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Fully AI-GeneratedUsers of Open Archives can have summaries generated from the recognized texts (transcriptions) produced through text recognition (OCR) and handwriting recognition (HTR). Neither of these artificial intelligence tasks is perfect, but they are often more than sufficient to make the historical document understandable. In the transcripts, names are underlined in green and clickable (to search the personal entries on Open Archives for the name in question), the recognized dates have a light gray background and recognized place names have a light purple background. The results of the application of (European) artificial intelligence have not been verified by a human.


On February 14, 1762, several ships arrived at Saint Eustatius with various cargoes. These included:

On February 12, 1762, several ships departed from Saint Eustatius. Notable departures included:

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On October 25, 1777, Henry Morgan, the former mate of the sloop Welcome, appeared before Governor Johannes de Graaf in St. Eustatius to give testimony under oath about a pirate attack. He reported that on Monday the 20th, between 6 and 7 in the evening, while the ship was anchored in the road of the island, four newly hired white sailors and one Black man attacked him. They kept him confined in the cabin while they cut the ship's cable and set sail to the southwest.

On Tuesday morning, they allowed him on deck. When asked where they were taking the ship, they said to St. Kitts or Antigua. Morgan suggested sailing to Jamaica instead, as the vessel was too light to sail windward. They agreed but forced him to navigate. They then sailed northwest and on Wednesday the 22nd, they reached Virgin Gorda. Pursued by two suspected privateers, they anchored at Tortola. There, the pirate leader brought an official who took possession of the ship.

The pirates admitted that a privateer captain from St. Christopher, whose ship was owned by Mr. Stroud, had promised them 8 Johannes each to steal the Welcome and deliver it to him. The testimony was sworn before Governor de Graaf in St. Eustatius.

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On July 1, 1730, FVerard Raecq wrote a letter from St. Eustatius to the Board of Directors of the Dutch West India Company at the Amsterdam Chamber. The letter accompanied shipping documents for:

These goods, worth 1,439 pesos, 1 real, and 4 stuivers, were loaded onto the ship Maria en Isack, captained by Hendrick Westerburgh. The captain had to leave 6 barrels on the bay because there was no room for them.

A separate cargo manifest dated June 26, 1730 lists brown sugar shipments on the ship Anna Galley, commanded by Captain Dirck Bouvet, bound for Amsterdam. The shippers and recipients were:

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On December 10, 1765, there was a lot of ship traffic at Sint Eustatius. Ships arrived from various Caribbean islands and other locations, including:

Ships also departed from Sint Eustatius to various destinations:

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Here is a modern English summary in HTML format:

Several people made requests regarding wages, supplies and appointments in the Dutch colonies:

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On July 10, 1726, Adrian Baars, a public notary in Amsterdam, made the following declaration at the request of Bernardus Hagelis, a merchant in Amsterdam, who was acting on behalf of Juda Abrahams in Suriname. The declaration was made to Benjamin Abrahams, a merchant in Amsterdam, regarding:

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In Suriname on August 14, 1788, a list was made of enslaved and free people who served in a military corps. The list includes both officers and common soldiers stationed across different divisions including Commewijne. Many were assigned to specific plantations or estates, such as Lelendaal, Spieringshoek, and Vossenburg. Among the officers were men like Roeland, Baron Fayenfieldt, and David Geertruijdenburg. The corps included both enslaved Africans and free people of color ("Vrije Mulatten & Neegers"). Some of the soldiers were given classical names such as: The list ends with several free mulatto and black servicemen, including:
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On March 15, 1787, residents and merchants of Saint Eustatius, along with ship captains who traded there, gathered to discuss a new tax regulation. The West India Company had sent new tariffs on incoming and outgoing goods to the interim Governor and Council. The residents feared this would ruin local commerce and harm the West India Company's prosperity.

