Vol. 34 No. 2 “De Nieu Nederlanse Marcurius” June 2018

Events & Exhibits inhabitants of the region, their history. In addition to educational Ongoing: “The Hudson River beliefs, relationships, and inter- opportunities, the gathering pro- School: Landscape Paintings from actions. This exhibition looks at vides networking and social events the Albany Institute.” The Albany those diverse peoples who shaped alongside the latest tools and meth- Institute holds a large and import- colonial Albany and the objects that ods for tracing New York families. ant collection of nineteenth-centu- reflect their interests, values, com- See nysfhc.newyorkfamilyhistory. ry American landscape paintings, mercial, and social interactions. org. works often associated with the The values they held and culture *** term “Hudson River School.” They they shaped have defined us to- Until October 8, 2018. “Thirsty number more than ninety paint- day as Americans. The exhibition River: 400 years of Drink, Life ings and range in dimension from is organized around four themes: & Reform in the River Valley,” a large wall-sized canvases to small Trade, Commerce, and Conflict; feature exhibit at the Connecticut business card-sized oil sketches on Cultures; Life and Work; and Social River Museum in Essex CT, ex- paper. In the summer of 2017, the Identity. Highlights include lim- plores the role of alcohol in the Institute opened a reinstallation of ner portraits (likenesses made by Connecticut River Valley—past, its Hudson River School paintings self-taught painters), Albany-made present and future. Trace its story in the Hearst Gallery on the muse- silver, branded furniture, ceram- beginning both as a commodity um’s third floor. For the first time, ics, textiles, maps, and manuscript and as sustenance in the daily hu- nearly all ninety paintings from this materials with documented family man experience. Learn about how important collection are on view. histories. See albanyinstitute.org. different beverages were created These landscapes, painted by artists *** from local agriculture and how like Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, September 13–15, 2018. immigration, trade, and changing Jasper Cropsey, Asher Durand, and Registration is now open for the fashion altered the availability and numerous others, capture America’s fourth New York State Family popularity of certain beverages, scenic grandeur in all its magnifi- History Conference. For the first generating new tastes for new gen- cence, from rugged coastal scenery time, this event comes downstate to erations. Temperance, prohibition, to imposing mountains and rivers. Tarrytown at the DoubleTree hotel. and the effects of the reform move- *** The 2018 conference features two ments are also a part of the story. Ongoing: “Traders and Culture: and a half days of lectures, work- See ctrivermuseum.org. Colonial Albany and the Formation shops, and field trips, as well as *** of American Identity” at the Albany a vibrant exhibit hall. Read the October 24th, 2018. Hofstra Institute. The character and culture full conference schedule to see University will mark the 25th of Albany and the Upper Hudson the range of topics the 45 sessions anniversary of its oldest interna- Valley have roots in the seventeenth cover. NYSFHC 2018 is the only tional student exchange program and eighteenth centuries, the early statewide conference focused on with a symposium entitled “New New York genealogy and family

New Netherland Institute, Box 2536 Empire State Plaza Station, Albany NY 12220 518-486-4815 | [email protected] | newnetherlandinstitute.org Nieu Nederlanse Marcurius - 2

Netherland, New Amsterdam: A Save the Date & Call for Papers an eye on our website for more Celebration of Dutch Heritage and Proposals due July 9th, 2018 for details. Transatlantic Exchange.” Russell the 68th annual meeting of the Shorto will deliver the keynote New York State Association of News address and NNI/NNRC will host a European Historians (NYSAEH) Indian Ladder Farms in Albany panel discussion. to be held at D’Youville College in County’s town of New Scotland Buffalo, NY on October 5–6, 2018. is now growing a heritage apple Publications The NYSAEH invites proposals of Dutch origin called the Swaar. Jan Pieterse Mabee, wife Anna for papers or panels on any topic This varietal was first recorded Borsboom, and their Farm (paper- in European history or Europe’s in Esopus (Kingston, NY area) in back). Kim A. Mabee and Patricia relationships with the wider global 1805, but may have been around D. Barrot, authors. This 28-page community. See nysaeh.wordpress. long before then. The apples are booklet is a historical overview of com. large, round, and have a rough, dull the Mabee Farm Historic Site and *** yellow-green skin with some rus- Jan Mabee family in upstate New Proposals due July 19, 2018. seting. Swaar (“heavy” in Dutch) York on the Mohawk River. It is the Celebrate New York History Month refers to their density and weight oldest home in the Mohawk Valley at Researching New York this for their size. Their unremarkable and now a living history museum. November. This annual conference appearance belies an excellent Offered on Amazon for $5.00. brings together a broad commu- flavor, unique among apples. The *** nity of historians, archivists, pub- creamy and fine-grained flesh is Annotated Bibliography of lic historians, graduate students, rich, spicy, nutty, and sweet and New Netherland Archæology in museum curators, teachers, docu- only