BK-1600s

1623- French Speaking Belgium people began to inhabit the area of Brooklyn now know as Flatlands. Lenape Native Americans were most likely also still living there at this time. -Rachel Cantu

http://www.brooklynrevealed.com/main.html This site details the early history of the settlements of Flatlands and includes an interactive map of early Brooklyn.

In the early 1600s, Dutch colonists moved in and took over the area. Originally, Brooklyn consisted of six separate Dutch towns, all chartered by the Dutch West India Company. I am focusing on the settlement of two colonies – Gravesend settled in 1645 and Breuckelen settled in 1646. I was interested in the colony of Gravesend because the people of this colony purchased Coney Island. I found the colony of Breuckelen interesting because this was the first municipality in New York State and it had a similar name to the current title “Brooklyn” so I was curious to know about this colony. - Erin Fitzgerald - February 5, 2012

=1600's= =The Dutch West India Company=

The Dutch West India Company was a powerful and successful company involved in most of the settlement of New Amsterdam and Brooklyn in the 1600's. It was similar to the Dutch East Company which funded Henry Hudson's journey to North America in 1609. Settlers of the Dutch West India Company dealt with many Native American tribes from the Lenapes to the Canarsees. They were committed to creating a well populated and successful community that not only committed themselves to the Dutch Reformed Church but also to working the land and trading.

-Rachel Diaz

** 1645 ** ** The Town of Gravesend ** K. Connolly
 * The Town of Gravesend was chartered.
 * First Charter issued to a female in the New World.
 * Only one of Brooklyn’s original 6 towns not settled by the Dutch.
 * Founded by Lady Deborah Moody and a group of English Baptists from Massachusetts

-- - -- -  - ** Gravesend ** - The first known European to set foot in the area that would become Gravesend was Henry Hudson, whose ship, //the Half Moon//, landed on Coney Islandin the fall of 1609. The island was at that time inhabited by the Lenape people. Then, the land became part of the New Netherland Colony, and in 1643 it was granted to Lady Deborah Moody, an English expat who hoped to establish a community free from persecution. There were clashes with the local native tribes and the town wasn't completed until 1645. But when the town charter was finally signed and granted, the charter became one of the first such titles to be awarded to a woman in the new world. In 1654, the people of Gravesend purchased Coney Island from the local natives for about $15 worth of seashells, guns, and gunpowder. - Erin Fitzgerald

** The village of **** Gravesend - **** First Charter issued to a female in the New World - **** Lady Deborah Moody, an English expat who hoped to establish a community free from persecution. **

Koppelman, Lucille L. "Lady Deborah Moody And Gravesend, 1643-1659." Halve Maen 67.2 (1994): 38-43. America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. à Examines the life and beliefs of Englishwoman Deborah Moody, who was the only woman to found a settlement in the New World. Her New Netherland settlement, called Gravesend, encompassed a large section of what is now Brooklyn, New York, and it was the site of the first organized Quaker meeting in North America. Biemer, Linda. "Lady Deborah Moody And The Founding Of Gravesend." Journal Of Long Island History 17.2 (1981): 24-42. America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. à **Lady** Deborah **Moody**, (ca. 1580's-1659), a wealthy English widow, moved to the Massachusetts Bay Colony about 1639, and then to New Netherland, both for religious reasons. Describes her founding and rule of the town of **Gravesend** and her relationship with the Dutch government. Includes some comparison with the radical, Anne Hutchinson. ** Exhibit 1: Lady Deborah Moody’s Plan for Gravesend **



** WGBH Education Foundation (2003). Annenberg Media Learner.org To **** "Annenberg Media Learner." //Learner.org//. WGBH Education Foundation, 2003. Web. ** ** . **

-- - -- -

** 1646 ** ** The Town of Brooklyn ** K.Connolly
 * The town of Brooklyn (Breuckelen) chartered by the Dutch West India Company

(I have photos to include for each event but I'm not sure how to upload them!)

