Evert Wendell

Evert Wendell was a merchant from Albany, New York. He was born in 1681 and by the time he was nine years old, his father died leaving his widow and coming-of-age sons to further his business enterprises.

Evert engaged in trade with both Native American and settler clients while still an adolescent. Before his marriage in 1710, he had spent considerable time trading on the frontier beyond Albany. After the marriage, Evert settled down in Albany continuing to work as trader and performing chores for the Albany government including auditing books and collecting taxes. From 1703 he became interested in law and had acted as an attorney who represented his Dutch speaking neighbors before Albany courts.

Evert Wendell left behind him his account book which covers the years 1695 to 1726 and lists almost 2,000 transactions. The book, published under the title - “To Do Justice to Him and Myself”: Evert Wendell’s Account Book of the Fur Trade with Indians in Albany, New York, 1695-1726 – is a major addition to the literature on the fur trade. It provides insights into Native Amer. life, the economics of colonial NY, into the persistence of Dutch culture and trade networks, and into countless other topics.