The group unanimously appointed a committee of ten men to handle this matter: Daniel Hopker, Richard Douning Pennings, Marten Du Broes Godet, A. W. Vaucrosson, David Mendes, I. Schimmel, Hendrick Land, Frederick Sugnin, and W. Steevenson. These representatives were authorized to:

The residents pledged to support the committee's actions and share any costs involved. Over 80 merchants, residents, and community leaders signed this agreement, including notable figures like Johannes de Graaff and Michael Raatjes.

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The text describes several legal proceedings in Amsterdam and Suriname involving multiple parties. One case involves Abraham Ravené, who was Commander of the fortresses on the island of Sint Eustatius, in a dispute with Doeke Groebe, who lived on the same island.

Another case involves Jacob de Aron Henriques Miron and Aron Henriques Moron from Amsterdam, representing Moses de Aron Henriques Moron from Suriname, against Marreanna van Pinto, a former slave who was the mother of two mixed-race slaves named Matthias (or Matthys) and Samuel.

The final case involves Maria Susanna du Plessis, widow and executor of the late Frans Willem Laurens Grand from Suriname, along with co-executor Nicolaas de Kruiff, against Jan Wouter Kobert from Amsterdam. Kobert was representing Anna due Four, wife of Adam Hendrik Lodewyk Baron van Wangenheem from Suriname, who was taking over proceedings previously conducted by Anthony Bouwer, a merchant from Amsterdam.

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On January 10 and 11, several letters and legal cases were discussed:

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In Saint Eustatius during 1729, several slave trade transactions occurred. Barbera Lo purchased a female slave in January 18. Pieter Biglij bought a young male slave on the same date. Pieter de Wever acquired a young girl slave, also on January 18.

The widow of Lucas Benners bought a young male slave, while Simon de Graeff purchased a young girl slave. Abraham Lucas acquired a young girl slave on January 22.

More significant transactions included Johannes Salomons who bought 3 male slaves and 1 female slave between January and February 13. Pieter Heijliger purchased 4 men and 2 boys in January.

Judith Groeneveld, wife of Jan Burtel, bought 2 young boys. Cornelis de Wever acquired one male slave in February, and Jeems Schot from Saint Christoffel bought one female slave in February 13.

Many of these transactions were paid for either in cash or with brown sugar, which was weighed in pounds. Commander Everars Raecx and Jansz Doncker were involved in some of the monetary transactions.

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In St. Eustatius during 1729, several slave trading transactions took place. Jacob Steevens purchased one male slave, one female slave, and received cash payments. Everard Raecx bought one slave girl for 75 pieces. Cornelis Lever bought one male slave. Johannes Marko acquired slaves for the Burtel estate and himself, including three boys and two girls.

Lucas Doeke Troebé purchased two male slaves, one boy, and one female slave. Josias Jagves bought one male slave. Pieter Hendricx acquired two male slaves and two slave boys. Jan Philijs purchased one small slave boy and one slave girl. Joseph Obediente bought one female slave.

Payments were made in various forms including cash and brown sugar. Pieter Heijliger made payments on behalf of the Burtel estate. Multiple transactions were recorded in weights of brown sugar, measured in pounds, with payments calculated at 3 percent.

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On July 17, 1787, several merchants and citizens of St. Eustatius wrote a document opposing a new tariff system. They believed this tariff would benefit neighboring islands while destroying commerce on their own island. The main authors were Hendrik Pandt, Jan Schimmel, and D. Mendes.

The document explained that the island was still suffering from the effects of the last war. They requested that the proposed tariff be canceled, warning it would cause total ruin to the island's economy.

Many prominent citizens signed this document, including:

The document was officially presented at Fort Orange on July 18, 1787, and was certified by Secretary Herman Brouwer.

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On November 7, 1760, six free-born Black men from Curaçao - Andries Claassen, Guan Francisco Tambour, Hendrik Albertus Pietersz, Thomas Britto, Pedro Bastian, and Bentura Logaso - appeared before Johannes de Graaff, Secretary of the Dutch West India Company on St. Eustatius. They testified about events involving themselves and other free Black men from Curaçao.

