New Netherland In 1640, working for the
West India Company Herman arrived in
New Amsterdam, now Lower Manhattan in New York City. Due to his strong personality he soon became an important member of the Dutch community and its commerce. He was an agent for the mercantile house of Peter Gabry and Sons of Amsterdam, and was one of the owners of the frigate "
La Grace," which was engaged in
privateering against
Spanish commerce. In partnership with his sister-in-law and brother-in-law,
Anna Varlett Hack and George Hack, he became the largest exporter of tobacco in America. Trading furs and tobacco for wine and slaves, he quickly became wealthy and the owner of considerable real estate, including most of what is now
Yonkers,
New York. At that point he was one of the most influential people in New Amsterdam, he was elected in 1647 to board of the
Nine Men a body of prominent citizens organized to advise and guide the
Director-General of New Netherland. Herman married December 10, 1651, while he was in New Amsterdam. His wife was Jannetje Marie Varleth, the daughter of Caspar Varleth and Judith Tentenier, of
New Amsterdam. They had five children, Ephraim, Casper, Anna, Judith and Francina. Jannetje died before 1665, and sometime after that Herman married again, this time to Mary Catherine Ward from
Maryland.
Delaware Bay Stuyvesant would send Herman on a diplomatic mission to
New England to resolve concerns about rumors of a
Dutch and
Native American alliance against the
English. Of greater lasting importance, in 1659 he was sent to
St. Mary's,
Maryland with
Resolved Waldron to negotiate the dispute between
New Netherlands and
Maryland's proprietor
Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore over ownership of the lands on the western shore of the
Delaware Bay, that were claimed by both parties. Herman first articulated the argument that
Lord Baltimore's charter was only good for lands that had not been previously settled, and that the short-lived, 1631
Swanendael settlement(usually spelled Zwaanendael), at present day
Lewes,
Delaware, gave the
Dutch prior rights to the whole
Delaware River watershed. Baltimore rejected the argument completely, but subsequently the English successors to the
Dutch title,
the Duke of York and
William Penn, were successful in making the case, ultimately leading to the separate existence of the state of
Delaware. Regardless of the success of the negotiations, Herman had made a good impression on the
Calverts.
Bohemia Manor Herman, weary of conflict with Stuyvesant and remembering the fine lands he crossed in the upper
Chesapeake Bay, offered to produce Lord Baltimore a map of the region in return for a grant of land in the area of his choosing. The offer was accepted and the grant made in September 1660 so Herman began his 10 years of work on the map. Herman selected his first grant of 4000 acres of land and named it "
Bohemia Manor" after his birthplace. It included much of the land east of the
Elk River and north of the
Bohemia River. Because he was of non-British origin, Herman was obliged to apply for citizenship of Maryland by an act of their Assembly. His petition, in 1666, was successful and he became a
naturalized citizen of
Maryland. Once he completed the map of
Maryland and
Virginia in 1670, additional grants were made. They became known as "Little Bohemia," south of the
Bohemia River, and "St. Augustine Manor," stretching to the
Delaware River between St. George's Creek and
Appoquinimink River. In all he owned nearly 30,000 acres (120 km2) and became one of the largest landowners in
North America. For added insurance he then successfully negotiated an agreement to pay a compensatory sum for the territory to the
Susquehannock Native Americans, who owned the land.
Jasper Danckaerts and Peter Sluyter, emissaries of
Friesland pietists, known as
Labadists, met Ephraim George Herman, the son of Herman, in New York and he introduced them to his father in 1679. Initially Herman did not want to grant land to them, only permit their settlement, but in 1683, he conveyed a tract of 3,750 acres (15 km2) to them because of legal issues. The group established a colony but it was not very successful not growing larger than 100 people. The settlement ceased to exist after 1720. For the remainder of his life, Herman managed his plantation and enjoyed the life of a country squire, occasionally engaging in mercantile activities and official duties. He was a member of the governor's council and a justice of
Baltimore County which then included all of the upper
Chesapeake Bay. In 1674,
Cecil County was created, and the first courthouse was built near the
Sassafras River. In 1678, Herman was appointed as Cecil County's Commissioner for Peace to treat with the Native Americans. ==Death==