Research

Series:

Scanned Document:

The Honorable Lord [      ] Esteemed, Wise, Prudent and very Discreet Lord, My Lord Director-General and the High Council of New Netherland

Are humbly informed by the wife of Willem van Dieman, with all due humility, many God help us in our innocence how we must live in great misery and sorrow because of Mr. Inyoese who defrauds us in every way imaginable so that we are incapable of making use of our own property. We can neither cultivate nor plant a seed of grain in the ground because he withholds our own plow which he had made for us by Jan Tonnese, the carpenter. He uses my plow and has let [      ] land be cultivated with it. He is taking away our ox which my farmhand bought from Mr. Andrickx on the day after New Year's. We even requested that he sell us the ox since the City owed us [      ] more than twice [      ] was worth. He was not willing to do it [      ] promised my husband when he was at Manhattan during the winter...

[  Remaining eight lines defective.  ]

...he even withholds our canoe which we had bought from Peter Coock. He beat the soldiers whom my husband had paid to help him get the canoe out of the creek, according to the declaration sent to Matthyes Voos. He imperiously informed us that he would not let us have the canoe until we had proved that the canoe belonged to us. We had to have the Swedes come down from above and prove that it was the same canoe, and both of them offered that they would swear under oath that it was the same canoe which van Dieman had bought from him. Now that we have gone to all this trouble and expense and have proved everything, he still withholds the canoe from us. If we wish to haul our goods to the Swedes, i.e., winter provisions required for the household, we have to pay one guilder per day. Thus it is with everything; it cannot be written with the pen what mortification's and expenses he inflicts on us. He has not yet forgotten Mr. van Rueve,^[1] secretary when the woman gave him that petition; and because I had signed it, he then threatened...

[  Remaining eight lines defective.  ]

...we cannot get out of his hands [      ] our documents or evidence with which we can defend ourselves. I wish from the bottom of my heart that you, my Lord Director, could see my evidence and documents. Among them you would see what testimonials all the soldiers have given my husband: how he had treated his soldiers in times of emergency and how fairly he had dealt with them. For this reason, he, Injoese, says that they are altogether scoundrels for praising my husband; that he himself has done well by them; and reproaches my husband because the soldiers have never so honored and praised him as they have my husband. He is very angry about it...

[  Remaining ten lines defective.  ]

...Therefore, I humbly petition the Lord Director and his council, with all due reverence, that you show compassion in your heart [      ] and the prayers of a woman [      ] shall be pleased to consider the matter and help us to receive justice, because it is known to God before whom nothing is concealed that our case is a just case and that my husband has done everything for the profit of the City, and has sought nothing for himself nor has done anything to his soldiers...

[  Remaining thirteen lines defective.  ]

[      ] 1660

[      ] van Dieman

Notes

References

Translation: Gehring, C. trans./ed., New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch, Vols. 18-19, Delaware Papers: Dutch Period, 1648-1664 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.: 1981).A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.