Background
Susanna was the daughter of Dutch lawyer Solomon du Plessis and the plantation owner Johanna Margaretha van Strijp.
Susanna was the daughter of Dutch lawyer Solomon du Plessis and the plantation owner Johanna Margaretha van Strijp.
She is a legendary figure in the history of Surinam, where she has become a metaphor of a cruel and sadistic slave owner. She is the subject of songs, plays, fairy tales and legends as well as books She was a plantation owner at age 23.
She then moved to the capital Paramaribo.
Already during her own lifetime, she was mentioned, though not by name, in publications describing the cruelty of slavery, which contributed to the anti-slavery movement. She allegedly drowned the baby of one of her slaves because it wouldn"t stop crying.
There is however no confirmation of any of the stories told about her sadistic treatment of her slaves. She died in 1795 and was buried at the gravesite "De Oude Oranjetuin" in Paramaribo.
Her tombstone reads: "Finally I have come to rest".
lieutenant was placed in the floor of the Reformed church in Paramaribo in 1835.