Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. I, Part 5

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa.
Number of Pages: 1482

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The passage of this latter law raised a great commotion in the colony, and the governor and his councilors were soundly berated. The order requiring the fencing of farms was not regarded with much disfavor; but in a country

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BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

where there was so much open land, the in- habitants could not see the necessity for herd- ing goats and yoking swine. There was cer- tainly a wide range for the animals, so wide that they could do no one any harm; and if they were restrained it would certainly result in a great hardship to their owners, who would be compelled to feed them, when, if at liberty, they could almost sustain themselves in the forests and on the commons.

Complaints were made to Governor General Stuyvesant that his vice-governor, Jaquet was making himself very obnoxious to the peo- ple; that he was irascible, disagreeable, and dietatorial; and, above all, that he was incom- petent to govern the colony; and in the inter- est of peace, prosperity and the general good of all, his recall or dismissal was demanded. At first Stuyvesant paid but little attention to these complaints, but they were repeated in so earnest a manner that he was practically forced to take cognizance of them. In other words, he saw very plainly that he dared not deny his subjects the right of petition.

The pressure became so strong that Stuy- vesant was compelled to act. Accordingly, on the 20th of April, 1657, by and with the ad- vice of his council, he sent Jaquet his recall, giving as a reason for his action that he was incompetent to successfully manage the af- fairs of the colony. Jaquet's administration, therefore, was short, lasting scarcely over a year. IIe was succeeded by Jacob Alrich, who was appointed in Holland, and received his commission in the capital city of Amster- dam, December 19, 1656; it was renewed at Fort Amsterdam in the New Netherlands, April 12, 1657.

Jaquet, on retiring from the vice-governor- ship of the Colony, did not leave the country, but taking up a tract of land not far from Christina Creek, engaged in farming, and was successful. He left descendants, one of whom became a distinguished officer in the Revolu- tionary army, and shed a resplendent lustre on the American arms. His patriotism was of the highest order, and his courage, devotion and activity in the cause of liberty brought him honor and fame. He lived and died on the farm which his father founded near the present city of Wilmington; this land re- mained in the possession of the Jaquet family for more than one hundred and fifty years.

The charge of incompetency against Ja-

quet is not borne out by any evidence worth considering. Indeed, his successor said that the charge was based on hatred rather than on truth. This hatred very likely had its origin in the laws which he cansed to be passed, for- bidding certain animals to run at large.

A tradition still in existence says that Fort Cassimer stood on the site now occupied by the old Protestant Episcopal Church in New Castle. This could hardly have been the case, for in one of the laws that Jaquet was instru- mental in having passed in the winter of 1656, it was distinctly required that no one should enter the fort, "either by land or water, with- out first announcing himself." Unless the fort stood on the edge of the water, how could it be entered from the water? It is believed, therefore, that it was built on a point which formerly extended into the river, but which has long since been washed away, the banks being very materially reduced and their out- line entirely changed.

When Governor Alrich arrived to take charge of the Colony, he established his head- quarters at New Amstel, which had come to be recognized as the capital. The Swedes were still ruled by a "schout," or commissary ; the office was at that time filled by Gocran van Dyke. Upon his representation, Stuyve- sant directed the Swedes to go together and build a town at Upland, or any point they preferred, but they did not find it convenient to do so. On the 28th of October, 1658, Wil- liam Beckman, an alderman in Amsterdam, was appointed vice-governor of the Com- pany's Colony, and established his resi- dence at Altona (Christina). He man- aged the company's trade, commanded the garrison , received the duties of ships arriving at New Amstel, and had the Swedes under his supervision. Andrew ITudde, on account of his thirty-one years' ser- vice, and his poverty, caused by being robbed by the Indians, became Beckman's secretary, and also sexton of the church at Altona, in June, 1660. Although the governor of the two sections had each his separate jurisdiction, vet for the most part they acted together; so Beekman had business in the City's Colony, and Alrich gave deeds for lands sold by the Company. A long time passed before the Dutch settled themselves among the Swedes, there being a lack of assimilation between them. Two farms near Altona were the only

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ones for which the Hollanders gave deeds among the Swedish settlers; to these we may add a mill, built on "Skyllpot" (now known as Shellpot) Creek, which was to grind free of toll for the garrison. This was probably one of the very first mills erected in this part of the country. No account of its size and capa- city is known to be in existence, but it was doubtless of rude construction.