In July 1759, they boarded a ship called the Prince of Orange, captained by Alphonse, at Grenada to return to St. Eustatius via Martinique. During the journey, an English warship called the Emerald, commanded by Captain Middleton, intercepted them. The English took control of their ship and brought them to St. Kitts. There, the Admiralty Court condemned them and all the other free Black passengers, and they were sold as slaves at public auction.

Governor Jan de Windt of St. Eustatius, Saba, and St. Martin confirmed their testimony on November 7, 1760. The document was sealed on November 8, 1760.

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On September 21, 1786, officials discussed various administrative matters at Saint Eustatius. The meeting covered several requests from different people:

The meeting also discussed military matters, including fortress conditions at Saint Eustatius and a dispute about a battery placement by Vice Commander Gibbes at Saint Martin. Translator P. Ouckama requested an annual salary and rations or a fixed salary according to the official fee list.

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On November 26, 1784, the Council of State wrote about the need to continue increasing pay for junior officers and common soldiers in the army of the state, which had started in 1780. They had previously requested this in several letters on April 11, 1781, July 9, 1781, June 20, 1782, and January 6, 1783.

The province of Friesland had already paid this increase to their troops without consulting other provinces. While Holland, Utrecht, Overijssel, and Stad en Lande had agreed to temporary increases that were expiring, Gelderland and Zeeland had approved increases until the end of the year in decisions made on April 21 and May 19. Zeeland was the only province that agreed to pay increased wages for the expanded regular army.

The Council wanted these pay increases to be permanent and to apply to:

The Council noted that all officers with whom they had contracted for new troops had negotiated for these increases in their agreements. They urged approval at least until the end of the year while further discussions continued.

All provinces except Friesland took copies of this request to discuss further. The representatives from Friesland refused to participate in the discussion.

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On an unspecified date in a meeting, three matters were discussed:

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On August 30, 1763, Commander Jan de Windt wrote from St. Eustatius about cargo loaded on the ship Jan and Eduard, captained by Francis McNamara. The manifest was given to the trade office clerks. David Henriques Pimentel and his slave Anthony were given permission and a passport to travel to Curacao. At an extraordinary meeting on September 3, 1763 at 11 AM, the Company's towboat was made available to Mrs. Testas, widow of Alderman Jan Testas, to transport his body to Utrecht on the following Tuesday and Wednesday. On September 6, 1763, Agent Johan Bernard van Rielle sent from The Hague an ordinance from the Delegated Councils of the Southern Quarter worth 226.3 guilders, for the 1% commission on the hundredth penny tax for 1762. He also sent a copy of a resolution dated August 23 regarding the estate of the late Director of Curacao, Isaac Faesch, with instructions for the Interim Director and Councils in Curacao. The ordinance was filed at the lawyer's office, and the messages were to be sent to Curacao at the first opportunity. A letter was read from the Directors at the Chamber of the Maze in Rotterdam, dated the 5th of that month, sending their chamber's cash and bank account statements closed at the end of August.

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On September 26, 178[5] in Sint Eustatius, Mr. J.D. Dinckgreeven acted as legal representative for Matthys Kerkhoff in a case against Joseph Hoven. The case required some documents to be translated into Dutch. The official translator, Pieter Onckama, could not do this work because he was involved in the case and therefore not neutral. Dinckgreeven requested permission from Governor Abraham Heyliger and the Council to have Joseph Henriques translate the necessary documents instead.

On November 9, 1785, Governor Heyliger and the Council (except for Council member J.H. Schmaltz) approved this request. They authorized Henriques to translate the documents into Dutch, on the condition that he would swear an oath about the translated documents before Governor Heyliger. The decision was recorded by Secretary Herman Brouwer.

