Anthony De Hooges Crosses the Atlantic in Four Months

Anthony De Hooges was 20 years old in 1641 when he crossed the Atlantic from Holland to New Amsterdam. In the New World he was a secretary and business manager — quite likely the first of our ancestors to hold a white-collar job that didn’t involve preaching!

I have trimmed his log of their harrowing voyage. It’s typical of its times in dealing only with the bare facts of what happened -- so much so you almost wish that there’d been a TV reporter there to ask, “How did you feel . . . ?” (I never thought I’d write that.) Only very rarely -- see October 4 -- does he convey their own experience of it.

Note the sailing details and the fact that, while they could determine their latitude by sighting on the sun, they could only “reckon” their longitude.

1641 July 30 In the year of our Lord 1641, we set sail from Texel with an ESE wind and a light breeze, in company with 35 or 36 sail, . . .

17 August Very foggy weather. We sailed six leagues NW by W. The wind was SW. We tacked again and again. At noon we stood in toward shore and in the evening we turned again SW. We should have liked to go to Pleijmuijden [Plymouth] to get water and hay but could not on account of the fog. The frigate which was with us stood toward shore. The galley also became separated from us so that there were only five of us [ships] left.

18 The wind was SW. That night we tacked again and again. Before noon we arived between Pleijmuijden and Goutstart and tacked back and forth. During the night we ran closely past the Meeuwesteen [Mewstone Rock] and let ourselves drift along in a calm. A dead horse overboard.

19 At daybreak the wind SSW. A dense fog set in. We found ourselves before the beacon of Pleijmuijden. There were only two of us, the vice admiral and ourselves. We thought it advisable to run in. Before Draeckenkasteel [Drake Castle] we found five English royal vessels at anchor. . . .

1 October We were in latitude 21 deg. 17 min. Distance sailed 23 leagues W by S . Wind NE with a light breeze. . . .

4 In the morning after mess we began to put things in order to see how many casks of water we still had, as each day we found another one empty. Except for lack of water, we were resolved to set our course straight for New Netherland. In the afternoon when all the casks had been examined, we found that of the 29 casks which we supposed were still left, only 16 were full. These were provided with iron hoops; of the others the hoops had sprung. By reckoning[,] we were still 600 leagues from New Netherland and the animals consumed at least two casks of water in three days, so that we had water for the animals for only 24 days. We began to look at each other. At last after some questions had been asked we decided unanimously that for the preservation of both man and beast it was necessary to go the island of Christoffel [St. Christopher or St. Kitts] and continue our voyage after we had obtained a supply of water. We shaped our course therefore WSW. Wind E by N with a steady trade wind. Latitude 20 deg. 25 min. Distance sailed 24 leagues. . . .

18 At daybreak we set our sails again and ran into the roads [at Christoffel], where with God’s help we anchored a little before noon in 10 fathoms. We found in the roads two Zealand vessels, namely one flute and one frigate. Our course was changed and we drifted five miles WNW and till morning three miles NNW; when we came into the roads we had but one cask of water left. We sent our boat ashore in haste with empty casks. The wind was SE with a stiff breeze. We reckoned that we were in latitude 17 deg. 6 min.

19 During the night and also in the morning, at noon and in the evening the sailors brought some casks of water on board having fine pleasant weather. Most of the time there was a land breeze. We saw two sail which did not stop in the roads. In the early part of the night we took another boat load of water on board.

20 Sunday; no water was drawn. Meanwhile we filled the casks in the hold. We also careened our ship and cleaned the side. Foggy weather with drizzling rain and calm.

21 In the morning we took more water on board and had a travado from the SW with much rain. The sea began to run high. The rain lasted till the afternoon. A small English vessel drifted from shore and the English on board had neither anchors nor cables so that it was carried far out to sea. The frigate went out and caught it again. In the evening we took some more water on board.

22 We took our last load of water on board and stored it away. We cleaned the other side of our ship and got ready to set sail. The wind was SE.

23 At two o’clock in the night we set sail again in God’s name. May He bring us to the place of our destination. The wind was variable but mostly calm. . . .

2 November We were in latitude 25 deg. 44 min. Distance sailed 18 leagues. Wind mostly SE with a light breeze. During the night we had a travado from the ENE. We reefed all our sails. The wind went around the entire compass . It was the hardest travado we had had. It blew very hard with much thunder and lightning and hard pelting rain.

3 At half past two o’clock in the night the wife of Govert Loockemans gave birth to a daughter. [Marritje, daughter of Govert Loockermans and Ariaentje Jans, baptized 1 Dec 1641, NY Reformed Dutch Church] Thus was our number increased; God be praised. In the morning after breakfast we set our sails again after having had very rough weather during the night. The wind was west; thereafter E by N. The sea began to run high from the north. No latitude was taken at noon. We reckoned that we had sailed 14 leagues NNW.