Stuyvesant seems to have kept a watchful eye over affairs on the Delaware. In due sea- son he gave Beckman authority to extend the Company's Colony from "Bombties Hook to Cape Henlopen." He was to consult with and take advice from Governor Alrich regarding the proposed extension, to inquire of others which of the Indian tribes were the rightful owners, and also to ascertain what would be The authorities of the city of Amsterdam had conceived the idea of building up a set- tlement and a port on the Delaware that should rival New Amsterdam, and had select- ed New Amstel for that purpose; and they embarked so zealously in the enterprise, and so liberally promoted its growth, that by the year 1659, the town contained more than one hundred houses, and a population of five er six hundred, and was surrounded by some twenty or thirty farms. It is probable that the rapid growth and prosperity of New Amstel had attracted the attention of Lord Baltimore and his official representatives in the province of Maryland. New Amstel had become the seat of government of all the possessions of the city of Amsterdam, or the "City Colony," and had a director general and council residing in it, who had jurisdiction over all its posses- sions, the former being appointed by the authorities of the city. And, furthermore, it was not until the year 1639 that it first became known to the settlers on the Delaware that Lord Baltimore had any claim or pre- an adequate price for the land. In like man- ner Alrich had orders to secure the land at "Hoorn Kill." Alrich, in his reply to Stuy- vesant, represented several difficulties as be- ing in the way of carrying out his order. Ile said there were neither people nor means for crecting a fortification, or taking care of the same, at "Hoorn Kill;" that if a fortification were built it would be of no account, for the surrounding country was wild and desolate. The few farmers living in the vicinity of New Amstel had suffered from the failure of their crops and could scarcely support themselves. Beckman saw that Alrich was indisposed to make the movement, either through caprice or lack of energy, and he resolved to under- take the enterprise himself. He therefore made a journey to "Hoorn Kill," with Lieu- tenant Hinoyosa in his company, made the purchase there of the Indians, March 23, 1659, took a deed of purchase for the land, and threw up temporary fortifications, in which he stationed as many soldiers as he could col- lect. The number was not great, neither were. tension whatever to any territory lying within the works very strong, but it was the begin- Ling of the second settlement at this point, nearly thirty years after the first had been destroyed by the savages. Duties were now levied here on vessels arriving inside the cape, and collected by an officer stationed at the fort for that purpose.

The true secret for the advance on "Hoorn Kill" was a rumor that two vessels, bearing fourteen English persons from Virginia, had been seen there, and that the English had landed and attempted to settle, but were

driven off by the Indians. Fears that a stronger force might follow induced a hasty effort to secure the land, in order to forestall further attempts to gain a foothold.

LORD BALTIMORE'S CLAIM.

At the same time a report came from Mary- land that the English were seriously think- ing of making an attack and taking the country from the Dutch. Lord Baltimore, who had founded a colony at St. George's (now St. Mary's) as early as 1634, was in- quiring about the boundaries of his territory, which were not settled. This caused some conmotion among the Dutch authorities, and rendered them very apprehensive of danger.

what is now the State of Delaware. This in- formation was first communicated by a mem- ber of the provincial council living on the eastern shore to the director general of the City colony at New Amstel, a messenger being sent by the former with a letter addressed to the governor of the province. Lord Baltimore claimed that his territory extended to a line within two miles of New Amstel, and cited various deeds for land to confirm hi- claims. The governor of Maryland, Josiah Fendal, dispatched Col. Utie with five men to

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BIOGRAPHIICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

New Amstel to report the claim of Lord Baltimore, and demand that the land should be given up. They were admitted into the fort and were entertained for four nights. During this meeting each party advocated its claims. Beckman was admitted to the con- ference as an official. The discussion is re- ported to have become at times quite animated, and the conference was closed with hard words and much dissatisfaction on both sides.

