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From: "C.H. Snabel" <>
Subject: [D-Col] Re: Passangers Aboard de Waegh
Date: Sat, 02 Dec 2000 15:37:49 +0100
References: <a3.ec622c3.275b0c7e@aol.com>


wrote:

> Your Rootsweb list of ship arrivals in New Amsterdam shows de Waegh arriving
> in l656. A letter from Amsterdam to Peter Sty. notifies him that a group of
> children from the Amsterdam "almshouse" will be soon sent to him and, in all
> probability, they came aboard de Waegh.
> Do you know of any information indicating whether these children came from
> the civic orphanage or from an almshouse. Were they orphans of Amsterdam
> burgers or from the noncitizen poor? Is anything known about how they were
> selected, if they came voluntarily, etc.?
> Any help would be appreciated.

Hello Alton,

To my knowledge "de Waegh" did not carry children but soldiers. In order to
conquer the Swedish colony, Peter Stuyvesant asked the managers of the WIC to
sent him soldiers and because it was impossible to let the "Groote Christoffel"
leave in time, they chartered a private ship, "de Waegh" with captain Frederick
de Coninck and he arrived in New Amsterdam in August 1655. Immediately after its
arrival Peter Stuyvesant took action and conquered the colony.

So I doubt there were children on board, but you never know.
What we do know is, that in 1654 about 27 or 28 children arrived on the
"Peereboom". Only one name is known: the sixteen year old Hendrick Claesz. was
assigned to Lodewijck Jongh on 16 Nov. 1654.
In 1655 another group arrived of 9 girls between 13 and 23 years old and 7 boys
at the age of 12 to 17. In 1659 another group followed of 6 children.

They came from the Amsterdam Almshouse; the Amsterdam City Council was cutting
down expenses on the almshouses and Peter Stuyvesants' request for "new blood"
gave them the idea to select from these orphans of non citizens. The children
were volunteers, but it is unknown what the authorities told them. They were
selected on health, not on skills and education.
Later on the orphans were also recruited in Holland to serve as contract
laborers in New Amsterdam.

Regards,
Cor Snabel
The Netherlands


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