Background
Sebastiaen Jansen Krol was born in 1595 in Harlingen, Netherlands. His mother was Annetjen Egberts.
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Jansen Bastiaen Krol
Edit ProfileCareer
Before his coming to America Krol was a caffawercker, or velours worker, by trade.
On October 12, 1623, he applied to the consistory of the Dutch Reformed Church at Amsterdam to be sent as a comforter of the sick to the West Indies. He was not accepted at that time, but on December 7 received his instructions, and on January 25, 1624, sailed for New Netherland.
He was back in Holland on November 14 of the same year, when he reported to the consistory that the people in New Netherland desired to have a minister and that provision should be made for the baptism of children. A week later the consistory decided not to send a minister, but authorized Krol, in addition to his duties as a comforter of the sick, to perform the ceremonies of baptism and marriage, on condition that he should observe the formulas of the Reformed authors and not use words of his own composition. He sailed with Willem Verhulst, the newly appointed director of New Netherland, on the ship Orangenboom, and on August 1, 1626, was appointed commissary at Fort Orange, to take the place of Daniel van Krieckenbeeck, who had been killed by the Indians. He was chosen for this post because "he was well acquainted with the Indian language, " showing that he had previously been stationed at Fort Orange, rather than at Manhattan, as has been supposed.
Two years later, when the Reverend Jonas Michaëlius arrived at New Amsterdam and formally organized the first church in New Netherland, Krol was made a member of the consistory.
He returned to Holland in 1629, but in March 1630 was again sent out as commissary of Fort Orange, where, with the consent of the West India Company, he also acted as an agent of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the patroon of Rensselaerswyck, and purchased land for him from the Indians in the vicinity of the fort. In 1631 through the influence of Van Rensselaer, Krol was promoted to the directorship. He assumed his new office on Minuit's departure in March 1632, but retained it only a year. He then, at Van Twiller's request, returned for a short time to Fort Orange to prevent Jacob Eelkens from trading there and finally sailed for Holland. On June 30, 1634, at the request of the patroons, he appeared at Amsterdam before Notary Justus van de Ven and in the course of an interrogatory made certain statements about his various voyages to New Netherland and about the conduct of Hans Jorissen Hontom, his successor at Fort Orange, whose dealings with the Indians were giving much trouble and were detrimental to the patroons' interests. Doubtless as a result of these circumstances, he was once more sent to New Netherland, in 1638, to fill the position of commander of Fort Orange.
Achievements
Personality
Krol must have possessed more than ordinary skill and sagacity. From the first he had considerable influence over the Indians around Fort Orange and it was largely due to his tact and judgment in dealing with them that their friendly relations with the Dutch, which more than once threatened to be disturbed, were not broken as long as he held office in New Netherland.
Connections
On February 7, 1615 he married Annetjen Stoffels, from Esens, in East Friesland. On November 8, 1644, he and his wife resided on the Lindegracht, at Amsterdam, and jointly made their last will. A little more than two months later Annetjen Stoffels died and was buried in the churchyard of the Noorderkerk. By her Krol had three children. On October 7, 1645, he declared his intention to enter into marriage with Engeltie Baerents, from Norden, widow of Abram Valentijn.
