Correspondence of Maria Van Rensselaer (1669-1689)

CORRESPONDENCE OF MARIA VAN RENSSELAER 1669-1689 Translated and edited by A. J. F. VAN LAER Archivist, Archives and History Division ALBANY THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK I 935 PREFACE In the preface to the Correspondence of Jeremias van Rens selaer, which was piiblished in 1932, attention was called to the fact that after the death of Jeremias van Rensselaer his widow carried on a regular correspondence with her husband's youngest brother, Richard van Rensselaer, in regard to the administration of the colony of Rensselaerswyck, and the plan was announced to publish this correspondence in another volume. This plan has been carried into effect in the present volume, which contains translations of all that has been preserved of the correspondence of Maria van Rensselaer, including besides the correspondence with her brother-in-law many letters which passed between her and her brother Stephanus van Cortlandt and other members of the Van Cortlandt family. Maria van Rensselaer was born at New York on July 20, 1645, and was the third child of Oloff Stevensen van Cortlandt and his wife Anna Loockermans. She married on July 12, 1662, when not quite 17 years of age, Jeremias van Rensselaer, who in 1658 had succeeded his brother Jan Baptist van Rensse laer as director of the colony of Rensselaerswyck. By him she had four sons and two daughters, her youngest son, Jeremias, being born shortly after her husband's death, which occurred on October 12, 1674. As at the time there was no one available who could succeed Jeremias van Rensselaer as director of the colony, the burden of its administration fell temporarily upon his widow, who in this emergency sought the advice of her brother Stephanus van Cortlandt. The task which confronted Maria van Rensselaer was not an easy one, as the colony was far from being in a flourishing condition and no suitable provision had been made for the sup port of herself and her family. Moreover, her health was impaired and she was obliged to go on crutches, so that it was 4 The University of the State of New York impossible for her to have personal supervision over so large an estate. To complicate matters further, the province of New Netherland, which by the treaty of Westminster had been ceded to his Britannic Majesty, was on November 10, 1674, sur rendered by the Dutch to Governor Edmund Andros and became an English colony. With Governor Andros came over Jeremias van Rensselaer's younger brother, Nicolaes van Rens selaer, who by the Duke of York had been recommended as pastor of one of the Dutch churches in the province of New York and who a few months after his arrival was by Governor Andros arbitrarily invested in the ministry of the church' of Albany, as a colleague of Domine Schaets. Nicolaes van Rensselaer immediately took a hand in the administration of Rensselaerswyck and on October 15, 1675, petitioned Governor Andros to be provisionally appointed director of the colony. Opposition to this appointment was made by Maria van Rens selaer and her brother Stephanus van Cortlandt and as there appeared to be no authority for the appointment the matter was left to legal determination. Meanwhile, however, the relatives in Holland had decided to put the directorship in the name of Nicolaes van Rensselaer and on April 4, 1676, he presented to the court of Albany a conmiission from Jan Baptist van Rens selaer, whereby he was provisionally appointed director of the colony. It was thereupon arranged that Nicolaes van Rens selaer was to retain the directorship, but that Maria van Rensselaer was to be treasurer and her brother bookkeeper, 300 bushels of wheat being set apart for their salaries, of which the director was to have one-half and the other half was to be divided between the treasurer and the bookkeeper. This arrange ment lasted until Nicolaes van Rensselaer's death in November 1678, when Maria van Rensselaer was left in charge of the colony. She continued as before to be assisted by her brother, who succeeded Nicolaes van Rensselaer as director of the colony, but as he resided in New York, the actual management of the colony remained in his sister's hands. From that time, until her death in 1689, Maria van Rensselaer carried on a Correspondence of Maria van Rensselaer 5 regular correspondence, not only with her brother Stephanus van Cortlandt, but also with her brother-in-law Richard van Rensselaer, who in 1670, after a residence of six years in the colony, had returned to Holland and who as the sole surviving son of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the first patroon, was looking after the interests of the Holland branch of the Van Rensselaer family. While this correspondence deals primarily with the adminis tration of the colony of Rensselaerswyck, it has a wider interest as a source for the social and economic history of the period. Nothing, indeed, serves more effectively to bring the men and events of that remote day nearer to us than the publication of such a series of family letters, with their discussion of everyday matters and their frank expression of opinion of the motives and ambitions of