Named for the Dutch States General, Staten Island was purchased in 1630 by Pieter Minuit. Though promising, early Dutch settlements struggled after conflict erupted with local tribes in 1641.
John Watts de Peyster (1821–1907) was an American military historian, philanthropist, and New York militia officer who was later breveted major general. Though not a battlefield commander, he influenced Civil War tactics through his writings and supported many historical and educational institutions.
In 1624, thirty Walloon families fleeing Spanish Catholic rule arrived with Cornelis May aboard the Nieu Nederlandt. Most settled upriver; eight men remained on Nut Island for fur trading.
David H. Petraeus (b. 1952) is a retired four-star U.S. Army general and former Director of the CIA. He commanded coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and is known for shaping modern counterinsurgency strategy during the Iraq War.
In 1624, thirty Walloon families fleeing Spanish Catholic rule arrived with Cornelis May aboard the Nieu Nederlandt. Most settled upriver; eight men remained on Nut Island for fur trading.
William Penn (1644–1718) was an English Quaker leader and colonial proprietor who founded the Province of Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia. His colony became known for religious freedom, democratic governance, and peaceful relations with Native Americans.
The Hudson River is known all over the world as the major waterway that runs by Manhattan Island and north into New York State. The Hudson made New York City and New York State what they are today.
William Kaiser Van Pelt (1905–1996) was an American businessman and Republican politician who represented Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1951 to 1965. Before his congressional career, he owned and operated the City Fuel Company in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
De Halve Maen (The Half Moon) was the name of the ship in which Henry Hudson charted the river that now bears his name. It was an 85-foot, square-rigged, three-masted wooden sailing vessel, which carried a crew of 15 to 20 men.
C. Carl Pegels was a Dutch-born American academic and writer focused on Dutch American heritage
