Spaces of Enslavement: A History of Slavery and Resistance in Dutch New York

247 Pages·2021·11.518 MB·English

by  Andrea C. Mosterman

SPACES OF ENSLAVEMENT
For more than three de cades, the New Netherland Institute (NNI)—an
in de pen dent nonprofit nongovernmental organ ization— has cast light on
Amer i ca’s Dutch roots. Through its support of the translation and publica-
tion of New Netherland’s rec ords and its vario us educational and public pro-
grams, NNI promotes historical scholarship on and popu lar appreciation of
the seventeenth- century Dutch mid- Atlantic colony. More information about
NNI can be found at newnetherlandinstitute . org.
SPACES OF
ENSLAVEMENT
A HISTORY OF SLAVERY AND
RE SIS TANCE IN DUTCH NEW YORK
Andrea C. Mosterman

CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS
Ithaca and London
Published in association with the New Netherland Institute
Copyright © 2021 by Cornell University
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review,
this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any
form without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage
House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.
Visit our website at cornellpress . cornell . edu.
First published 2021 by Cornell University Press
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Mosterman, Andrea C., author.
Title: Spaces of enslavement : a history of slavery and
re sis tance in Dutch New York / Andrea C. Mosterman.
Description: Ithaca [New York] : Cornell University Press,
2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020056471 (print) | LCCN 2020056472
(ebook) | ISBN 9781501715624 (hardcover) |
ISBN 9781501715631 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501715648 (pdf)
Subjects: LCSH: Slavery— New York (State)— History—
17th  century. | Slavery— New York (State)— History—
18th  century. | Slavery— New York (State)— History—
19th  century. | Slaves— New York (State)—
Social conditions—17th  century. | Slaves— New York
(State)— Social conditions—18th  century. | Slaves—
New York (State)— Social conditions—19th  century. |
Spatial be hav ior— Social aspects— New York (State)—
History—17th  century. | Spatial be hav ior— Social
aspects— New York (State)— History—18th  century. |
Spatial be hav ior— Social aspects— New York (State)—
History—19th  century. | Dutch— New York (State)—
History—17th  century. | Dutch— New York
(State)— History—18th  century. | Dutch— New York
(State)— History—19th  century.
Classification: LCC E185.93.N56 M67 2021 (print) |
LCC E185.93.N56 (ebook) | DDC 306.3/620974— dc23
LC rec ord available at https:// lccn . loc . gov / 2020056471
LC ebook rec ord available at https:// lccn . loc . gov
/ 2020056472
Cover image: Retouched detail from Van Bergen Overmantel,
c. 1733, attributed to John Heaten, oil on cherry wood
boards. H: 16.25 x H: 88.75 in. Fenimore Art Museum,
Cooperstown, New York. Museum purchase N0366.1954.
Photograph by Richard Walker.
To my parents,
Maria Helena Wolbers (1937–2005) and Johannes Theodardus Mosterman

Contents
Acknowl edgments ix
Abbreviations xiii
Introduction: A Spatial Analy sis of
Slavery in Dutch New York 1
1. Enslaved Labor and the Settling of
New Netherland 13
2. The Geography of Enslaved Life in
New Netherland 31
3. Control and Re sis tance in the
Public Space 52
4. Enslavement and the Dual Nature
of the Home 78
5. Slavery and Social Power in Dutch
Reformed Churches 103
Conclusion: A More Benign System
of Slavery? 133
Notes 137
Bibliography 193
Index 223

Acknowl edgments
During the many years that I have worked on
this proj ect, I have relied on the help and encouragement from colleagues, in-
stitutions, friends, and family. Without them, this book would not exist.
Early on in the pro cess, I was fortunate enough to receive the mentorship
from several remarkable scholars. Linda Heywood and John Thornton encour-
aged me to study the history of slavery in Dutch New York, and their contin-
ued guidance proved essential to this study. Lois Horton was one of the very
first people to support my research, and she has remained an impor tant influ-
ence. In the Netherlands, I received significant encouragement from Dienke
Hondius.
Conversations with Brendan McConville and Allison Blakely helped me
frame this study when it was still in its early stages. Since then, multiple people
have aided me with my research: Michael Douma, Russell Gasero, Charles
Gehring, Wendy Harris, Jeroen van den Hurk, Jaap Jacobs, Helene van Ros-
sum, Francis Sypher, Janny Venema, and David Willem Voorhees helped lo-
cate or translate documents. Sherril Tippins scanned documents at the Albany
County Hall of Rec ords when I was not able to travel to New York.
Several people have read my work and given me invaluable feedback. Wim
Klooster, Richard Boles, Dirk Mouw, D. Ryan Gray, and Graham Russell
Hodges read all or parts of this manuscript at its vari ous stages. Special thanks
go to my good friend Melissa Graboyes, who was kind enough to read and
comment on an earlier version of this manuscript. I am similarly grateful for
the New Orleans– based writing group that I have been a part of: without the
thoughtful comments from Laura Rosanne Adderley, Nikki Brown, Guada-
lupe García, Elisabeth McMahon, Angel Adams Parham, and Sharlene Sinegal-
DeCuir this book would have looked very dif er ent. All of these people have
helped me improve my research and writing tremendously.
I could not have completed this research without the assistance of archi-
vists and librarians at the Brooklyn Historical Society, New-Y ork Historical So-
ciety, Gilder Lehrman Collection, New York Public Library, New York State
Archives, New York State Library, Albany Institute of History and Art, Ulster
ix