292 



THE FRENCH BLOOD IN AMERICA 



Minuit fou 

 Christiana 



Jacquett 

 Vice- 

 Director 



De Haes 



Boyer 



Other 



Families 



of whose history is given iu another section of this book. 

 During Minuit' s residence in Delaware the colony came 

 nds under the rule of Sweden, and Minuit was appointed gov- 

 ernor. During his term of office, which was a short one, 

 lasting only from April 28, 1638, to January 30, 16-40, he 

 founded the town of Christiana in Delaware, where he 

 died the year following his release as governor. 



After the Dutch had regained possession of the colony 

 from the Swedes, another Huguenot was placed in a po- 

 sition of the highest authority. Jean Paul Jacquett, born 

 in Nuremberg of French parents, was appointed vice- 

 director in 1655, and was responsible to the governor of 

 New Netherlands for the welfare of the colony. Doubt- 

 less the fact that a refugee occupied the highest position 

 in the colony had much to do with the coming of num- 

 bers of his brethren, for at just about this time a con- 

 siderable tide of immigration set in. Later on, in 1676, 

 Jacquett was made a justice, and was in other ways a 

 man of great distinction iu the colony. He died in 1684, 

 at a patriarchal age. Among his descendants may be 

 mentioned his great-grandson. Major Peter Jacquett, who 

 was a gallant officer in the Continental Army. Two 

 years after Jacquett was made justice, Captain John de 

 Haes was elevated to the same office. Previous to this he 

 had been commissioner to receive and take charge of quit 

 rents, and later, collector of customs at New Castle. 

 Another Huguenot who was prominent in the govern- 

 ment of the colony for many years was Alexander Boyer, 

 who as early as 1648 had been made deputy commissioner 

 of Delaware. 



Among the earlier settlers on the Delaware were the 

 Le Fever brothers, Jacques, Hypolite and Jean. Joost 

 de la Grange came to America in 1656 by way of Hol- 

 land, and became the owner of Tiuicum Island iu 1(562. 

 He left a son named Arnold us. Gerrit Rutan was a cit- 

 izen of the colony before 1660, and established a family 

 well known in Pennsylvania, of which the Hon. James 



