Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-01-26
A BLANK OF EIGHT YEARS.
No Local Records of an important
Period of Delaware History.

No Local Records of an important
Period of Delaware History.
An Epoch That Had Much to DO with
Shaping the Character of Our People,
What the Legislature should do.
Editor Gasetts. A most interest.
ing period of eight years of our
colonial history is virtually blank. 1t
will be remembered that the Dutch
from New Amsterdam New York;,
which was under the dominion Of the
Dutch West India Company, established
themselves at point heretofore pos.
sessed by the Swedes and called Sand
huken, now New Castle, in 1851, and
soon thereafter overthrow the Swedish
power and obtained exclusive dominion
over the settlements within the present
borders of Delaware.
During the year 1856 the Dutch West
India Company sold to the city of
Amsterdam their possessions from the
Christina creek 10 Bombay Hook and
until its capture by the English, eight
years after, this colony was under the
fostering care of the city of Amsterdam
and became quite populous with the
many who were sent over by the city.
The youth of a people or nation, as
much as the youth Of an individual, is
the formative time of character and the
eight years referred TO, by the peculiar
quality Of the immigration Of that time,
had probably more influence in the
establishment Of the character Of our
people than any other colonial period.
At the time of the acquiring of the
colony by the city Of Amsterdam there
were many religious refugees in that
city who had boon driven by prosecu.
ton from various parts of Europe;
Hugucnots from France; Waldenses
from Italy AMI others from parts of
Germany; and il was to provide home
for these people that the colony was
purchased. The variety of natonaities
represented by these cOlonists coming
in upon the Swedes and Dutch made
greater mixture of blood than is found
in the early settlers of any colony in
America. Then consider the peculiar
character of the colonists of this period,
They were martyrs for opinions sake,
which necessarily meant a bravery that
any people could be proud of in this
ancestry; for whether they had been
Catholic or Protestant one can only
admire a spirit which could sacrifice all
else before principle.
1t is a very interesting subject for
| speculation as to the influence of the
| infusion of that blood Into the colony.
| Our people have been noted for bravery
and may we not fancy that that strain
| of blood mingled in the veins and
neryed the hearts of the devoted hand
under Kirhwood at Camden, S. G., in
| 1880, and gave courage to the descend
ants who made the unllinChing march
| up Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg
| and the desperate defence of Cemetery
| Ridge? Of course the direct descend
| ants of these colonsts were compare
| lively few among Delaware's sons who
proved their bravery on those occasions,
| yet as the elbow touch of brave man
| will give courage to the coward, the
| sturdy characteristics of peoples an
| cestry will run in the blood and per-
meate people and cause accretions of
| population to assimilate to it, and show
itself when the occasion demands it.
| Except in a general way we know
very little of the history of the eight
years referred to. BY the efforts of the
State of New York all records of the
Dutch West India Company have been
| procured and by these We have been
thoroughly informed as to the history
Of the colony Of that company which
was retained by it and laid north of the
Christiana, but as the city of Amstcr.
dam held only the country south of the
Christiana, where the people of New
York had no interest, the investigation
did not extend 10 it, and the only in.
formation we have came accidentally
through the correspondence between the
city's governor at New Amstel and the
company's governor at Altoona (Wil.
mington.)
! am informed that many records OF
this colony are preserved by the city OF
Amsterdam and doubtless can be pro,
cured but necessarily at considerable ex.
pense. AS this is q matter of general
interest, it would be right for the Legis-
lature to take measures to have searches
made of the records and have all that i;
valuable published. The representative
of the United States to the Netherlands
would doubtless cooperate and assist in
the work.
confess that l have no hopes thai
anything will be done soon, or even tina
the present generation will see it accom-
plished, as our people seem strangely
Indifferent to their history ,notwithstand
ing it is a proud one. Ii sufficient in.
terest can be awakened in this matter tc
bring about its accomplishment at some
time, my object will he attained.
THOMAS HoLCoMB.
| Tonuarv 1Stb 1902