persons who were related and intimately known to the writers. Incidentally, many interesting details are revealed which heretofore were entirely unknown, such as the fact that Maria van Rensselaer's eldest son Kiliaen, who afterward became lord of the manor of Rensselaerswyck, was in his youth apprenticed to a silversmith, first to an unknown craftsman at New York, and later to Jeremiah Dummer, a well-known silver smith of Boston. Much of the correspondence is taken up with matters con nected with the settlement of the estates of Jeremias, Jan Baptist and Nicolaes van Rensselaer, the extravagant claims made by Robert Livingston, who married the latter's widow, and the share which was due to Maria van Rensselaer and her children from the still undivided estate of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the first patroon, all of which complications added to the troubles of Maria van Rensselaer and show how much credit is due to her for having, in spite of all obstacles, kept the colony intact. In addition to all these difficulties there was the most important problem of securing a patent for the colony. While the articles of surrender of New Netherland, of 1664, guaranteed to the inhabitants the permanence of their property rights. Governor Richard NicoUs had received instructions from the Duke of York 6 The University of the State of New York to confiscate all property that was owned in Holland. As the colony of Rensselaerswyck belonged to that category, there was grave danger of its confiscation. In fact, Jeremias van Rens selaer wrote on June 10/20, 1668, to Jan Baptist van Rens selaer that the colony had then for more than two years been under a writ of attachment issued by General Nicolls and that they only had to thank him for it that it was not confiscated dur ing the preceding fall. When, in September 1673, the Dutch regained possession of New Netherland, Jeremias van Rensse laer petitioned the Dutch admirals that he might be continued in his former rights and privileges. This was granted for the space of one year, on condition that meanwhile a renewal of those privileges should be obtained from the States General of the Netherlands. Before such renewal could be secured, news was received in Holland that by the treaty of peace concluded at Westminster on February 9/19, 1674, New Netherland had been ceded to the King of England and would soon be restored to his brother, the Duke of York. The proprietors of Rensse laerswyck thereupon presented to the Duke of York a petition, praying that Major Edmund Andros, the newly appointed governor, might be instructed to investigate their title and to report to him, to the end that he might grant them such a patent as in his wisdom he should see fit. This petition was referred to Governor Andros on July 23d, shortly before he sailed for his post in America. Before the governor arrived and took over the province from the Dutch authorities, Jeremias van Rensselaer died and the matter of granting a patent was held in abeyance. In the spring of 1678, renewed efforts were made in London by Jan Baptist van Rensselaer to obtain a patent, with the result that on June 7th the Duke of York issued a warrant to Governor Andros to grant a patent for the colony. For some unknown reason no action was taken by Governor Andros, although no opportunity was neglected by the Van Rensselaers to promote their case, as shown by the fact, brought out in this correspond ence, that Richard van Rensselaer, in 1682, obtained from the Countess of Brederode, to whom he owed his appointment as Correspondence of Maria van Rensselaer 7 treasurer of Vianen, a promise to bring the matter to the attention of the Princess of Orange, who in turn was to use her influence with the Duke of York. When, in 1683, Colonel Thomas Don- gan became governor of New York, the Van Rensselaers sub mitted to him the warrant that had been issued to his predecessor and made every effort to secure from him a patent that would include the town of Albany, which in 1652 had by Director General Stuyvesant been arbitrarily taken out of the colony. Governor Dongan, although conceding that the town of Albany of right belonged to the Van Rensselaers, declined to grant their request, on the ground, as he afterward expressed it in his Report on the State of the Province, that he judged **it not to his Ma'y* Interest that the second Town of the Government & which brings his Ma*y soe great a Revenue, should bee in the hands of any particular men." After having obtained from the Van Rensse laers, however, a release of their claims to the town of Albany and 16 miles into the country for commons to the king, with liberty to cut firewood within the colony for 21 years, he granted on November 4, 1685, a patent to Kiliaen, son of Johannes van Rensselaer, deceased, and Kiliaen, son of Jeremias van Rensse laer, deceased, the representatives of the Holland and the Ameri can branches of the family, whereby the colony of Rensselaers wyck was erected into an English manor, and Kiliaen, the son of Johannes van Rensselaer, who had recently come over from Holland, was created its first lord.

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