PETITION OF DOMINE POLHEMUS FOR AN ADVANCE OF HIS SALARY TO ENABLE HIM TO PAY FOR A PARCEL OF LAND. To their Noble Honors, Petrus Stuyvesant, Dir. General and Council of New Netherland. Shows with due reverence Johannes Theod. Polheym, preacher, that he, the petitioner, has some time ago bought from Cornelis Aerssen a parcel of land lying in the village of Midwout, to better provide thereby for himself and his family, hoping, when the time for payment came, to be in a condition to pay for it: but as the petitioner has been disappointed in this hope, because his salary is not paid as he expected, and as a payment of fl 100 has become due, the petitioner finds himself compelled, nay forced to turn respectfully to your Honors and to request, that your Honors will please to pay for his account, debiting the same for it, so much to Cornelis Aerssen. Awaiting a favorable decision he commends your Honors to God's protection and remain Your Honors servant JOH. TH. POLHEYM. Resolved, The acting Receiver is ordered to pay for account of the petitioner the sum of one hundred guilders to Cornelis Aerssen. Thus done in Council at Fort Amsterdam in N. N. the 21st of December A° 1656. PETITION OF WILLIAM HALLETT FOR REMISSION OF THE SENTENCE OF BANISHMENT; GRANTED. The Humble petition off William Hallett inhabitant of Vlissinge vnto the Honnble Govern General and Counsel off the New Netherlands. Right Honnourable, your poore petitioner haveing Received the Sentence of Banishment and being thereby much disinabled from makeing the best advantage off that little estate I have left and beinge bound in Consience to looke vnto the maintenance off my family which might Suffer much, iff my suddine departeure should bee exacted, for these Reasons Right Honnourable I am boulde to Sollicite your Lordshipps that you would bee Pleased to remit pas by and take off my banishment, which request iff your honn's Please to graunt, your humble petitioner shal ever Remaine thankful and Serviceable vnto his Power. From flishinge this 26th 9 bre 1656. After a vote had been taken, it was resolved as follows: WILLIAM HALLETT. The petitioner, William Hallett, is granted and receives permission to earn his living as a private inhabitant quietly and properly within this Province, provided that upon sight hereof he pays the fine and the mises of law, to which he was condemned. Thus done in Council at Fort Amsterdam in N. N. the 21st of December 1656. PATENT FOR LAND NEAR MESPATH KIL, L. I. Petrus Stuyvesant, Director-General etc., and the Council testify and declare, that to-day date underwritten, we have given and granted to Peter Jansen Winckelhoeck a parcel of land, situate upon Long Island near Mespats Kil between the land of Richard Brudnel and the fence of Richard Coolface, stretching N. N. E. to a large fresh meadow in length three hundred rods, along said meadow fifty rods to the boundary of the said Brudnel, thence to the place of beginning three hundred rods, containing altogether twenty-five morgens: with the express condition and stipulation, etc. Done at Fort Amsterdam in N. N., the 28th of December 1656. PETITION OF EDWARD JESSUP OF MIDDLEBOURGH FOR MILL-RIGHTS. The petition of your Humble Right Honorable and Worthy Gentlemen. Your humble petitioner apprehendinge a way wherein he may do some seruice to the Common weale without any preiudice either to the Generall or any man in perticuler by erectinge or buildinge a tide mill in the Creeke commonly called Wassalls creeke I am bold to petition to your Honour and Honoured Court the worke beinge matter of chardye and Hazard to grante vnto me the libertie of the aboue said Creeke with a small tracte of Land as your Honours see expedient for a worke of that nature, with a peece of meddow if it be there to be founde and alsoe that you would be pleased to order that none shall erecte either mill or millnes soe neare the said mill that I intend to build, as may be a hinderance or preiudice to the said mill, she doeing the worke well and sufficiently and dealinge honestly as is requisite in the preamises and likewise that the said Creeke may be free from any ingagements to any other. It is not my desire to be a hinderance to any man or any preiudice to my Louinge and respected frende Mr. Coe for soe far as I apprehend as yet his millne is ouer wrought and the Country may well employ or set a worke two mills and both haue worke enough, wherefore I hope your humble petitioner wayinge these thingss and knowinge your Honours reddines to further thinges of Common good and Concernement Is bold to present these his desires hopinge you will be pleased to afford a return accordinge to his pore desires and soe wishinge your Honour and much Honoured Courte all happines I rest. Middleborough Your Honours seruant. Jan. 15, 1657. Novo stilo to be Commaunded EDWARD JESSUP. To the Honorable Gouernor-General and his honoured Consell these present Manahatans. PETITION OF THE MAGISTRATES OF AMESFOORT, PRAYING CONFIRMATION OF AN