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From: "Dr. Edward D. Rockstein" <>
Subject: [D-Col] Burlington Island NJ?
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 18:23:43 -0500
References: <3AA38622.745C6CFD@wxs.nl>


Teun, I grew up just down the road four or five miles from Burlington and
Burlington Island by car (in a small town called "Delanco"). The island today
is about 300 acres located in the Delaware River (Zuyt Revier) north of where
the Rancocas Creek enters the Delaware River. The island is less than a
hundred yards off shore from the Jersey side of the River (Pennsylvania is
across the water, across from Burlington is Bristol, PA, which was settled
very early in the colonial period). Burlington Island was also known as High
Island, Matennecunk Island, or Tenneconk Island. It is visible from the end
of High Street, the main business street of old Burlington City.

In 1624 the Dutch built a house and a trading post on the island. That same
year
(29 Mar 1624) the ship, Nieu Nederlandt, set out from New Amsterdam and put a
small group of Walloon settlers on the island and more settlers over the area
(30-40 Walloon families at Fort Orange, Burlington, and Delaware) that was
claimed by the Dutch West India Company. Under the leadership of Cornelis
May, the senior ship's captain and first Director in the Colony, the original
plan was to establish the colonial capital on Burlington Island, but that plan
was soon abandoned due to navigational problems with the Delaware (the River
is not navigable north of Trenton by large vessels due to the Fall Line there
which was the southernmost extent of the Wisconsin glaciation which left a
number of glacial erratics in the river there) and their focus shifted to
Manhattan Island.

In 1678 an influx of 50 Quaker families from England gave Burlington a lasting
Quaker flavor . That's about the extent of my background on the island. I
guess you need to find out if Capt. Cornelis May's father was Jacob in order
to determine if he were also known as Cornelis Jacobsz.

Hope this helps. Regards, Ed Rockstein

Dr. Edward D. Rockstein
Columbia, MD
====================================

The Dutch were superseded on the island in 1656 by the Swedes (who also were
attempting to settle South Jersey, e.g., Swedesboro) and the English in 1664.
The Dutch briefly regained control in 1673 only to lose it permanently to
the English in 1677.
"T. Schermerhorn" wrote:

> Who knows something about the first (dutch) settlement on Burlington
> Island?
> About a shipping list ( a ship manifest) of the first settlers on this
> island? Was it march 1624, when 30 Walloon families went to New
> Netherlands with the ship "de Nieu Nederlandt", skipper Cornelis
> Jacobsz.?

[snip]

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