Generic_female
No image available

Catherine Van Schaack Beekman


Other Name:
Catherine Van Schaack
Gender:
Female
Born:
March 18, 1795
Died:
May 1, 1815
Home Town:
Kinderhook, NY
Biographical Notes:
Catherine Van Schaack Beekman, daughter of Henry and Lydia Van Schaack of Kinderhook, New York, attended the Litchfield Female Academy in 1809. While studying at Miss Pierce's School Catherine boarded at the Baldwin's house with three other students from Kinderhook, New York. Catherine later married John Pruyn Beekman of Kinderhook, although the date of their marriage is unknown. On May 1, 1815 Catherine passed away at the age of twenty.
Additional Notes:
Catherine is buried at the Dutch Reform Church of Kinderhook, New York. The gravestone reads "This stone is dedicated to perpetuate the Memory of/ the life and death of/ Catherine van Schaack/ wife of Dr. John P. Beekman/ died May 1, 1815/ at the early age of 20 years/ greatly beloved in life/ deeply lamented in death".

Education
Years at LFA:
1809
Room and Board:
Boarded with the Baldwin family

Related Objects and Documents
In the Ledger:
help The Citation of Attendance provides primary source documentation of the student’s attendance at the Litchfield Female Academy and/or the Litchfield Law School. If a citation is absent, the student is thought to have attended but currently lacks primary source confirmation.

Records for the schools were sporadic, especially in the formative years of both institutions. If instructors kept comprehensive records for the Litchfield Female Academy or the Litchfield Law School, they do not survive. Researchers and staff have identified students through letters, diaries, family histories and genealogies, and town histories as well as catalogues of students printed in various years. Art and needlework have provided further identification of Female Academy Students, and Litchfield County Bar records document a number of Law School students. The history of both schools and the identification of the students who attended them owe credit to the early 20th century research and documentation efforts of Emily Noyes Vanderpoel and Samuel Fisher, and the late 20th century research and documentation efforts of Lynne Templeton Brickley and the Litchfield Historical Society staff.
CITATION OF ATTENDANCE:
Catherine kept a journal while attending the Litchfield Female Academy (New York Historical Society - Papers, 1806-1936).

Contact Us

Do you have more information for the Ledger?

If you have family papers, objects, or any other details you would like to share, or if you would like to obtain a copy of an image for publication, please contact us at curator@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org.