David Pieterszen de Vries

David Pieterszen de Vries was a prominent Dutch merchant and captain of voyages to the Arctic Circle, Newfoundland, the Horn of Africa and the East Indies.

De Vries was a member of prominent business investors from Amsterdam who established the Zwaanendael colony in 1629, situated near the south cape of the Delaware Bay with ambitions to become patroons of the colony. Beside him, in this enterprise were involved Kiliaen de Rensselaer, Samuel Godijn, Samuel Blommaert, Albert Burgh, and Joannes de Laet. However, the project failed as the settlers had been massacred and their fort burned to the ground in 1632, but de Vries managed to establish two other settlements – on Staten Island in 1639 and in Vriessendael, north of Pavonia in 1640.

De Vries advocated for peaceful relations with the Native Americans and tried to prevent Director Willem Kieft from launching the Pavonia Massacre in February 1643, which caused the Indian War.

That same year, de Vries made a deicision to return back to Holland.

In 1655 he published a book entitled Korte Historiael Ende Journaels Aenteyeckeninge (Historical and Journal Notes of Several Voyages), which serve as an important historical source on New Netherland.