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PETER STUYVESANT

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Militaria Start Price:3,500.00 USD Estimated At:7,000.00 - 9,000.00 USD
PETER STUYVESANT
(1612 – 1672) Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 until it was ceded to the English in 1664, after which it was renamed New York. A major figure in the early history of the city, Stuyvesant greatly expanded the settlement beyond the southern tip of Manhattan, built the protective wall on Wall Street, the canal that became Broad Street, and Broadway. Rare signed document as Director-General of New Netherlands and Curacao, 1p. 16" x 12 1/4", Fort Orange [later Albany, New York], Oct. 25, 1653. Largely untranslated, but almost certainly a grant of land in the vicinity of Fort Orange to Jan [Johannes] Labate, a local official cited in Albany's historical records. Regrettably, an 8" x 3 1/2" section of which about half is text has been lost from the left side of the document, but a later fair copy of the entire document survives and is included in the lot. The document also bears a few small holes costing some letters of text, with fold splits temporarily mended in only a few tiny areas with archival tape on verso. Stuyvesant's large and bold signature, however, remains in fine condition. Estimated accordingly. Fort Orange (Dutch: Fort Oranje) was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland and was on the site of the present-day city of Albany, New York. Due to a dispute between the Director-General of New Netherland and the patroonship of Rensselaerswyck regarding jurisdiction over the fort and the surrounding community, the fort and community became an independent municipality, paving the way for the future city of Albany.