Peter Vredenburgh (1745-1823) [Petrus Benedict Van Vredenburgh Jr.]

Name

Peter Vredenburgh (1745-1823) [Petrus Benedict Van Vredenburgh Jr.]

Identifier

NJS-PER-00388

Given Name

Peter

Family Name

Vredenburgh

Alternate Name

Petrus Benedict Van Vredenburgh Jr.

Birth Date

1745

Death Date

August 24, 1823

Sex

Male

Description

Petrus Benedict Van Vredenburgh Jr. (1745-1823) was an enslaver who resided in New Brunswick, NJ. He was named after his father and then eventually Anglicized his name to Peter Vredenburgh, and historical records may use both versions of the name to refer to him. He was the last in the family to use the Dutch name.

He was the son of Petrus Benedict Van Vredenburgh (1721-1810) and Margaret (or Margrita) Schureman (1726-1745), who died shortly after Petrus was born; he was raised by his father's second wife Elizabeth Fisher after his mother's death.

He was a civic leader in New Brunswick and served for decades as the Treasurer of Middlesex County. He was also a Trustee of Queen's College (later Rutgers University) from 1784 until his death in 1823, following in the footsteps of his father, who was also a trustee of the college. He married a cousin named Margaret (or Margrita) Schureman (1752-1786) (not to be confused with his mother of the same name) and then, after her death, his second wife was Ann Van Voorhees.

He mentioned two enslaved persons in his will, Tom and Margaret, whom he wished to manumit. He made Peter Vrendenburgh (his son) and James Schureman (the brother of his first wife and his son Peter's uncle) the executors of his will.

Spouse of

Margaret (or Margrita) Schureman Vredenburgh (1752-1786)

Ann Van Voorhees Vredenburgh

Parent of

Peter Vredenburgh (1778-1848)

Organization

Rutgers University

Bibliographic Citation

Raven, John Howard, ed. Catalogue of the Officers and Alumni of Rutgers College (Originally Queen’s College) in New Brunswick, N.J, 1766 to 1916. Trenton: State Gazette Publishing Co., 1916. Page 11.

Vredenburgh, William R. Genealogy of the Vredenburth Family in North America. Springfield, IL, 1956.

Vredenburgh, La Rue, ed. “The Vredenburgh Family of Somerset.” Somerset County Historical Quarterly 7, no. 1 (1918): 69–76.

Wynkoop, Richard. Schureman Genealogy. New York: Melancthon F. Schureman, 1889.

Source Resource

https://records.njslavery.org/api/items/3244

Source Site

https://records.njslavery.org/s/doc/page/home

Occupation

Government

Child of

Petrus Benedict Van Vredenburg (1721-1810)

Margaret (or Margrita) Schureman (1726-1745)

Contributor

Isaac Guzmán

Jesse Bayker