Alida Schuyler Van Rensselaer

Born 18 February 1656 in Albany, daughter of Col. Philip Pieterse Schuyler and Margarita Van Slichtenhorst, and sister of Albany mayor Pieter Schuyler. She married first (1674/5) Rev. Nicholas Van Rensselaer; after his death in 1678 she married Robert Livingston the Elder on 9 July 1679. A formidable businesswoman, she served as Robert's business and political partner — handling finances, correspondence, and estate paperwork while he ran operations and held public office — and the couple secured city privileges for Albany in 1686. Mother of nine children, including Philip (2nd Lord), Robert of Clermont, and Gilbert. FLAG: death year is uncertain — Find A Grave and contemporary church records give 27 May 1729, while this entry currently records 1727; to be reconciled against primary sources.