He was the son of David Robertson (also known as Colyer)[a] and Clara van der Poll.
[2] His maternal grandparents were Cornelis van der Poll and Cornelia de Bije.
[1] Colyer was named ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in 1668, only the second official Dutch ambassador in Constantinople because the Dutch declined to appoint an official successor when Cornelius Haga down in 1639.
[3] Between 1639 and 1668, several Dutch diplomats resided in Constantinople, but none were granted the official position of ambassador.
[3] In the fall of 1682, Colyer installed his eldest son Jacobus as the secretary and treasurer of the Dutch residence in Constantinople.