Vriessendael, New Netherland facts for kids
Vriessendael was a special kind of settlement called a patroonship. It was located on the west side of the Hudson River in a place called New Netherland. This was a colony in North America that belonged to the Dutch Empire in the 1600s.
A patroonship was a large piece of land given by the Dutch government to a rich person, called a patroon. This person promised to bring at least 50 settlers to the land. Vriessendael was about 500 acres (or 2 square kilometers) in size. It was located near what is now Edgewater, New Jersey.
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What Was Vriessendael?
Vriessendael was also known as Tappan. This name referred to the larger area of the New Jersey Palisades. These are tall cliffs along the river near the border of New York and New Jersey. The name also referred to the native people who lived there. They were part of a larger group known as the Lenape, who were later called the Delaware Indians.
Who Started Vriessendael?
Vriessendael was started in 1640 by David Pietersen de Vries. He was a Dutch sea captain, explorer, and trader. De Vries had also started other settlements, like the Zwaanendael Colony and one on Staten Island. The name Vriessendael roughly means "De Vries' Valley." De Vries also owned flat lands along the Hackensack River. The Dutch settlers called this area Achter Col.
Challenges and Conflicts
In 1643, parts of Vriessendael were damaged. This happened because of attacks on Tappan and Wecquaesgeek Native Americans. These groups had sought safety at Pavonia and Corlears Hook.
How Residents Stayed Safe
Luckily, David de Vries had good relationships with the Lenape people. Because of this, the people living at Vriessendael were not harmed. They were able to find safety in the main house. Later, they escaped to New Amsterdam, which is now New York City. This event was one of the first in a series of conflicts called Kieft's War. This war involved many fights with groups of Lenape who had joined together to protect themselves from attacks. These attacks were ordered by the Director of New Netherland, the leader of the colony.
