Wolfert Acker

Wolfert Acker (1667–1753) was a colonial-period American who is featured in Washington Irving's short story collection Wolfert's Roost and Miscellanies. His name was recorded in all combinations of Wolfert or Wolvert as given name, and Acker, Echert, Eckar, or Ecker as surname. He was born in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York and died at his sizable home, "Wolfert's Roost" (or "Wolfert's Rest") near the site of what is now Irvington, New York in Westchester County, New York. On December 20, 1692, on land belonging to Frederick Philipse, first lord of Philipsburg Manor, he married Maretje Sibouts.

Acker served the British colonial government as collector of Philipsburg Manor in New Netherlands. He was a quiet man whose favorite phrase was "Rust in Lust" (peace in quiet) but always found himself working for very loud and active governors; he was, at one point, privy counsellor to Peter Stuyvesant, before eventually retiring to Wolfert's Roost. William A. Owens believes that, despite his high status, Wolfert may have been a tenant of Philipse. Tenant or not, Wolfert did have the second-largest house in the region, second only to Philipse Manor Hall, which still stands. In his will, he categorized himself as yeoman."

Jan Ecker, Wolfert's brother, was the first deacon of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, which was founded by Philipse, and was still living in May 1716.

Wolfert's property was passed along in his family for some time before being broken up and sold off. One person who bought his land was Washington Irving who took an existing structure and made his romantic Sunnyside out of it.

The actual Wolfert's Roost, which was a meeting place for local Patriots, was burned down by the British after the brother-in-law of Catriena Ecker Van Tassel shot at the British sloops with a goose-rifle charged with nails. Both women are buried in the Old Dutch Burying Ground, along with many other members of the Acker/Ecker and Van Tassel families.

Eckar Street in Irvington is named for him.