Map of Rensselaerswyck
Encyclopedia
The Map of Rensselaerswyck is a map created during the 1630s, probably 1632, at the request of the owner of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, Kiliaen van Rensselaer, Dutch
jeweler and patroon
. Rensselaerswyck was the only successful patroonship within the colony of New Netherland
, settled by the Dutch West India Company
at the behest of the States-General
of the United Netherlands
. The map is believed to be the first ever commissioned or created of Rensselaerswyck.
, 22½ by 70 inches in size, and represents the land along the Hudson River
from Barren Island, just south of Coeymans, to the mouth of the Mohawk River
. Lithographic copies of the map have been published in Moulton's History of New York, O'Callaghan's History of New Netherland and in Munsell's Annals of Albany. The map is without date or maker's name. On the strength of an entry of the payment by Kiliaen van Rensselaer of six rixdollars
to "Gillis van Schendel, for one map on parchment and four ditto on paper, of the islands and other tillable lands situated in my colony
," occurring under date of February 8, 1630, in a copy of an account among the Rensselaerswyck manuscripts, the map is commonly ascribed to Gillis van Schendel and to the year 1630, but as an inscription on the map refers to the purchase of land from Beeren Island
to Smacks Island, which took place in 1631, it is evident that the entry of the payment must either have been placed under the wrong date or else refer to another map. Statements by Kiliaen van Rensselaer in a letter to Johannes de Laet
, June 27, 1632, in a memorandum to Wouter van Twiller
, July 20, 1632, and in a letter of same date to Dirck Cornelisz Duyster indicate that the map was probably executed in Holland, shortly after July 20, 1632, from rough drafts and surveys of different parts of the colony furnished at various times by Philips Jansz van Haerlem, Crijn Fredericksz and Albert Dieterinck. Of these men very little is known. Philips Jansz van Haerlem is mentioned by David Pietersz de Vries, in his Korte Historiael, as a young man whom he engaged in June 1635 to pilot his vessel from Sandy Hook
to New Amsterdam
and who formerly had been in his service in the East Indies
. Crijn Fredericksz is mentioned in Nicolaes van Wassenaer, Historisch Verhael, under date of November 1626, as an engineer
who staked out the fort at New Amsterdam. Albert Dieterinck appears to have been commissary
at Fort Orange.
A few features of the map call for special mention. The scale to which the map purports to be drawn is 16⅞ inches to the Dutch mile, or 3⅝ inches to the English mile. This makes the distance from Beeren Island to Moenemin's Castle, which on the original map is equal to 67½ inches, exactly 4 Dutch miles, or the extent of territory allowed on one side of a navigable river by the fifth article of the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
. As a matter of fact, however, the distance between these two points is not 4 Dutch miles, or 18.44 English miles, but about 22½ miles, so that the actual scale of the map is only 3 inches to the mile. The central and lower portions of the river are fairly accurately drawn, but the upper part is wrong. Especially puzzling is the wide creek
designated as Renselaers Kill, which would seem to represent the Mohawk River but does not occupy the right position. Perhaps the most plausible explanation of this error is that the compiler, at about that point, joined two separate maps and, from his unfamiliarity with the topography of the locality, failed to connect the south branch of the Mohawk, indicated on the one map at the falls
, with the outlet marked on the other map, and then, from some statement regarding the direction of the river, continued this outlet straight into the country. It will be noticed that of most creeks only the mouths are indicated and that of others, which are traced for some distance into the country, the direction bears as a rule no relation to the configuration of the ground, which was probably sketched in from some high point after the survey of the shore line and the islands had been completed. Up to 1636, but three farms existed in the colony. The castles faintly shown near the names of Godijns Burg, Renselaers Burg, De Laets Burg, etc. represent therefore no actual settlements, but merely indicate the places where the patroon intended that farms should be established. At the time the map was drawn, the land bought for the colony of Rensselaerswyck was almost entirely limited to that on the west side of the river; all that was owned on the east side was a small tract opposite Fort Orange. Curiously enough, the name Rensselaerswyck has been so placed as to cover exactly this territory belonging to the colony.
