Essays & Talks
Over many years, the New Netherland Project and the New Netherland Research Center, working with the New Netherland Institute and its predecessor the Friends of New Netherland, have published essays and hosted talks by leading scholars.
Essays include the Annals series by Dr. Charles Gehring, originally undertaken with the support of the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York. Talks typically were presented at the annual meeting of the New Netherland Institute or the annual Rensselaerswijck Seminar (renamed the New Netherland Seminar in 2009). Also be sure to watch our NNRC scholars' video presentations, a fairly recent but growing content medium.
"Govert Loockermans (1617?-1671?) and His Relatives: How an Adolescent from Turnhout Worked His Way up in the New World"
This is a translation of the article "Govert Loockermans (1617?-1671?) en zijn verwanten: Hoe een Turnhoutenaar zich wist op te werken in de Nieuwe Wereld" by Willem Frijhoff (Erasmus University, Rotterdam / VU-University, Amsterdam), which was published in Taxandria, Jaarboek van de Geschied- en Oudheidkundige Kring van de Antwerpse Kempen, LXXXII (2011), 5-68.
The translation was made by Wim Vanraes for the New Netherland Research Center in 2014. It provides the background for the correspondence of Govert Loockermans, 1647-71, which is held by the New York Historical Society as part of the Stuyvesant-Rutherford Papers (over 60 documents).
Explorers, Fortunes and Love Letters
Published in 2009, this collection of essays pulls from diverse perspectives--social, cultural, intellectual, economic, and political--to weave together the dynamic and diverse history of the Dutch in America. Two of these essays are available below. Purchase the entire collection in our book store.
Annals of New Netherland
A series by NNRC Director Charles Gehring funded by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York that lays before the public instructive but entertaining pieces relating to our Dutch heritage. This series also contains an essay on the New Netherland Project, which was directed by Dr. Gehring.
Privatizing Colonization: The Patroonship of Rensselaerswijck
The patroonship plan of colonization was attempted in various regions. Only Rensselaerswijck proved a success.
The Dutch among the People of the Long River
The name Long River comes from the local Algonquians. The Dutch called it the Fresh River. Today it's known as the Connecticut.
A collection of essays by the Keeper of Manuscripts at the New York State Library early in the 20th Century, edited by Dr. Gehring.
Dutch Renaissance: The Story of the New Netherland Project
An award-winning booklet that recounts the story of the New Netherland Project
Lifeblood of American Liberty by Joep de Koning
Governors Island, landing place of the first colonists from the Dutch Republic.
Conversing with Each Other, among Other Things of the Sale of Houses by Adriana E. van Zwieten, Ph. D.
Buying and Selling Real Property in New Amsterdam.
A name dear to every American of Dutch descent by David Voorhees, Ph.D.
The Story of the Holland Society's journal de Halve Maen by its editor.
From Gothic Window to Kloosterkozijn by Jeroen van den Hurk, Ph. D.
Jeroen van den Hurk uses historic documents to analyze the architecture of New Netherland.
Uncovering America's Forgotten Colony
A documentary production about the New Netherland Project, this thirty-minute video provides some historical background about New Netherland and its documentary legacy; it explains the importance of using documentary evidence and dispels some of the misinterpretations of the Dutch in various works of literature.
Janny Venema discusses the area's Dutch cultural roots on WNYT Albany
Janny Venema, the author of a social history on Beverwijck and a biography of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, visited the set of WNYT NBC Albany to discuss the area's Dutch cultural roots.
Dr. Gehring discusses the New York State Museum's "1609" exhibit
In celebration of Albany's quadricentennial in 2009, the New York State Museum exhibited numerous artifacts, images, and cultural objects from the region's early history. In this video, Dr. Gehring speaks about some of the exhibit's historical background.
The Rensselaerswijck and New Netherland Seminars
Selected papers from the Rensselaerswijck Seminar, now the New Netherland Seminar, are presented online in "A Beautiful and Fruitful Place."
In Memoriam
The New Netherland Institute mourns the passing of Stefan Bielinski, long-time historian at the New York State Museum and creator of the Colonial Albany Social History Project. His close friend and collaborator Len Tantillo offers a moving tribute to Bielinksi here.
Online Exhibits
A Tour of New Netherland
Wander a lost world stretching from Connecticut to Delaware
Historical Timelines
Timeline of the Netherlands & Scandinavia in North America
A pictorial walk through time
About the New Netherland Institute
For over three decades, NNI has helped cast light on America's Dutch roots. In 2010, it partnered with the New York State Office of Cultural Education to establish the New Netherland Research Center, with matching funds from the State of the Netherlands. NNI is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. More
The New Netherland Research Center
Housed in the New York State Library, the NNRC offers students, educators, scholars and researchers a vast collection of early documents and reference works on America's Dutch era. More
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