Jacob Steendam
Encyclopedia
Jacob Steendam was a Dutch
poet
and a minister. He colaborated with Pieter Corneliszoon Plockhoy
.
. In 1641 he went to Gold Coast
and had an affair with a local woman. In 1649 he remarried in Amsterdam. He came to the colony of New Amsterdam
about 1650, and stayed there till 1662, when he returned to Holland. During his residence in the Dutch settlement, he owned farms at Amersfort and Mespath, a house and lot on what is now Pearl Street, and another on Broadway. He lost his fortune when the English took over Manhattan. He left Nieuw Nederland and in 1665 he made a voyage to Batavia with his wife, where he died as the manager of the orphanage.
In the late 19th century, the little that was known of Jacob Steendam was due to the research of Henry Cruse Murphy
, who, when he was United States
minister to The Hague
, discovered some poems written by Steendam on New Amsterdam, and had them printed with an English version in the same metre. Murphy's book is entitled Jacob Steendam noch vaster. A Memoir of the First Poet in New Netherlands, with his Poems descriptive of the Colony (The Hague, 1861). The titles of the two poems are “Complaint of New Amsterdam, in New Netherlands, to her Mother, of her Beginning, Growth, and Present Condition,” and “The Praise of New Netherlands: Spurring Verses to the Lovers of the Colony and Brothership to be established on the South River of New Netherland. Pieter Corneliszoon Plockhoy, of Ziereckzee.”
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and a minister. He colaborated with Pieter Corneliszoon Plockhoy
Pieter Corneliszoon Plockhoy
Pieter Corneliszoon Plockhoy Pieter Corneliszoon Plockhoy Pieter Corneliszoon Plockhoy (also Pieter Cornelisz Plockhoy van Zierikzee or Peter Cornelius van Zurick-zee, born c. 1625, possibly in Zierikzee, Netherlands, died c...
.
Biography
Already as a young man Steendam served the West India CompanyWest India Company
There has been more than one West India Company:* The Dutch West India Company* The French West India Company* The Danish West India Company* The Swedish West India Company...
. In 1641 he went to Gold Coast
Gold Coast (region)
The Gold Coast was the region of West Africa which is now the nation of Ghana. Early uses of the term refer literally to the coast and not the interior. It was not until the 19th century that the term came to refer to areas that are far from the coast...
and had an affair with a local woman. In 1649 he remarried in Amsterdam. He came to the colony of New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
about 1650, and stayed there till 1662, when he returned to Holland. During his residence in the Dutch settlement, he owned farms at Amersfort and Mespath, a house and lot on what is now Pearl Street, and another on Broadway. He lost his fortune when the English took over Manhattan. He left Nieuw Nederland and in 1665 he made a voyage to Batavia with his wife, where he died as the manager of the orphanage.
In the late 19th century, the little that was known of Jacob Steendam was due to the research of Henry Cruse Murphy
Henry Cruse Murphy
Henry Cruse Murphy was an American politician and historian, born in Brooklyn, N. Y. He graduated at Columbia College in 1830, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in Brooklyn, where he became city attorney and, in 1842, mayor. The next year he became a member of Congress...
, who, when he was United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
minister to The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, discovered some poems written by Steendam on New Amsterdam, and had them printed with an English version in the same metre. Murphy's book is entitled Jacob Steendam noch vaster. A Memoir of the First Poet in New Netherlands, with his Poems descriptive of the Colony (The Hague, 1861). The titles of the two poems are “Complaint of New Amsterdam, in New Netherlands, to her Mother, of her Beginning, Growth, and Present Condition,” and “The Praise of New Netherlands: Spurring Verses to the Lovers of the Colony and Brothership to be established on the South River of New Netherland. Pieter Corneliszoon Plockhoy, of Ziereckzee.”