gets better with storage. The Rensselaer and Albany Counties. mentarians, and more to share their texture also softens over time, turn- Prepared by Paul R. Huey & work on New York State history. ing buttery and tender. In fact, the Hartgen Archæological Associates Conference organizers invite pro- flavor also improves when slightly Inc., with financial support from posals from any period and any bruised through slicing. The Swaar the Consulate General of the methodological perspective on all has a high sugar content and is Netherlands. This annotated bibli- aspects of New York State’s rich one of the last apples to remain ography summarizes the contents history. Submissions for workshops, on the tree as winter takes hold. of written resources concerning roundtables, panels, and individual They are also more rarely known as archæological finds related to papers are sought from scholars, Hardwick apples. Dutch colonial occupation and public historians, educators, archi- settlement during the 17th and vists, librarians, and others engaged Dutch Language Course 18th centuries in Rensselaer and in the study, teaching, and presen- Summer language course “Joos Albany Counties, New York. See tation of New York State History. Florquin” at the Leuven Language our website under Research/Online See nystatehistory.org. Institute from July 27–August 24. Publications. *** This intensive course is intended *** September 22, 2018. The 41st for those who wish to begin learn- Council Minutes, 1656–1658. Annual Conference of the New ing Dutch or improve their knowl- The latest volume in the New Netherland Institute will convene edge of the language. There are 5 Netherland Documents series is at the New York State Museum in levels: Elementary, Intermediate now available for sale in the NNI Albany on September 22nd. We A, Intermediate B, Advanced A, shop. Be sure to purchase a copy for thank everyone who submitted pa- Advanced B. The teaching language yourself or your favorite library. per proposals; we were very pleased is Dutch. Passive knowledge of with the response. The annual din- English and/or French is an advan- ner will follow that evening. Keep tage. Prior knowledge will be tested on the first day. Students will be Nieu Nederlanse Marcurius - 3 given the results on the following benefited from the strong support NNI News day. See ilt.kuleuven.be/english/ of both Senior and Junior. After his 2018 Charles W. Wendell Research cursus/andere_zomercursus.php. father’s death, Ralph Jr. played an Grant: Congratulations to the active role in maintaining our rela- recipients Michael J. Douma Website(s) tionship with the Holland Society. (Georgetown University), who is Dutch Heritage World Tours. On During his tenure as head of the researching Dutch-speaking slaves this site you will find all kinds of Society’s publication committee in 18th- and 19th-century New information about Dutch Heritage he was honored with the Society’s York and New Jersey, and Sabine abroad: anything from old forts, Distinguished Service Medal as Go (VU University Amsterdam), farms, mills, homes, churches with well the New Netherland Institute’s who is researching the impact of cemeteries and warehouses, to a Alice P. Kenney Award. Both were the Amsterdam insurance market legacy of Dutch influence in culture presented in recognition of his on the the U.S. marine insurance and language all over the globe. In significant contributions to colonial industry. many countries where the Dutch Dutch studies. Our latest volume of translations, Council Minutes *** settled there is still evidence of 2018 Alice P. Kenney Memorial their presence. This information 1656–1658, is dedicated to Ralph. De appel valt niet ver van de boom. Award: Congratulations to Ian is offered primarily in the form Stewart of New Netherland Timber of audio tours, which DHWT *** Framing and Preservation in has developed and published in On April 16th, Robert Cornelis Ghent, NY. See newnetherlandtim- the travel-and-museum app izi. Braeken, our good friend and sup- berframing.com. TRAVEL for smart phones and tab- porter, died in Utrecht at the age lets. See dutchheritageworldtours. of 72. Rob was a bit of a mystery *** nl/#home-en. even to his close friends. We do “Bringing New Netherland Back know that he graduated from the to Breuckelen”: NNI and NNRC Requiescant in Pace Gymnasium in Apeldoorn; stud- would like to thank Kim Maier and ied “non-Western Sociology” in the staff at the Old Stone House in On April 19th our good friend Utrecht; lived in a house considered Brooklyn for all their hard work and supporter Ralph DeGroff Jr. a cultural monument in Utrecht; at our event on June 1st and 2nd. died after a long battle with lung left Vietnam in 1975 by swimming Special thanks go to everyone who cancer. Ralph was a retired in- across a river to safety in a hail attended the event and made it a vestment banker who spent his of bullets; and eventually gained great success. We look forward to entire career in New York City. enough knowledge and experience future visits to New York City. He was also a lifelong member of in the world of antique Dutch maps the Holland Society of New York. to become curator of the Smeets ‘On this Day’ News As a member of this prestigious map collection on Curaçao. It is organization he was following in A popular post on social media and during the 1990s that we met Rob his father’s footsteps. It was Ralph websites nowadays is “on this day in as an employee of CITCO. We Sr. who