Michael Reyniersz Pauw

Born in Amsterdam in a wealthy merchant family, Pauw was educated in Leiden at law school and later became burgermeester of Amsterdam and a director of the Dutch West India Company.

Under the patroonship system of the Dutch West India Company and from land purchase from the Indians, Pauw acquired the property named Pavonia in 1630. He called this land Pavonia based upon the Latin spelling his own surname which means peacock. The property consisted of large tracts of land at Hoboken, Ahasimus (later Harsimus), and Aressick (later Paulus Hook). It had a strategic position in the main delivery route for the Indian pelts.

Because of conflicts with the directors of the colony Pauw was required to sell back his holdings to the Dutch West India Company in 1633.