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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 Neither of these artificial intelligence tasks is perfect, but they are often more than sufficient to make the historical document understandable.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.


In 1762, after the death of Philip Waag in Saint-Domingue, his estate became subject to legal proceedings. The court at the Royal Fort Dauphin declared on April 1, 1762 that his estate should be confiscated for the benefit of the King of France, despite efforts to prove this was against existing treaties between France and the Dutch State.

Ester Benjamin, who was Philip Waag's widow and had two sons with him, traveled from Saint Eustatius to Saint-Domingue with one of her children to claim their rightful inheritance. Tragically, she, her child, and other relatives died when their boat ran aground.

The maternal grandmother of Philip Waag and Ester Benjamin's surviving child petitioned for letters to be sent to the Dutch Ambassador at the French Court. She requested intervention to convince the Receiver of Rights in Saint-Domingue to release the estate to the executors of Philip Waag's will for the benefit of his only surviving child.

On April 26, 1764, it was decided to send a copy of this request to Ambassador Lestevenon van Berkenroode at the French Court, asking him to use his influence to help resolve the situation in Saint-Domingue.

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On April 18, 1764, a detailed report about the colony's situation and plans with Colonel de Salve was discussed. A copy of this report and attachments was sent to His Highness the Duke of Brunswick for his information.

The same day, a legal document was read concerning Dirk van Lynden tot den Swanenburg, who was married to Catharina Lucia Pater. It involved a request about his nephew Gerrit Pater's plantation called la Ialousie, located in the colony of Suriname on the Commewyne River. No decision was made on this matter.

On April 25, 1764, the assembly read a request from Hana Benjamin, the maternal grandmother of Mozes Waag. Her son-in-law Philip Waag had lived in St. Eustatius for many years, where he married her daughter Ester Benjamin. Philip Waag conducted trade with St. Domingo under French rule and became very wealthy. In early 1762, while in St. Domingo at Fort Dauphin, he wrote his will on February 6 and added a codicil on March 5, shortly before his death.

Most of Philip Waag's estate was in St. Domingo. After his death, the executors of his will were prevented from carrying out their duties by Jean Marie Monchinet, the receiver of inheritance rights, who claimed Waag's estate had been confiscated under local law.

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On February 4, 1756, several people appeared before notary Daniel van den Brink in Amsterdam. The following individuals were present:

The siblings Ester, Benjamin, and Sprins Jacobs de Jongh were children of the late Meerla Isaacs de Jongh. Benjamin Isaacs de Jong also appeared on behalf of Hersch Wolff Meyer and Taxpie Wolff Meyer.

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On April 25, 1805, Barend Erechiel and his wife Judith Benjamin Jacobs made their last will and testament in Paramaribo. They revoked all their previous wills and documents. They left 10 guilders each to the Reformed Church poor and to the German Jewish Nation in the colony.

Barend Erechiel left 1,000 guilders to his father Ezechiel Barend living in Rotterdam. If his father died before him, this money would go equally to his brothers and sister: Jaac, Cere Heijman, Zechiel, and Led. Erechiel, with the surviving siblings inheriting any deceased sibling's share.

He left all his clothing (linen, wool, and silk) to be divided equally among his sons who would be alive at his death. His wife was to receive what was due to her according to her ketubah (Jewish marriage contract) plus a 50% increase, as was customary. Additionally, she would receive:

The couple's children were named as heirs but only to their legal minimum portion of inheritance.

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Barend Esechiel, a legal adult, and Judith Benjamin Iacobs, a minor, assisted by her father Benjamin Iacobs, both from the High German Jewish community living in the colony, agreed to marry. They planned to marry in a year's time or sooner, following both Dutch law and Jewish customs.

Before the wedding, they made the following prenuptial agreement:

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On November 2, 1780, David de Leon and his wife Mirjam Abendanome from St. Eustatius requested a review of two court decisions made by the Captain Commander and Council of St. Eustatius on December 2, 1778.

On November 6, 1780, representatives from the Province of Zeeland presented a resolution regarding British hostilities on the island of St. Marten. The resolution, dated November 2, 1780, expressed great concern about events that occurred at the St. Marten harbor on August 9, 1780.

