Editorial in the _Irish-American_, New York, October 14, 1905.
Footnote 5:
On page 121, Vol. V, Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society:
“Thomas the Irishman” is mentioned as in the Dutch records of New
York. Thus, Hon. Peter Stuyvesant, Director-General of New Netherland,
writing to Capt. Martin Cregier, 1663, says: “Your letter by Thomas
the Irishman has just been received.” ... On August 5, 1663, Captain
Cregier writes in his journal: “Thomas the Irishman arrived here at
the Redoubt from the Manhatans.” On September 1, 1663, Captain Cregier
writes: “Thomas the Irishman and Claesje Hoorn arrived with their
yachts at the Kill from the Manhatan,” and on the 17th of the same
month the captain writes: “Thomas the Irishman arrived today.” The
foregoing references may be found in _Documents Relating to the
Colonial History of the State of New York_, edited by Fernow, Vol.
XIII, Albany, 1881.
In the preparation for an exhaustive history of early New York Mr.
Dingman Versteeg, archivist of the Holland Society, has been able to
trace out many heretofore lacking details of the record of the Irishman
who was so prominent here in Governor Stuyvesant’s time.
His name was Thomas Lewis, and he must have gone to Holland from Ireland
some time previous to 1657. How long he remained there does not appear,
but, in that year, he was sent from Amsterdam under contract to the
Dutch West Indies Company as a carpenter to New Amsterdam, as this city
(New York) was then called. His name was transformed in the records to
Thomas Lodewicksen, a sort of Latin-Dutch combination.
For three years after this he does not seem to have made much stir here,
and then he appears as the captain of a bark plying between this city
and Albany. A man of such standing in this community at that time was a
real captain of industry and a citizen of substance.
The favor and regard in which Lewis was held by Governor Stuyvesant is
evidenced by the fact that his bark was used to transport troops in the
Esopus war of 1663, and on it Stuyvesant made his headquarters, so
dating a number of letters still extant.
Lewis was married to a Dutch wife, Geesje Barents, a member of a
prominent and well-known family in this city. He had several children.
One of them, Thomas Lodewicksen, Jr., married Frances, daughter of the
famous Jacob Leisler, head of the colony, which is another indication of
his father’s social prominence.
Lewis died here, on September 14, 1685, and his widow was named
executrix of his will by Governor Dongan, April 1, 1686. There are many
of his descendants among the various Lewis families scattered over this
state, but few of them, perhaps, know that their ancestor was that
“Thomas the Irishman” mentioned so frequently in the old Dutch records
of Stuyvesant’s time.