12th, 1790, aged nearly eighty-two years. She died January 22d, 1801, aged eighty-eight years.

Jesse, son of Daniel, born January 13th, 1745, married, November 19th, 1774, Rachel, daughter of Abraham Fonda. They had only one child, Daniel, who died young.

Simon, son of Daniel, born April 6th, 1753, married December 6th, 1779, first, Annatie, daughter of Simon Schermerhorn. She died September 21st, 1783, leaving one child, Gezina, who died young. He secondly married, April 12th, 1787, Jannete, daughter of Harmanus Bradt. Their children were:

Daniel, born August 12th, 1788, who married a daughter of the old surveyor, Josias Swart; also a son named Harmanus, born January 8th, 1791; also a daughter named Annatje, born August 23d, 1794, and now the widow of Alexander Van Eps, and residing in Schenectady.

Simon DeGraff's first wife, Jannete, was a sister of Maus and John Schermerhorn, deceased, aged citizens so long and favorably known in this community.

Isaac, son of Daniel, born November 16th, 1757, married, December 19th, 1779, Susanna, daughter of John Baptist Van Eps. He died December 21st, 1844, aged eighty-seven years, one month and five days.

Daniel, oldest son of Isaac, born June 16th, 1780.

John, the second son of Isaac, born October 2d, 1783, died July 22d, 1848. He was several times mayor of Schenectady, was for many years a successful merchant, and one of the firm of Walton & DeGraff, large contractors with the United States government, both by land and water, to forward supplies, ammunition, stores and necessities to its armies on the frontiers, and its navies on the western lakes. He also served the district in which Schenectady is located two terms in Congress. He died unmarried.

Jesse, another son of Isaac, born January 9th, 1801, married Gerzena, daughter of Harman Vischer of Caughnawaga, Montgomery County.

Gezina, oldest daughter of Isaac, born January 13th, 1788, married Abraham Oothout. This was the mother of our much esteemed citizen, G. Lansing Oothout, Esq.

Susanna, another daughter of Isaac, born March 29th, 1793, married the late Peter Bancker.

Annatje, also a daughter, born March 10th, 1795, married Philip Toll, son of Carl Hansen Toll.

Susanna, a daughter of Daniel, born May 5th, 1737, married Andreas Truax.

Gezina, another daughter of Daniel, born November 6th, 1747, married Colonel Frederick Vischer of Caughnawaga.

Alida, also a daughter, born March 9th, 1750, married Johannes Vedder.

Arnout (Arnold), another son of Charles Andreas, born in 1694, married, May 13th, 1715, Ariantje, daughter of Class Vander Volgen. He died March 27th, 1731, after which his widow married Harmanus Vedder.

Class, son of Arnout, a carpenter, born March 14th, 1716, married first, Leah Gonsalus; secondly, married Caty, daughter of Abraham Truax, February 1st, 1754, in Albany.

Manuel, his oldest son, and by his first wife, born February 10th, 1751, married Rebecca Gonsalus. He was one of the first settlers of Amsterdam, Montgomery County. His farm was situated two miles east of that village. He has been succeeded on that farm by his son Manuel, born January 24th, 1789, and he by his son Manuel, the present owner. Manuel, the second, died in Amsterdam July 1st, 1844, leaving several children. Philip Toll, Esq., of Glenville, married one of his daughters.

Isaac, also a son of Class Andrese, born August 4th, 1691, married, August 18th, 1725, Debora, daughter of Jeremiah Thickstone. He was carpenter and lived on the north side of Front Street, a little east of Church Street.

Jeremiah, son of Isaac, born October 21st, 1727, married Annatje, daughter of Johannes Quackenbos, and left surviving him several sons and daughters.

John, also a son of Isaac, born April, 1740, married, first, November 12th, 1763, Rebecca, daughter of Gerrit Van Vranken; secondly, married, July 1st, 1769, Annatje, daughter of Harmanus Peek. He left surviving him three sons, repectively named Gerrit, Isaac and Harmanus.

Andries, another son of Class Andries, born in 1699, married Neeltje, daughter of Daniel Van Antwerpen. He left but one child, Lysbeth, who married, February 5th, 1726, Philip Groot.

Antje, a daughter of Class Andrese, born August 27th, 1693, married Cornelius Christianse.

Sara, another daughter, born January 8th, 1696, married John Marselis.

Eva, also a daughter, married Jacob Van Olinda.

Elizabeth, another daughter, married Nicholas Stensil.

Margarita, also a daughter, married Robert Yates.

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