The Province officials found it hard to believe that the British government would approve such arbitrary actions. They requested that:

They believed that if Dutch possessions in that part of the world had proper protection, the incident at St. Martin would not have happened.

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On April 23, 1765, a discussion was held about several matters. Matthias Suls, the garrison's bookkeeper, requested payment for wages. The request was approved and van Beaumont was authorized to handle the payment according to company orders. Permission was granted for several people to travel:

Following a proposal by council member Dedel, the meeting discussed the resignation of Captain and Engineer Hermanus Hensuma from Curaçao. His resignation was accepted with wages paid until May 22, 1762, when he left Curaçao. The company would not pay for his return journey because he had come to the Netherlands for personal reasons and medical treatment, as shown in his request dated February 6, 1761 from Curaçao. According to Article 47 of the Director's Instructions, the company keeps the salary and rations of such absent employees. Permission for his return was granted by letter dated July 14, 1761, but at his own expense.

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In St. Eustatius on July 15, 1758, Martin dubrois Godet Junior, a merchant from Amsterdam, wrote a bill of exchange to Edward Bishop in London for 100 pounds sterling. The bill was then passed on to:
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On September 4, 1759, several ship captains arrived at port: Tiede Pronk, Eeuwe kors Jes Prent, Jan Manssen, Eertman Nicolaas, Andries Staaff, Jeronimus Gerbel, Jonas Dahmij, Frans Hanssen, and John Davids.

A letter from Commander Jan de Windt, written in St. Eustatius on July 24 of the previous year, was read and set aside for the Council of Ten.

Samuel Buino de Mesquita, a merchant from the city, presented a request regarding Clara de Leon, widow of Jacob de Leon. She was appointed by the mayors of Hamburg as guardian of her underage children. On May 21, 1759, with the assistance of Bensamin Musaphia Pidalgo and Josua de Lemos, she authorized the sale of shares worth 6,000 guilders in the West Indies Company.

The transaction required approval from the mayors and council of Hamburg as upper guardians. They wrote letters of recommendation to the city aldermen to help facilitate the sale of these shares.

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On February 24, 1748, notary Isaac Pool in Amsterdam delivered a legal message on behalf of Benjamin Philips. The notary went to the house of Jolle Jolles, but only found his wife at home. She said her husband and Johannes Rietheld were not present. The message concerned Alida van Campen, widow and sole heir of Jan Elberts. Through her representative Benjamin Philips, she requested release from the city's bankruptcy chamber, as all creditors had been paid. The creditors included: The notice stated that Jolle Jolles and Johannes Rietvelt, as trustees of the estate, should not incur any further costs or continue any proceedings, as the estate was no longer subject to the bankruptcy chamber. Any additional costs would be their personal responsibility, though costs up to that date would be paid. The notification was witnessed by Gerrit van Houten and Gerardus Pyl. Jolles's wife said she would tell her husband about the message.
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On July 3, 1733, a ship called the Mermen, captained by Francis Johns, was loaded with trade goods bound for Amsterdam. The cargo included various shipments from several merchants:

The total value of the shipment was 702 guilders. Each package was marked with its gross weight and merchant markings.

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On March 8, 1694, Eduardo and Pablo Conting, merchants in Amsterdam, gave power of attorney to Paulo and Guillermo Boon, merchants in Cadiz. They were authorized to collect goods and money from Frans van Justeren in Cadiz, specifically 100 packages of white wax. They could examine accounts, make agreements, and take legal action if necessary. Later that day, Barande and Guisten, merchants representing Richard Soladome, a sailmaker from Wapping in Middlesex, reached an agreement with Jan Hagebaert, who represented Lauren Niesen, captain of the ship "Hope" from Langesont in Norway. A previous court ruling from December 4, 1693 had ordered payment of 27 pounds sterling. They settled for 370 guilders to end all claims. On February 8, 1694, a bill of exchange was drawn in Alicante for 800 pieces of eight. On March 9, 1694, Benjamin Poulle requested acceptance of this bill from Abraham le Cordies and Paul le Borteux in Amsterdam. Also on March 9, 1694, Paul de Guentville, a merchant in Amsterdam, appointed Jacobus Hannecop as his legal representative to handle all his business affairs, including debt collection and court proceedings.

