Document: Order on a petition from the magistrates of Midwout

The schout and commissaries of the village of Midwout, undersigned, report to the director general and councilors that for as much as they and the inhabitants of the village of Midwout [ ] recommendation [ ] of Breuckelen concerning the [ ] undertake [ ] service alternately in the three villages [ ] Midwout, and Breuckelen, and thereby to be satisfied, unless obstacles arose from the signatores for maintenance and support of the minister; namely, the inhabitants of the villages of Gravesande and Amesfoort, having become signatores with the intention that they would have and hear the service before midday on Sunday at Midwout, both aforementioned places are located almost as close as Breuckelen, which place being thus served alternately according to recommendation, the aforesaid inhabitants would not be able to come conveniently to the service, because of the distance of the places, and be at noon back at their houses with their families again. Whereas the aforesaid place, Breuckelen, lies a good two hours’ distance from the aforesaid villages of Amesfoort and Gravesande, on the contrary the village of Midwout is almost as close to them with a much better road. And be it consequently because of the difficulties, or because they are deprived of the preaching of God’s word every other Sunday, or because they require four hours back and forth in order to attend service, which shall be either impossible or very difficult for many or them, all of which the director general and councilors, having taken into consideration for the amplification of their current recommendation and for the better satisfaction of each of the inhabitants, have resolved that the Sunday morning service shall be done at Midwout between the three aforesaid places, lying almost all as near, but that the usual afternoon service shall be changed to an evening service, alternately from the village of Breuckelen to the village of Amesfoort. Thus done in our session held at Fort Amsterdam in New Netherland. Ady ut supra. (Was signed:) P. Stuyvesant, Nicasius de Sille, La Montagne, Cornelis van Tienhoven. 15 March 1656.