This project examines the interconnections between Native American, African American, and Dutch, German, French, English, and other groups in early Albany County, focusing on the period 1664-1827 from the start of English governance to the end of slavery in New York State, by documenting archival materials and other resources held in repositories across Albany County.
Related Events:
October 12: Lecture Series: Documenting Untold Stories & Archives Workshop. Held at ACHA (King’s Place, near Ten Broeck Mansion). Noon-4 pm. Free. Register here.
November 19: Documenting Untold Stories: Stories from Historic Handwriting & Grant Workshop. Online lecture & workshop. 2-3 pm. Free. Register here.
December 10: Documenting Untold Stories: Stories from Historic Handwriting & Grant Workshop. Online lecture & workshop. 7-8 pm. Free. Register here.
In Progress: visit soon for further information about the Documenting Untold Stories Project conducted in collaboration with the New York State Library and New Netherland Institute.
Receipt for sale of enslaved boy, Thom, by Joseph Flora [Flory] to Evert Wendell, July 13, 1718
Ink on paper
Wendell Family Papers, Albany County Historical Association
While brief, this receipt highlights the complex relationships between enslaved persons and enslavers in the context of the rapid expansion of slavery in Albany in the early 18th century. The document is a bill of sale for a boy, about fifteen years old, sold by Joseph Flora to Albany merchant Evert Wendell. The name “Thom” is only discovered written on the verso of the document, in Evert Wendell’s handwriting. The document reveals the harsh valuation system of the slave trade, in which skills, health, and perceived potential shaped sale prices. Thom likely demonstrated specialized skills, reflected in his relatively high valuation. Another enslaved individual’s life is revealed by a study of the document’s verso: an enslaved person named Susana, who is appraised at about 1/6 Thom’s valuation. Susana is possibly a much older woman, but more likely a young child, who makes up part of the cash transaction for the purchase of Thom. It is possible that Joseph Flora was seeking a young girl to be trained for housekeeping or other specialized trades such as textile production in his own household, or he may have sold her again quickly after this transaction.
Members of the Flora/Flory family have roots in the Palatinate area of Germany, a source of significant migration to the colonies in 1730s onward; the date of this document indicates earlier immigration from this region, or possibly Switzerland, where the Flory/Flora name is also common. The Flora/Flory family continued their practice of enslavement; a man named Richard Flory from Oyster Bay, New York, is recorded as having slaves in 1804.
Albany-born Evert Wendell (1681-1750) built his wealth from capitalizing on trade with Mohawk (Kanien’kehá:ka) in the region as a teen – like Thom, he possessed many skills and showed potential as a young person. Unlike Thom, Evert Wendell was not forced to give away his labor for free. Wendell’s influence expanded as he took upon additional roles as an auditor, tax collector, and attorney. Upon his death in 1750, his son Abraham was bequeathed all of the persons Wendell had enslaved – among them may have been Thom, who would have been about 47 at the time.
Recollections [excerpt], Van Allen Family Register by Adam Van Allen (1813-1884), c. 1856-1884
Ink in leather bound journal
Van Allen Family Papers, Albany County Historical Association
This excerpt from the Van Allen Family Register represents the recollections of Adam Van Allen, descendent of early Dutch settlers, from the 1850s. Among his assembled family genealogies, portraits, and collected receipts and other documents related to his extensive family, Van Allen wrote recollections of eighteenth-century and early nineteenth-century family life in the Albany region. He notes that African Americans were nearly equally in population to those of European descent. Regarding the practice of Dutch settlers and enslavement, he asserts “It was considered necessary for each family to own two or more [enslaved persons], and there were usually kitchens and other buildings and conveniences, appropriated for their especial use and comfort.” Surviving structures and archaeological sites, including the remains of enslaved persons’ living quarters at the Ten Broeck Mansion, support Van Allen’s observations. Likewise, Van Allen notes the tradition of enslaved persons joining the households of newly married white Albanians, which is supported by contemporary documentation. His assertion that enslaved persons “were always treated with great indulgence and kindness” is not borne out in historical records. The full text of this document is digitized and transcribed by the ACHA.
List of items for funeral gathering, c. 1780
Sold by Albert Van Der Zee (either 1743-1785 or 1738-1822) for funeral gathering for William Fonda
Ink on paper
Van Allen Family Papers, Albany County Historical Association
This document, written largely in Dutch, records 72 tobacco pipes and 2 pounds of tobacco, plus nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and 11 gallons of wine purchased for a funeral gathering. Hospitality involving ritual foods and tobacco consumption were an important part of Dutch households in the Albany region. Adopted from Native American cultures, tobacco (smoked in clay pipes) was given out as gifts during Dutch family gatherings, including funerals, and wine was mulled with spices imported from areas across Asia to make a richly flavored punch. Guests sampled the punch at the gathering, often using special silver punch bowls and picking out liquor-soaked raisins with small tongs or spoons. Sugar, an expensive commodity, was harvested and made almost entirely by African enslaved persons in the Carribean.
Funeral or Memorial Spoon for Johanna Abel, 1828
Silver
Anonymous Gift, Albany County Historical Association
This spoon, dating from 1828, is engraved “In Memory/Johanna Abel.” Anna (Johanna) Marshall (1752-1828) married German immigrant Andrew Abel in 1771 in the Albany Dutch Reformed Church; she may have been of Huguenot ancestry. Andrew Abel was a leatherworker, and died in 1791, after which Anna managed the household alone for 35 years. The product of Albany silversmiths Robert Shepherd (1781-1853) and Wiliam Boyd (1774-1840), this spoon and its related engraving represents the persistence of the Dutch and German custom of tokens given to pallbearers and extended family at funerals. In Europe and in some areas of North America, gloves, handkerchiefs, or smaller silver or pewter items were distributed at funerals to the close circle of the departed. In the Hudson Valley, the custom became more standardized with sets of spoons engraved to commemorate a death. The ritual distribution of objects after a loved one’s death was a custom shared by Mohawk (Kanien’kehá:ka) families.
The terms and statements made in historic documents do not reflect the views of the Albany County Historical Association or participating partners.
This project has been implemented with the support of an Archives Collaborations Grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) of the National Archives. We thank the Albany County historical societies and other organizations who have contributed their volunteer hours to assist in making this project possible.