Henry Van Der Lyn

Henry Van Der Lyn or Henry Vanderlyn (hen'ree văn'durlin) (April 24, 1784 – October 1, 1865) was a 19th-century American lawyer from Oxford, New York. He was best known for the diaries he kept over a thirty-year period, from April 1827 and March 1857.

Early life and education Henry Vanderlyn was the grandson of Pieter Vanderlyn (c.1687–1778) an American colonial painter born in Holland who settled in Kingston, New York. Henry was the brother of John Vanderlyn (1775–1852) a well known Neoclassical painter.

Vanderlyn moved to Oxford in 1806 and established a law practice after earning his bachelor's degree at Union College and serving in a New York City law office where he was admitted to the Bar association.

Vanderlyn was a very popular person in Oxford for his genial personality and his generous support of the Oxford Academy School.

Writing He made daily notes on life in Oxford and kept a diary of local and personal events. This diary is a window into the formative years in Chenango County, New York during the first half of the 19th century.

One of the Oxford Historical Society museum's most prized items is a set of six volumes of these diaries covering the years 1827-1853. The original handwritten diary is in the New York State Historical Society.