Jacques Cortelyou facts for kids
Jacques Cortelyou (born around 1625, died 1693) was an important person in early New Amsterdam. This city later became New York City. He was the main surveyor for the early Dutch colony. Cortelyou's biggest achievement was creating the first map of New York City. This map is commonly called the Castello Plan. It got its name because it was found centuries later in a palace in Tuscany.
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Early Life and Beginnings
Jacques Cortelyou came to Nieuw Amsterdam from Utrecht, Holland. His parents were French Huguenots. He had studied mathematics and land-surveying. When he first arrived, he taught children in Nieuw Amsterdam. Later, he became the Surveyor-General of the province of Nieuw Netherlands. In 1660, he created his famous map of Nieuw Amsterdam. Cortelyou also helped found two new settlements himself. One was New Utrecht on Long Island. In 1660, he designed Bergen Square. This was the first town in what is now New Jersey to get a city charter.
Cortelyou's Work as a Surveyor
The town of Bergen was located on a bluff. This area is now Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, and Weehawken. Cortelyou and his partners had bought land from the Native Americans. This land was about 12,000 morgens (a measure of land). The name "Bergen" was first used for this new settlement in 1660. The original map of Bergen by Cortelyou has been lost.
Cortelyou was very active in Nieuw Amsterdam and later in New York. He bought and sold land, which is called real estate speculation. He also held many public jobs. As the Surveyor General, he worked for Governor Peter Stuyvesant. His most famous work was his map of early lower Manhattan. He made this map in 1660, and it is known as the Castello Plan. Cortelyou also helped build the wall that gave Wall Street its name. This wall was built to protect against attacks by Native Americans.
The Famous Castello Plan
Cortelyou's early map of New York City is known as the Castello Plan. It got this name because it was found later in 1900. It was discovered at the Villa di Castello near Florence, Italy. The map had been part of an atlas. This atlas was sold to a member of the Medici family.
Interesting Facts
- The architect Philip Johnson was a descendant of Jacques Cortelyou.
- Cortelyou Road in Brooklyn is named after this early surveyor.
- The Cortelyou Road (BMT Brighton Line) subway station also gets its name from Jacques Cortelyou.
- Lawrence Van Voorhees Cortelyou was a descendant of Jacques the surveyor. He was a member of the Holland Society.
