The New York herald., 1922-09-23
New York's First Settlers.
Evidence That the New Netherland
Arrived In May, 1924.

To THE NEW YORK HERALD Tho COM
Ing tercentenary OF the first settlement
OF Manhattan Island makes 1t impor-
tant to have a record of the facts as
complete as II is possible to ascertain
them. Accordingly / quote the follow
ing 1etter received by me from the office
Of the State Historian, the writer being
A. j. Il. van Laer. archivist of the d.
vision of archives and history:
"The account OF the sailing of the ves-
sci OF 260 tons under the command OF
Captain Cornelis Jacobsen Mey, re-
ferred to by George p. Lawton. is based
on Wassenaer's Historical Verhael,'
part viii, page 10. verse II. Transla-
tions of this verhael are printed in the
Documentary History of New York and
in the Narratives of New Netherland.'
edited by j. Franklin Jameson. 1909.
tWassenaer states under the marginal
date OF April, 1924. that the West India
Company equipped in the spring ves-
sci of 130 lasts called the New Neder-
landt. whereof Cornelis Jacobsz May of
Hoorn was skipper This means the
spring of 1924 and not. as has been gen
orally assumed, the spring of 1923. The
marginal date indicates the approximate
tirne when the event took place and not
the time when the account was written.
I'm another message Wassenaer states
that the ship sailed In the beginning
of March and arrived in the beginning
OF May in the River Mauritius IHud-
sonl. May. 1924. therefore, must be re-
garded as the true date of the settle
ment of the colonists. who came on the
ship New Netherland.
"The ship New Netherland was APP
parently the first ship with colonists
sent out by the recently organized Dutch
West India Company. Before the or
ganization of the company was COM
pleted, however, ships had been sent by
individual merchants. who from 1921
1923, became directors OF the company.
One such ship was sent. probably In
1923, but possibly as early as 1922, by
Mr.. Courtes, a director of the company
residing at Middleburg. under the COM
mand OF Adrian Jorissen Thienpont. The
name of this ship is not known from
contemporary sources, but may have
been the Unity. as stated by Cataline
Trico in 1858.
when tho company was definitely
organized the ships of these private
traders were ordered to leave New Meth
erland. Thienpont appeared before the
Assembly of the XIX, in November.
1923. and asked permission TO return
10 New Netherland to trade the mer-
chandise left by him and to bring home
their people. Cataline Trico would seem
70 have been one OF the persons who
were to be sent home but who for some
reason or other stayed.
However, one cannot place much
reliance on the etatemenys made by
Cataline Trlco. In another affidavit.
made in 1886, she stated that she came
over in 1923 or 1924. In 16sS she stated
that Arian Jorise staid with them all
winter and sent his some home, with
We ship Unless the son had tho same
name as the father. Adrian Jorissen
Thienpont could not have appeared be-
fore the Assembly of the XIX. in No
vember, 1928, and IL their names were
not the same and the father appeared
before the board, he could not have
been back in Holland in November. 1923.
and must have stayed In New Neither
land all winter unless he had sailed.
and consequently Cataline Trico had
sailed in 1922. which is contrary to her
statement.
THE information in regard TO these
early voyages Is so meager that it is
difficult to get at tho exact truth. II
Is quite certain. however. that the ship
New Netherland did not sail before
March. 1924. Cataline Trico states that
she lived az Fort Orange [Albany1 three
years. Her coming therefore in 1923 or
1924. or even IN fe2o. does not affect
the question Of the date Of the first set
tlement of1afanhattan Island"
GEORGE p. LAwToN.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, September %.