ASSESSMENT FOR THE MINISTER'S SALARY; GRANTED. To their Noble Honors, Petrus Stuyvesant, Director-General and the Council of New Netherland. Show respectfully and with due reverence the delegated Schepens of the village of Amesfoort, as well in their official capacity as individually, that pursuant to the resolution, adopted in the presence of the Honble Director-General Petrus Stuyvesant on the 29th of December 1656, last past, after conferring with and with the consent of the Courts of Breuckelen, Midwout and Amesfoort, we considered it determined, that we of the jurisdiction of the said village of Amesfoort should in proportion to our neighbors of the villages and jurisdictions of Breuckelen and Midwout find and raise as our quota of the annual salary and pay promised to the reverend preacher, Do J. Theodorus Polhemius the sum of three hundred guilders. After several considerations and deliberations, conferring also with the congregation and inhabitants, under correction, we have, in order to raise the aforesaid 300 fl in the easiest way, appraised and assessed the property of each person conscientiously and to the best of our knowledge and made the cotisation and taxlevy, here below given in detail, which with what some parties from Gravesend have voluntarily promised to contribute, will make up the sum of fl 300. 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, evil minded persons, who might oppose and resist our good intention and project. The persons assessed and provisionally taxed for the contribution of the said 300 fl. are the following: 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 The Magistrates of Amesfoort PETER TONNEMAN, Secretary. Having received and read the foregoing petition of the Court of Amesfoort, dated the 13th of this month of January, the Director-General and Council of New Netherland find the request therein contained to be just and therefore the said Magistrates of Amesfoort are authorized to carry out their taxlevy and to proceed legally against renitent parties. Done at Fort Amsterdam in N. N. the 16th of January 1657. PETITION OF THE MAGISTRATES OF MIDWOUT FOR POWER TO MAKE AN ASSESSMENT TO PAY THEIR MINISTER, TO FARM THE EXCISE, ETC., AND ORder thereon. To their Noble Honors, Director-General Show with great humility and due respect the delegated Schepens of the jurisdiction of Midwont, that pursuant to the resolution, adopted by the Honble Director-General Petrus Stuyvesant after consultation with and with the assent of the Courts of Breuckelen, Midwout and Amesfoort on the 29 of December 1656 last past, the inhabitants of Midwout were to contribute to the yearly salary, promised to the reverend pastor, D' J. Theodorus Polhemius, 400 fl, those of Breuckelen 300 fl and Amesfoort a like sum of 300 fl. That after several meetings, they could find no other way, than to impose upon each lot and parcel of land, of which there are about 40 in Midwout, a tax of 10 fl yearly in proportion. This tax of 10 fl yearly for every lot proportionally would make up the sum of 400 fl., which we of the Court of Midwout have promised in presence of the Honble Director-General to contribute to the yearly pay of the said Domine Polhemius. But as every one of the inhabitants and neighbors has not the same amount of property, one having less, the other more, we must and cannot tax all alike, but each in proportion to his property and real estate. If we receive your Honors' approbation to such a cotization and tax up to 400 fl for the yearly pay of the said D° Polhemius, we promise to levy it directly and continue in it, each according to his ability and to make the assessment conscientiously, provided we are supported by your Honors against unwilling parties, which we hope will not make any opposition. We promise also, to take care and pay attention, that at the expiration of each six months the salary then due shall be paid to D° Polhemius and we think, that the said Domine Polhemius might be satisfied with it. We further very respectfully request, as we have already done in our letter to the Honble Director-General personally dated the 21st of December 1656, that we may proceed at such time, as your Honors decide, with the letting of the burghers' excise on liquids and meats and use the revenues therefrom for the benefit of this village of Midwout, in paying the yearly salary promised to our Court messenger and other daily and incidental expenses. We promise to give an account and prove the balance in hand at any time, when called upon to do so, upon which your Honors may rely. Awaiting your Honors' favorable decision we are and remain The 13th of January 1657 at Midwout on Long Island in New Netherland. Your Honors' humble and obedient servants PETER TONNEMAN, Secretary. Having received and read the foregoing petition of the Magistrates of Midwout, dated the 13th of January, the Director-General and Council of New Netherland find the request therein contained reasonable and just; the said