A woman born in the Rhine Valley built a commercial empire in 17th-century New York, including several ships, Manhattan real estate, and transatlantic trade. Her story is one of entrepreneurship that endured even the change in legal systems that restricted women’s rights.
From Debt Collector to Fleet Owner
Margareta Hardenbroeck arrived in New Amsterdam in the late 1650s as a young woman without wealth. Her first job was collecting debts for her cousin, Wolter Valck. Although not a prestigious occupation, it gave her a great understanding of the local market and valuable connections with Dutch merchants.
She quickly expanded her activities. Margareta became a trade agent for several Dutch merchants, bartering small goods such as pins, cooking oils, and vinegar for valuable furs. In a society where Dutch law allowed women to run businesses independently, her business talent could fully flourish.
In 1659, she married Peter Rudolphus de Vries, but true to her character, continued to do business under her maiden name. The marriage lasted only two years. After her husband’s death in 1661, Margareta inherited a significant fortune, which became the foundation of her trading expansion.
Marriage as a Business Strategy
One year after her first husband’s death, Margareta faced the choice of a second partner. Her decision revealed that she also treated marriage as a business venture. Frederick Philipse was a wealthy merchant, who, thanks to trade with Native Americans and good relations with colonial governors, became one of the most influential men of the colony.
Before the wedding, Margareta secured her own interests legally. The marriage followed the Dutch formula, which allowed a woman to retain legal identity and run a business in her own name. She also signed a marriage contract ensuring her daughter Eva from her first marriage would inherit all her father’s fortune as well as a share of the new family’s assets.
Frederick Philipse, understanding the situation, went even further. He adopted two-year-old Eva and promised that if he had no children of his own, she would inherit half his estate. If other children were born, she would receive an equal share with them. This thoughtful legal structure shows how precisely Margareta planned her family’s financial future.
When Laws Become the Enemy
In 1664, Margareta Hardenbroeck’s world turned upside down, not due to personal tragedy or a failed venture, but because the English took over New Amsterdam and renamed it New York. With the change in power came new laws that struck directly at women’s independence.
Under English administration, Margareta lost most of the rights she had previously taken for granted. She could no longer independently buy goods or act as a legal agent. Most painfully, all profits from her thriving businesses legally became her husband’s property.
However, Margareta was not a woman to give up easily. Rather than withdraw from business, she found a way to circumvent the new law. Formally, Frederick Philipse was the owner, but in reality, she continued to manage the enterprises. Her knowledge, contacts, and experience were too valuable for him to relinquish.
An Empire at Sea and on Land
Margareta’s assets included lots in Manhattan and Bergen, as well as a fleet of ships named New Netherland Indian, Beaver, Pearl, and Morning Star. One of her vessels bore the name King Charles. On these ships, she made numerous journeys between Europe and America as supercargo — the person responsible for all purchases and sales during each voyage.
The role of supercargo required not just business acumen, but also courage. Transatlantic journeys in the 17th century were dangerous and lasted for weeks. Margareta repeatedly took these risks, personally overseeing the most crucial transactions in her empire.
Thanks to her fortune, Frederick Philipse was able to expand his estates and become one of the wealthiest men in New York. The couple jointly purchased more land and developed transatlantic trade. Their estate reached an impressive 52,000 acres.
Unfortunately, a significant part of their wealth came from the slave trade. The Philipse family was regarded as one of the largest slave traders in the northern colonies and made extensive use of enslaved labor in their enterprises.
In 1698, Governor Lord Bellomont forbade Frederick Philipse from holding public office specifically because of his involvement in transporting enslaved people to New York. Despite his long tenure on the governor’s Executive Council, this activity ultimately ended his political career.
The Legacy of an Entrepreneurial Immigrant
Margareta Hardenbroeck died around 1691, leaving not just a vast fortune but also an impressive dynasty. Her daughter Eva from her first marriage wed Jacobus Van Cortlandt, a wealthy merchant who would serve twice as mayor of New York City.
Through Eva, Margareta became the grandmother of Frederick Van Cortlandt and Mary Van Cortlandt, who married Peter Jay. From this union came John Jay, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. The great-grandson of a modest immigrant from the Rhine Valley became the first Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.
The second line of descendants also attained prominent positions. Margareta’s grandson, Frederick Philipse II, became the second lord of Philipsburg Manor and married the daughter of New York’s acting colonial governor. The family’s connections intertwined with the history of the young American nation in ways Margareta could never have foreseen.
The story of Margareta Hardenbroeck reveals the paradox of colonial America. On the one hand, it was a land of opportunity where a woman without wealth could build a trading empire. On the other hand, a political change could, overnight, strip her of rights she had considered natural. Margareta found ways to survive under both systems, adapting her strategies but never giving up control of her business.
Margot Cleverly
Margot's journey into women's history began with a box of forgotten letters in a Cambridge archive – suffragettes whose voices had been silenced for over a century. Since then, she's been on a mission to uncover the stories history overlooked.
What she writes about: Queens who ruled from the shadows. Scientists whose male colleagues took credit. Revolutionaries who risked everything. But also ordinary women – those who survived wars, raised families through upheaval, and shaped their communities in ways no one bothered to record.
Margot turns historical figures into real people. She writes with warmth and detail, making centuries-old stories feel surprisingly relevant. Rigorous research meets accessible storytelling – no dusty academic jargon, just compelling narratives backed by solid facts.
When she's not writing, you'll find her in regional archives, collecting oral histories, or visiting sites connected to the women she writes about.