Margaret Hardenbroeck

She also worked as a business agent for several Dutch merchants,[6] trading small items such as pins, cooking oils, and vinegar in exchange for furs.

[6] Margaret Hardenbroek's marriage to her second husband, Frederick Philipse, was conducted under Dutch law that permitted women to maintain their legal identity and do business in their own name, called usus.

Margaret Hardenbroek owned house lots in Manhattan and Bergen, and several ships including the New Netherland Indian, Beaver, Pearl, and Morning Star.

[5][1] Despite this, Hardenbroeck continued to run the businesses, and with her wealth her husband was able to expand his holdings and become one of the wealthiest men in New York.

[4][11] Together, the couple had several children, including:[15] Her grandson through her eldest son Philip, was Frederick Philipse II (1698–1751), the 2nd Lord of Philipsburg Manor who married Johanna Brockholst (1700–1765), daughter of Anthony Brockholls, acting Governor of Colonial New York.

Johanna's sister, Susannah Brockholst (1696–1730), was married to Phillip French III, parents of Susanna French (1723–1789), who married William Livingston (1723–1790),[17] "War-Governor" during the American Revolution, and was the mother of Henry Brockholst Livingston, who was associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1806 to 1823.