Anno 1630, on the 28th day of July, Killiaen van Renselaer caused to be purchased from the nations called the Mahikans
their lands and the jurisdiction thereof, situated on the west side of the North River, south and north of Fort Orange, according to the sealed conveyance executed before the director and council of the Chartered West India Company by Cottomack and Nawanemit, Abantzene, Sagisquwa and Kanamoack, on the 8th of August, Anno 1630. Also from Nawanemit individually his lands called Semesseeck, situated on the east side of the river aforesaid, opposite Fort Orange, above as well as below, and from Paetanock, the mill creek, northward to Negagonce.
Opposite the Fort, on the south corner of de Laet's Island
, many birds are to be shot, such as geese, swans, wild ducks and cranes, and turkeys are found in the woods. Also deer and other game. Wolves are found there also, but not large, like dogs.
On de Laets Island are many tall and straight trees suitable to make oars from. From the Maquaas (especially in the winter) plenty of venison can be obtained that is fat and fine; about 3, 4, or 5 hands of seawan
for a deer. They would be glad to exchange deer for milk or butter. The meat is fit for smoking or pickling.
In the fourth kill [designated on the map as Bloemaerts Kill and apparently corresponding to the present Patroon Creek
] are pike and all sorts of fish. The sturgeon there is smaller than at the Manathans
. One can be bought from the savages for a knife.
Anno 1630, the 8th of April, Killiaen van Renselaer caused further to be bought from Paep Sickene, Komptas, Noucoutamhat and Sickonosen their lands called Sanckhagag, stretching two days' journey inland, from Beeren Island to Smackx Island.
in Albany
, New York
. It is being shown as part of the exhibit 1609, to commemorate the quadricentennial of the arrival of Henry Hudson
in New York.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
jeweler and patroon
Patroon
In the United States, a patroon was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland in North America...
. Rensselaerswyck was the only successful patroonship within the colony of New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
, settled by the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
at the behest of the States-General
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
of the United Netherlands
United Netherlands
United Netherlands is an educational student-led organization that focuses on the theory and practice of international relations and diplomacy...
. The map is believed to be the first ever commissioned or created of Rensselaerswyck.
Background and description
The map is a manuscript map on parchmentParchment
Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned; therefore, it is very...
, 22½ by 70 inches in size, and represents the land along the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
from Barren Island, just south of Coeymans, to the mouth of the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
. Lithographic copies of the map have been published in Moulton's History of New York, O'Callaghan's History of New Netherland and in Munsell's Annals of Albany. The map is without date or maker's name. On the strength of an entry of the payment by Kiliaen van Rensselaer of six rixdollars
Dutch rijksdaalder
The rijksdaalder was a Dutch coin first issued by the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands in the late 16th century during the Dutch Revolt. Featuring an armored half bust of the William the Silent, rijksdaalder was minted to the Saxon reichsthaler weight standard - 448 grains of .885 fine...
to "Gillis van Schendel, for one map on parchment and four ditto on paper, of the islands and other tillable lands situated in my colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
," occurring under date of February 8, 1630, in a copy of an account among the Rensselaerswyck manuscripts, the map is commonly ascribed to Gillis van Schendel and to the year 1630, but as an inscription on the map refers to the purchase of land from Beeren Island
Beeren Island
Beeren Island is an island in the Hudson River within the town of Coeymans, New York. It lies 11 miles south of the city of Albany, and is at the border of four counties, Albany, Greene , Columbia , and Rensselaer...
to Smacks Island, which took place in 1631, it is evident that the entry of the payment must either have been placed under the wrong date or else refer to another map. Statements by Kiliaen van Rensselaer in a letter to Johannes de Laet
Joannes de Laet
Joannes or Johannes de Laet was a Dutch geographer and director of the Dutch West India Company. Philip Burden called his History of the New World, "...arguably the finest description of the Americas published in the seventeenth century" and "...one of the foundation maps of Canada"...
