This is a fascinating story of a feudal estate in New York that was established while it was under Dutch control and lasted until the 1840s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manor_of_Rensselaerswyck
"Kiliaen van Rensselaer, a pearl and diamond merchant of Amsterdam, was one of the original directors of the West India Company[7] and one of the first to take advantage of the new settlement charter. On January 13, 1629, van Rensselaer sent notification to the Directors of the Company that he, in conjunction with fellow Company members Samuel Godyn and Samuel Blommaert, sent Gillis Houset and Jacob Jansz Cuyper to determine satisfactory locations for settlement."
No comments:
Post a Comment