The History of Sagtikos Manor: Part II

Stephanus Van Cortlandt and his family were the first residents of Sagtikos Manor. Van Cortlandt built the home after purchasing 1,200 acres of land from the Secatogue Indians in 1692. It was a refuge from his city life, a place where he could hunt and fish. Eventually he went on to become the first New York City mayor actually born there. Despite the fact that his primary occupation was as a merchant like his father, Van Cortlandt held every prominent office in New York, except governor, during his political career. Although his life only spanned 57 years, he was known to be superior and diverse in his skill, knowledge, ability and integrity.

Van Cortlandt was born on May 7, 1643, the first of seven children born to Oloff Stevense Van Cortlandt and Annette Lookermanns. Oloff emigrated from Holland to New York City in 1638 as a soldier in the Dutch West India Company. He then tried his hand in politics, serving as an alderman and deputy mayor. Both he and his son eventually gave their allegiance to the English once England took control of New York in 1664.

Van Cortlandt followed in his father's political footsteps. He was given several appointments throughout his career, including one as a councilor and one as a judge in Kings County. But it was his first stint as mayor in 1677 which Van Cortlandt is most famous for. He served in that same role again from 1686 to 1688.

As for his personal life, Van Cortlandt married Gertruyd Schuyler in 1671 and together they had fourteen children. Although the family's primary residence was in New York City, Van Cortlandt began to build an estate on what is now Croton- on- Hudson in Westchester County. He started buying land between Croton and Peekskill in 1677 and eventually owned land as far north as Connecticut. He also inherited his father's land in the Croton region. The rest of his father's land, located in other parts of Westchester County and New York City, went to his brother, Jacobus, who also served as New York's mayor for two terms between 1710 to 1720.

In 1697, a royal patent proclaimed the Croton estate Lordship and Manor of Cortlandt. Van Cortlandt was the sole Lord of the Manor and even though he died in 1700, the estate stayed in the hands of one of his direct heirs until 1945. A member of another prominent New York family, John D. Rockerfeller, Jr., bought the property and five surrounding acres in 1953 and began restorations to honor its history.  Van Cortlandt's family sold Sagtikos Manor to Timothy Carll.

Both Manors are not the only local reminders of one of New York's first families. Westchester County also named one of their towns Cortlandt Manor. There is also Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx which is home to the Van Cortlandt House Museum. That home belonged to Jacobus and his family, and holds the distinction as the oldest building in the Bronx.

This is the second in a series on the history of the Sagtikos Manor.