 He was born in West Farms, New York, the eldest son of Peter DeLancey (1705–1770) and Elizabeth (née Colden) DeLancey.His sister, Susan DeLancey (1754–1837), was married to Thomas Henry Barclay (1753–1830), a lawyer who became one of the United Empire Loyalists in Nova Scotia and served in the colony's government.His paternal grandparents were Etienne de Lancey and Anne van Cortlandt (1676-1724), herself the third child of Gertrude Schuyler (b.