David Pieterszoon de Vries

Background

David Pietersen De Vries was born about 1593 at La Rochelle, France, where his father, a native of Hoorn, North Holland, had resided at different times since 1584.

Career

After his fourth year he lived mostly in Holland, being from his youth well trained in merchandising, both there and in France.

In 1618-19, as owner and commander of a new ship of 400 tons burden, mounting eight guns, he made a voyage to the Mediterranean.

The next year he sailed to Newfoundland to procure a cargo of codfish, which he sold in Spanish ports. In the course of this voyage he won a notable fight against pirates off Cartagena, and at Toulon was engaged by the Due de Guise to serve with his ship against the Turks.

When shortly afterward the Duke sought to change his contract and to employ him against the Huguenots at La Rochelle, De Vries refused to comply with his request, sold his ship, and returned overland to Holland.

In 1624 he made preparations to go to Canada for furs, but his plans were frustrated by the Dutch West India Company and he sailed to La Rochelle instead.

In 1627-30 he made a voyage to the Dutch East Indies. Shortly after his return from this voyage he entered into partnership with Samuel Godyn and other directors of the West India Company to plant a colony on the Delaware.

An expedition sent out by them in 1631 founded a small settlement, called Swanendael, on the west side of Delaware Bay, near the present town of Lewes, which was soon after destroyed by the Indians.

Thereafter De Vries made three voyages to America: May 24, 1632 - July 24, 1633, under a contract with his former partners, in command of a ship and a yacht, to Delaware, Virginia, and New Amsterdam; July 10, 1634-October 1636, in the interest of another group of merchants, who wished to plant a colony on the coast of Guiana, to that coast, the West Indies, and New Netherland; and September 25, 1638-June 21, 1644, in partnership with Frederick de Vries, secretary of the city of Amsterdam, to plant a colony on Staten Island.

Shortly after his return from his second voyage, on December 8, 1636, he made application to the West India Company to be sent to New Netherland as director, in the place of Wouter van Twiller, who was about to be recalled, but his petition was rejected with the statement that “a more capable person is needed. ”

In addition to the small settlement on Staten Island established during his last voyage he planted a colony near Tappan, which he called Vriessendael. Both colonies were destroyed in the disastrous Indian war of 1643.

Discouraged in his undertakings, he returned to Holland and settled at Hoorn, where some ten years later he wrote an interesting account of his travels, printed at Alckmaer in 1655 under the title; Korte Historiacl, ende Journaels aenteyckeninge Van verscheyden Voyagiens in de vier declen des Wereldts-Ronde, als Europa, Africa, Asia, ende Amerika gedaen. Of this little book, which «contains a portrait of the author, dated 1653, on which his age is given as sixty years, but a few copies are known to be in existence. Written in a plain but vivid style, the book contains many picturesque descriptions of events in New Netherland that are not known from official documents, so that it forms a valuable source for the history of the colony.

Achievements

• David Pietersen De Vries founded small settlements called Swanendael, Staten Island and Vriessendael.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Voyages from Holland to America, A.d. 1632 to 1644

    (This is a reproduction of a classic text optimised for ki...)

  • Korte historiael ende journaels aenteyckeninge van verscheyden voyagiens in de vier deelen des wereldtsronde, als Europa, Africa, Asia, ende Amerika gedaen (Dutch Edition)