[1] Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer was born on September 27, 1767, in Claverack, Columbia County in what was then the Province of New York, a part of British America.
[3] He attended Washington Seminary, graduated from Yale University in 1787, studied law and attained admission to the bar.
[1] During the War of 1812, he commanded troops which were drafted in Columbia County, and were ordered to the defense of the city of New York.
[4] Their home, the Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer House and Mill Complex, built circa 1805 is today listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
[5] Together, they were the parents of:[6] After his death in New York City on September 22, 1835, he was buried in the cemetery at the Reformed Dutch Church of Claverack.