Abraham Maas Schermerhorn [1791-1855]
US Congressman
Abraham Schermerhorn served as a member of the U. S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1849 to March 3, 1853. He was elected as a Whig and served in the Thirty first and Thirty second U. S. Congresses. He represented a U. S. Federal Congressional District in the City of Rochester, New York.
Schermerhorn was born in Schenectady, New York on December 11, 1791. He completed his preparatory studies and was admitted to Union College in Schenectady, from where he graduated in 1810. He studied law, and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1812. So at the rather young age of 21 he became a full-fledged attorney. In 1813 he moved to Rochester, New York, where he was engaged in law and banking, and also became involved in local politics. He was elected to the position of Supervisor of Rochester in 1834, and to Mayor of Rochester in 1837. He also served in the New York State Senate for one year, in 1848, and from there went on to the U. S. Congress the following year, in 1849.
Abraham Schermerhorn was a direct descendant of Jacob Janse Schermerhorn who was born in The Netherlands in 1622, and subsequently moved to upper New York State in the mid 1600’s. His father’s name was Maas Schermerhorn [1753-1830], his grandfather’s name was Simon Schermerhorn [1723-1808], his great grand father’s name was Johannes S. Schermerhorn [1685-?], his great great grandfather’s name was Reyer S. Schermerhorn [?-1719], and his great great great grand father’s name was Jacob Janse Schermerhorn [1622-1688].
Abraham Maas Schermerhorn passed away at Savin Rock near New Haven, Connecticut on August 22, 1855. He was interred in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, New York.
REFERENCES
Schermerhorn, Abraham Maas, 1791-1855, Congressional Biographies
Schermerhorn Genealogy and Family Chronicles,www.schenectadyhistory.org/families/schermerhorn/chronicles
E-BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON; GOOGLE: Kindle Store Pegels
PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICANS, CURRENT AND HISTORIC
EIGHT PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICAN FAMILIES: THE ROOSEVELTS, VANDERBILTS AND OTHERS, 2015
FIFTEEN PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICAN FAMILIES: THE VAN BURENS, KOCH BROTHERS, VOORHEES AND OTHERS, 2015
PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICANS IN U.S. GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS, 2015
DUTCH PEGELS INVOLVED IN WARS
ALLIED EUROPE CAMPAIGN—1944/1945: TACTICAL MISTAKES, 2017
THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE NETHERLANDS: MEMOIRS, 2017
FRENCH REVOLUTION, NAPOLEON AND RUSSIAN WAR OF 1812, 2015
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