Person Record Title

Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh Jr. (1768-1841)

Identifier

NJS-PER-00358

Given Name

Jacob Rutsen

Family Name

Hardenbergh

Birth Date

1768

Death Date

1841

Sex

Male

Occupation

Legal

Banking, Insurance, and Commerce

Industry

Biographical Description

Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh Jr. (1768-1841) was the son of the first president of Queen's College (later Rutgers). He grew up at his father's parsonage at Raritan (present-day Somerville) and then lived in New Brunswick, NJ, for much of his life. Historical records indicate that he bought and sold enslaved individuals in the late 18th century at the time when he was the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Queen's College.

He attended Queen's College while his father was president and received his degree in 1788. He was an instructor at the college in 1794. He was a trustee of the college for nearly 50 years from 1792 until his death in 1841, serving as the Secretary of the Board of Trustees in 1793-1800 and again in 1833-1835.

He studied law and worked briefly as a lawyer, then went into banking and industry. He was the founder and president of the Bank of New Brunswick, the first bank established in the city, which was known locally as Hardenbergh's bank. He was also the owner of Bloomfield Works (lumber and powder mills), near Spottswood, NJ.

Keywords

white person

enslaver

Rutgers history

Place of Significance

Old Dutch Parsonage, Somerville

New Brunswick

Organization

Rutgers University

Relationship to Rutgers

Alumnus 1788

Instructor (c. 1794)

Trustee (1792-1841)

Secretary of the Board of Trustees (1793-1800, 1833-1835)

Enslaver of

Unnamed Black woman [Hardenbergh]

Child of

Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh Sr. (1736-1790)

Dina Van Bergh Frelinghuysen Hardenbergh

Sibling of

Frederick Frelinghuysen (1753-1804)

Spouse of

Mary Margaret Lowe Hardenbergh

Same As

Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh (Find a Grave)

Bibliographic Citation

Demarest, William H. S. A History of Rutgers College, 1766-1924. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers College, 1924.

Miller, Myrtle Hardenbergh. The Hardenbergh Family: A Genealogical Compilation. New York: American Historical Co., 1958.

Record Contributor

Jesse Bayker