Document: Mandamus to the court of New Amsterdam to release Christina Steentgens, widow of Gabriel de Haes, from all debts due by her late husband

Petrus Stuyvesant, on behalf of their honorable High Mightinesses the lords states general of the United Netherlands and the honorable lords directors of the Chartered West India Company, chamber at Amsterdam, director general of N. Netherland, Curaao etc., together with the honorable lords councilors, our dear and faithful magistrates of the city of Amsterdam in N. Netherland, greetings.

If (summoned those who warrant being summoned hereto) it would appear to you that Cristina Steentgens, widow of Gabriel de Haes, residing in aforesaid Amsterdam, intends to cede and resign from all her possessions for the profit of her creditors, therefore, in such event, we hereby summon and order you [ ] to receive [ ] Christina Steentgens (debts [ ]honestly known) without deceit; to do the aforesaid cession in the customary manner and having done the said cession [ ] her peacefully and tranquilly enjoy and use without troubling or bothering her about the cause of the aforesaid debts or letting her be troubled or bothered in any way; but if she were imprisoned, it would represent or be represented as a complete exoneration, notwithstanding some promissory notes or bonds and surreptitious papers to the contrary, disregarding the debts still due the high authorities;and besides, if she afterwards were to come into a fortune of goods, she would be obligated to satisfy her aforesaid creditors, and because the aforesaid Christina Steentgenss creditors reside at Amsterdam in Holland, beyond our jurisdiction, it is requested by petition of the aforesaid Cristina Steentgens, for the sake of justice, that a sworn court messenger at Amsterdam summon all the [ ] ceded creditors and creditors to come and appear or to send representatives for your honor on the 2nd Thursday in the month of July 1664, being the 10th day of the same month, in order to see the papers of cession presented by the ceded creditors, and to request confirmation of them, requesting on the contrary, if they see fit to continue, then arrange matters accordingly; and he, court messenger, shall have done herein [ ] on the aforesaid day in order that [ ] (parties having been heard) right and justice may be done accordingly with the aforesaid cession. Done at Fort Amsterdam in N. Netherland the 1st of October 1663.[1]

Unpaid.