San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-03-10
TIE Daily liqRt
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 1897.
WHEN WAMPUM WAS MONEY.
The Popular Token OF Value In New Yori
Two Centuries Ago.

Two Centuries Ago.
When Stephen Van Cortlandt was in
the money-changing business-16S0 to
169O-the kind of money in most com
mon use in the vicinity of Manhattan
island was seewan, or wampum. AL
most all the store trade was done with
seewan, either loose or braided, and all
church collections were taken up in see
wan.
Van Cortlandt was frequently called
en- to change seewan into silver money,
which was at that time the standard.
Payments of interest and principal of
loaned money were made in Dutch
pieces-of-eight, realities and loan dol
lars, the value of all of which was re-
duced to guilders seewan.
A piece-of-eight was worth 10 guild
ers in seewan, a realtje was worth 1
guilder and 20 stivers in seewan, loan
dollar was worth II guilders in seewan,
and an English pound was worth 40
guilders in seewan. The,American dol
lar in it's present relation to the English
pound would have been worth 8 guild
ers in seewan. A Dutch guilder has
100 cents or 20 stivers, and is equal to
10 cents in American money. A silver
is equal to 2 cents American money.
. cents American money.
Contributions to the poor relief fund
were usually made in seewan, and pro-
visions and clothing for distribution
among the poor were paid for in seewan.
The early Dutch settlers took generous
care of the needy poor. For instance,
in 1858, the deacons of the old Dutch
church of Bergen paid DR.. Robinson,
CT New York, 240 guilders in seewan
for curing destitute man of insanity.
At another time the deacons of the same
church paid Surgeon C. Viele, of New
York, 100 guilders seewan for surgical
attendance on a poor member of the
congregation. In those days 1t cost 90
guilders in seewan ITO send poor 10
hannis Kruger back to Amsterdam"
In 1873 the price of one schepel of wheat
was guilders seewan; of schepel of
Indian corn, guilders seewan; / schep-
el of rye, 8 guilders seewan; 1 ell of
cloth, 8 guilders seewan; two blan-
kets, So guilders seewan, and sshepels
Of salt, guilders seewan.
Whenever the collections in the church
exceeded the current expenditures, the
surplus seewan was usually invested in
COWS. Such COWS were given into the
care Of responsible members of the con-
gregation on a yearly butter rent" of
12 pounds-that is, those persons ac-
cepting a COW from the deaconry had
TO pay an annual rent of ~ pounds of
butter or its value in seewan. The price
OF butter amounted, in the winter of
1879, to % stivers per pound, so that the
deacons then received 10 guilders and
stvers for one COW. After 1715 the
deacons quit the "butter-rent" business
and confined themselves solely Ia
money-lending as a means of increasing
the revenues. Sums ranging from 1C
guilders to 1000 guilders were put out
at interest at the rate of 6 per cent. per
annum, though in a few cases borrow.
ers were exempt from paying interest
1t cost from to guilders in see
wan to get married in this vicinity two
centuries ago, and funeral was accom-.
panied with pail rent of 6 guilders
seewan for an adult and guilders TO,
child:-N. Y. Times.