, June 27, 1632, in a memorandum to Wouter van Twiller
Wouter van Twiller
Wouter van Twiller was an employee of the Dutch West India Company and the Director-General of New Netherland from 1633 until 1638...
, July 20, 1632, and in a letter of same date to Dirck Cornelisz Duyster indicate that the map was probably executed in Holland, shortly after July 20, 1632, from rough drafts and surveys of different parts of the colony furnished at various times by Philips Jansz van Haerlem, Crijn Fredericksz and Albert Dieterinck. Of these men very little is known. Philips Jansz van Haerlem is mentioned by David Pietersz de Vries, in his Korte Historiael, as a young man whom he engaged in June 1635 to pilot his vessel from Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit along the Atlantic coast of New JerseySandy Hook may also refer to:-Places:United States* Sandy Hook , a village in the town of Newtown, Connecticut* Sandy Hook, Kentucky, a city in Elliott County...
to New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
and who formerly had been in his service in the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
. Crijn Fredericksz is mentioned in Nicolaes van Wassenaer, Historisch Verhael, under date of November 1626, as an engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
who staked out the fort at New Amsterdam. Albert Dieterinck appears to have been commissary
Commissary
A commissary is someone delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office; in a formal, legal context, one who has received power from a legitimate superior authority to pass judgment in a certain cause or to take information concerning it.-Word history:...
at Fort Orange.
A few features of the map call for special mention. The scale to which the map purports to be drawn is 16⅞ inches to the Dutch mile, or 3⅝ inches to the English mile. This makes the distance from Beeren Island to Moenemin's Castle, which on the original map is equal to 67½ inches, exactly 4 Dutch miles, or the extent of territory allowed on one side of a navigable river by the fifth article of the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
The Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions, sometimes referred to as the Charter of Privileges and Exemptions, is a document written by the Dutch West India Company in an effort to settle its colony of New Netherland in North America through the establishment of feudal patroonships purchased and...
. As a matter of fact, however, the distance between these two points is not 4 Dutch miles, or 18.44 English miles, but about 22½ miles, so that the actual scale of the map is only 3 inches to the mile. The central and lower portions of the river are fairly accurately drawn, but the upper part is wrong. Especially puzzling is the wide creek
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
designated as Renselaers Kill, which would seem to represent the Mohawk River but does not occupy the right position. Perhaps the most plausible explanation of this error is that the compiler, at about that point, joined two separate maps and, from his unfamiliarity with the topography of the locality, failed to connect the south branch of the Mohawk, indicated on the one map at the falls
Cohoes Falls
Cohoes Falls is a waterfall on the Mohawk River shared by the city of Cohoes and the town of Waterford, New York, United States. Discovered by the indigenous Mohawk tribe, the falls were originally called Ga-ha-oose, which is believed to mean "The Place of the Falling Canoe." Cohoes historian...
, with the outlet marked on the other map, and then, from some statement regarding the direction of the river, continued this outlet straight into the country. It will be noticed that of most creeks only the mouths are indicated and that of others, which are traced for some distance into the country, the direction bears as a rule no relation to the configuration of the ground, which was probably sketched in from some high point after the survey of the shore line and the islands had been completed. Up to 1636, but three farms existed in the colony. The castles faintly shown near the names of Godijns Burg, Renselaers Burg, De Laets Burg, etc. represent therefore no actual settlements, but merely indicate the places where the patroon intended that farms should be established. At the time the map was drawn, the land bought for the colony of Rensselaerswyck was almost entirely limited to that on the west side of the river; all that was owned on the east side was a small tract opposite Fort Orange. Curiously enough, the name Rensselaerswyck has been so placed as to cover exactly this territory belonging to the colony.
