We just missed the 400th anniversary, but here’s the information. It’s worth a look as it’s yet another example of the often understated but important role of the early Dutch in the history of the world.
Ralph Voorhees (1835–1907) and his wife Elizabeth Rodman Voorhees were philanthropists whose charitable gifts supported education, including the founding of Voorhees College and major donations to Rutgers and several American colleges.
The Van Slyke Article Prize honors Clague Van Slyke and Carol Van Slyke Lazo, descendants of New Netherland settler Cornelis Van Slyck. This $1,000 annual award recognizes outstanding published articles on the Dutch colonial Atlantic, especially New Netherland, based on original research. Submissions are due by April 1.
After 345 years, in March 2012, a magnificent relic of the Anglo-Dutch wars returned to England—at least temporarily. As part of the celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, the Rijksmuseum loaned to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich the ornate stern carving from the warship Royal Charles, captured by the Dutch in 1667.
Most Dutch children--both rich and poor--attended school in New Netherland. Although most families paid a fee to the local schoolmaster, students whose parents could not afford this fee were admitted for free.
Jerry Voorhis (1901–1984) was a Democratic congressman from California who served from 1937 to 1947, known for supporting New Deal policies and for losing his seat to Richard Nixon in the highly contested 1946 election.
The first colonists lived in square pits, like cellars, that were covered with wood and bark. These simple shelters protected them from the elements until they could build basic cottages. Once New Netherland became more established, colonists built better wooden and later stone and brick houses.
The name Dirk Hartog sounds as if it belongs to the swashbuckling hero of a Rafael Sabatini adventure novel or a similar Hollywood epic, and perhaps that’s fitting, for this Dutch sailor and explorer certainly led such a life.
The Charles W. Wendell Research Grant supports projects on the Dutch in North America or the Dutch Atlantic, offering $1,000–$5,000 for up to six months. Open to all researchers. Applications due February 15. Residency at NNRC encouraged.
Henry Clay Van Voorhis (1852–1927) was an Ohio lawyer, banker, and Republican politician who represented Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1893 to 1905 before returning to banking and civic leadership in Zanesville.
