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Material to Study Before Your Visit to the Colonial Dames Museum
Time Line Highlights Including Early History of New York
1492: Columbus discovered
America
1609: Henry Hudson, early explorer, Hudson River was named for him
1613: First Dutch Settlers on Manhattan Island
1620: Dutch Trading Post established on Manhattan Island
1625: Fort New Amsterdam established
1626:
Pieter Minuet purchased Manhattan for beads and trinkets worth $26.00
He was first Governor of New Amsterdam
1647-1664: Pieter Stuyvesant, Governor of New Amsterdam
1664: Dutch surrender to English and New Amsterdam becomes New York
1776-1783:
Revolutionary War, led by General George Washington
who became the first President in 1789
The National Society of Colonial Dames in the
State of New York
215 East 71st Street ~ New York, NY 10012
Words you will hear on Your Visit
Beavers: small
animals whose skins were sent to Holland for making men s hats. These hats
were so popular that the trade of skins helped establish New Amsterdam as
a port
Trade: the exchange, buying or selling of goods; for
example beaver furs were shipped to Europe and fabrics fine household goods
were shipped back
Merchant: a person who buys and sells goods for a profit
Tradesman: a person who works with his hands and has learned a special skill
Apprentice: A young person who works for master tradesman to learn a trade or skill
Indentured Servant: A person who works under a written agreement that binds him to work for a certain length of time; for example to pay off the cost of the trip from Europe to New Amsterdam
Slave: a person who is owned by another person and has no freedom at all
Bentside spinet or Harpsichord: An early musical instrument similar to a piano
Minuet: A slow, graceful, stylized dance popular during the colonial era
Quill: A large stiff feather whose tip is sharpened into a point for writing
Carder: a tool similar to a wire brush used to comb or separate fibres, especially wool, before spinning
Spinning Wheel: a foot pedal operated wooden machine used to pull the fibres and twist them into thread or yard for weaving or knitting
Weave: to
form into fabric by passing threads or yarn over and under one another on
a loom
Jabot: a broad ruffle of lace worn on the front of a
man s shirt
Pannier: a pair of hoops used to expand or hold out a woman s skirt at the sides
Fichu: a scarf worn by a woman
Mobcap: a
cotton cap worn indoors by women and girls