page_title: Johannes Van Rensselaer
section_title: Career
hierarchical_section_title: Johannes Van Rensselaer / Career
caption_attribution_description: English: Fort Crailo, the manor house of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, attributed to 1663
context_page_description: Johannes Van Rensselaer was a member of the prominent colonial Van Rensselaer family.
context_section_description: In 1740 upon the death of his father, he inherited Fort Crailo and became proprietor or Lord of the lower manor of Rensselaerswyck, known as "Claverack".  Around 1762, he added a wing and remodeled the building.  During the mid 1760s, his holdings in Greenbush were almost three times more valuable as any others in the entire east Manor.  He also owned a house in the city of Albany tracts of land outside the manor.
  During the later part of the 18th century, the Lower Manor was encroached on by New Englanders with Massachusetts titles to Van Rensselaer's lands.  He fought a prolonged legal battle with the Massachusetts title owners in the courts, which reportedly "took its toll on the aging manor lord."  During this time, he called on the Sheriff of Albany to evict the people, which eventually led to bloodshed. Throughout that time, he was a colonel in the Albany County militia.
caption: Fort Crailo in 1907
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