Walter Stewart Church's father was Philip Church (1778-1861), who was a judge, politician and the founder of the Town of Angelica in Allegany County, New York. There, Philip Church built a 30-room mansion nearby, called Belvidere, which still stands today.
Walter's mother was Anna Matilda Stewart (1786–1865), who was the daughter of General Walter Stewart of Philadelphia. Anna married Philip Church on February 4, 1805.
Also of note is Walter's paternal grandmother: Angelica Schuyler Church (1756-1814). She was the daughter of General Philip Schuyler, the close confidant of her brother-in-law, Alexander Hamilton, and a main character in the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton.
Walter was schooled at the Oxford Academy. He later enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1831, but did not graduate. He subsequently attended and graduated from Hobart College in Geneva, New York.
Church gained much notoriety as a land speculator (along with his politically connected business partners Peter Cagger, James Kidd, and Dean Richmond, among others) in the 1850s when he purchased for $210,000 most of the land holdings of William and Stephen Van Rensselaer IV, sons of Stephen Van Rensselaer III (the "Last Patroon"). They had run into major legal and financial problems as well as backlash from tenants when they attempted to collect back rents owed to the estate of their late father. Church bought most of the Van Rensselaers' leases for $0.40-$0.50 on the dollar. However, Church too had trouble collecting the back rent. He brought over 1,000 lawsuits to court, and was successful in most of them.
During the Civil War, Walter Church became the Colonel of the 25th Regiment, New York State National Guard in 1864. This is rather ironic as author Henry Christman describes Church as "a leader in the strong Copperhead [anti-war] faction in Albany, which included many prominent Democrats."
After the end of the Civil War in April 1865, Church used his National Guard troops to raid farms back in New York, which still owed him back rents. After one raid at the farm of Peter Warner in the Helderbergs, the Albany Evening Journal reported, "Ruin and desolation were never more calmly received. The most malevolent hatred seems to inspire them (the Warner Family) against Colonel Church."
In 1886, Col. Church built the Kushaqua Hotel, or Helderberg Inn, on Route 156, overlooking the village of Altamont, New York, about 18 miles west of Albany. The site was later used as a seminary and then a drug rehab center.
Despite his success in court winning judgments against the former tenants of the Van Rensselear manor, Walter Stewart Church nonetheless was bankrupt when he died in December 1890 at his home at 112 State Street in Albany. He was 77 years old.
Walter's mother was Anna Matilda Stewart (1786–1865), who was the daughter of General Walter Stewart of Philadelphia. Anna married Philip Church on February 4, 1805.
Also of note is Walter's paternal grandmother: Angelica Schuyler Church (1756-1814). She was the daughter of General Philip Schuyler, the close confidant of her brother-in-law, Alexander Hamilton, and a main character in the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton.
Walter was schooled at the Oxford Academy. He later enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1831, but did not graduate. He subsequently attended and graduated from Hobart College in Geneva, New York.
Church gained much notoriety as a land speculator (along with his politically connected business partners Peter Cagger, James Kidd, and Dean Richmond, among others) in the 1850s when he purchased for $210,000 most of the land holdings of William and Stephen Van Rensselaer IV, sons of Stephen Van Rensselaer III (the "Last Patroon"). They had run into major legal and financial problems as well as backlash from tenants when they attempted to collect back rents owed to the estate of their late father. Church bought most of the Van Rensselaers' leases for $0.40-$0.50 on the dollar. However, Church too had trouble collecting the back rent. He brought over 1,000 lawsuits to court, and was successful in most of them.
During the Civil War, Walter Church became the Colonel of the 25th Regiment, New York State National Guard in 1864. This is rather ironic as author Henry Christman describes Church as "a leader in the strong Copperhead [anti-war] faction in Albany, which included many prominent Democrats."
After the end of the Civil War in April 1865, Church used his National Guard troops to raid farms back in New York, which still owed him back rents. After one raid at the farm of Peter Warner in the Helderbergs, the Albany Evening Journal reported, "Ruin and desolation were never more calmly received. The most malevolent hatred seems to inspire them (the Warner Family) against Colonel Church."
In 1886, Col. Church built the Kushaqua Hotel, or Helderberg Inn, on Route 156, overlooking the village of Altamont, New York, about 18 miles west of Albany. The site was later used as a seminary and then a drug rehab center.
Despite his success in court winning judgments against the former tenants of the Van Rensselear manor, Walter Stewart Church nonetheless was bankrupt when he died in December 1890 at his home at 112 State Street in Albany. He was 77 years old.
