Delaware River Settlements 1637-1682
Immigrants to New Netherland - New Sweden
1637
Kalmer Nyckel (in Swedish)
(Calmer Sleutel-Dutch, Key of Kalmar-English)
Left Gothenburg beginning of November
Sailed from the Texel December 29, 1637
Captain Jan Hendrixsz van der Water
Arrived at New Amsterdam March, 1638
Destination: South River, New Sweden
6 Persons to the Colony of Rensselaerswyck:1
Arent van Curler
From Nykerck, (in the province of Gelderland); sailed as assistant to Jacob Albertsz Planck by den Calmer Sleutel, at the age of 18 years. May 12, 1639, he was commissioned secretary and bookkeeper of the colony, and from 1642 to 1644 he held the office of commis. He sailed for Holland by het Wapen van Rensselaerswyck, Oct. 20, 1644, having married, probably in 1643, Anthonia Slachboom, or Slaghboom, whom O'Callaghan, apparently on the strength of van Curler's statement, History of New Netherland, 1:464, has identified with Teuntje Jeuriaens, the widow of Jonas Bronck. Sept. 30, 1647, while van Curler was still in Holland, he obtained a lease for six years of the farm called de Vlackte, but May 5, 1649, this lease was transferred to Jacob Jansz, from Stoutenburch. Van Curler returned to New Netherland probably at the end of 1647 and on the arrival of Director van Slichtenhorst, early in 1648, was nominated as Gecommitteerde, but various circumstances prevented his accepting the office and taking the oath till Jan. 5, 1651. In the accounts he is credited with an annual salary of f200, as Gecommitteerde and raetsvrint, from July 1, 1652 to July 1, 1655, and with an annual salary of f200, as gecommitteerde, from 1655 to 1658. Sept. 9, 1650, on the petition of the inhabitants of the colony, Arent van Curler and Goossen Gerritsz were appointed trustees of voluntary contributions for the erection of a school, and Sept. 23, 1650, van Curler was chosen to go with others on an embassy to the Maquaes. He became one of the leaders in the settlement of Schenectady in 1661-62, and was drowned on Lake Champlain in 1667.
Claes Jansz
From Nykerck, (province of Gelderland); was a tailor by trade and sailed with Arent van Curler by den Calmer Sleutel, at the age of 17 years.
Appears in New Sweden as a freeman March 1, 1648.
Elbert Elbertsz
From Nykerck, (in the province of Gelderland); was a weaver by trade and sailed by den Calmer Sleutel, at the age of 18 years. In 1646 he married Aeltje Cornelis, the widow of Gerrit Wolphertsz. (N.Y.Col.Mss, 2:152) [Source #76]
[Elbert Elbertzen, arriving in the country as a farm lad, was about 10 or eleven years in Wouter van Twiller's service, and has never had any land of his own. About three years ago he married the widow of Gerrit Wolphertsen (brother of Jacob van Couwenhoven), and is, therefore up to the present time, in the company's debt, from the payment of which he would apparently like to be relieved. (Source #78)]
Gerrit Hendricksz
From Nykerck, (province of Gelderland); shoemaker, sailed with Arent van Curler by den Calmer Sleutel, at the age of 15 years. He was engaged for six years, at wages ranging from f40 to f100 a year; his first three years' wages, from April 2, 1638, to April 2, 1641, are charged to Albert Andriesz. He does not appear in the records of the colony after 1642.
Gijsbert Adriaensz
From Bunnick, (near Utrecht); sailed on den Calmer Sleutel, at the age of 22, and was engaged as farm servant for six years, at wages ranging from f80 to f110 a year. He served for four years, beginning April 2, 1638, on the farm of Brant Peelen; for 3/4 year on the farm of Teunis Dircksz; and for 1 1/4 years, jointly with Sander Leendersz, in running the colony's yacht Rensselaerswyck. He was a brother of Rutger Adriaensz, the tailor, who appears first in 1646.
Jacob Aertsz
From Utrech; referred to as Jacob Aertsz Wagenaer, and also as Jacob Adriansz Wagenaer (the wagoner): sailed on den Calmer Sleutel, Dec. 1637, at the age of 25, as farm servant for Albert Andriesz. He served for 1 1/4 years at the Manhatans and June 26, 1639, began his service in the colony, for the term of six years, at wages ranging from f90 to f120 a year. He is charged in the accounts with supplies furnished by Albert Andriesz, but is entered as servant of Cornelis Maesen. April 2, 1648, the court ordered him to serve Evert Pels for one year, so as to complete his term. Feb. 23, 1649, he appeared before the court on the charge of having the preceding day, with Jacob Adriaensz Raedemaecker (wheelwright) and Harmen Bastiaensz, prevented Director van Slichtenhorst from arresting Jacob Toenijs, servant of Jan Verbeeck, in the Greenen Bos.
Persons sailing to the Delaware River Area:
Pieter Minuit
Commander under the Crown of Sweden,1 the "First Swedish Expedition"
[see Yacht Sea gull for his 1626 voyage to the New World and biographical notice.]
Hendrick Huygen, commissioner To take the place of Peter Minuit in his absence.
Mans Nilsson Kling
Surveyed the land upon arrival in New Sweden and made a map of the whole river area. This map is in the Royal Archives of Sweden. He remained at the fort in command of the 23 men who came on the voyage. He returned to Sweden on the Second Expedition in 1640, and came back to New Sweden on the Kalmer Nyckel in 1641, to serve as lieutenant. 2 He returned home to the Fatherland in the Swan, 1648, and remained in Sweden.
23 Men under the command of Mans Kling
Reorus Torkillus, Reverend
of East Gothland, clergyman2
Andres Lucassen, interpreter
Crew
Michel Symonssen, first mate
Jacob Evertssen Sandelin, second mate, a Scotchman
Peter Johansson, Upper boatswain
Johan Jochimson, gunner
Herman Andersson, sailor *
Johan Svensson, sailor *
Sander Clerck, sailor *
*It has been said that there were no Swedish sailors along on the first voyage, but Andersson and Swensson were Swedes and probably Clerk also. They were dead in 1640 and their widows, who lived in Stockholm, were paid a small amount of money by the company.
Supplies sent with the ship
Several thousand yards of duffels and other cloth.
Several hundred axes, hatchets and adzes,
several hundred knives.
Dozens of tobacco pipes, mirrors and looking-glasses.
Gilded chains and finger-rings, combs, ear-rings and other
ornaments for the Indians.
Spades, hoes and other implements for use in the country.
For the Rensselaerswyck Colony:1
An old mates chest containing 30 Hainault scythes,
14 scythes and 12 iron spades.
One barrel of pitch, well hooped
2 barrels of tar
2 barrels of salt
5 packing boxes, contents according to manifest
3 wooden boxes, contents according to manifest
A large wicker hamper with wooden utensils
5 winnowing baskets tied together; a small barrel with grapevines for the Commander.
A long box with firelocks; herewith, a keg with 50 lb of fine gunpowder.
[With a letter to Jacob Planck in New Netherland, which states Commander Pieter Minuit, by reason of old acquaintance through his kindness has made accommodations in his ships, sailing from Gortenborch (Gothenburg) Sweden, has on account of the storm been obliged to seek shelter at the Texel.]1
1Van Rensselaer Bowier Mss, pg 389-97
2A History of New Sweden, Israel Acrelius, 1874, p 24.
Compiled from:
Swedish Settlements on the Delaware, Amandus Johnson, ©1911.
and Source: #76