initiated the resumption of history.” Several sites have used this rarely knew of his whereabouts; but the Dutch translation project in the opportunity to highlight the date of whenever we had a conference or early 1970s. As head of the Society’s the purchase of Manhattan. Despite public activity Rob would be there. publication committee he led a these claims, we still don’t know Every year he produced a beauti- search for a translator to resume the the date of the transaction. Some ful calendar drawing on the maps work which had been suspended historians have inferred that it was of the Smeets collection. Not only by the 1911 Library fire. By chance, in May, but few details of the event did his calendars grace CITCO’s 62 your editor was available to fill the are known with any certainty. offices around the world but our position and develop a friendship office in Albany as well. I had a bad with both father and son. Over the While we’re discussing the pur- feeling when we didn’t receive one years, the New Netherland Project chase, it appears the first appear- for 2017. Rust in vrede, Rob. ance of the famed $24 figure was Nieu Nederlanse Marcurius - 4 in January of 1844 in the Albany WIC never repeated Piet Heyn’s He was executed in Seville in 1634. journal the Northern Light, in achievement, partly because after The contrast with the reception which budding historian E. B. this the Spanish changed sea routes given to his foe could not have been O’Callaghan reported the news of and departure times. In later years greater. that “trifling sum.” This figure has the WIC sent out smaller squad- People clamored to pay tribute. proven impervious to inflation. rons, which sometimes came back The veneration of Heyn and the with impressive booty, but the days cult of hero-worship took many Museum News of big money were over. forms—pamphlets illustrating his The Rijksmuseum recently Tweeted Piet Heyn immediately became a exploits, songs and poems laud- about a “surprising gift” from the folk hero, and he still is, occupying ing his victory and lamenting his New York State Museum: a yel- a place in the Dutch national pan- martyrdom, and a variety of objects low clay brick that was shipped theon comparable to that held by commemorating his name—med- as ballast in ca. 1640 from the old Sir Francis Drake for the English. als, busts, portraits, etchings of Netherlands to New Netherland Heyn, however, was somewhat ir- the battle, and even saltcellars. His and used for a house near Fort ritated about how this easy success deeds were celebrated in rhapsodic Orange. “It’s quite literally a build- made him so admired and popular, verses that encouraged patriotic ing block of New York history.” The whereas his earlier heroic deeds ardor and created a collective and, exhibit “a small fort, which our were forgotten. He has been quoted as it happened, a multigeneration- people call Fort Orange” is now as saying to the mayor of Leiden, al remembrance that embraced open at the NYSM. “Now they praise me because I and fostered a national pride. To gained riches without the least dan- say een zilvervloot winnen became Totidem Verbis ger, but earlier when I risked my an expression for enjoying a big life in full combat they didn’t even success, and the popular triumphal Zijn Daden Bennen Groot know I existed.” song quoted was written over two Piet Heyn and the Capture of the centuries later, testament enough Silver Fleet, by Peter A. Douglas to Heyn’s undying reputation in the (part two) nation’s memory. Piet Heyn is also memorialized In January 1629 Heyn returned by his statue that stands by the har- home, the news of his success hav- bor in Delfshaven, inscribed, like ing beaten him back on faster ships. A 1938 medal commemorating Heyn. many dedicatory medallions, with Thus, he was greeted with great National Maritime Museum, London his motto: Goudt voor Zilver, Eer celebration—the firing of salutes, This initial enthusiastic reception voor All —gold before silver, honor the pealing of bells, ceremonial was far from the end of the Dutch before all. In the end, the gener- addresses, and choirs singing his love-affair with Piet Heyn, and al devotion extended to Heyn’s praises. The unprecedented capture public idolatry continued unabated, elaborate tomb in the Oude Kerk of the great Spanish Silver Fleet and even intensified following his in Delft, where his marble effigy aroused huge public excitement, death at age 51 in June 1629, as an reposes above his bones. Fittingly, and with good reason. The prize active-duty Admiral, at the hands not far away is the tomb of Admiral was a prodigious haul of gold and of the Dunkirk pirates, less than Maarten Tromp, Heyn’s one-time silver, along with pearls, spices, six months after his joyful home- flag captain, who died in 1653. indigo and cochineal dyes, sugar, coming. The elegiac lamentations Nearby too are the tombs of the hides, and silks. All told the val- marking Heyn’s death were equally painter Johannes Vermeer (1675), ue of the loot was put at some 12 intense and expressed the grief of a and the scientist Antonie van million guilders. Heyn’s raid was a nation united in mourning. As for Leeuwenhoek (1723), so he rests in disaster for Spain, but 1629 was a Admiral Benavides Bazán, he died good company. And somewhere in very good year for WIC sharehold- too, the consequences of his igno- the country, even now, someone is ers. In the years that followed, the minious defeat having proved fatal. singing his name. Ω