The Gansevoort family of early Albany traces its roots to Harmen Harmanse and Maria Conyn Gansevoort.

Their son, brewer/businessman Leendert Gansevoort, established the family in the city as three sons became Albany householders. Daughter Sara was among a number of family members who were memorialized in paintings.

Harmen Gansevoort led the family from brewing to business and brought it to the top echelon of early Albany society. Harme's sons, Leonard Gansevoort and Peter Gansevoort, became leaders in the Revolutionary movement and in the establishment of the new state and nation.

In 1790, five Gansevoort named households were listed on the city census.

The family plot on the east side of Market Street encompassed the brewery and homes for more than a hundred years. The dock at the end of Maiden Lane was known as "Gansevoort's wharf." In 1789, Leonard Gansevoort purchased the estate called Whitehall. His daughter lived their for many years.

In 1815, four Gansevoort residences remained in the city!

Today, the family is recalled locally in the name of Gansevoort Street - the one-time southern border of the city, in the town of Gansevoort in Saratoga County, and in the names of numerous places in New York.

Sources:This mainline, multigenerational family is well-represented in community-based resources. Alice P. Kenney's seminal work on the family remains an unparalleled resource for the Gansevoorts and their neighbors. It is our best resource for virtually all qualitative information on the family! Chief among the online resources is an extensive offering from the Schenectady Digital History Library! Follow this link to more information on the family on this website.