Abraham Isaacsen Verplanck facts for kids
Abraham Isaacsen Verplanck (1606–1690) was an important early settler in New Netherland, which is now parts of New York and New Jersey. He was a land developer and is considered the ancestor of a large Verplanck family in the United States. He came to New Netherland around 1633 and received a land grant in 1638 at Paulus Hook, which is part of modern-day Jersey City.
Verplanck was involved in a difficult conflict known as Kieft's War against the Native American people. This war started after a terrible event in 1643 called the Pavonia massacre. Verplanck lost so much during this time that he had to mortgage (put up as collateral for a loan) his land at Paulus Hook. He owned smaller properties in Manhattan for the rest of his life. When he died, his family had to sell one of his properties in 1699 to pay off his debts.
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Family Life and Legacy
Abraham Isaacsen Verplanck was born in 1606 in Edam, a town in the Dutch Republic (which is now the Netherlands).
In 1632, he married Maria de la Vigne. They had several children:
- Abigael Van Lear (1635-1672)
- Gulian (c. 1636 - 1684)
- Callyntje (1639-1708)
- Isaac (b. 1641)
- Susanna (b. 1642)
- Jacomyntjie (b. 1644)
- Ariantje (b. 1646)
- Hillegondt (1648-1724)
- Isaac (1651-1729)
Some of his children later moved to what is now known as the Capital District in New York State. Abraham Verplanck himself died in Albany, New York in 1690.
His son, Gulian Verplanck (c. 1636 - 1684), became a merchant and fur trader. Gulian's widow, Henrica, inherited a large share of the Rombout Patent, a huge piece of land in what is now southern Dutchess County, New York. Verplanck's daughter Callyntje (also known as Catharina) married David Pieterse Schuyler.
Paulus Hook Settlement
The area known as Bergen, located along the west bank of the Hudson River and Bergen Hill, is now Hudson County, New Jersey. While Bergen became its own town in 1661, it started as a trading post called a factorij around 1615. The area was first settled in 1630 as Pavonia, with other settlements like Harsimus, Paulus Hook, Hoboken, and Vriessendael appearing later. These settlements were all across the river from New Amsterdam (which is now New York City) and were under its control.
In 1630, a man named Michael Reyniersz Pauw bought two large areas of land from the Lenape Hackensack tribe. These areas were Hopoghan Hackingh (Hoboken) and Ashasimus (Harsimus), covering what is now Hudson County, New Jersey. He also bought Staten Island. This large land grant, called a patroonship, was named Pavonia, after a Latin version of his last name. However, Pauw did not bring enough settlers to the area, so he had to sell his land back to the Dutch West India Company.
Paulus Hook was an island at high tide. In 1638, an agent for the Dutch West India Company named Micheal Paulez (also known as Pauluson or Powles) was put in charge of the land. He built a small hut, ran a ferry sometimes, and traded with the local Native Americans. His name eventually became "Paulus," which is how the area got its name.
With permission from Willem Kieft, who was the Director of New Netherland, Abraham Verplanck bought land at Paulus Hook on May 1, 1638. A map from 1639, called the Manatus Map, shows the land holdings in the new province. Number 31 on this map is labeled as the "plantations at Paulus Hook."
Involvement in Kieft's War
On August 29, 1641, Abraham Verplanck was chosen to be a member of the Twelve Men, an advisory board for Director Willem Kieft. Verplanck often disagreed with Kieft, and their arguments were so strong that Kieft once threatened to banish Verplanck if he kept insulting the company's officers. The next year, Kieft even got rid of the council because they didn't agree with his plans for military action.
In 1643, Verplanck attended a dinner meeting where the difficult situation with the Native Americans was discussed. During this dinner, a petition was created that suggested a massacre of the Native American population. All the men present signed this document, and Director Kieft agreed to it. The Pavonia Massacre happened on February 25–26, 1643, where many Native Americans were killed.
The Native Americans quickly retaliated, and the colonists suffered greatly that winter from attacks. This period became known as Kieft's War, which lasted until 1646. Because of his significant losses during the Pavonia events, Verplanck was forced to mortgage his property on April 27, 1643, to secure a loan from the Dutch West India Company.
Life in New Amsterdam
Kieft's War made the Verplanck family move to the safety of Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in 1643. They later bought a piece of land near what is now Pearl and Wall Street in New Amsterdam. They also bought a house in an area called Smit's Vly (along the East River near today's Maiden Lane) and built another house there in 1649.
In 1664, when the English fleet arrived in the Upper New York Bay to take control of the colony, Verplanck was one of the people who signed a petition asking Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch Director-General, to surrender. After February 27, 1699, a piece of land in Manhattan that belonged to Verplanck was sold by his heirs, likely to settle his estate after his death.
The Rombout Patent
Abraham Isaacsen Verplanck's son, Gulian, was one of three men who were granted a large area of land known today as the Rombout Patent. In 1685, King James II of England issued a royal grant for about 85,000 acres (344 square kilometers) of land. This land was purchased from the Wappinger Native Americans on the east bank of the Hudson River in what is now southern Dutchess County, New York. The grant was given to Francis Rombouts, Stephanus Van Cortlandt (both former mayors of New York City), and Gulian Verplanck. However, Gulian Verplanck died in 1684, so his widow married Jacobus Kip. The Verplanck family's share of this large land grant then passed down through the Kip family line.
