New Netherland Council Curaçao Records
Item
Country
US
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
New York State Education Department, Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY 12230
Contact information: phone number
001 (518) 474-8955 (reference services)
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
archinfo@nysed.gov (general)
archref@nysed.gov (reference services)
archref@nysed.gov (reference services)
Reference number
A1883
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (official language of the state)
New Netherland Council Curaçao Records
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
West-Indische Compagnie (WIC)
Date(s)
1640/1665
Language(s)
dut
Extent
0.2 linear metres
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
This collection includes records documenting the West India Company's activities in Curaçao during the 17th century. It includes information about the administration of affairs in Curaçao and commercial exchanges with other Caribbean islands and New Netherland (later New York).
Records of the first period include instructions from the West India Company (WIC) to Petrus Stuyvesant (1612-1672) and his Council detailing how Curaçao should be regulated and resolutions representing the administrative decisions of Stuyvesant and his Council from January 5, 1643, to November 9, 1644.
Records of the second period relate to the management of affairs in Curaçao, particularly during Matthias Beck's tenure as vice-director, and include instructions from Stuyvesant to Beck and correspondence between Beck, Stuyvesant, and the previous hit WIC directors in Amsterdam. Also included are commercial records such as bills of lading, manifests, orders, memorandums, charters, accounts, lists of supplies requested from New Netherland, and receipts for items received.
Some documents document the activity of Sephardim in Curaçao and other Caribbean islands, such as the following:
Box 17, doc. 11: Grant of land in Curaçao to Joseph Nunes de Fonseca, alias David Nassi and Company. February 22, 1652.
Box 17, doc. 14: Letter from Lucas Rodenburch, vice-director of Curaçao, to the directors at Amsterdam, in which he mentions that there were no more than 10 or 12 settlers on the Jewish settlement. April 2, 1654.
Box 17, doc. 15: Letter from the directors in Amsterdam to Lucas Rodenburch, vice-director of Curaçao, in answer to the above, with complaints against Jan de Yllan, a Jew, patroon in Curaçao. July 7, 1654.
Box 17, doc. 25a: Minute of Council concerning proposals on trade relations between Curaçao and Barbados. Among other issues, it refers to the disposition of a cargo imported in Curaçao by Isaac de Fonseca. February 21, 1656. The resolution dates from February 23 (doc. 25b).
Records of the first period include instructions from the West India Company (WIC) to Petrus Stuyvesant (1612-1672) and his Council detailing how Curaçao should be regulated and resolutions representing the administrative decisions of Stuyvesant and his Council from January 5, 1643, to November 9, 1644.
Records of the second period relate to the management of affairs in Curaçao, particularly during Matthias Beck's tenure as vice-director, and include instructions from Stuyvesant to Beck and correspondence between Beck, Stuyvesant, and the previous hit WIC directors in Amsterdam. Also included are commercial records such as bills of lading, manifests, orders, memorandums, charters, accounts, lists of supplies requested from New Netherland, and receipts for items received.
Some documents document the activity of Sephardim in Curaçao and other Caribbean islands, such as the following:
Box 17, doc. 11: Grant of land in Curaçao to Joseph Nunes de Fonseca, alias David Nassi and Company. February 22, 1652.
Box 17, doc. 14: Letter from Lucas Rodenburch, vice-director of Curaçao, to the directors at Amsterdam, in which he mentions that there were no more than 10 or 12 settlers on the Jewish settlement. April 2, 1654.
Box 17, doc. 15: Letter from the directors in Amsterdam to Lucas Rodenburch, vice-director of Curaçao, in answer to the above, with complaints against Jan de Yllan, a Jew, patroon in Curaçao. July 7, 1654.
Box 17, doc. 25a: Minute of Council concerning proposals on trade relations between Curaçao and Barbados. Among other issues, it refers to the disposition of a cargo imported in Curaçao by Isaac de Fonseca. February 21, 1656. The resolution dates from February 23 (doc. 25b).