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On September 24, 1734, Daniel van den Brink, a public notary licensed by the Court of Holland and living in Amsterdam, witnessed that Roelof de Vries, a resident of the city, appointed Raphael Benjamin, a merchant in St. Eustatius, as his legal representative. The purpose was to:

The document was signed in Amsterdam in the presence of witnesses Abel Rykman and Jan Speelman.

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During a meeting several matters were discussed:

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On January 18, 1748, in Paramaribo, Benjamin Grdis appeared before law clerk Ian Christoffel Wilffort and witnesses. He gave a gift to the children of his son-in-law Isak Marques Cardoso. The gift consisted of three enslaved people:

This gift would only take effect after Benjamin Grdis's death. His heirs would have no claim to these enslaved people. Isak Marques Cardoso accepted this gift on behalf of his children as their natural guardian. The document was witnessed by Ioan Coenraed Foloto and Adrianus Berkhoff.

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On August 27, 1742, Rachel Damego, widow of Benjamin de Jongh, living in Amsterdam, appeared before notary Jan Barels. She appointed Manasse Lansada as her legal representative to appear before the city's mayors. He was to request permission to negotiate a loan of 2,500 guilders using ships as collateral. The money would be borrowed from Anthony Paauw, also a resident of Amsterdam.

The loan agreement specified:

As security, Rachel offered her house and property located on the south side of the Nieuwe Houtgracht between the cross-street and the Oude Houtgracht. The witnesses to this legal document were Daniel Froon and Thomas van Lith.

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Officials in Amsterdam wrote multiple letters in early November 1731. On November 2, 1731, Ferdinand van Collen, Philip Hack, and others warned about potential dangers to Curaçao. They mentioned that the King of Spain had granted permission to the Caracas Company to take action against Dutch interests.

The next day, on November 3, 1731, Jacob Backer, Lestevenon, and Dirck vander Meer wrote to confirm these threats. They instructed officials to:

Later, on November 14, 1731, Jan Van Loon and Nicolaes Tantijn wrote about Rachel Benjamin, who had received power of attorney from the heirs of Moses Benjamin. Moses Benjamin had lived and died in St. Eustatius. They asked officials to assist Rachel Benjamin in collecting the inheritance.

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In St. Eustatius on August 23, 1792, a formal complaint was recorded by Secretary Herman Brouwer before representatives of the Dutch States General. Through translator Hendrik Willem Sandh, three Jewish citizens - Isaac Hart, Indah Devy, and Abraham Abraham Massiah - testified about an incident that occurred on Monday, August 20 at around 5 PM. The witnesses reported that Marles Gordon made anti-Semitic statements outside the house of a free black woman named Molly Lacond. According to their testimony, Gordon said in English that he was there to protect Molly from Jews who were trying to cheat her. When Mrs. Jacobs looked out of her window and questioned him, he responded with offensive statements, including: The testimony was witnessed by N. E. Muslerus and J. S. Heyliger and was submitted to the fiscal office for further legal action. The document was addressed to interim Governor Johannes Rinnels, who oversaw St. Eustatius, St. Martin, and Saba.
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On June 5, 1700, Herman Brouwer acted as secretary for the Dutch West India Company in St. Eustatius, where Adolph Fredrik Hanssen appeared before him with witnesses. Hanssen revoked a previous power of attorney from October 21 of the previous year that had been given to Mr. Helper in Suriname. Instead, he gave new power of attorney to J.I. van Velsen of Paramaribo to:

The document was witnessed by Hendrik Wm Landt and Samueel Hoheb. It was later registered on December 3, 1787 by clerk W Esser after being presented by J.I. van Velsen.

