Background
Harmen married Elizabeth Bogaert, the daughter of January Bogaert and Cornelia Everts of Harlem, New New York
Harmen married Elizabeth Bogaert, the daughter of January Bogaert and Cornelia Everts of Harlem, New New York
Occasionally Harmen added the surname van Wijhe (often in more formal legal matters) indicating he came from Wijhe. Before 1682, Harmen settled near what is now Albany, New York, and there in 1704 he bought through Harnie Gansevoort one-fourth of the land in Dutchess County near Red Hook, which had been patented in 1688 to Pieter Schuyler. In 1722, Shuyler deeded seven (of thirteen) lots in the upper fourth of his patent to the seven children of Knickerbacker.
The eldest of these children, Johannes Harmensen, received from the common council of the city of Albany a grant of 50 acres (200,000 m2) of meadow and some acres of upland on the south side of Schaghticoke Creek.
Largely owing to Irving"s book, the name Knickerbacker/Knickerbocker has passed into current use as a designation of the early Dutch settlers in New York and their descendants.