Ryder-Van Cleef House

The white frame house at 38 Village Road North is one of the oldest houses in this part of Brooklyn. The 1.5-story side-gable cottage known as the Ryder-Van Cliff House (or the Lawrence Ryder House) was constructed circa 1840 by Lawrence Ryder (1808-1863), a local carpenter. His daughter Maria married a Van Cleef (sometimes spelled Van Cliff) in the 1860s and lived in her childhood home. The house's architectural style has evidence of Dutch influences. The house was moved about 100 feet in 1930 to make way for a schoolyard. The Ryder-Van Cleef House has been determined to be eligible for the National Register due to its age and its association with the former agricultural settlement of Gravesend.

The Ryder family is among the families of Dutch ancestry with ties to Gravesend; the first Ryder in Gravesend may have arrived in 1653. Lawrence Ryder (1809-1863) was born in Gravesend to Jacobus Laurens Ryder (1787-1820) and Marie Johnson (1788-1846). Lawrence Ryder became a carpenter and builder in Gravesend. He sometimes worked with his brother Jacobus; in 1844, the pair built the Gravesend Dutch Reformed Church parsonage (no longer standing). Lawrence Ryder may have built the Hubbard House nearby (2138 McDonald Ave.) in the 1830s; the sloping eaves on the front and rear of the gable roof of the main block give the Hubbard House - designated a New York City landmark in 2009 - a Dutch style. Ryder may have used a similar style, including a shed-roofed service wing, on two other houses in Gravesend - the Johnson House (formerly at 1953 Gravesend Ave., north of King's Highway) and his own house (the Ryder-Van Cleef House).

Lawrence Ryder and his wife Margaret had four children: Maria (1837-1911), Cornelius (1840-1912), Elizabeth (1845-1926), and Ellen (1850-1937). In 1850, the 41-year-old carpenter shared his Gravesend home with Margaret (35) and the three older children, all of whom attended school. The Ryder home (and other real estate Ryder may have owned) was valued at $2,000. Ten years later, Ryder listed himself on the census as a farmer; his real estate had grown to a value of $6,500. Ryder's personal property was estimated to be worth $350. All four children were still living at home in 1860, but only the youngest (Ellen, age 10) was attending school Cornelius also worked as a farmer.

Lawrence Ryder died in 1863. His eldest daughter Maria married John Van Cleef by 1870 and reportedly lived in Maria's childhood home. The couple appeared on the 1870 census in the town of Gravesend, living alone. John was a 33-year-old farmer with real estate worth $1,800 and $200 in personal property. Maria's widowed mother Margaret still lived in Gravesend in 1870 but in another house; she owned $10,000 in real estate and $800 in personal goods. Margaret shared her home with son Cornelius (29, farmer), daughter Ellen (19), and an Irish-born farm laborer named John Curtle (20).

The Ryder-Van Cleef House used to stand at 26 Village Rd. North. The City of New York seized the land for the schoolyard of nearby Public School 95 (built in 1915 and added onto later). The Ryder-Van Cleef House was then moved to 38 Village Rd. North. Village Rd. North used to be named Ryder Place, reportedly because so many Ryder families lived there. Ryder Ave. in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn also is named for this family. The Charles Ryder House, moved to the lot next to the Ryder-Van Cleef House (32 Village Rd. North) in the 1920s, belonged to a relative.

Ancestry.com. Lawrence Ryder (1809-1863), family tree, Ancestry.com. Accessed March 31st 2022. https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/lawrence-ryder-24-pzpb6.

Ditta, Joseph. Gravesend, Brooklyn. Then and Now. Charleston, SC. Arcadia Publishing, 2009.

Ditta, Joseph. Greetings from Gravesend, The Gravesend Gazette. blog.. May 7th 2016. Accessed March 31st 2022. https://gravesendgazette.com/category/families/ryder-family/.

NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission. Designation Report, Hubbard House, 2138 McDonald Avenue, Brooklyn. LP-2292. NYC landmarks. New York, NY. NYC Government, 2009.

Spellen, Suzanne. Building of the Day: 1926 East 28th Street, Brownstoner. August 6th 2014. Accessed March 31st 2022. https://www.brownstoner.com/architecture/building-of-the-day-1926-east-28th-street/.

U.S. Census. Household of Lawrence Ryder in Gravesend Township, Kings County, New York, dwelling 36, family 40. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1850.

U.S. Census. Household of L(awrence) Ryder in Gravesend Township, Kings County, New York, dwelling 858, family 933. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1860.

U.S. Census. Household of John Van Cleef in Gravesend Township, Kings County, New York, dwelling 303, family 329. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1870.

U.S. Census. Household of Margaret Ryder in Gravesend Township, Kings County, New York, dwelling 258, family 279. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1870.