John Jay
portrait of John Jay c. 1794 by Gilbert Stuart, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, 2009.132.1
Date of Birth: December 12, 1745
Place of Birth: New York City, New York, British America
Date of Death: May 17, 1829
Place of Death: Bedford, New York, U.S.
Ethnicity: Dutch, Frisian, Belgian Flemish, French Huguenot, possibly some German
John Jay was an American statesman, diplomat, and Patriot. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A signatory of the Treaty of Paris, he was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, from October 19, 1789 to June 29, 1795, and the second Governor of New York, from July 1, 1795 to June 30, 1801. He was also President of the Continental Congress, from December 10, 1778 to September 28, 1779, U.S. Minister to Spain, from September 27, 1779 to May 20, 1782, U.S. Secretary of Foreign Affairs, from December 21, 1784 to March 3, 1789, and again, from July 27, 1789 to September 15, 1789, and U.S. Secretary of State (Acting), from September 15, 1789 to March 22, 1790.
He was a Federalist Party candidate for President of the United States in 1788-89, 1796, and 1800.
Chief Justice Jay was the son of Mary (Van Cortlandt) and Peter Jay. With his wife, Sarah Livingston, he had six children.
Chief Justice Jay’s paternal grandfather was Augustus Jay (the son of Pierre Jay and Judith François). Augustus was a French Huguenot, who was born in La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, France.
Chief Justice Jay’s paternal grandmother was Anna Maria Bayard (the daughter of Balthazar Bayard and Marritje/Maritje Loockermans). Anna was born in New York. Balthazar was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the son of Samuel Bayard and Anna Stuyvesant. Marritje was the daughter of Govert Loockermans and Ariaentje Jans, who had Dutch and Belgian Flemish ancestry.
Chief Justice Jay’s maternal grandfather was Jacobus van Cortlandt (the son of Oloff Stevense van Cortlandt and Annetje Loockermans). Jacobus was born in New York, and was a wealthy merchant, who was Mayor of New York City, from 1710 to 1711, and again from 1719 to 1720. Jacobus’ brother, Stephanus Van Cortlandt, was the first native-born Mayor of New York City. Oloff was born in Wijk bij Duurstede, Utrecht, the Netherlands, the son of Steven Cornelissen van Cortlandt and Fijchgen Catherine Oloffs. Annetje was born in Turnhout, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium, the daughter of Jacob Lokermans/Loockermans and Maeyken Nicasius.
Chief Justice Jay’s maternal grandmother was Eva Maria de Vries/DeVries (the daughter of Pieter Rudolphus de Vries/DeVries and Margareta/Margarete Hardenbroeck). Eva was born in New York. Pieter was born in Franeker, Franekeradeel, Friesland, Netherlands. Margareta was born in Elberfeld, Wuppertal, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, the daughter of Adolph/Adolphus Hardenbroeck and Maria/Marritje Caterburg/Caterberg, who was Dutch.
Sources: Genealogies of Chief Justice Jay – https://www.geni.com
https://www.wikitree.com
https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Jay-Family-Tree-1
I think the German-born ancestor was of mostly German descent.
French Huguenot (paternal grandfather), Dutch, Belgian/Flemish, Frisian, German
I don’t know. These people seem pretty Dutch to me (i.e. some first names). I think they were probably members of Dutch Reformed Churches, as well. It looks to me like they were part of the big wave of ethnic Dutch immigration to New York.
Maybe… But Germans mixed in with the Dutch in the New Amsterdam colony, and the genealogy says that the birthplace of Margareta Hardenbroeck’s ancestors were mostly Germany. In any way, the paternal grandfather-form looks better.