Archival history
The Dutch West India Company (WIC) created the records in this collection while administrating the trading post in Curaçao and shipping and trade on the islands of Curaçao, Bonaire, and Aruba. The Dutch islands became a major trading centre under Petrus Stuyvesant and Matthias Beck's administrations as directors-general. Trade also developed between New Netherland and the islands. New Netherland provided building materials, provisions, and merchandise and received dyewood and slaves from Curaçao, horses from Aruba, and salt from Bonaire.
The Curaçao records represent two distinct periods relating to Petrus Stuyvesant's association with the Caribbean: first, as director of Curaçao (1643-44), and later as a visitor to the Caribbean in 1655 while director-general of New Netherland, Curaçao, Bonaire, and Aruba (1646-64).
Initially, this series constituted volume 17 of the New York Historical Manuscripts in the New York State Library. The records were arranged as a separate series in the early 1980s.
The Curaçao records represent two distinct periods relating to Petrus Stuyvesant's association with the Caribbean: first, as director of Curaçao (1643-44), and later as a visitor to the Caribbean in 1655 while director-general of New Netherland, Curaçao, Bonaire, and Aruba (1646-64).
Initially, this series constituted volume 17 of the New York Historical Manuscripts in the New York State Library. The records were arranged as a separate series in the early 1980s.
Administrative / Biographical history
The West-Indische Compagnie (WIC), the Dutch West India Company, was founded in 1621 mainly to carry on economic warfare against Spain and Portugal by striking at their colonies in the West Indies and South America and on the west coast of Africa.
A board of 19 members (the Heerem XIX) governed the WIC, which had five offices (Kamers) corresponding to the various regions of the Netherlands. Having the monopoly of trade with the Americas, Africa, and the Atlantic regions between them, the WIC was militarily and financially supported by the States General (the Dutch national assembly).
It reached its zenith during the administration of Count John Maurice (1636-44) with the conquest of the northeastern region of Brazil and the foundation of New Holland, which ended up capitulating to the Portuguese in 1654. Between 1634 and 1648, the WIC established several colonies in the West Indies and Guyana, including Aruba, Curaçao, and Saint Martin, but later lost many of them to the French. New Netherland, the Dutch colony in North America, became a province of the WIC in 1623 and remained so until 1667, when it was ceded to the English.
The loss of Brazil to the Portuguese and later of other colonies to the French and the English reflected the decline of the WIC. The Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars also threatened its influence on the west coast of Africa. Deeper in debt, the WIC was dissolved in 1674 and, in the same year, created a new company, the Tweede West-Indische Compagnie, which lasted until 1794.
A board of 19 members (the Heerem XIX) governed the WIC, which had five offices (Kamers) corresponding to the various regions of the Netherlands. Having the monopoly of trade with the Americas, Africa, and the Atlantic regions between them, the WIC was militarily and financially supported by the States General (the Dutch national assembly).
It reached its zenith during the administration of Count John Maurice (1636-44) with the conquest of the northeastern region of Brazil and the foundation of New Holland, which ended up capitulating to the Portuguese in 1654. Between 1634 and 1648, the WIC established several colonies in the West Indies and Guyana, including Aruba, Curaçao, and Saint Martin, but later lost many of them to the French. New Netherland, the Dutch colony in North America, became a province of the WIC in 1623 and remained so until 1667, when it was ceded to the English.
The loss of Brazil to the Portuguese and later of other colonies to the French and the English reflected the decline of the WIC. The Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars also threatened its influence on the west coast of Africa. Deeper in debt, the WIC was dissolved in 1674 and, in the same year, created a new company, the Tweede West-Indische Compagnie, which lasted until 1794.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
Records are arranged chronologically.
Access, restrictions
Photostat use copies of selected documents are available at the New York State Archives.
Digital copies are available online:
Digital copies are available online:
Finding aids
The folder list and calendar the New Netherland Project prepared are available at the repository.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2023
Published primary sources
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Caribbean Jews' Commercial records (Small Collections) | Existence and location of originals | |
| Collectie Joshua Mozes Levy Maduro | Existence and location of originals |
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| New York State Archives | Collections (official language of the state) |