Left shield
Anno 1630, on the 28th day of July, Killiaen van Renselaer caused to be purchased from the nations called the Mahikans
Mahican
The Mahican are an Eastern Algonquian Native American tribe, originally settling in the Hudson River Valley . After 1680, many moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts. During the early 1820s and 1830s, most of the Mahican descendants migrated westward to northeastern Wisconsin...
their lands and the jurisdiction thereof, situated on the west side of the North River, south and north of Fort Orange, according to the sealed conveyance executed before the director and council of the Chartered West India Company by Cottomack and Nawanemit, Abantzene, Sagisquwa and Kanamoack, on the 8th of August, Anno 1630. Also from Nawanemit individually his lands called Semesseeck, situated on the east side of the river aforesaid, opposite Fort Orange, above as well as below, and from Paetanock, the mill creek, northward to Negagonce.
Left scroll
Opposite the Fort, on the south corner of de Laet's Island
Van Rensselaer Island
Van Rensselaer Island was an island in the Hudson River opposite the city of Albany, New York. Today it is within the city of Rensselaer in Rensselaer County, and has been connected to the mainland on the east side and parts of the island's west side has been dredged away...
, many birds are to be shot, such as geese, swans, wild ducks and cranes, and turkeys are found in the woods. Also deer and other game. Wolves are found there also, but not large, like dogs.
Central scroll, under the van Rensselaer arms
On de Laets Island are many tall and straight trees suitable to make oars from. From the Maquaas (especially in the winter) plenty of venison can be obtained that is fat and fine; about 3, 4, or 5 hands of seawan
Sewant
Sewant is the black and/or dark purple black shell bead system of the 17th century in Nieuw Nederlandt of what is currently the States of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Delaware. This fiat currency system was introduced to the English at Plymouth Colony Plantations in 1627. ...
for a deer. They would be glad to exchange deer for milk or butter. The meat is fit for smoking or pickling.
Right scroll
In the fourth kill [designated on the map as Bloemaerts Kill and apparently corresponding to the present Patroon Creek
Patroon Creek
Patroon Creek is a stream in Albany County, New York, United States and is a tributary of the Hudson River which flows south to New York Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. The creek's source is Rensselaer Lake in the western section of the city of Albany and flows along the northern border of said city...
] are pike and all sorts of fish. The sturgeon there is smaller than at the Manathans
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. One can be bought from the savages for a knife.
Right shield
Anno 1630, the 8th of April, Killiaen van Renselaer caused further to be bought from Paep Sickene, Komptas, Noucoutamhat and Sickonosen their lands called Sanckhagag, stretching two days' journey inland, from Beeren Island to Smackx Island.
Naming conventions
The names Bijlaers Dael, Weelijs Dael, Twillers Dael and Pafraets Dael, given to the respective districts on both sides of the river, above and below Fort Orange, commemorate the names of Kiliaen van Rensselaer's first wife, Hillegonda van Bijlaer; of his second wife, Anna van Wely; of his only sister Maria, wife of Rijckaert van Twiller and mother of Wouter van Twiller; and of his mother, Maria Pafraet.The map today
The original copy, or possibly one of the dittos, is currently owned by and on display at the New York State MuseumNew York State Museum
The New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol...
in Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, 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...
. It is being shown as part of the exhibit 1609, to commemorate the quadricentennial of the arrival of Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson was an English sea explorer and navigator in the early 17th century. Hudson made two attempts on behalf of English merchants to find a prospective Northeast Passage to Cathay via a route above the Arctic Circle...
in New York.
External links
This article incorporates text from the Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts published by the New York State LibraryNew York State LibraryThe New York State Library is part of the New York State Education Department. The Library and its sister institutions, the New York State Museum and New York State Archives, are housed in the Cultural Education Center...
(1908), a publication now in the public domainPublic domainWorks are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
.