Walter Stewart Church's father was Philip Church (1778-1861), who was a judge, politician and the founder of the Town of Angelica in Allegany County, New York. There, Philip Church built a 30-room mansion nearby, called Belvidere, which still stands today.
Walter's mother was Anna Matilda Stewart (1786–1865), who was the daughter of General Walter Stewart of Philadelphia. Anna married Philip Church on February 4, 1805.
Also of note is Walter's paternal grandmother: Angelica Schuyler Church (1756-1814). She was the daughter of General Philip Schuyler, the close confidant of her brother-in-law, Alexander Hamilton, and a main character in the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton.
Walter was schooled at the Oxford Academy. He later enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1831, but did not graduate. He subsequently attended and graduated from Hobart College in Geneva, New York.
Church gained much notoriety as a land speculator (along with his politically connected business partners Peter Cagger, James Kidd, and Dean Richmond, among others) in the 1850s when he purchased for $210,000 most of the land holdings of William and Stephen Van Rensselaer IV, sons of Stephen Van Rensselaer III (the "Last Patroon"). They had run into major legal and financial problems as well as backlash from tenants when they attempted to collect back rents owed to the estate of their late father. Church bought most of the Van Rensselaers' leases for $0.40-$0.50 on the dollar. However, Church too had trouble collecting the back rent. He brought over 1,000 lawsuits to court, and was successful in most of them.
During the Civil War, Walter Church became the Colonel of the 25th Regiment, New York State National Guard in 1864. This is rather ironic as author Henry Christman describes Church as "a leader in the strong Copperhead [anti-war] faction in Albany, which included many prominent Democrats."
After the end of the Civil War in April 1865, Church used his National Guard troops to raid farms back in New York, which still owed him back rents. After one raid at the farm of Peter Warner in the Helderbergs, the Albany Evening Journal reported, "Ruin and desolation were never more calmly received. The most malevolent hatred seems to inspire them (the Warner Family) against Colonel Church."
In 1886, Col. Church built the Kushaqua Hotel, or Helderberg Inn, on Route 156, overlooking the village of Altamont, New York, about 18 miles west of Albany. The site was later used as a seminary and then a drug rehab center.
Despite his success in court winning judgments against the former tenants of the Van Rensselear manor, Walter Stewart Church nonetheless was bankrupt when he died in December 1890 at his home at 112 State Street in Albany. He was 77 years old.
Walter's mother was Anna Matilda Stewart (1786–1865), who was the daughter of General Walter Stewart of Philadelphia. Anna married Philip Church on February 4, 1805.
Also of note is Walter's paternal grandmother: Angelica Schuyler Church (1756-1814). She was the daughter of General Philip Schuyler, the close confidant of her brother-in-law, Alexander Hamilton, and a main character in the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton.
Walter was schooled at the Oxford Academy. He later enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1831, but did not graduate. He subsequently attended and graduated from Hobart College in Geneva, New York.
Church gained much notoriety as a land speculator (along with his politically connected business partners Peter Cagger, James Kidd, and Dean Richmond, among others) in the 1850s when he purchased for $210,000 most of the land holdings of William and Stephen Van Rensselaer IV, sons of Stephen Van Rensselaer III (the "Last Patroon"). They had run into major legal and financial problems as well as backlash from tenants when they attempted to collect back rents owed to the estate of their late father. Church bought most of the Van Rensselaers' leases for $0.40-$0.50 on the dollar. However, Church too had trouble collecting the back rent. He brought over 1,000 lawsuits to court, and was successful in most of them.
During the Civil War, Walter Church became the Colonel of the 25th Regiment, New York State National Guard in 1864. This is rather ironic as author Henry Christman describes Church as "a leader in the strong Copperhead [anti-war] faction in Albany, which included many prominent Democrats."
After the end of the Civil War in April 1865, Church used his National Guard troops to raid farms back in New York, which still owed him back rents. After one raid at the farm of Peter Warner in the Helderbergs, the Albany Evening Journal reported, "Ruin and desolation were never more calmly received. The most malevolent hatred seems to inspire them (the Warner Family) against Colonel Church."
In 1886, Col. Church built the Kushaqua Hotel, or Helderberg Inn, on Route 156, overlooking the village of Altamont, New York, about 18 miles west of Albany. The site was later used as a seminary and then a drug rehab center.
Despite his success in court winning judgments against the former tenants of the Van Rensselear manor, Walter Stewart Church nonetheless was bankrupt when he died in December 1890 at his home at 112 State Street in Albany. He was 77 years old.
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