A fact from Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 11 August 2009 ( check views). The text of the entry was as follows: Did you know... that the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions allowed the patroonship of Rensselaerswyck in New York, which lasted for over two centuries? A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2009/August.

This article is rated B-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects:

Netherlands This article falls within the scope of WikiProject Netherlands, an attempt to create, expand, and improve articles related to the Netherlands on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, visit the project page where you can join the project or contribute to the discussion.NetherlandsWikipedia:WikiProject NetherlandsTemplate:WikiProject NetherlandsNetherlands articles New York (state): Capital District This article is within the scope of WikiProject New York (state), a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of the U.S. state of New York on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.New York (state)Wikipedia:WikiProject New York (state)Template:WikiProject New York (state)New York (state) articles ??? This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale. This article is supported by WikiProject Capital District (assessed as Low-importance). New Jersey: Hudson County Mid‑importance This article is part of WikiProject New Jersey, an effort to create, expand, and improve New Jersey–related articles to Wikipedia feature-quality standard. Please join in the discussion.New JerseyWikipedia:WikiProject New JerseyTemplate:WikiProject New JerseyNew Jersey articles Mid This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale. This article is supported by the Hudson County Task Force (assessed as Mid-importance).

There are a few issues that may need to be addressed/clarified. First is the first sentence of the Background section, what is the source for that statement that it was a fairly successful colony for being the backwoods? Second is the Resulting Patroonships section, it refers to the Rensselaerwyck patroonship as a colony, and while I agree it was/is referred to as a colony (colonie in Dutch) even though it was part of the larger New Netherland colony it may need to be clarified in this context that the patroonship was referred to as a colony and that it was itself part of a larger colony. I also, if it can be found, would like to see a list of all the patroonships that were established, their location, and their patroons. Clarification may be needed in the lead section stating where geographically the Dutch held their possessions (and therefore would allow patroonships), as their holdings stretched from Albany through NY, NJ, and Delaware. It is also my understanding that the island of Manhattan was exempt from being claimed by as a patroonship, was in the Charter? I would also wikify the first instance of the word colony in the article. Other than this I found nothing else unclear. Camelbinky ( talk) 21:40, 5 August 2009 (UTC) reply

1. Source for first sentence:  Done (it's actually a word-for-word copy+paste from the source, which is public domain)
2. Improper use of "colony":  Done
3. List of patroonships:  Doing... This will be a tough one... Actually many of the original letters to the DWIC registering patroonships are printed in the Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts, so this isn't difficult at all, actually.
4. Exemptions in the Charter:  Done
5. Wikify colony:  Done

upstate NYer 22:29, 5 August 2009 (UTC) reply

Two clarifications- yes you are correct, Fort Orange was not exempted, this was a later issue between the Patroon and the director-general of New Netherland, covered in Cuyler Reynold's Chronicles. I just didnt remember reading the exemption of Manhattan in the article, and wondered if it was indeed in the Charter or if that too was a latter addition. And two- I didnt mean to imply that "colony" was used improperly, on the contrary I agree that Rensselaerwyck should be called a "colony", I just think it should be clarified in the article that it was called that even though it was within a larger colony. Camelbinky ( talk) 00:55, 6 August 2009 (UTC) reply

New Netherland series
Exploration
Fortifications:
Fort Amsterdam Fort Nassau (North) Fort Orange Fort Nassau (South) Fort Goede Hoop De Wal Fort Casimir Fort Altena Fort Wilhelmus Fort Beversreede Fort Nya Korsholm De Rondout
Settlements:
Noten Eylandt Nieuw Amsterdam Rensselaerswijck Nieuw Haarlem Beverwijck Wiltwijk Bergen Pavonia Vriessendael Achter Col Vlissingen Oude Dorpe Colen Donck Greenwich Heemstede Rustdorp Gravesende Breuckelen Nieuw Amersfoort Midwout Nieuw Utrecht Boswijk Swaanendael Nieuw Amstel Nieuw Dorp
The Patroon System
Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
Cornelius Jacobsen May (1620–25) Willem Verhulst (1625–26) Peter Minuit (1626–32) Sebastiaen Jansen Krol (1632–33) Wouter van Twiller (1633–38) Willem Kieft (1638–47) Peter Stuyvesant (1647–64)
People of New Netherland
New Netherlander Twelve Men Eight Men Nine Men
Flushing Remonstrance
v t e

Have added this template to article as it is a significant (and if I might say, fine) contribution to the understaning of NNL. Will try to create other links to it. Djflem ( talk) 08:23, 7 August 2009 (UTC) reply

There were only five patents granted under the orginal plan. They are noted in the patroon article. After 1638, the charter was amended allowing anyone in good standing to purchase land from the native population, though permission to do so needed to be granted. Yonkers and the manors were a result of that liberalization policy. Djflem ( talk) 08:23, 7 August 2009 (UTC) reply

Starting here in the Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts, it lists primary documents registering patroonships. Then starting here it lists whether or not they were actually settled. I'll be updating this over the next few days. This is a wonderful source; thank the lord for Google books! upstate NYer 09:04, 7 August 2009 (UTC) reply

Holy crap I had no idea we had articles for all these things. As you read through, feel free to wikify; I'm not as familiar with the New Netherland subject as you seem to be. Btw, you don't by any chance speak Dutch, do you? upstate NYer 09:06, 7 August 2009 (UTC) reply

He he! I told you, Upstate, that Djflem was "the man" when it came to New Netherland articles. I hadnt seen you (Djflem) around lately, I was worried you had retired. Glad to see you! Camelbinky ( talk) 20:56, 7 August 2009 (UTC) reply