BIOGHIST REQUIRED The Duer Family was one of the founding families of New York City. Prior to moving to New York from England, the Duer Family had purchased tracts of land on the Hudson River near Albany. The area, known as Fort Miller, served as their first residence and as the site of their early financial ventures. By 1776 the Duer family had built a successful mercantile business based primarily on lumber production.
BIOGHIST REQUIRED The Duer family patriarch, William Duer (March 18, 1743-May 7, 1799), was an American lawyer, developer, and speculator who lived in New York City. A Federalist, he had served in the Continental Congress and the convention that framed the New York Constitution. In 1778, he signed the United States Articles of Confederation. Duer was married to Katherine "Kitty" Alexander, the daughter of the Revolutionary War General William Alexander (Lord Stirling), and together they had three sons: William Alexander, Alexander and John.
BIOGHIST REQUIRED William Alexander Duer (1780-1858) son of William Duer, was an American lawyer, jurist, educator, member of the New York State Assembly (1816), and one of the first eight New York State Circuit Courts judges appointed (1823). He served as the President of Columbia College (now Columbia University) from 1829 to 1842.
BIOGHIST REQUIRED William Alexander and Hannah Denning Duer (1782-1862) had four children: Henrietta Amlie, Frances Maria, Catherine Theodora, and William Denning. The writings and correspondence of William Alexander, Hannah Maria Denning Duer, and their daughter Frances Maria Duer Hoyt are featured throughout this collection.
From the guide to the Duer family Papers, 1784-1937., (Columbia University. Rare Book and Manuscript Library)