Magistrates are therefore authorized to levy the tax and to proceed against all who refuse. Date as above. PETITION OF THE MAGISTRATES OF BROOKLYN AGAINST THE ASSESSMENT FOR THE MINISTER'S SALARY AND OBJECTING TO THE APPOINTMENT OF REV. POLHEMIUS. Very Worshipful Sir. Noble, Very Worshipful, Very Learned, Wise and Prudent, Honorable Director-General in New Netherland etc. Pursuant to the resolution adopted by your Honor on the 29th of November (sic!) last past at Breuckelen in our meeting, the delegates from Midwout and Amesfoort being present, Midwout was to contribute to the yearly salary of the reverend D Polhemius 400 fl, Breuckelen 300 and Amesfoort also 300, which we then thought a heavy tax and took in consideration to inform and submit to your Honor our decision after having made our calculation. Now we, your Honor's humble servants, the Magistrates of Breuckelen, report and submit to your Honor the impossibility to contribute yearly 300 guilders, because this sum cannot well be collected from a weak and impoverished community, many members of which have suffered great losses and damages in the times of war through surprises by the Indians and otherwise, which have disabled them. With the best they will some cannot raise, what they would like to contribute; nor has the said D' Polhemius ever been called or engaged by us as pastor, but he has intruded here against our wishes, desiring to preach in the public street in the open air; on account of which the house of the Schepen Joris Dircksen here in Breuckelen was provisionally given him to avoid giving offense to any one. The burghers and inhabitants of Breuckelen generally and the neighbors say, that for such meager and unsatisfactory service as they have had hitherto, even if they could, they would not resolve to contribute anything, for during the two weeks he comes here only for a quarter of an hour on Sunday afternoon, gives us only a prayer instead of a sermon, from which we learn and understand little and when we think, that the prayer or sermon, whatever it be called, is beginning, it is already over, so that he gives small edification to the congregation. It has happened to us only on the Sunday before Christmas, the 24th of December last, that in place of a sermon, which we had expected to have, we had to listen to a prayer so short, that it was over, before we had collected our thoughts; it was also nearly evening, before he, Polhemius, came over, so that he had really not much time and was compelled to break off and leave hastily to return home, and this was all the edification-little enough—which we have had during the Christmas holidays. We maintain therefore, that we shall enjoy the same, if not more edification by appointing some one of our midst to read a sermon from a book of homilies (huys postille) every Sunday, than we have hitherto received by the sermon or prayer of said D° Polhemius. We do not intend, however, by this our request and remonstrance anything to the dishonor of the said Polhemius or to the injury of his good reputation, but say only, that his great age is the cause of all and that his faculties are evidently not, what they were formerly; we see also, that Polhemius is not deficient in good will, but as he has not been called by us, we cannot conclude to contribute to his support aside from our inability already explained and submitted to your Honor. Although we, the Magistrates of Breuckelen, have resolved to contribute to the salary of the said Polhemius, the congregation here cannot come to such a resolution, as there are many, who cannot make any contribution and whom it would be more necessary to support; there are besides many bouweries unoccupied and vacant, for instance that of Mr. Paulis, the one of Frerick Lubbertsen on the strand, while a very simple and poor man lives on his other bouwery, who is also unable to give anything, and Lodwyck lives upon the Poor Bouwery while his lot is vacant, the same as Peter Cornelissen's, Elbert Elbertsen's, the land of Black Hans, Grabiels land, Peter Mallemocque, Peter Manist, Jean Martyn and others more of whom there is quite a number. From the foregoing your Honor may well consider and conclude, what can be raised and given here and although every one shall be assessed by us and put on the tax list, nobody will be able to resolve to contribute anything for such slender services, as we have heretofore enjoyed. We finally submit with due respect, that whereas the people of Midwout have engaged Polhemius alone without our knowledge or consent, we are very willing and well satisfied, that the Midwout people shall enjoy the services of D° Polhemius alone, if the Domine wishes again to perform the service and prayer instead of a service as formerly, we shall not be bound by it to any thing, except to what from inclination and free and unbiased will may be added to his salary, as several among us here are well inclined to him, although we do not enjoy his, Polhemius', services. Closing |