Schermerhorn was born in New York City in what was then the Province of New York on October 1, 1749. His parents were Johannes "John" Schermerhorn and Sarah Schermerhorn. Among his siblings was brother Simon Schermerhorn, who married Jane Bussing, the older sister of Peter's wife Elizabeth. His paternal grandparents were Arnout Schermerhorn and Maria Schermerhorn . He descended from Jacob Janse Schermerhorn, who settled in New York from the Netherlands in 1636. His maternal grandfather, John Cannon, was a Huguenot refugee from La Rochelle in France.
Career
Schermerhorn, like his father and 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, the Schermerhorn family resided at 68 Broadway. In 1808, Schermerhorn admitted his sons Abraham and Peter to his ship-chandlery firm, which was renamed "Peter Schermerhorn & Sons." In 1811, Schemerhorn built six Federal style urban counting houses on Fulton Street in Manhattan, today known as the Schermerhorn Row Block. The houses were built to serve the growing South Street Seaport. Peter also served as a governor of New York Hospital.
Personal life
On September 11, 1771, Schemerhorn was married to Elizabeth Bussing, the daughter of Abraham Bussing, a dry goods merchant, and Elizabeth Bussing. Together, they were the parents of:
John Peter Schermerhorn, who married to Rebecca Hodgson Stevens, the daughter of Gen. Ebenezer Stevens.
Peter Schermerhorn, who married Sarah Jones, sister of Gen James I. Jones.
Abraham Schermerhorn, who married Helen Van Courtlandt White, the daughter of Henry White and Anne White.
George Schermerhorn.
Elizabeth Schermerhorn, who married Edward Renshaw Jones.
Schermerhorn died in New York City on January 28, 1826.
Descendants
Through his son Abraham, he was the grandfather of nine grandchildren, including Augustus Van Courtlandt Schermerhorn, who married Ellen Bayard, daughter of Sen. James A. Bayard; Elizabeth Schermerhorn, who married General James I. Jones; Anna White Schermerhorn, who married Charles Suydam; Helen Schermerhorn, who married John Treat Irving Jr., a nephew of Washington Irving; Katharine Elida Schermerhorn, who married Benjamin Sumner Welles, a descendant of Colonial Gov. Thomas Welles and Gov. Increase Sumner; and Caroline Webster Schermerhorn, who married William Backhouse Astor Jr., the middle son of William Backhouse Astor Sr.
Legacy
In 1795, Schermerhorn and his brother Simon purchased over 150 acres in Gowanus, Brooklyn, including a home built in 1690, that they used as a family summer home. After his death, he left his son Abraham the property which he later sold around 1835 for $600 an acre, and which Green-Wood Cemetery was built on.
