Date forwarded: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 12:12:14 -0700 (PDT) From: "George R. French" <grfrench@gte.net> > Does anyone know the name of the first West India Company's ship sent to > the New World or maybe more specifically to New York? Of the two sources > that I have, one refers to it as the "Unity" sailing in 1623. The other > has it the "New Netherlands" sailing in the same year. Also, was Albany > originally refereed to as Port Orange or Fort Orange? Thanks- George R > French French=20 George, The first ship of settlers to come to New Netherland was the "Eendracht" (Unity). It sailed from Amsterdam on 25 January 1624. There is no known passenger list but from other records it is known that Joris Rapalje and his bride, Catalyntje Trico were on board. The only other names known are Sebastian Jansen Krol - the "comforter of the sick" and John Monfort and his wife Jacqueline Moreau. The "Eendracht" carried the advance party of settlers -- mostly Walloons. A larger group of settlers set out on the ship "Nieu Nederlandt" about 1 April 1624. The source for this is the January, April, and July 1972 issues of "The Halve Maen" wherein Georege Olin Zabriskie wrote his series of articles on "The Founding Families of New Netherland". You can view a map of Fort Orange in 1635 online at http://www.albany.edu/museum/wwwmuseum/tantillo/Orange.html For a very good explanation of New Netherland please visit New Netherland Project at http://www.nnp.org/index.shtml Some examples from their historical timeline: September 19, 1609. The East India Company ship Halve Maen, commanded by Henry Hudson, reaches the present-day Albany area. May 4, 1626. Peter Minuit arrives in New Netherland aboard the See Meeuw to become director. April 10, 1652. The formation of the village of Beverwijck, established as the Court of Fort Orange and Beverwijck, temporarily resolving the dispute between the Patroonship of Rensselaerswijck and the West India Company. August 9, 1673. The combined fleet of Cornelis Evertsz and Jacob Benckes captures New York and restore New Netherland during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. New York City is renamed New Orange; Kingston becomes Swanenburgh; Albany, Willemstad; Fort Albany, Fort Nassau. November 10, 1674. New Netherland officially returned to England as the province of New York, as a result of the Treaty of Westminster, ending the third Anglo-Dutch war. You can also visit The Colonial Albany Project at http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/ and the Albany Institute of History and Art at http://www.albanyinstitute.org/ the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society online: http://www.nygbs.org/ and last, but not least, the New Netherland Museum -- with its rich history of the times which began with Henry Hudson's voyage on de Halve Maen (The Half Moon): http://www.newnetherland.org/ Lorine McGinnis Schulze lschulze@bconnex.net ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * The Olive Tree Genealogy http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/ * The Canadian Military Heritage Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~canmil/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~