Schermerhorn was born on April 9, 1783 in Hyde Park, New York and baptized in New York City shortly thereafter. He was the third son of merchant Peter Schermerhorn and Elizabeth Schemerhorn, who married in 1771. His brother, John P. Schermerhorn was married to Rebecca Stevens, the daughter of Gen. Ebenezer Stevens, and his sister, Jane Schermerhorn, was married to the Rev. William Creighton, S.T.D.. His paternal grandparents were John Schermerhorn and Sarah Schermerhorn. Abraham's father Peter was the grandson of Maria Beekman . His maternal grandparents were Abraham Bussing, a dry goods merchant, and Elizabeth Bussing. He was descended from Jacob Janse Schermerhorn, who settled in New York from the Netherlands in 1636.
Career
Schermerhorn's father, like his grandfather and great-grandfather, was a commander and owner of shipping vessels trading between New York City and Charleston, South Carolina. From 1776 to 1783, during the American Revolutionary War, Schermerhorn and his family lived in Hyde Park, New York to protect their vessels from British seizure. After the war ended, the family returned to New York City. In 1808, Schermerhorn was admitted to his father's ship-chandlery firm, along with his brother Peter, which was renamed "Peter Schermerhorn & Sons." In 1810, Schermerhorn and his brother Peter formed a new firm of "Schermerhorn & Co." while still retaining a connection with Peter Schermerhorn & Sons. Two more new companies were later formed, which he became involved with, including "Schermerhorn, Willis & Co." which was located at 53 South Street in New York City. After his father's death, he inherited 160 acres in Gowanus, Brooklyn which he later sold around 1835 for $600 an acre, and which Green-Wood Cemetery was built on. Upon the birth of his youngest child, Caroline, in 1830, he was forty-seven years old and estimated to be worth over $500,000.
Personal life
On September 12, 1809, Schermerhorn was married to Helen Van Courtlandt White. Helen, a very good friend of William Backhouse Astor Sr., was the daughter of Henry White and Anne White and the granddaughter of Augustus Van Cortlandt, a prominent Loyalist during the War who fled to England, where he died not long after. Together, they were the parents of nine children, including:
Henry White Schermerhorn, who died young.
Augustus Van Courtlandt Schermerhorn, who married Ellen Bayard, daughter of Sen. James A. Bayard, in 1844.
Archibald Bruce Schermerhorn, who did not marry.
Elizabeth Schermerhorn, who married General James I. Jones.
Anna White Schermerhorn, who married Charles Suydam, the son of Ferdinand Suydam and Eliza Bartow Suydam.
Helen Schermerhorn, who married John Treat Irving Jr., a nephew of Washington Irving.
On February 6, 1829, his wife gave a fancy dress ball at their home, 1 Greenwich Street in New York. They lived there until about 1840, when they moved to 36 Bond Street, where he lived until his death. He was a pew-holder at Grace Church and was a member of the Union Club. Schermerhorn died in Brooklyn, New York on February 3, 1850. He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. His widow died in 1881 in the 90th year of her life. Her funeral was held at Grace Church at the corner of Broadway and East 10th Street.
in Brooklyn, and the New York City Subway's Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets stop that serves Schermerhorn Street, was named in honor of Abraham and his brother Peter.
