New Netherland Project
The New Netherland Project was established in 1974 under the sponsorship of the New York State Library to complete the transcription, translation, and publication of all Dutch documents in New York repositories relating to the seventeenth-century colony of New Netherland. This unique resource has already proven invaluable to scholars in a wide variety of disciplines. It also serves to enhance awareness of the major Dutch contributions to America over the centuries and the strong connections between the two nations.
Video: Uncovering America's Forgotten Colony: The New Netherland Project
Facsimile of a 1627 letter from Pieter Schaghen that mentions the purchase of Manhattes (Manhattan) for 60 guilders.
Click image to see larger version.
The New York State Library and State Archives hold significant Dutch records which form the core of the materials that the New Netherland Project translates and studies. They include:
- the Dutch Colonial Council Minutes,
- Van Rensselaer Manor papers,
- Holland Land Company Records, and
- archaeological collections from New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) and Beverwijck (present-day Albany).
Translations and transcriptions of documents completed to date
The New Netherland Project provided the foundation for the New Netherland Research Center through its unprecedented and historic research accomplishments and its access to historically significant resources.
Originally created under the sponsorship of the New York State Library and the Holland Society of New York, the New Netherland Project has functioned with grant support from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), along with support from the Office of Cultural Education.
New Netherland Institute
The New Netherland Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to fund raising for and performing activities that support and relate to the New Netherland Project and the New Netherland Research Center.