Almshouse Immigrants

"In 1654 about 27 or 28 children arrived on the Peereboom (The Pear Tree). Only one name is known: the 16-year-old Hendrick Claesz. He was assigned to Lodewijck Jongh on 16 Nov. 1654. In 1655 another group arrived of nine girls between 13 and 23 years old and seven boys at the age of 12 to 17. In 1659 another group followed of six children. 

The Amsterdam City Council was cutting down expenses on the almshouses and Stuyvesants' request for "new blood" gave them the idea to select from these orphans of non-citizens. The children were volunteers, but it is unknown what the authorities told them. They were selected on health, not on skills and education. Later on the orphans were also recruited in Holland to serve as contract laborers in New Amsterdam." 

The following is one list of children sent from the Old World to the new, as written by a letter from the Burgomasters of Amsterdam to Director-General Pieter Stuyvesant on 27 May 1655. The almshouse children had "in all probability" come to New Amsterdam aboard the ship De Waegh (The Weigh-House) and that it sailed on 7 June 1655 and arrived on 13 Aug. 1655 under the command of Capt. Frederick de Coninck.

Source:
Ship Passenger Lists, New York and New Jersey (1600-1825)
Carl Boyer
[3rd ed., 1978]
pp. 136-137

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Jan            17

Mathys Coenratsen    16

Jannitje Dircx        19

Lysbet Gerrits        16

Marritje Hendrik    16

Jan Hendricksen    12

Catalyntje Jans    13

Debora Jans        15

Lysbet Jans        18

Tryntje Jans        22

Otto Jansen        13

Annitje Pieters        17

Tryntje Pieters        23

Guillaume Roelants    17

Peter Stoffelsen    13

Hendrick Thomasen    14

Dieuwer Volcherts    16

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A tip o' the hat to: AwesomeGenealogy.com who transcribed this information in
August 2002 and to the Olive Tree Genealogy site of Lorine McGinnis Schulze.