When a report of the meeting reached Stuyvesant, he did not approve of it, and up- braided Alrich for having admitted these emissaries, and entertained them in the fort. Ile was so exasperated over the affair that he complained of Alrich to the Company for hav- ing received and harbored such dangerous guests.

This conference marked the beginning of the downfall of Alrich. ITis administration, like his predecessor's, was rapidly falling into disfavor. His severity and selfishness had caused many Dutch families to remove to Maryland, and five or six soldiers deserted from the fort and fled thither also. Dissatis- faction grew so rapidly that, finally, only about ten soldiers remained in Fort Casimer and half as many at "Hoorn Kill." The inhabited part of the Company's Colony at this time' did not extend more than two Holland miles around Fort Cassimer. This conference was really the beginning of the boundary line trouble that lasted long after the Dutch and the Swedes has disappeared as factors in the settlements on the Delaware. Stuyvesant was kept in a state of nervous agitation. Ilis conscience disturbed him sorely. In a letter under date of September, 1659, to the West India Company, he expressed fear that Eng- land, with the aid of the Swedes, would soon take possession of the country and dispossess the Dutch. He urged them to increase the population by sending exiled Poles, Lithua- nians, Prussians and Flemish peasants to set- tle in the country. Still further, in the year 1660, he sent an emissary to recruit for the garrison among the Swedes and the Finns, and offered them a bounty of from eight to ten guilders as an inducement to enlist. Those who had fled to Maryland and Virginia on ar- count of debt or oppression, were solicited to return under promise of good treatment, and security for three or four years' immunity

from their creditors. Matters were indeed becoming serious.

STUYVESANT BECOMES TYRANNICAL.

Steadily the suspicion grew in the mind of the burly ruler at New Amsterdam that the Swedes and the Finns were favorably disposed toward the English, and only awaited a favor- able opportunity to throw off the Dutch yoke. Although the Swedish population at that time consisted in all of only about one hundred and thirty families, yet they still formed the strongest part of the people in the country, and thus kept Stuyvesant and his government in constant fear and trembling. This fear so increased that his former pacitic advice was changed into a command that all Swedes should remove into small towns where less danger might be apprehended from them, be- cause their movements could be more closely watched. Beckman, who was to put the plan into operation in his district, was very zealous in his efforts to convince them of its advan- tages, but he was unable to do so, and as he had an insufficient force at hand he could not compel them. He then reported to Stuyves- ant that it would be an unmerciful procedure to drive the people from their homes which they had established, and put them to new labor and expense. Inability to enforce the order caused him to see its injustice and inex- pediency; had it been otherwise, the Swedes and Finns would have been driven into en- closures like sheep.

Some of the Swedes had removed from the Company's Colony into that of the City, where Hinoyosa had given them greater privi- leges. Others had gone to Sassafras River, which rises in Delaware and empties into Chesapeake Bay, forming the boundary line between the counties of Cecil and Kent, on the eastern shore of Maryland. This was the section of country into which the Swedes emi- grated, but being threatened by the Indians, they were forced to return. On this account Beekman desired Stuyvesant to recall his or- der, but the monarch of Manhattan remained obdurate. He was kept in such a state of ab- jeet fright, that he was afraid of his own shadow and almost feared to move out of his fort.

Governor Alrich, who had succeeded through his contracted policy in making

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himself very unpopular, died on the 30th of December, 1659, and was succeeded by Lieut. Alexander Hinovosa as Governor pro tempore. He appointed Gerrit van Gizet as his secretary, and proceeded to administer the affairs of the colony. One of his first acts was to sequestrate all the papers of his predecessor and make extracts from them. He then called together his council and endeavored to show that Alrich had acted contrary to his instruc- tions in many points, and, had he lived to an- swer for his mal-administration, might have forfeited both life and property. But as it was evident that Hinoyosa cherished a feeling of personal hostility towards the deceased Governor, few were willing to endorse his ex- treme views.

