Arnold Johan Ferdinand Van Laer

Arnold Johan Ferdinand van Laer (21 October 1869, in Utrecht – 25 March 1955, in Albany, New York) was an archivist, translator, editor, and historian of Dutch-language documents from New Netherland and seventeenth century Albany, New York.

[1] From 1887 until 1892 Van Laer studied in Delft.

[2] He emigrated to Albany, New York, in 1897, where he married Naomi van Deurs (1868–1930), with whom he had three sons.

[3][4] Van Laer became the archivist at the New York State Library at Albany.

[5] He worked tirelessly the remainder of his life to translate and to reconstruct documents damaged in the New York State Capitol library fire of 25 March 1911.