-- - -- - - **Breuckelen -** The Village of //Breuckelen,// named for Breukelen in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands, was authorized by the Dutch West India Company in 1646. This colony became the FIRST municipality in what is now New York State. At the time, Breuckelen was part of New Netherland. However, the Dutch lost Breuckelen in the British conquest of New Netherland in 1664. In 1683, the British reorganized the Province of NY into twelve counties, each of which was sub-divided into towns. Over time, the name evolved from Breuckelen, to Brockland, to Brocklin, to Brookline, to Brookland and finally, to Brooklyn. - Erin Fitzgerald Wagman, Morton. "Wolfert Gerritsen Van Couwenhoven And The Founding Of New York." Journal Of Long Island History 15.2 (1979): 5-22. America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. à Wolfert Gerritsen Van Couwenhoven was one of New Amsterdam's earliest settlers. Gerritsen came to Manhatten in 1625 with his wife and three sons as an employee of the Dutch West India Company. He ran one of the company farms but with the help of his wife branched out into the fur trade. In 1630 he rented the farm he had worked, rented one-half of another property, and contracted with Kiliaen Van Rensselaer to oversee Rensselaer's patroonship near Albany. In 1636 he and a partner took out a large land grant in what would become Brooklyn. Gerritsen prospered and became a merchant and tobacco trader. His sons were prominent in New Amsterdam. He died in 1661. Published primary sources; with an illustration. Ellis, Edward Robb. //The Epic of New York City.// Carroll & Graf, 2004. [|ISBN 978-0786714360] Onofri, Adrienne. //Walking Brooklyn: 30 Tours Exploring Historical Legacies, Neighborhood Culture, Side Streets and Waterways.// Wilderness Press, 2007. [|ISBN 978-0899974309] Reiss, Marcia. //Brooklyn Then and Now (Then and Now).// Thunder Bay Press, 2002. [|ISBN 978-1571457929] http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Brooklyn -- - -- -

1661- The Dutch West India Company gave Peter Stuyvesant the right to rule a small Dutch town, which was then known as “Nieuw Amersfoort” (named after the Dutch town of Amersfoort). The Dutch retained control of the town until 1664 when the British captured it and renamed it to its present-day name of Flatlands. -Rachel Cantu



The famous Wycoff House was build in New Amersfoort in 1645. The house is now a museum where students can learn about the lives of Dutch farmers in Brooklyn in the 1600s. http://www.wyckoffassociation.org/museum/events_programs.html

**1652** **Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House** This house was originally a Dutch West India Company farm with the oldest portion of the house having been built in 1652. This section of the building is the oldest building in NYC and one of the oldest wooden structures in the United States. It received National Landmark designation in 1968. This house has been transformed into a museum that has been restored to reflect the lifestyles of Dutch settlers of the 1650s. I chose this historical site because I had never heard of it before, and it was something new I wanted to learn about. Given that it is one of the oldest buildings in NYC, I felt that I really should know more about it!! ((Also, I have a great friend who is of Dutch descent and I thought maybe they would think it was interesting if I knew a bit about this!))

-Kim Konopka

http://www.wyckoffassociation.org/association/history_cronology.html This isn't a primary source, but I thought it was interesting because it explains how this house became a historic landmark. Oftentimes I wonder how buildings are recognized as historical landmarks- what is the process of how such recognition occurs on the local level, governmental level, and community level?
 * Primary Sources**

http://www.wyckoffassociation.org/resources/WFMPostvisitruraltourban_1.pdf This link includes four photographs of the Wyckoff House during the 1700-1800’s through the 1900’s. It provides researchers with primary source photographs that depict how the Wyckoff House has changed over the years. It also provides some insight into life during specific time periods including cultural and social considerations. I think this is a valuable resource for teachers, as students often benefit from seeing and analyzing real photographs from the era of study.

http://www.amazon.com/Dutch-New-York-Hudson-Culture/dp/0823230406/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1332274351&sr=8-7 This book offers history about Dutch presence, notably in New York. I think its valuable for students to have resources like this, even though it is more advanced and most likely above their reading level (given the dense historical account). I think as a read aloud that includes a great amount of questioning and discussion, this book can be integrated into a lesson about the Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House, as it holds a significant connection to Dutch history and culture.
 * Non-Fiction Text**

[] This story offers an explanation about how people first "immigrated" into the United States. I think this story provides important information about the natives who lived in New York prior to Columbus and Henry Hudson's "discovery." While there is a great deal of literature that portrays this "discovery" of America by Europeans, this text offers a different perspective that is relevant to the study of the Wyckoff House. It provokes an interesting idea about what the oldest building in New York would be, if there were still the homes and buildings of natives here.
 * Fiction Text**

**1677****Jacques Cortelyou: Influential Citizen of the town of New Utrecht (1625-1693)**
 * **Took over the development of New Utrecht (now present day Bensonhurst, Borough Park, and Bay Ridge)**

Jacque Cortelyou took over the undeveloped land of New Utrecht after the passing of Cornelius van Werckhoven in 1657. Werckhoven bought the land from the Canarsee and Nyack tribes for 6 shirts, 2 pairs of shoes, 6 pairs of stockings, 6 adzes, 6 knives, 2 scissors and 6 combs. Cortelyou became the Surveyor General and had the responbilitiy of turning the undeveloped land into a town, selling lots of land and successfully creating a town by 1657. Cortelyou is also responsible for the Costello Plan, the first map of NYC.


 * -Rachel Diaz**