The Trading Company had found but little advantage in its trade. It scarcely met the expenses of service, war, and expenditures on the Indians. The servants had shown them- selves altogether selfish; and the superiors were more strict in forbidding all individual trattic than the inferiors were in obeying their orders. The English on Long Island pursued an uninterrupted course of smuggling, which added to the fear of Stuyvesant and lessened profits. On this account the Company, on the 7th of February, 1663, gave up all its rights to the City's Colony. In this transfer it was agreed that Fort Christina should also belong to the latter, with the proviso that the settlers around it should continue to enjoy their privileges; that the City should send another garrison to relieve that of the Company, so that the colony might be defended against the Indians and the English; that a mile of land should be cleared and settled every year; that the agents of the City should never be allowed to transfer that land to any one else, either in whole or in part, on the penalty of forfeiting all their rights.

The "South River," as the Delaware was called by the Dutch, was wholly and entirely given over to Governor Hinoyosa, by patent issued by Governor-General Stuyvesant un- der date of December 22, 1663; but with the proviso that it should be governed entirely by the prescribed laws of the States General and their West India Company, and in their interest. But before this arrangement went into operation, Hinoyosa, associated with Beckman, presided over the Colony for three years after Alrich's death.

Ilinoyosa, too, seems to have been a dis- turbing element. Much excitement and feel- ing were raised on account of the charges brought against Alrich, and the sequestration of his papers and property. Cornelius van Gizel petitioned Stuyvesant to order the re- lease of the property and treat it according to the will of decedent. Examinations were made and much correspondence followed re- garding the matter, when, finally, Hinoyosa received orders to cease his oppositions on pain of disgrace. The case must have been a fa- grant one, amounting to a bold attempt at robbery, or Stuyvesant would not have stopped further proceedings so suddenly.

After this a silver lining appeared on the cloud which overhung affairs on the Dela. ware. At that time trade was conducted with the Indians in peltries, and with Virginia in tobacco. A better understanding between the Dutch and English was now promised, as Stuyvesant sent the governor of Virginia presents of French wine and other tempting things. In those days nothing was better calculated to promote good feeling than pres- ents of wine. 2052102

Hinoyosa having failed in his persecutions of the heirs of Governor Alrich, now deter- mined to pursue another course. He appoint- ed Peter Alrich commander of the fort at "Hoorn Kill," with the exclusive privilege of all traffic with the Indians from "Bombties Hook" down to Cape Henlopen. This ap- pointment gave the Swedes great offense, and caused open complaints. It does not appear that Alrich was a relative of the deceased governor, but the inference is that he was either a son of a brother, when the opposition of the Swedes to the appointment is consid- ered. It was very likely done to curry favor with the Alrich party. Tyrants, when shorn of their power are generally the first to be come sycophants. Tyranny is a species of moral cowardice.

During the year 1663 the Indians kept the people in great fear. According to Acrelius the Seneca Indians came down from the in- terior and committed terrible murders. They were at war with the Delaware Indians. The latter were friendly to the whites, but they were not strong enough to cope with their red adversaries from the interior. Fort Chris- tina had been so neglected that it was of little use as a protection. Its walls were greatly de-

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cayed, and it was entirely out of ammunition, being provided with only ten or twelve mus- kets, and no flints. The same year the small- pox broke out among the friendly Indians, and many of them perished.

TROUBLOUS TIMES.

As long as there were two colonies here, William Beckman had a hand in one, but had little to say since the Company had surren- dered all its rights to the City Colony, and was little regarded. This, however, did not prevent him from keeping up a correspond- ence with Stuyvesant and from disputing with ITinoyosa. He songht every opportunity to annoy the latter, even to complaining of his haughtiness, and went so far as to accuse him of having burned the palisades of the fort under his brewing kettles, of having sold mus- kets to the Indians, and the City's millstones to Marylanders, in exchange for tobacco. All this, it is alleged, he proved by testimony. Corruption on the part of officials was no new thing at that early day. But as Hinoyosa was high authority, he soon made Beck- man's situation so uncomfortable that the lat- ter was compelled to petition Stuyvesant not to allow him to be banished to Maryland in the winter time, as was threatened. Stuyves- ant took pity on him and officially directed that he should remain at Altona (Christina), cultivate land, and be allowed five or six men to assist him. But he soon discovered that the latter part of the order would avail him notli- ing, for no freeman had the right to assist him, or to trade with either the Indians or the Eng- lish. Ilinoyosa had estopped all this by as- serting his right to half the land and the traffic. Fifty laborers had landed during the last year, who were also farmers and soldiers, and were to be paid one hundred guilders per year by the governor. There were also six or seven girls in the importation who were to keep house for these laborers. These women had engaged themselves in Holland to serve for a term of years in the colony for the ex- penses of their passage. This is the first men- tion we have of "redemptioners"-those who were to redeem their passage by labor-ar- riving in this country. This was in 1663. It was, in reality, a species of slavery, and in after years grew into a large business on the part of the ship owners.

