Myndert Schuyler

Myndert Schuyler (January 16, 1672 – October 18, 1755) was a colonial trader and merchant with extensive real estate holdings who served as Mayor of Albany, New York, twice between 1719 and 1725. Early life Schuyler was born on January 16, 1672, at the family homestead, Schuyler Flatts (near present day Menands, New York). He was one of eight children born to his parents, David Pieterse Schuyler (1636–1690), who was born in the Netherlands, and Catharina Verplanck (1639–1690), between 1659 and 1678. Both of his parents died during the Schenectady massacre of 1690. He was the younger brother of David Davidse Schuyler, also a mayor of Albany. His paternal grandparents were Pieter Tjercks Van Schuylder and Geertruyt Philips and his uncle was Philip Pieterse Schuyler (1628–1683), the prominent colonist landowner. Through his uncle, he was first cousins with Gertruj Schuyler (b. 1654), who married Stephanus van Cortlandt (1643–1700), the patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor and a Mayor of New York City, Alida Schuyler (1656–1727), who married Nicholas van Rensselaer and after his death, Robert Livingston the Elder, Pieter Schuyler (1657–1724), the first mayor of Albany, Arent Schuyler (1662–1730), and Johannes Schuyler. Career Schuyler was a prominent merchant and trader who turned his profits into extensive real estate holdings throughout the New York region.