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by Eddc Richard S. Baskas (Author)
It's interesting to note that in such a time of chaotic turmoil, one would think that such an individual would have stood out and be noted for their incredible survivorship and continuous journeys in securing a place in time that one would have been recognized in history.
His name does not really appear to stand out in any type of history, but he became somewhat of an important figure in New Netherland history, where he began assisting others in establishing their roots in the New World while also doing the same for himself and his future family.
His history is a compilation of his whole life, beginning from his early childhood of setting out on his own as an orphan, his attempts of establishing a home of family in Manhattan and Staten Island, confronting Peter Stuyvesant, to all the chaotic resiliency he faces to the end.
His real history would begin when he, in the company of others, would encounter his nemesis, Peter Stuyvesant, Dutch governor of Manhattan, New York, during the attacks of the local Indians in New Sweden and would begin trying to reclaim what was his (Melyn's) plantation, along with many other problems that would soon test his inner strength.
It was during the seventeenth century that many Dutch and Belgium settlers immigrated to New Amsterdam, or so sometimes called New Netherland or New Sweden, New York, to begin laying claims in the new lands of Staten Island and Manhattan. During this time of establishing a life for themselves and their families, there were many encounters with the local Indians that resulted in having some of their establishments destroyed and some of their families killed. It would be one of the original Staten Island patrons, David Petersen De Vries, who would instigate this destruction by the Indians.
One of these settlers who would feel this wrath would be Cornelius Melyn, a Belgium immigrant. After feeling the effects of these Indian attacks perpetrated by DeVries, Melyn would begin organizing a campaign, with the assistance of the Eight Men to lay a case against De Vries. But as De Vries' commission as governor would be replaced by Peter Stuyvesant, Melyn and his associates would begin forming a case against De Vries, demanding for an immediate investigation to these attacks. Stuyvesant soon caught glimpse of these attacks and immediately began formulating a plan to protect himself.
Now that he was the new governor of New Netherland, Stuyvesant refused to have these settlers treat him as they did with De Vries. Since Melyn wasn't satisfied with the outcomes of the case, Melyn began demanding Stuyvesant to investigate these claims.
When it came to handling these Indian attacks, Stuyvesant basically had no interest in this and shrugged it off by stating that he had done all he could in getting rid of the problem. But this of course angered Melyn even more and caused him to slash out more in his campaign against Stuyvesant. Stuyvesant, feeling Melyn's antagonism, felt that the only way to resolve this matter was to rid of Melyn by whatever means.
