Document: Action of Rose Joelé vs. François Soleil

Roosen Jeele, plaintiff, against Francoys Soleel, defendant, the plaintiff says that she had agreed so far with the defendant that they had let their matrimonial banns be registered here, which were also announced in the church, and after announcements of the banns they had had carnal intercourse with one another, and that he now refused publicly to marry her. She requests that he be ordered to marry her or that he provide legal reasons why he refuses to do so. The defendant, Francoys Soleel, answers that she is not fit to have a husband because she has a [ stinking breath; ] secondly, that she had made a marriage contract in the West Indies [ ]; and thirdly, that they are not a good match because she is a very angry person. Furthermore, she is capable of killing any man who knows her, because she has a white lung.[i] He requests that she be examined by people who know about such things.

The plaintiff replies to the accusation that she was betrothed to another, that she was betrothed in the West Indies, but as the person was found to be unsuitable for marriage they separated with agreement of both parties and were released. However, this does not concern the matter at hand because since then she has had a husband of whom she is now a widow.

The plaintiff was asked whether she was still willing to marry the defendant, to which she answered yes. The defendant was asked whether he was willing to marry the plaintiff, to which he answered no; and if he were ordered to do so that he would rather run off to the wilden tomorrow, and that it didn’t matter to him where he was, whether in Italy, England, France or in Turkey.

The plaintiff says that the defendant took some money from her. The defendant replies that the plaintiff’s “some money” lay at a place where she slept; that he took it from there and put it at the house of Adriaen N. [ ] it lay there so that it [ ] be stolen [ ] but that he had now given it back to her.

The director general and councilors of New Netherland having heard the parties, order that copies of the aforesaid be placed in the hands of the lord fiscal in order [ ] to be more accurately informed thereof. Fort Amsterdam in New Netherland, anno 1656, the 25th of July.