4 In the morning after the dogwatch we took in the foresail and let ourselves drift with the aftersails. It began to blow very hard and to look ugly. At daybreak we took off the foresail bonnet and stood on with the courses. The wind was ENE. We were not able to take the latitude at noon. The distance sailed was 16 leagues NW by N. Wind as above. Rough weather, high seas and fog on the horizon. In the evening the wind began to turn southerly. . . .

15 In the morning a stiff NE breeze sprang up. Drizzling rain and dark weather. We got no observation at noon. We reckoned that we had sailed 11 leagues NW. By reckoning were in latitude 38 deg. 38 min. At noon we sounded and found no bottom. We shaped our course NW by W to reach the coast. It was very dark foggy weather with a stiff breeze and high seas. Wind NE. At four bells in the afternoon we took in our topsails and spritsail. We hove the lead again and found bottom at 38 fathoms. It was coarse sand with black specks and small broken shells. A storm came up so that we took in the foresail and let ourselves drift with the mainsail and spanker. The wind was ENE with dark weather and drizzling rain. In the evening after the watch was set we sounded and found 35 fathoms, sand as above. In the first watch we took soundings again at 25 fathoms, very fine sand, ash-gray with black specks. We put the ship’s head to the north to get near the coast as with that wind we could stand off and on. After the dogwatch we found ourselves in 23 fathoms, sand as before.

16 At daybreak after having had stormy weather we hove the lead and found 22 fathoms. We were afraid of a SE wind and therefore turned to the east to get somewhat further off shore as it blew very hard with dark weather, drizzling rain and high seas. At noon we reckoned that since noon of the day before we had sailed and drifted 10 leagues about WNW and that we were in latitude 38 deg. 54 min. We found soundings of 25 and in the evening of 32 fathoms. We were then driven eastward from shore. We would have landed about between the suijtbaaij [South Bay or Delaware Bay] and the Hoofden [the headlands at either side of the Narrows]. But it did not please the Lord that time to grant us the relief to which we had looked forward so long. The hard storm obliged us to stand out to sea again and we had no sight of land.

17 The storm continued with dark rainy weather and very high seas. We could hardly carry a reefed mainsail. The wind was NE and NE by N. At noon we got no observation. We reckoned that we had been driven 12 leagues SE by S. We were obliged to stand out to sea as we did not dare touch a sail and did not know how the wind might turn. Toward evening we took in our mainsail and hauled to the wind, with a reefed spanker. The storm continued. Wind became N and we were driven S. . . .

27 At daybreak we made sail agian. The weather became very foggy with drizzling rain so that we could not see a ship’s length. We anchored therefore in 13 fathoms. Meanwhile we caught a large quanitity of codfish smaller than those in Holland but very white. Toward noon it cleared up. The wind was NW by W with a topsail breeze. We saw the whole coast and found ourselves between Barnegat and de Sael [The Saddle]. We therefore set sail. Toward evening we saw Renselaers hoeck [Sandy Hook? Highlands? ] N by W of us about two and a half leagues and there we anchored. Wind northerly.

28

In the morning there came a stiff breeze from the NNW. Toward noon we weighed anchor to see whether we could get a little further by tacking. While under sail we were becalmed. No latitude at noon. We reckoned that from noon of the day before till the time we anchored we had sailed six leagues NNE. In the evening we dropped anchor again as there was still a dead calm. At night a light breeze sprang up from the SE and we made sail. We came close to the hooge hoeck [Highlands of Nayesink] and let ourselves drift while waiting for the day.

29 At daybreak we ran to the Sandpunt [Sandy Hook] and as we rounded it too close we got aground on a reef which had formed there within a year. After two hours we got afloat again. God be praised, we suffered no damage and with good speed passed between the Hooffden [the headlands at either side of the Narrows] and in the afternoon came to anchor at the Manhatans in front of the Smits Vaeij [the Smits Vly on the East River] in four fathoms. At anchor there we found a flute, called the de witte Valck [The White Falcon], laden with salt and sugar. Thus the Lord delivered us at last after much adversity, for which be He praised forever. Amen . The next day a dead horse overboard.

[Endorsed]

Journal of anthonij de Hoges, of his voyage to New Netherland beginning 30 July ending 29 November 1641.

ANTHONY DE HOOGES

born 14 Dec 1620 Noord Holland, Netherlands

married Eva Albertse Bradt Oct 1647 Albany, Albany County, New Netherlands

died ~11 Oct 1655

ANCESTORS: We know his parents and have suspicions about his grandparents.

COUSINS: He was the youngest of eight children, but we don’t know their history or whether they emigrated.

DESCENDANTS: Many, although only in female lines: the surname De Hooges died out in two generations.

Person:Anthony De Hooges (1)