David Clarkson (1694-1751)

He was born in New York City and may have been educated in England. He established himself as a merchant in partnership with his brothers and lived in London while another brother (Levinus) lived in Amsterdam and a third (Matthew) remained in New York. David returned to New York by 1726 and was described as trading, "with profit and advantage in the colony. Besides having a joint interest in other vessels, he owned several of his own and carried on trade principally in European and East Indian goods". From 1739 to 1751, David served as a Member of the New York Assembly. In 1732, he built a house at the corner of Whitehall and Pearl Streets which remained the Clarkson family home in the city for four generations before being occupied by the Corn Exchange. In 1726, he married Ann Freeman and they had four sons, three of whom married: David married Elizabeth French; Matthew married Elizabeth de Peyster who grew up at the De Peyster Mansion; and, Levinus married Mary Van Horne.