Schermerhorn, Reyer, 1652-1719.

Reyer Schermerhorn (1652-1719) was the son of Jacob Schermerhorn, a Dutch immigrant who settled in Schenectady and became a wealthy fur trader and real estate owner. Reyer added considerable lands to his inheritence and was a prominent citizen, serving as trustee of Schenectady, justice of the peace, and assistant Judge of the Common Pleas in Albany. He left large holdings to his son Jan, including the original family homestead, the Schuylenkill. Jan's eldest son, the second Reyer, acquired large tracts of land in various patents in the present counties of Schenectady, Washington and Saratoga. The younger Reyer left the Schuylenkill to his eldest son Bartholomew, and other lands to the younger children.

The lands most frequently mentioned in this collection are those inherited jointly by three of the younger Reyer's children: Gerrit, Jeremiah, and Engletie (Angelica). Engeltie married Nicholas Schermerhorn, her second cousin once removed, and their daughter Elizabeth married Hiram Carpenter. Another large block of papers deals with the land that Hiram received from his father, William, and from other members of his family.