VAN BUREN family

Van Buren, Traver, Phillips and
Lansing Family Photographs from
East Greenbush, Schodack and Troy

The late Lin Van Buren wrote: "When my dear father passed away in December 2005, I inherited some family photographs that are precious to me. Of those, the rarest was one of my great-grandfather, Charles Westfall VAN BUREN, who was born in Schodack, Rensselaer County, NY. This was a tiny photograph that had been ripped into pieces! Someone had taped the pieces back together on a small leaf from a notepad. Frank Baker, a work colleague of mine with Photoshop skills, very kindly volunteered to restore this photograph for me, and I am very grateful to him for this miracle he has worked! I've now added other photographs of members of this Rensselaer County, NY family. Loucene Link Trueworthy of East Greenbush kindly sent me most of the photos from the East Greenbush part of the family, and Tanis L. Sweet Kreiger sent the two LANSING photos, whose subjects were residents of Troy." If you have photographs you'd like to contribute to this website, they'd be very welcome! You may scan them and send them in the body of an email message to me, Debby Masterson.

Photo sent by Tanis L. Sweet Kreiger

Mary Elizabeth Lansing Van Buren (1847-1934)

Mary was born 17 November 1847 in Wynantskill, Greenbush [later North Greenbush], Rensselaer County, NY, the elder daughter of William LANSING (c1822-1871) and his wife, Hannah _______; Mary married 7 January 1863 in Troy, Rensselaer County, NY to James H. VAN BUREN (1844-1903), son of Peter VAN BUREN (c1817-1880) and his first wife, Jane E. VAN SLYKE (1826-1866); Mary died 14 November 1934 at 778 Pawling Avenue in Troy. She was the mother of seven children, of whom the youngest was Bertha Estella VAN BUREN CASTLE (1889-c1950s), wife of a first cousin once removed of Charles Westfall VAN BUREN (1867-1918).

Photo sent by Tanis L. Sweet Kreiger

Bertha Estella Van Buren Castle (1889-1964) and one of her daughters.

Bertha was born 27 May 1889 in Troy, Rensselaer County, NY, the youngest of the seven children of James H. VAN BUREN (1844-1903) and his wife, Mary Elizabeth LANSING (1847-1934). Bertha married at age 16 in about 1905 at Eagle Mills Christian Church in Brunswick, Rensselaer County, NY Herrick CASTLE (b c1873), son of Albert CASTLE. Bertha died 3 February 1964. The daughter of Mary Elizabeth LANSING VAN BUREN (1847-1834), she was the mother of five children, including daughters Edna E. CASTLE CARNER (1910-2007) and Ethel E. CASTLE STRITSMAN (1913-1996) (the child in the photo is likely to be one of these daughters).

Photo sent by Lin Van Buren

Charles Westfall Van Buren (1867-1918). This photograph was taken in about 1917.
Charles was born 15 October 1867 in Schodack, Rensselaer County, NY, the elder son of Hewlett G. VAN BUREN (1846-1912) and his wife, Mary Matilda WESTFALL (1845-1908). Charles married 15 April 1891 at East Greenbush Methodist Church, East Greenbush, Rensselaer County, NY, Jennie Augusta TRAVER (1870-1957). He resided as an adult mostly in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where he was a master railway coachbuilder for the Canadian Pacific Railway. He died 25 August 1918 at Palatine Bridge, Montgomery County, NY, when the Willys-Knight car he was driving collided with a freight train. He was the husband of Jennie Augusta TRAVER VAN BUREN (1870-1957), son-in-law of Emma Elizabeth PHILLIPS TRAVER (1849-1902) and father of Ira Phillips VAN BUREN (1895-1977), Minnie B. VAN BUREN, ROGERS STEWART (1896-1985) and Flora Emma VAN BUREN (1897-1980).