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[ To their noble honors, Petrus Stuyvesant, director general and the councilors of New Netherland ] ^[i] The commissioned schepenen of the village of Amersfoort, both for the legal rights of their village in particular as well as for themselves, acknowledge how they—pursuant to the resolution adopted in the presence of the honorable director general Petrus Stuyvesant on the 29th of December 1656, last past, with communication and with the consent of the courts of Breuckelen, Midwout and Amesfoort—considered it determined that we, of the court of the said village of Amesfoort, should in proportion to our neighboring villages and courts of aforesaid Breuckelen and Midwout find and raise as our quota of the annual salary and pay promised to the reverend preacher d o . J. Theodoris Polhemius the sum of three hundred guilders. After several considerations and deliberations, conferring also with our subordinate congregations and inhabitants, under correction, we have, in order to raise the aforesaid ƒ300 in the easiest way, appraised and assessed the property of each person in particular conscientiously and who we think to be well-to-do and well off, and made the assessment and tax levy, here below given in greater detail, [ which with what some parties from Gravesend have voluntarily promised to contribute, will make up the sum of ƒ300. When we shall have received your honors’ approbation we promise to carry it out, hoping for your honors’ ] assistance against [ a few, say two or ] three, unwilling persons, who might oppose and resist our good intention and project.

The persons assessed and provisionally taxed for the contribution of the said ƒ300 are the following:

Pieter Claesen promises to contribute ƒ20:–

Marten Jansen likewise ƒ20:–

Elbert Elbertsz taxed at ƒ32:–

Joris Jacobsz ƒ20:–

Cornelis Dircksen ƒ20:–

Jan Leyck ƒ16:–

Albert Bestevaers Boer ƒ20:–

Hendrick Pietersen ƒ10:–

Pieter Roeloffsen ƒ10:–

Hendrick Cornelisse ƒ10:–

Hans Jansen ƒ16:–

Jan Claesen ƒ16:–

Cornelissen Antonissen ƒ10:–

Roeloff Cornelisse ƒ10:–

Jacob Pietersen ƒ 6:–

Pieter Cornelisse ƒ16:–

Harpert Claesen ƒ15: –

Total ƒ207:–

[Commending ourselves to your honors’ good favor, we, the magistrates of Amesfoort, await most humbly your honors’ favorable decree, which doing etc. On the 13th of January 1657, at Amesfoort on Long Island, in New Netherland. Your honors’] humble and obedient servants, those of the court of Amesfoort, by order of the same, (was signed) Pieter Tonneman, secretary for this. (in the margin) Dated 13 January 1657 in Amesfoort on Long Island in New Netherland.

Notes

References

Translation: Gehring, C., & Venema, J. (Ed.). New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch, Vol. 8, Council Minutes, 1656-1658 Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press: 2018.A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.