Beverwijck

Janny Venema

Description

Winner of the 2004 Annual Archives Award for Excellence in Research Using the Holdings of the New York State Archives presented by the Board of Regents and the New State York Archives

Beverwijck explores the rich history and Dutch heritage of one of North America's oldest cities—Albany, New York. Drawing on documents translated from the colonial Dutch as well as maps, architectural drawings, and English-language sources, Janny Venema paints a lively picture of everyday life in colonial America.

In 1652, Petrus Stuyvesant, director general of New Netherland, established a court at Fort Orange, on the west side of New York State's upper Hudson River. The area within three thousand feet of the fort became the village of Beverwijck. From the time of its establishment until 1664, when the English conquered New Netherland and changed the name of the settlement to Albany, Beverwijck underwent rapid development as newly wealthy traders, craftsmen, and other workers built houses, roads, bridges, and a school, as well as a number of inns. A well-organized system of poor relief also helped less wealthy settlers survive in the harsh colonial conditions. Venema's careful research shows that although Beverwijck resembled villages in the Dutch Republic in many ways, it quickly took on features of the new, "American" society that was already coming into being.
(Abridged)

Acknowledgments
Glossary

Introduction

Problem defined
Historiography and definition
Method and sources

I: Constructing a village: material planning

Van Slichtenhorst, Rensselaerswijck, and the Indians
Planning a center for Rensselaerswijck
Development of Beverwijck
Constructions of general interest to the community
Conclusion

II: Beverwijck: Creating an orderly village

Beverwijck's society
Stabilizing factors in a new society: The state
Stabilizing factors in a new society: The church
A new environment: Contacts with Indians
Conclusion

III: The Van Rensselaers as commercial entrepreneurs

Trade in the upper Hudson
The Van Rensselaers and the trade
Place in the community; Life style
Conclusion

IV: Successful burghers

Dirck Jansz Croon
Pieter Hartgers
Volckert Jansz
Philip Pietersz Schuyler
Sander Leendertsz Glen
Conclusion

V: Busy workers

Blacksmiths and gunstock makers
Bakers
Brewers
Tavern keepers
Conclusion

VI: Strategies of survival

Living conditions
Poverty: definition and size
Organization of poor relief in Beverwijck
Strategy
Methods
Supervision
The poor in the community
Conclusion

Conclusion
Abbreviations
Notes
Appendices
Unpublished primary sources
Bibliography
Samenvatting
List of maps and illustrations
Personal Name index
Geographical index
Curriculum Vitae

Sujets

• USA
• United States of America
• History of the Americas
• États-Unis

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 29 mars 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791485019
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 13 Mo

Extrait

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This publication was partly made possible by the financial support of: the J.E. Jurriaense Stichting, the Stichting Dr Hendrik Muller’s Vaderlandsch Fonds, the M.A.O.C. Gravin van Bylandt Stichting, and the Friends of New Netherland.

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Venema, Janny. Beverwijck : a Dutch village on the American frontier, 1652–1664 / Janny Venema. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 0791460797 (alk. paper) –– ISBN 0791460800 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Albany (N.Y.)–History–17th century. 2. Dutch Americans–New York (State)– Albany–History–17th century. 3. Albany (N.Y.)–Social conditions–17th century. 4. Frontier and pioneer life–New York (State)–Albany. 5. Albany (N.Y.)–Ethnic relations. 6. Indians of North America–New York (State)–Albany–History–17th century. 7. United States–Civilization–Indian influences–Case studies. I. Title.

F129.A357V46 2003 974.7’4302–– dc21

2003054445

Illustrations on the cover: Jan Rotius (1624–1666), Dinner of officers of the marksmen of Hoorn, 1652. Courtesy of the Westfries Museum, Hoorn, and James Eights (1798–1882), View of State Street from St. Peter’s Church down hill to Dutch Church. Water color on paper, circa 1850. Albany Institute of History & Art. Bequest of Ledyard Cogswell, Jr.

© Janny Venema / Uitgeverij Verloren / The State University of New York www.verloren.nl www.sunypress.edu

The distribution of this book in the United States (and its territories), Canada, Mexico, and the Philippine Islands is made possible by permission of Uitgeverij Verlorenbv©2003, and may be distributed in these countries only by the State University of New York Press. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2