Document: Letter from rev. Mr. Polheymus to the director-general

Copy.100 My lord, the lord general in New Netherland.

I am compelled to respectfully complain to your honor that I must see the planks given by your honor out of compassion and presented to the community to finish my house against this cold winter, being scattered; for instance, in transport two were lost by having been left on the strand in nobody’s care; they were brought into the village without my knowledge; 24 were delivered to Jan Eversen Meyer; six were put down at the church for benches; of the balance, being 69, 17 were taken away with the consent of Jan Snedicker and Jan Strycker to Thomas Swartwout and his brother Aldert Swartwout to dry malt; so that my house remains open as it was, and I with my wife and children must still live and sleep on the ground and in the cold. They say there is no carpenter for me to hire to do the work. In order that this be remedied and not to make my situation worse by keeping silent, I have written this to your honor.

Dated Midwout, the 14th of December anno 1656. In haste, (lower stood) your honor’s servant,

Joh. Th. Polheymus.

[addressed:] To my lord, the lord general Stuyvesant, my lord, New Amsterdam.

Rights: This translation is provided for education and research purposes, courtesy of the  New York State Library Manuscripts and Special Collections, Mutual Cultural Heritage Project. Rights may be reserved. Responsibility for securing permissions to distribute, publish, reproduce or other use rest with the user. For additional information see our Copyright and Use Statement Source: New York State Archives. New Netherland. Council. Dutch colonial council minutes, 1638-1665. Series A1809. Volume 8.