Simon Boerum
Encyclopedia
Simon Boerum was a farmer, miller, and political leader from Brooklyn, New York. He represented New York in the Continental Congress
in 1774 and 1775.
Boerum's family settled on Long Island
when it was a part of the Dutch
Colony of New Netherland
. His parents were William Jacob Boerum (1687–1766) and Rachel (Bloom) Boerum (1690–1738), who farmed in the town of New Lots, in Kings County, New York, which is now part of Brooklyn. Simon was born there on February 29, 1724, and was baptized in the Dutch Reformed Church on March 8. He attended and graduated from the Dutch school in Flatbush
.
Simon farmed and operated a mill in Flatbush. In 1748 he also bought a home and garden at what is today is the southwest corner of Fulton and Hoyt streets in downtown Brooklyn. On September 30 of that year he married Maria Schenck (1726–1771) and the house became their home for the rest of their lives.
In 1750, Governor Clinton appointed Simon Boerum the County Clerk for Kings County. He would hold that office for the rest of his life, as well as a seat in the Province of New York
Assembly after 1761.
In 1774, the Assembly could not reach agreement about the Continental Congress. Kings County selected him to represent them, and on October 1, 1774, the Congress added him to the New York delegation. In the congress he supported the non-importation agreement, and the more radical members in general. He helped to defeat the Galloway Plan
for union and reconciliation with England.
Early in 1775, the Colony's Assembly rejected the work of the first Congress, and was hurriedly adjourned to prevent further measures from consideration. In April, Boerum was elected to the revolutionary New York Provincial Congress
. That body in turn named him once again to the Continental Congress, but illness soon forced his return from Philadelphia
.
Simon died at home on July 11, 1775, and was originally buried in the Dutch Burying Ground in New Lots
. In 1848, he and his wife, Maria, were re-interred in the Green-Wood Cemetery
in Brooklyn.
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
in 1774 and 1775.
Boerum's family settled on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
when it was a part of the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Colony of New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
. His parents were William Jacob Boerum (1687–1766) and Rachel (Bloom) Boerum (1690–1738), who farmed in the town of New Lots, in Kings County, New York, which is now part of Brooklyn. Simon was born there on February 29, 1724, and was baptized in the Dutch Reformed Church on March 8. He attended and graduated from the Dutch school in Flatbush
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
.
Simon farmed and operated a mill in Flatbush. In 1748 he also bought a home and garden at what is today is the southwest corner of Fulton and Hoyt streets in downtown Brooklyn. On September 30 of that year he married Maria Schenck (1726–1771) and the house became their home for the rest of their lives.
In 1750, Governor Clinton appointed Simon Boerum the County Clerk for Kings County. He would hold that office for the rest of his life, as well as a seat in the Province of New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
Assembly after 1761.
In 1774, the Assembly could not reach agreement about the Continental Congress. Kings County selected him to represent them, and on October 1, 1774, the Congress added him to the New York delegation. In the congress he supported the non-importation agreement, and the more radical members in general. He helped to defeat the Galloway Plan
Galloway's Plan of Union
Galloway's Plan of Union was put forward in the First Continental Congress of 1774. Joseph Galloway was a Pennsylvania delegate who wanted to keep the Thirteen Colonies in the British Empire. He suggested the creation of an American colonial parliament to act together with the Parliament of Great...
for union and reconciliation with England.
Early in 1775, the Colony's Assembly rejected the work of the first Congress, and was hurriedly adjourned to prevent further measures from consideration. In April, Boerum was elected to the revolutionary New York Provincial Congress
New York Provincial Congress
The New York Provincial Congress was an organization formed by rebels in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-rebellion alternative to the more conservative Province of New York Assembly, and as a replacement for the Committee of One Hundred.A Provincial Convention assembled in New York...
. That body in turn named him once again to the Continental Congress, but illness soon forced his return from Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
Simon died at home on July 11, 1775, and was originally buried in the Dutch Burying Ground in New Lots
New Lots, Brooklyn
New Lots is a sub-section of the East New York neighborhood in the eastern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It was known as the Town of New Lots from 1852 when the area seceded from the Town of Flatbush until it was annexed in 1886 as the 26th Ward of Brooklyn. The population is...
. In 1848, he and his wife, Maria, were re-interred in the Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
in Brooklyn.