In the bustling city of New Amsterdam, becoming a successful businessman was an option for many: the town was new and needed masters in every skill to do all the required work. This included brewing, one of the most essential as well as lucrative activities of a Dutch town.
Originally from Wijk bij Duurstede, Utrecht, Oloff had sailed to New Amsterdam in 1637 on the Haring as a soldier for the West India Company. Oloff worked as a tax collector until 1648, when he became a freeman. This allowed him to become a merchant and try his hand at the different sectors in town. Brewing beer is what he was most renowned for, setting up his brewery on the Brouwerstraat. He supplied beer to the many places where people gathered to have a drink. Oloff most likely did not do all the work himself, leaving it to the personnel while he managed the finances of the business.
Oloff Stevensen van Cortlandt
Aside from brewing beer, he also made profit from shipping, manufacturing, and land ownership. These successful business endeavours together made Oloff Stevensen one of the wealthiest and most influential men of the colony. He was also chosen to be part of the council of Eight Men in 1645. The Eight Men were outraged by the losses the colony suffered during Kieft’s War and sent a remonstrance to the West India Company and the States General. As a result Director Kieft was replaced by Petrus Stuyvesant. Oloff would also be part of the council of Nine Men in 1649, which dealt with many of the same issues.
In 1655, Oloff was appointed as one of the two burgomasters, or mayor, of the town and would keep holding roles as civil servant for the next twenty years, a legacy that his descendants upheld. His sons also purchased large tracts of land in the expanding New York, most notably the Van Cortlandt Manors and the Van Cortlandt House, making Oloff the first in line in shaping the history of New York.
Ontdek Oloff Stevensen van Cortlandt en de brouwerij