July 1, 2008 145 years of abolition of Dutch Slavery

On July 1, 2008 it will be exactly 145 years ago that the Dutch slavery has been abolished in Surinam, The Netherlands Antilles & Aruba.

Some members of the Van Romondt Family also had slaves working on their plantation. Judith van Romondt-Rink Tielenius Kruythoff married Johannes Willem van Romondt and was owner of the RETREAT ESTATE in Sint Maarten N.A. August Alexander van Romondt and other members of the family also had slaves working on their plantation ( documents still have to be scanned)

In the book Cul-de-Sac people historian Mathias Voges writes about the plantation and the families that grew up there. The following pictures is taken from the book and lists the freed slaves owned by Judith van Romondt- Rink Tielenius Kruythoff.



Source pictures: Malaki Z. Croes (AUA)

We are looking for any living descendants of the many families mentioned in this document. If you know anyone please ask them to contact the Van Romondt W.I.B.Family Tree Research Project.

Our special contact Heather Nielsen send us the following information:
In the Curaçaosche Courant of May 25, 1822 there appears a letter adressed to Abraham Heyliger, St. Martin, dutch part, this letter had formerly been published in the Saint Christopher Courant on March 26, 1822 and it gives a list of the undersigners, first part white people, second part "free people of color" living in St. Martin at the time:

J. Ailen (or Allen), Abraham Arrindell jun., J.C. Arrindell, L. Arrindell, D. Atwell, Jacob F. Barry, John Barry, Benjamin Barton, Joshua Blakey, N.D. Blyden, John W. Burke, Richard Burke, Abraham Cannegieter, John H. Carty, R. Chippendale, James Cuthbert, John H. Davis, Lucas Davis, Jonathan Derrick, Johannes S. Gibbes, John Gruebey, Nathaniel Halman, Noah Hart, John Hirst, J.C. Hitzler, John H. Howell, William R. Howell, George Illidge jun., George Illidge, John Leverick, William Leverick, F.C. Machlott, Peter Maillard, William Hm. Maillard, Giles Mardenbrough, Alexander Nisbet, David Nisbet sen., David Nisbet jun., Abraham Oyen, Lucas Percival, Thomas Percival, James Peterson sen., James Peterson jun., John Daniel Peterson, Peter John Peterson, Thomas Peterson, William P. Peterson, M. Phillips, Jonathan Potter, Samuel Potter, John E. Richardson, R.R. Richardson, Thomas Richardson, P. Rogers, John J. Romney, Joseph Romney, Solomon Romney, Thomas Romney, John Rowland, Derick Smith, John D.Thomas, John Toland, L. van Britton, John Violenes, Nicholas Violenes, Azer Vlaun, Charles Vlaun, James Vlaun sen., James Vlaun jun., Peter Vlaun, Andrew A. Wade, Thomas L.P. Wade, P. Webster, Laurence Westerband, William Williams sen., William Williams jun.

Signed Phillipsburg St. Martin, 18.3.1822.


Second letter "We, free persons of the color... etc."
Kingsale Albert, Edward Azular, Robert Bailey, Samuel Bailey, A. M. Balborda, Isaac M. Balborda, A.F.R. Bancamper, Thomas R. Bart, George Barton, John Buntin, James Carty, John Carty, Richard Cashwell, John Creed, Elias Delyon, Lorang W. Discomb, John Doncker, William Gibbes, George G. Hanson, John William Hanson, A. van Heyningen, Peter Heyliger, Thomas Heyliger, Joseph Labega, John D. Pantoplet, Edward Richardson,

Signed Phillipsburg 15.3.1822.