A ship named Renselaerwyck, skippered by Jan Tiebkins, left Amsterdam, Netherlands, on September 25, 1636. On October 1, 1636 she anchored off the island of Texel to await a favorable wind and make final arrangements before proceeding on her voyage to New Netherlands. The island of Texel is the first of a chain of islands across Zuider Zee. It has a fine harbor where the largest ships can ride at anchor.
This vessel, the Renselaerwyck, was in the service of the first patroon, Kiliaen van Rensselaer, and bound for Fort Orange, New Netherlands. On October 8th, the Renselaerwyck sailed to Plymouth with 22 other vessels.
The ship arrived at New Amsterdam (Manhattan - New York City), March 4, 1637. There she remained until March 26, when she set sail up north by way of the Hudson river. April 3rd she anchored half a mile below Beren Island (opposite Coeymans, NY). There she remained on account of calms and contrary winds until April 7, 1637 when she was able to resume her voyage, arriving at Fort Orange on April 7th. Rutger Jacobsen, from Schoenderwoerdt, was among this group who sailed from the Netherlands on the yacht Renselaerwyck.
Schoenderwoerdt, Rutger's place of residence was a pretty little Dutch village, two miles north of Leerdam and four miles from Vianen in the Province of South Holland. It was considered a part of the "Prince's Land," a territory which was inherited by the son of William the Orange from his mother, Anne of Egmont. It comprised the country about Leerdam, a level grazing country.
Apparently Rutger was a farmer and had come aboard at Texel. Records show that he left the boat at Fort Orange, April 8, 1637, owing the Company or Patroon, 56 florins or guilders and 2 stivers. According to calculations he spent 187 days on shipboard at 6 stivers a day, reckoning then that he must have boarded the ship the 3rd of October 1636.
Most of the early settlers were obliged, the first few years in this country, to work as servants or farm hands to pay for their passage. After this period was over with they were freemen, or farmers free to do what they wished. There is no doubt that this was the situation with Rutger Jacobsen. The first record to be found places him as a farm hand on the farm of Cornelis Teunisz from Breuckelen, where he served a term of six years beginning April 8, 1637 at 100 L a year. February 9, 1643, he was engaged as a foreman on the de Groote Vlacte (the Great Flats), located about four miles north of Albany, at 200 L a year, a suit of clothes, two shirts, and two pairs of shoes; his term of service was to begin on April 7, 1643.
From this time on, he appears to be in business for himself. January 1, 1645, he appeared as a lessee of a farm on the Fifth Creek, which in 1647 was taken over by Adriaen Huybertsz. In 1647, he went into partnership with Goosen Gerritse (van Schaick) and rented the patroon's brewery. From 1648 to 1654 he was charged with an annual rent of 125 L for a sawmill on the Fifth Creek, taken over from Andries de Vos. For the same period he was charged jointly with Barent Pietersz with an annual rent of 550 L for a sawmill and grist mill also on Fifth Creek.
The office of raet or gerechtspersoon ( a commissioner, a representative of the Patroon, whose duties were administrative) was held by such men as Andries de Vos, Rutger Jacobsz van Schoenderwoert, Goosen Gerritsz van Schaick, Jan Verbeeck and Pieter Hertgers, all of whom were prominent members of the community, and who afterwards became members of the Court of Fort Orange and Beverwyck. Rutger was a commissioner or magistrate in Rensselaerswyck as early as 1648 and continued to fill that office at various times as late as 1662. A magistrate received for this work from 50 to 200 guilders annually.
Both Rutger and his brother Teunis took an oath of allegiance to the patroon under the following circumstances:
Brand Arent van Slechtenhorst arrived at Fort Orange on the twenty-second of March 1648 to enter upon his duties as director of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck. Later (because he refused to obey the commands of the Governor General) he was put under arrest at Fort Amsterdam (New York City) for his contumacy towards the Governor and Director, Petrus Stuyvesant. He secreted himself on a sloop, however, and returned to the Manor. The escaped Director, in order to make the colonist more subservient to the interest of the patroon, induced a number of them to take the Burger-Oath of Allegiance, in accordance with the resolution of the council dated November 23, 1651.
"Resolved that all house-holders and freemen of the colony shall appear on the twenty-eighth day of November of this year, being Tuesday, at the house of the honorable director and there take the burgerlijke Oath of Allegiance."
The oath was administered in the following form: "I promise and swear that I shall be true and faithful to the noble patroon and co-directors, or those representing them here, and to the honorable director, commissioners, and council, subjecting myself to the court of the colony; and I promise to demean myself as a good and faithful inhabitant, of burgher, without exciting any opposition, tumult, or noise, but on the contrary, as a loyal inhabitant to maintain and support, offensively and defensively against everyone, the right and jurisdiction of the colony. And with reverence and fear of the Lord, and the uplifting of both the first finger of the right hand, I say, so truly help me God Almighty."
On the appointed day, forty-five of the colonists took the required oath at the house of Director van Slechtenhorst.
(signed) Arendt van Curler
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Johan Baptist van Rensselaer
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Rutger Jacobszen
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Teunis Jacobsz
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Prior to the above mentioned oath, and just shortly after van Slechtenhorst came to Fort Orange, Director van Slechtenhorst promises Rutger protection:
"The Hon. Director Brandt van Slichtenhorst by this, his signature, promises to save Rutger Jacobsz and keep him harmless from all loss and damage which may be caused to the said Rutger Jacobsz by the Hon. General Petrus Stuyvesant or his agents on account of the building which he intends to erect near the (Rutten Kill) First Kill, toward the hill. And the lease of the said house shall begin next Easter anno 1649. Done in the colony of Rensselaerswyck, this 21st of December anno 1648.
B. v: Slichtenhorst."
Jonathan Pearson, in his book Genealogies of the First Settlers of Albany, has this to say about Rutger: "Rutger Jacobsen, alias Rut Van Woert, was a man of considerable repute and wealth in the little village in which he served as magistrate many years, probably until his death in 1665. His business varied; he owned a sloop upon the river which he sometimes commanded himself; at other times, Abraham De Truwe (Truax now) was his skipper; he was a considerable dealer in village lots and farming lands, among which was the island called Pachonakellick or Mohicander's Island, 'obliquely over against Bethlehem,' owned in partnership with Andries Herbertsen Constapel, and hence sometimes call Constapel's Island. In 1654, he bought Jacob Janse Van Noorstrant's brewery and lot in Beaver street nearly opposite the present Middle Dutch church, which was inherited by his son Herman; he married Tryntje Janse Van Breestede in New Amsterdam, June 3, 1646. After Rutger's Jacobsen's death, his widow in her old age, married Hendrick Janse Roseboom, December 5, 1695. She is said to have died at her son's in 1711 at a very great age. It is not know that Jacobsen had more than three children: two daughters, Margaret, who married Jan Janse Bleecker; and Engel, baptized in New Amsterdam, April 10, 1650; and one son Harmen."
The descendants of Rutger Jacobsen assumed the surname "Rutgers" except, according to National Genealogical Society Quarterly, a second son named Jacob whose descendants went by "Rutsen."
It was Rutger's son Harmen, through whom was born Henry Rutgers, philanthropist and namesake of Rutger University in New Jersey.