Beverwijck -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Glossary -- Introduction -- Problem defined -- Historiography and definition -- Method and sources -- I. Constructing a Village: material planning -- Van Slichtenhorst, Rensselaerswijck, and the Indians -- Van Slichtenhorst and Van Twiller's rule in Rensselaerswijck -- Van Slichtenhorst and the Machicans -- Van Slichtenhorst and the Maquaes -- Planning a center for Rensselaerswijck -- Value of maps -- Building a bijeenwoninge -- Company versus patroon: Escalation of the conflict -- Developement of Beverwijck -- Distributing Patents -- Laying out the village -- Roads and Bridges -- Lots and fences -- Houses -- Other spaces and construction on the lots -- Gardens -- Constructions of general interest to the community -- Corps de guarde -- The Blockhouse church -- The poor house -- A school -- Mills -- Brick and tile yards -- Indian accommodations -- Palisades -- Conclusion -- II. Beverwijck: Creating an orderly village -- Beverwijck's society -- A mix of people -- Burghership -- The burgher gaurd -- Community feelings -- Forced labor: Slaves -- Stabilizing factors in a new society: The State -- The court -- Orphan masters -- Medical care -- Stabilizing factors in a new society: The church -- Church and state -- A public church -- The minister -- The consistory -- Other church functions -- Education -- Charity -- A new environment: Contact with Indians -- Beavers and sewant as currency -- Meetings and the exchange of gifts -- Communication: Maintaining an iron chain -- Indian-Dutch relationships -- Conclusion -- III. The Van Rensselaers as commercial entrepreneurs -- Trade in the upper Hudson -- The trading season -- Trade items -- Trade regulations -- The role of women -- The Van Rensselaers and the trade -- Maintaining the trade in Amsterdam.

Maintaining the trade in New Netherland during Jan Baptist's directorship -- Maintaining the trade in New Netherland during Jeremias' directorship -- Place in the community: Life style -- The patroon's property in Beverwijck -- The patroon's house on the inside -- Outer appearence: Clothing -- Social life: The importance of friends -- Social life: Maintaining friendships in the New World -- Church memberships -- Marriage -- Family life: Illness, children, and friends -- Conclusion -- IV. Successful burghers -- Dirck Jansz Croon -- Active in two worlds -- Back in Amsterdam -- A family trading network -- Pieter Hartgers -- Family ties -- An active community member -- A farewell to Beverwijck -- Volckert Jansz -- Early arrival and trade -- Cooperation and investment in land -- A German Lutheran in a Dutch Reformed village -- Philip Pietersz Schuyler -- Gunstocks, marriage, and trade -- Property and the value of location -- Being a part of the community -- Signs of success -- Sander Leendertsz Glen -- Living and sailing on the Noordrivier: A Scottish family -- Taking risks -- A Scotsman in Beverwijck -- Conclusion -- V. Busy workers -- Blacksmiths and gunstock makers -- Many smiths -- Cooperation with gunstock makers -- Location and success -- Bakers -- A baker's work -- The value of location: Around the first kill -- Other bakers along present-day Broadway -- Protecting the home front -- Many bakers -- Brewers -- The importance of beer -- Bronck's brewery -- Organization of brewing business -- Breweries and their success -- Tavern keepers -- Many taverns, many tavern keepers -- A risky business -- Regulations and excises -- The tavern: A place for business and entertainment -- Tavern as the frontier -- Conclusion -- VI. Strategies of survival -- Living conditions -- Prices -- Wages and living conditions -- Literacy as a cultural tool.

Poverty: Definition and size -- Organization of poor relief in Beverwijck -- Cooperation of state and church -- Care provided by the state -- Care provided by the church -- Strategy -- Honest poor and efficiency -- Help for the longer term -- Examples of preventive poor relief -- Methods to prevent poverty -- Methods -- People living on their own -- Work -- Boarding -- Supervision -- The poor in the community -- Appearance of the poor in the records -- Poverty in the eyes of fellow villagers -- Voluntary poor relief -- Conclusion -- Conclusion -- Abbreviations -- Notes -- Unpublished primary sources -- Bibliography -- Samenvatting -- List of maps and illustrations -- Personal Name index -- Geographical index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Z -- Curriculum Vitae.