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On February 9, 1786, Joseph Henriques, a citizen and resident of Sint Eustatius, petitioned to become a sworn translator. He requested to translate between Dutch and several other languages: His request was partly motivated by the fact that Pieter Duckama was the only sworn translator at the time. Since Duckama was also handling many legal matters as a proxy holder, this could cause confusion when documents needed translation for legal cases he was involved in. Henriques promised to serve the island's residents faithfully according to his oath and duty. The petition was originally submitted on August 10, 1785 and was processed on May 11, 1786 and again on May 22, 1786.
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Joseph Henriques, a citizen of Amsterdam and resident of Sint Eustatius, explains that before the English conquered the island, he translated documents between languages without being an official translator. He did government translations for free. Later, Pieter Ouckama was appointed as the only official sworn translator on the island. Henriques argues that Ouckama's dual role as both legal representative and translator is problematic because: On August 10, 1785, Henriques requested to be appointed as an additional sworn translator for: The case of Matthis Kerkhoff versus Joseph Hovey highlighted this issue, as Ouckama was both Hovey's legal representative and translator. Kerkhoff requested another translator to avoid potential bias. The Council appointed Henriques as translator for this case on November 9 [1785], and he took the oath before the Governor. Henriques argues that having more than one sworn translator would benefit commerce on the island, given its many visiting nations.
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On December 4, 1759, George Seems, a merchant in St. Eustatius, wrote a bill of exchange for 1,425 Dutch guilders to be paid to Abraham Henriques or his order by Nicolaas Doekscheer in Amsterdam within 60 days. Abraham Henriques endorsed the bill on December 12, 1759 to Jacob van Ghesel & Sons, merchants in Amsterdam. On March 24, 1760, notary Daniel van den Brink in Amsterdam asked Nicolaas Doekscheer to accept the bill of exchange on behalf of Jacob van Ghesel & Sons. Doekscheer refused to accept it because he had not received prior notice. The notary formally protested this non-acceptance in the presence of witnesses Willem Appels and Joannes van den Brink, declaring that all costs and interest would be charged according to exchange regulations.
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On July 17, 1721, Hoggeret Samuel Levi, widow of Eleasar Benjamin, met with a notary in Amsterdam. She met with several other people including Matham Moses (married to vrouwtje Eleasar), David Moses (married to Hester Eleasar), Simon Eleasar, Juda Eleasar, and Benjamin Eleasar. Some of these family members were living in Amesfoort.

The parties agreed that the children and in-laws would never make any claims on their mother/mother-in-law's inheritance from the late Eleasar Benjamin. They gave her a gift of 2,500 guilders, with the condition that she could only give between 200-300 guilders to any one of her children in the future.

Simon Eleasar received the 2,500 guilders but had to use this money to provide food, drink, and housing for his mother during her lifetime. He also had to support Salomon Eleasar until his marriage. Simon would receive 200 guilders for these services.

After the mother's death, the remaining money would be divided with sons receiving two-thirds and daughters receiving one-third. As security for this agreement, Simon Eleasar would give his mother two men's seats and one woman's seat in the German Jewish synagogue in Amsterdam.

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Several appointments and changes were made in Dutch naval administration during 1763 and 1764:

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On February 3rd, the Governor and Council of Civil Justice of the colony of Suriname responded to a resolution from June 10th of the previous year. This resolution concerned a letter from the Sheriff and Council of the City and Republic of Bern written on May 20th, regarding Jean Francois Panchaud, Francois and Louis Panchaud from Pully le Grand. The letter was about the inheritance of Jean Francois Panchaud, who had died in Suriname some years before.

Two of their nephews, Samuel and Jean Francois Panchaud, who were already in Holland with power of attorney, were seeking help to discover and claim this inheritance. After investigation by C.H. Pottendorff, commissioner of the old Orphans Chamber, it was found that the estate had a balance of 37 guilders and 14 stuivers in Surinamese currency.

On April 27, 1764, a request was read from Hendrik Ladich, living in Curaçao, who was co-executor of the will of Rudolphus Bughy, former Secretary of the Grand Council on the island of Curaçao. Ladich had to go to court against Martha Ellis, widow of Rudolphus Bughy, and Cornelis Bergh, an ordinary council member of the island, who was acting as guardian of Anna Elisabeth Ellis, the underage daughter of Martha Ellis.

On March 16, 1764, the court ruled in favor of Ladich, confirming his position as executor of Bughy's will. The defendants were ordered to stop interfering with his duties and to pay the legal costs.

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