Dated February 1656
by Nora J. Probasco
In 1656 the WIC (West Indies Company) was in financial trouble and could not pay their investors. The directors arranged a financial settlement and more than 324 investors signed this agreement. The signatures below were investors of the WIC and the signatures were required to acknowledge and accept the arrangement. Apparently Jurriaen (George) Probasco had invested in the WIC. Since he and family were in New Netherland on this date, someone else had to sign for them.
In discussing Dutch practices regarding signing contracts such as this, it is usually a family member or someone very close that would sign a document. Though we have been unable to find any additional information on Gryet van Maes, there is a strong possibility that she may have been Jurriaen (George) Probasco’s mother-in-law or a family member of Heyltje's. Gryet would be a shortened version of Margriet, which is what George and Heyltje named their first daughter. In Dutch naming practices, the first daughter is usually named after the maternal grandmother.
Translation of Jurriaen Probasco's WIC Investment Document
The following is the back or 2nd page of the document. I have put a red box around the entry for Jurriaen (George) Probasco.
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