From The Peopling of New York City
Unfortunately I was not able to find any substantial information on Mrs. Elizabeth Kiersted so far. Among some other information that didn't lead me any further, I was able to find an individual named Benjamin Kiersted, who could have been her husband. In New York Burning Lepore mentions that Elizabeth is a widow and in a different context, she mentions Captain Benjamin Kiersted who could have been her deceased husband.
The Benjamin Kiersted I found was born in New York in 1710, which certainly is a reasonable date, however, I was not able to find more on Elizabeth. Maybe because of the rather limiting fact at the time that she was a woman, the only women slave owners mentioned in the book, her information was never accurately gathered. Women in the eighteenth century perceived as "less significant" than men and, accordingly, subject to widespread discrimination. in support of my suspicion, Lepore indicates that neither an occupation was listed for her nor a party affiliation. Her wealth (40pounds), that listed in the appendix, could have been that of her deceased husband. Captain Benjamin Kiersted was a merchant and therefore probably more wealthy than the average person living in New York City at the time. Lepore never mentions the two as having been married, but from the information I was able to find, it could definitely be a possibility.
I think here it might be helpful to look at some marriage licenses of the time in order to clarify that the two were, in fact, married.
"Section 15" in the Genealogical Archives at the New York Public Library contains a variety of official documents from eighteenth-century New York. Among these documents are wills of people and New York marriage licenses, which was helpful in uncovering Elizabeth Kiersted's history. I found a marriage license from November 26, 1737, of a Jacobus Kiersted and Elizabeth Saybrant. Of course, after their marriage Elizabeth took on the name of Kiersted, as it was still custom at the time. Unfortunately, this information does not match up with what I had suspected before. I couldn't find a marriage license of a Benjamin Kiersted and I am suspecting I will have to abandone the marriage license I have found. It is listed in Lepore's appendix that Elizabeth Kiersted was of Dutch decent. "Saybrant" is a french last name and therefore this must have been another individual who simply happens to carry the same surname.
