Catalina Trico to William Morris
“Catalina Trico to William Morris.” In The Documentary History of the State of New-York, Vol. III, ed. E. B. O’Callaghan (Albany: Weed, Parsons & Co., 1850). New-York Historical Society Library.
Document Text |
Summary |
| THE FIRST WHITE WOMAN IN ALBANY
Catelyn Trico aged about 83 years born in Paris doth testify and declare that in the year 1623 she came into the country with a ship called the Unity whereof was Commander Arien Jorise belonging to the West India Company being the first ship that came here for the said Company; as soon as they came to Manhattan now called New York they sent two families and six men to Hartford River and two families and eight men to Delaware River and eight men they left at New York to take possession and the rest of the passengers went with the ship as far as Albany which they then called Fort Orange. |
Catelyn Trico is about 83 years old and was born in Paris. She arrived in America in 1623 on a Dutch West India Company ship. The Company sent one group to the Hartford River and another to Fort Orange, known today as Albany. |
| When as the ship came as far as Sopus which is halfway to Albany; they lightened the ship with some boats that were left there by the Dutch that had been there the year before trading with the Indians upon their own accompts and gone back again to Holland and so brought the vessel up; | On the way to Albany, the ship stopped to trade with the local Indigenous community. |
| there were about eighteen families aboard who settled themselves at Albany and made a small fort; and as soon as they had built themselves some huts of bark. | There were about eighteen families on the ship Unity who settled at Albany. They built a small fort. |
| The Mahikanders or River Indians, the Maquase,Oneydes, Onnondages, Cayugas, and Sinnekes, with the Mahawawa or Ottawawaes Indians came and made covenants of friendship with the said Adrien Jorise there Commander bringing him great presents of beaver or otter peltry and desired that they might come and have a constant free trade with them which was concluded upon and the said nations came daily with great multitudes of beaver and traded with the Christians, | As soon as they built some houses out of bark, several Mohawk communities visited to establish trade. They traded beaver pelts with the Dutch. |
| There said Commander Arien Jorise stayed with them all winter and sent his son home with the ship; | Commander Arien Jorise stayed with the settlers all winter and sent his son home with the ship. |
| the said deponent lived in Albany three years all which time the said Indians were all as quiet as lambs and came and traded with all the freedom imaginable, in the year 1626 the deponent came from Albany and settled at New York where she lived afterwards for many years and then came to Long Island where she now lives. | Catelyn Trico lived in Albany for three years. While she was living there the Native American communities did not fight with the colonists. They often came to Fort Orange to trade. In 1626 Catelyn Trico left Albany and settled in New York City, where she lived for many years. She then went to Long Island, where she now lives. |
| The said Catelyn Trico made oath of the
Said deposition before me at her house On Long Island in the Wale Bought This 17th day of October 1688 WILLIAM MORRIS Justice of the peace |
Catelyn Trico promised that everything I’ve written above was true when I visited her house on Long Island on October 17th, 1688.
WILLIAM MORRIS Justice of the Peace |
Adapted from: “Catalina Trico to William Morris.” In The Documentary History of the State of New-York, Vol. III, ed. E. B. O’Callaghan (Albany: Weed, Parsons & Co., 1850). New-York Historical Society Library.
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Background
The Dutch government claimed a large area of North America as a colony, but without colonists their claims were only theoretical. The Dutch West India Company (DWIC) encouraged women to emigrate as well as men. They believed the presence of women would promote the growth of settlements and strengthen their claim to the land. But few Dutch citizens, man or woman, were willing to leave behind their comfortable lives in the Netherlands for an uncertain future in the New Netherland colony. Instead, the DWIC relied on refugees from other parts of Europe.
About the Document
This is Catalina Trico’s account of the early years of the New Netherland colony. Catalina was 83 years old when this account was recorded by an English official in 1688.
Catalina was one of the first settlers in the New Netherland colony. She was most likely a religious refugee from France. While the official recorded she was born in Paris, historians believe she was actually born in the town of Pris in current-day Belgium. Catalina was only a teenager when the Dutch West India Company arranged her marriage to fellow refugee Joris Rapalje on January 21, 1624. Four days later, the newlyweds boarded a ship to New Netherland. Neither of their parents signed their marriage certificate, which suggests that they were orphans or had left their families behind in their home countries. Their arranged marriage shows that the DWIC wanted to settle families in their North American colony.
Catalina recalls a peaceful and fruitful trade relationship with the local Mohawk communities in the first years of her life in New Netherland. She credits this relationship with the success of the settlement of Fort Orange. She mentions moving to New Amsterdam in 1626, but does explain that she had to move because the leader of Fort Orange got the community involved in a war with the Mohawk.
Catalina’s first child Sarah was the first European baby born in New Netherland. Catalina and Joris raised eleven children who settled across New Netherland. Historians estimate that Catalina has approximately one million descendants living in the tri-state area today.
Vocabulary
- Amsterdam: The capital of the Netherlands.
- Dutch West India Company: The company that owned and ran New Netherlands.
- Fort Orange: The Dutch fort and settlement located just to th