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Portraits of Charles Crommelin and Anne Sinclair


Notes on Descent of the Crommelins

Lord Robert Stuart, Earl of Orkney (1542), was a natural son of James V. of Scotland. Robert had a daughter Mary Stewart, who married John Sinclair. Their son, William Sinclair, married Joanna Gordon, daughter of Gordon of Clairston, in Rosshire. They had two sons, Robert and James. Robert (called of Siba), married Beatrix, daughter of General King and had only one child, James, who died without issue. Thus ended Robert's line.

His brother, James, (called of Kirkwall), married Anna Sinclair. They had (1) James who died without issue, (2) William who emigrated from Scotland...[incomplete]

The family of Sinclair owes its origin to William de Sancte Clair, a Norman Knight, said to be cousin of William of Normandy, and who fought for William at Hastings in 1066. His descendents penetrated into Northern Scotland and obtained many charters of land from King Robert I. The first Earl of Caithness was William Sinclair, Lord High Treasurer of Scotland. Other cadets of the house are Lord Pentland and Baron Sinclair. Anciens of the landed possessions of the family extended from sea to sea and embraced the Orkney Islands, then subject to the suzerainty of the crown of Norway.

Robert Sinclair emigrated from Scotland to New York in 1679. Before leaving Scotland he procured from the Minister and Elders of the Church Ricena, Orkney, a certificate written in Latin, dated Kirkwall, April 5th, 1677 to the effect that he, Robert, was born in lawful wedlock of an honest father, James Sinclair, gentleman, of Ricena (whose father was William Sinclair and whose mother was Joanna Gordon and whose grandfather was John Sinclair and whose grandmother was Mary Stewart), and of Anna Sinclair, his mother; and is a man of unblemished character, held in high esteem and leaving his country solely to see the world. This certificate has been carefully preserved and is still in existence.

Robert Sinclair married in New York, Maria Duyckinck (daughter of Gerardus Duyckinck and Mary Duyckinck), who was born March 1659, and died 1731. The date of their marriage was August 15, 1683. Robert Sinclair died in 1704.

    There were 5 (Sinclair) children: 2 sons and 3 daughters viz:
  • 1. Hendricka, b. July 9, 1684.
  • 2. Jacoba, b. Sept. 28, 1685.
  • 3. Edward, b. Oct. 27, 1687.
  • 4. Anna, b. Jan. 31, 1693.
  • 5. James, b. April 15, 1695.

Anna Sinclair was married Nov. 6, 1706, in New York, by Dominie G. Du Bois [of the Dutch Church] to Charles Crommelin, who was the son of Daniel Crommelin, a French Huguenot who had escaped from France to Amsterdam(?). Daniel was the son of Jean Crommelin and was born in 1646. He and his son Charles were admitted Freemen of New York in 1698. Daniel died in New York, March 22, 1725 and Charles died Jan. 8, 1739, aged 60. Both are buried in Trinity Churchyard. Anna died Sept. 8, 1743, aged 52, and was buried beside her husband.

Charles Crommelin was the founder in 1720, of the Holland Trading Company which for years conducted an extensive and lucrative business between Amsterdam and New York. In this enterprise he was associated with other well-known Amsterdam bankers - Messrs. Willincks, Ten Broeck and Schimmelpennick.

(Source: Gabriel Ludlow (1663-1736) and his Descendents, pp 46-47)



The above portraits are B/W photographs made of the portraits of Charles and Anne that used to hang in "The Lathmer" before they were consumed by fire on August 1, 1911. Fortunately these photos were taken and many Lathmer portraits were copied before the originals were destroyed.

These B/W portraits are now in the possession of Sarah Crommelin Bunce, Astoria, Washington, U.S.A.


Another portrait that may be of Ann Crommelin-Sinclair - Source: