Gerrit Boon
Encyclopedia
Gerrit Boon was the son of a Lutheran minister Johan Michiel Boon. His father had studied in Helmstedt
and moved in 1752 from Amersfoort
to Delft
and in 1774 to Rotterdam
. Gerrit Boon became a sugar refinerer in the city, working for his brother-in-law. He went to the America in 1790 where he met with John Lincklaen.
In 1792 he bought 30000 acres (121.4 km²) near the West Canada Creek
. Then he moved to a cabin near Cincinnati and Steuben Creek. Boon believed that harvesting maple syrup
could be a year-round activity, so slavery on the sugar plantations could be avoided. In 1794 he gave up the sugar refinery
.
Boon worked to develop company lands in New York
, first settling in the town of Trenton, New York
, where he founded the village now known as Barneveld
. Also the Village of Boonville
and the Town of Boonville
in Oneida County, New York
are named after him. He had a budget of $30,000 (approximately $4 million in today's dollars) to hire carpenters, masons and other workmen to create a village for the affluent. Boon's efforts were unsuccessful due in part to incomplete knowledge of the region and bad luck. He built a dam and a mill that were washed away by flood waters in 1797.
In 1798 Boon returned to Holland. His assistant Adam Gerard Mappa
took over as the agent of the Holland Land Company and lived in his house until 1809, today called Mappa Hall
in Barneveld, New York
. In 1804 he married Debora Aeneae, the daughter of an Amsterdam professor in mathematics. In 1813 the couple divorced in Amsterdam, living at Singel (Amsterdam)
. Boon moved to Heeswijk
, but died with small debts at the local shops, and wine dealers in Gouda.
Helmstedt
Helmstedt is a city located at the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. Helmstedt has 26,000 inhabitants . In former times the city was also called Helmstädt....
and moved in 1752 from Amersfoort
Amersfoort
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
to Delft
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
and in 1774 to Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. Gerrit Boon became a sugar refinerer in the city, working for his brother-in-law. He went to the America in 1790 where he met with John Lincklaen.
In 1792 he bought 30000 acres (121.4 km²) near the West Canada Creek
West Canada Creek
West Canada Creek is a river in upstate New York, USA. West Canada Creek drains the south part of the Adirondack Mountains and empties into the Mohawk River near the Village of Herkimer...
. Then he moved to a cabin near Cincinnati and Steuben Creek. Boon believed that harvesting maple syrup
Maple syrup
Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species such as the bigleaf maple. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then...
could be a year-round activity, so slavery on the sugar plantations could be avoided. In 1794 he gave up the sugar refinery
Sugar refinery
A sugar refinery is a factory which refines raw sugar.Many cane sugar mills produce raw sugar, i.e. sugar with more colour and therefore more impurities than the white sugar which is normally consumed in households and used as an ingredient in soft drinks, cookies and so forth...
.
Boon worked to develop company lands in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, first settling in the town of Trenton, New York
Trenton, New York
----Trenton is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 4,670 at the 2000 census. The town is reportedly named after Trenton, New Jersey.- History :...
, where he founded the village now known as Barneveld
Barneveld, New York
Barneveld is a village located within the Town of Trenton in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 332 at the 2000 census. The village name is derived from the name of the Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt ....
. Also the Village of Boonville
Boonville (village), New York
This page is about the village in New York. For other communities of the same name, see Boonville or for the town, see Boonville , New York...
and the Town of Boonville
Boonville (town), New York
This page is about the town in New York. For other communities of the same name, see Boonville or for the village, see Boonville , New York...
in Oneida County, New York
Oneida County, New York
Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 234,878. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, an Iroquoian tribe that formerly occupied the region....
are named after him. He had a budget of $30,000 (approximately $4 million in today's dollars) to hire carpenters, masons and other workmen to create a village for the affluent. Boon's efforts were unsuccessful due in part to incomplete knowledge of the region and bad luck. He built a dam and a mill that were washed away by flood waters in 1797.
In 1798 Boon returned to Holland. His assistant Adam Gerard Mappa
Adam Gerard Mappa
Adam Gerard Mappa was a Dutch Patriot and active colonel in a local militia,...
took over as the agent of the Holland Land Company and lived in his house until 1809, today called Mappa Hall
Mappa Hall
Mappa Hall is a historic home located at Barneveld in Oneida County, New York. It was built 1801-1809 and is a two story limestone structure in the Federal style. It features a projecting, three bay pavilion surmounted by a pediment with modillion cornice and a single story portico. It was the home...
in Barneveld, New York
Barneveld, New York
Barneveld is a village located within the Town of Trenton in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 332 at the 2000 census. The village name is derived from the name of the Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt ....
. In 1804 he married Debora Aeneae, the daughter of an Amsterdam professor in mathematics. In 1813 the couple divorced in Amsterdam, living at Singel (Amsterdam)
Singel (Amsterdam)
The Singel is a canal in Amsterdam which encircled the city in the Middle Ages. It served as a moat around the city until 1585, when Amsterdam expanded beyond the Singel. The canal runs from the IJ bay, near Central Station, to the Muntplein square, where it meets the Amstel river...
. Boon moved to Heeswijk
Heeswijk
Heeswijk is a Dutch town. It is located in the province of North Brabant, in the south of the Netherlands.Heeswijk was a separate municipality until 1969, when it merged with the adjacent village of Dinther. Since 1 January 1994 it has been part of the larger municipality of Bernheze, which...
, but died with small debts at the local shops, and wine dealers in Gouda.
External links
- http://villageofbarneveld.org/content/History
- http://www.archive.org/stream/francisadrianvan00vand/francisadrianvan00vand_djvu.txt
- http://oneida.nygenweb.net/misc/wager/ch46.html