Notable Knickerbockers
Although Washington Irving's stories about the Knickerbockers were fictional, the Knickerbocker Family was and still is real. Unfortunately, none of the real Knickerbockers ever reached the level of fame attained by the fictional Deidrich Knickerbocker created by Washington Irving.
Deidrich Knickerbocker
As imagined by Felix O. C. Daley (1849)
However, the family did produce remarkable individuals who made important military,
political, historical, and literary contributions to society.
Following are a few of the stories of "notable" Knickerbockers:
Johannes Knickerbacker III
Mansion Builder
Johannes was born in 1751 in
He was the great grandson of Herman Jansen Van Wye, of
Herman had adopted the surname Knickerbaker (later Knickerbocker) for reasons unknown.
Johannes married Elizabeth Winne (pictured above), daughter of William Winne.
They had 14 children. Eleven of their children survived to adulthood.
He is most remembered for building the
Knickerbacker served in the army of the Revolution and was at the surrender of Burgoyne at
He subsequently represented the
Johannes passed away in 1826. Elizabeth, his wife, died one year later.
Congressman Herman Knickerbocker
"The Prince of Schaghticoke"
Herman, was born on
He received a classical education, studied law, and began practice in
He resided in
He was elected to the 11th congress as a Federalist, and served from
In 1816 he was elected to the New York State Assembly, and also filled the office of
Herman married three times. All three of his wives were from prominent families.
His first wife was Arietta Lansing of Lansingburgh, a descendant of the Van Rensselaers. She and Herman were the parents of five children.
His next wife was heiress Rachel Wendall of Tro
His last wife was Mary Buell. They were the parents of four offspring.
Herman died in
The First "Knickerbocker"?
While living in
He used his friend Herman's last name, but was the first person to spell it with an "o" in the third syllable.
This arguably makes the fictional Deidrich (in reality
Herman was referred to by Washington Irving, as "My cousin, the congressman" in his History of New York State.
When Herman visited the White House,
"My cousin, Diedrich Knickerbocker, the great historian of
(Images reproduced by permission of Dr. William K. Simpson)
Abraham and Mary Ann (Hale) Knickerbocker
Renovator and Redecorator
Abraham took possession of the
Abraham's second wife was Mary Ann Hale. Their marriage produced four children.
Their youngest son, Henry, inherited the Mansion after Mary Ann's death.
The year 1826 was a pivotal year for the Knickerbockers and the family homestead.
The Mansion had new owners because of the deaths of Johannes and his wife, Elizabeth.
In addition to this domestic upheaval,
The Knickerbocker's slaves had lived and cooked in the Mansion's basement.
They were replaced by white servants who required different living and working arrangements.
To address this change, Abraham had a wooden annex attached to the Mansion's western facade.
The annex contained a new kitchen and a sleeping loft for the domestics.
During Abraham's ownership of the Mansion the window sashes were changed, shutters replaced, and the shingle roof was replaced with slate.
Even more significant was the reconfiguration of the rooms on the first floor of the western side of the Mansion.
In addition to being structurally renovated, Mary Ann redecorated the Mansion's interior.
A reproduction of "Mary Ann's Wallpaper" can be seen in the Mansion's parlor.
In 1869, Abraham died, willing the Mansion to his widow, Mary Ann. He also deeded the
This insured that the cemetery would always remain under the family's control.
Joseph Foster Knickerbocker
"Poet of the Vale"
Joseph Foster Knickerbocker (1824-1882) was the son, and only child, of Abraham Knickerbocker and his first wife Laura Sturges.
Joseph suffered from a birth defect which stunted the growth of his arms.
Joseph was an eccentric recluse who never married and spent his 1ife writing poems and essays, and delving into family and 1ocal history.
His historical writings were error laden.
Despite his physical handicap Joseph produced several published works. His most notable work being A Vision of the Arch of Truth (1875).
In 1876, Joseph had an elaborate lynch gate (pictured above) constructed at the end of the Mansion's front walk to commemorate the poem.
The carvings in the gate were inspired by the poem's theme.
Joseph has the distinction of being the last Knickerbocker to reside in the Mansion.
Reverend David Buell Knickerbacker
Bishop of
David Buell, was born in
He spelled the family name traditionally with an "a" in the third syllable.
He was graduated from
He was ordained as a priest on
He spent his entire clerical life, until becoming bishop, in
Having been elected the third bishop of
During his long residence in
In the autumn of 1864, he visited the Chippewa Indians as one of a board of emissaries appointed by the Secretary of the Interior.
Herman Knickerbocker Viele
Novelist
Born in 1856, Herman's grandmother was Kathlyne Knickerbocker, daughter of Johannes Knickerbocker III.
Although he is best known as a writer, he began his career as a civil engineer, following in his father's footsteps.
Fired in part, no doubt, by love of adventure, he went out in the early 1870s to the
Later he went to
Never very robust, his health broke down and he was forced to lay aside his career as an engineer.
He then devoted himself to writing, producing many novels and poems during his career.
One of his more highly acclaimed works was Last of the Knickerbockers, a Comedy Romance (1901).
The novel documented an ambered preservation of a phase of New York Society that was vanishing, and that soon after vanished absolutely.
One contemporary critic described it as a work that would "outlive long, I am confident, the great mass of the fiction of Vielé's day."
Herman passed away in 1908.
Kathlyne Knickerbocker Vielé
Historian and author
Kathlyne, born in 1853, was the older sister of Herman Knickbocker Viele.
She was named for her paternal grandmother, Kathlyne Knickerbocker, daughter of Johannes III.
Her parents were Egbert Viele and Teresa Brewer, a novelist.
She was a graduate of The Women's Law Class of the
She is chiefly remembered for her historical writings.
Her most notable work Vielé, 1659-1909, Two Hundreds and Fifty Years With a Dutch Family in New York, was published in 1909.
Kathlyne dedicated the book to the memory of her brother, Herman.
Kathlyne also produced Sketches of Allied Families Knickerbacker - Viele which was published in 1916.
This is probably the best work on the Knickerbocker Dynasty concentrating on the Schaghticoke branch of the family.
Kathlyne never married, perhaps choosing spinsterhood after living through the tumultuous marriage and scandalous divorce of her parents.
She was devoted to her younger brother, Herman, and never quite recovered from his death in 1908.
A staunch defender of
In the letter, she took Mrs. John Van Rensselaer to task for neglecting to note the contributions of the Dutch in an upcoming history pageant.
She died in 1924.
Revised 7/15/09