This was a new opportunity for Hinoyosa to indulge his cupidity. We are informed that he asserted his rights to these women and hired them out for his own profit for sixty, seventy and eighty guilders per annum. It was an infamous proceeding on his part, and shows the character of the man in no envia- ble light.

Success in his schemes for self aggrandize- ment emboldened this bad man, and he be- gan to lay plans for the acquisition of in- creased means. Ile contemplated erecting a fine residence at "Apoquiming," and estab- lished a metropolis there, with the view of se- curing control of all the English trade. Ilis ideas were exalted, and had he possessed any moral principle, he might have become the in- strument for doing great good. But like all men who are actuated by improper motives, he grew suspicious of intrigue against him and led a miserable life. It was a great relief to him when his old and implacable enemy Beekman was finally removed to Esopus on the Hudson River, July 4, 1664, and given a small office.

But corruption and bad government were rapidly undermining the power of the Dutch on the Delaware, and instead of growth in population and prosperity, the colonies began to show signs of decadence; it was already apparent to careful observers that the end of Dutch rule in the New World was near at hand.

Returning to the visit of Colonel Utie, as the agent of Lord Baltimore, to New Amstel, in 1659, it becomes necessary to state a few facts in order to enable the reader to under- stand something about the beginning of the boundary trouble which lasted for so many years. Lord Baltimore, it appears, claimed Altona (Christina) as lying within his prov- ince. This demand, made through Colonel Utie, caused great uneasiness at New Amster- dam, and Stuyvesant decided to send an em- bassy to the governor of Maryland, with full power to demand reparation for the damage caused by the demand of Colonel Utie for the surrender of the colonies on the Delaware. The damage consisted partly in the injury done to the prosperity of New Amstel by the consternation produced there by the demand and partly in the results of the insidious ef- forts made to frighten and seduce the inhabi- tants from their fidelity to their true and law-

STATE OF DELAWARE

ful government. The embassy of Governor Stuyvesant was also empowered amicably to settle the dispute. This latter feature was really the main object of the mission. Two remarkable and distinguished residents of New Amsterdam were selected for this deli- cate mission, viz: Augustus Herman, a na- tive of Bohemia, and Resolved Waldron. The story of the life of Herman, which will be found in another part of this work, is very strange, and reads like a romance. Ile after- wards became the proprietor of Bohemia Manor, a tract of land comprising eighteen thousand acres, and lying partly in Delaware and Maryland. His acquisition of the Manor very likely grew out of this mission, and af- fords a glimpse into some of the wide-awake practices of these carly speculators, who seem to have been actuated by as keen perceptions for the acquisition of land as are those of the present day.

A PERILOUS JOURNEY.

The commissioners set out on their journey from New Amstel, accompanied by Indian guides and a small escort of soldiers, in the month of October. They had to thread their way across the western part of Delaware and into Maryland, for the most part through primeval forests, arrayed in all their rich au- tumnal tints. Occasionally a narrow Indian trail enabled them to make more rapid pro- gress, but in the main they had to cut their own path. Finally they reached an affluent of the Chesapeake, and thence by canoe navi- gation passed the residence of the redoubta- ble Colonel Utie, situated on an island at the mouth of the Sassafras River. They had heard such terrible things of Colonel Utie at New Amstel that they did not deem it prudent to call on him for fear he would arrest them. After several days of land and water travel they reached Kent Island in safety, and were very courteously received there by Governor Fendall, Secretary Calvert, and the Provin- cial Council.

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Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. I, Part 5

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa. Number of Pages: 1482

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa.
Number of Pages: 1482