Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-05-31
HISTORY or PERTH AMBOY
WRITTEN BY JERRY M'QUADE
CONTINUED from page ~

First we try persuasive measures:
then we give our unfriendly breth-
ern the absent treatment and in
new scenes far remote, forget them.
The fact that the 100 Pilgrims.
seeking peace and asylum in the
wilderness of the new world, had
as their original destination the
harbor of New York. discovered
eleven years before by Henry Hud-
son but in a storm were driven in
to Plymouth harbor, instead was an
unimportant circumstance, except
for New York, which ever since has
had 20 trace its title back to the
Dutch, instead OF to the English.
All of which we agree is a matter
of taste and not of values.
Looking back at all the honors,
testimonials, monuments. orations
and favorable mentions that have
since been bestowed on them, in
commemoration of the event by the
Commonwealth Of Massachusetts,
we are not so sure that the Puri-
tans, have any regrets,
Three years after the Pilgrims
had been driven off their course
and landed at Plymouth Rock
through an accident, the Dutch sail
ed into New York and took posses
SUN anu lbl II ytdio III
engaged in the process of peaceful
assimilation with the Indian.
For twenty-eight years the orig
inal colony of 20 Dutchmen, rein
forced later by additions from the
Netherlands, carried on this process
of peaceful penetration. before we
find the first record of any transact
ton covering the territory now in
cluded in the city of Perth Amboy.
This transaction is dated December
8, 1851, and is in the form Of a writ
ten instrument. showing that one,
Augustus Herman, in consideration
of good will and other valuable con-
siderations purchased from the Red
man. a large tract Of land at the
mouth of the Raritan river. Her
mar being a lieutenant Of Peter
Stuyvesant, last of the Dutch gov
ernors. In this deed, the place is
described as "Ompoge," which in
Indian is meant to signify "'clear."
Subsequently i'm later deeds, the
name is mentioned as "Emboyle'
and in an instrument dated 1865, as
"Amboyle.' From this latter name
the present designation of the city
is derived.
For thirteen years following the
original purchase by Augustus
Herman, the Dutch ruled and as far
as we know ruled well, the Indian
having withdrawn to the interior
and up to 1864 there being no one
present to dispute Dutch authority.
In the year 1864 Oliver Crom-
we'll having died and the coast be-
ing clear Charles II. the eXiled
son of Charles l. ousted by the Pro-
tector, was on the English throne
and making war on the Dutch to re-
establish his ~enfeebled fortune.
Territory being his objective. his
feet attacked and overwhelmed the
Dutch forts in New Amsterdam,
which with all the territory ada
cent passed to the British, and be-
came New York, in honor Of the
Duke of York. brother-in-law Of
Charles. Except for the year 1878,
when the Dutch recaptured the forts
only to lose them again TO the Brit
ish the following year, the province
remained a COLONY OF Great Britain
for more than 100 years, until the
victory of the Continental army at
Yorktown, compelled its surrender
with the rest of the territory in
cluded within the thirteen original
states.
Under the Dutch. Perth Amboy
was nothing more than a plantation
and a leisure mans hacienda. I'm
der the British 1t became a village. a