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On July 20, 1779, Samuel Hoheb Brandon, living in Paramaribo, appeared before clerk Willem Pieter Visscher at the Secretary of the Colony in Suriname. Brandon had shipped 947 Spanish coins with Captain Esa Tubadij to St. Eustatius, addressed to Joseph Hoveijdoor. This shipment was registered on February 11, 1779. However, on February 12, 1779, Captain Robbert Simons from Barbados seized the schooner 'Aima' along with the coins. Brandon made a formal declaration to reclaim this money and authorized someone to collect it on his behalf. He also protested against all damages and losses he had suffered due to this seizure.

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The document describes rules for the Portuguese-Jewish community in Curaçao and Sint Eustatius around 1755-1771. It states that due to family relationships between officials, the church assembly should be reduced from 5 to 3 people. The new rules specify that:

These changes were meant to maintain peace and harmony in the Portuguese-Jewish community of Curaçao. Previous rules were established on December 23, 1755 and January 13, 1756.

The document also mentions a case involving Philip Schonenboom, who mismanaged poor relief funds. A church council in Curaçao was considering legal action, and Rudolph Wildrik, a minister in Sint Eustatius, sought protection from these proceedings in letters dated January 12 and April 10, 1771.

The authorities in Amsterdam responded on July 20, 1771, stating they could not prevent the church council from taking legal action and suggested that any defense should be presented directly to the church council.

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On October 12, 1792, in St. Eustatius, two incidents of violence were reported to the authorities:

First, David Iavares, a member of the Jewish community, went to the warehouse of Lucas Lans at the bay. Despite being strictly forbidden, and in the presence of clerk Jan Willem Vermeulen, he severely mistreated and wounded several enslaved people.

Second, on October 8, a person named Thomas Mulraius, who lived on the island, came to report that Nicolaas Heyliger had beaten and wounded him. He was covered in blood when making the report.

Willem Heyliger, the fiscal officer, requested permission from Governor Ioannes Kunnels and the Council of St. Eustatius, St. Martin, and Saba to investigate both cases and take legal action as necessary.

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On May 31, 1763, the Portuguese Jewish community in Curacao requested changes to their leadership structure. Previously, their council of leaders (Parnassim) had been reduced from 5 to 3 members. Due to growth in both local families and foreign settlers, they wanted to expand their leadership again. The new structure would include:

Elections would be held with:

The council sent this request to interim director Jean Rodier for approval and public announcement. A person named Jacobus van Roijen, who was traveling to Guinea, also submitted a request regarding a ship called the Vrouw Margaretha.

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On May 31, 1763, officials discussed a bag of letters from Curaçao that arrived on the ship 'Vrouw Catharina', captained by Jan Schols, which had run aground on the coast of Boulogne.

They also read two letters from Commander Jan de Winstt from St. Eustatius, dated March 23 and 29, 1763. These letters included cargo manifests from two ships:

The officials decided to pass these manifests to the merchant office clerks for processing.

They then read a request from the Portuguese Jewish leaders in the city. These leaders mentioned that the Portuguese Jewish congregation in Curaçao, called Mikre Israel, had sent them a letter on November 16, 1762 regarding a resolution from December 23, 1755.

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On December 9, 1760, the leaders of the Portuguese Jewish community in Amsterdam presented a request to the assembly regarding conflicts between Portuguese and German Jews in Saint Eustatius. The disputes concerned church matters and other arrangements deemed necessary for the common good. They feared these conflicts would lead to further unrest and divisions.

The assembly decided to send a copy of the request to the Commander and Council of Saint Eustatius. They were instructed to resolve the disagreements between the Portuguese and German Jews in whatever way they deemed best. They were also asked to nominate people from the Jewish community to establish church rules and regulations to maintain peace.

The assembly also granted permission to Joseph Mondotigi, Anthonie Butino, and Baptistino Geroiding to travel to Curaçao.

Following a discussion about a letter dated November 24, the assembly agreed with the Chamber of Zeeland to send 14 iron cannons on their chartered ship, as requested by former President Huijdecoper on May 1 of that year.

On December 16, 1760, a letter was received from the Directors of the Chamber of Zeeland in Middelburg, dated December 8. It mentioned two bombardiers in state service for the coast of Guinea who would only accept positions with the rank of sergeant. The Chamber requested advice about their wages and conditions.

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