Charles Crommelin:
1734-04-16 Petition at St. Thomas
Water Island at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
Page 31 - Click to enlarge.To Philippe Gardelin, Governor of the Island of St. Thomas & St. John in America.
The Petition of Charles Crommelin humbly sheweth:
Whereas your Petitioner having lately bought the entire property of Water Island with a design to render it beneficial not only to his posterity but also to the whole government,
That your Petitioner having already been at some cost for to put running stock upon the said Island with a view to put diverse species thereon, also good buildings,
That your Petitioner is very well informed that sundry persons under the pretext of going to fish near unto the said Island, do go onshore with their guns, negros, and dogs for to destroy ... lately not ony the said stock but also the fruits of the hearth (crops) there planted.
Your Petitioner therefore humbly prays that your honour would be pleased to cause your ordonnances (No Trespassing) to be published for any person whatsoever, excepting in distress of weather
Page 32 - Click to enlarge.or for the Company Service not to go on shore of the said Island without first having obtained the liberty from the proprietor or his substitute, and this under such penalties also in your Honour's wisdom shall seem proper, and shall ever be thankful,
St. Thomas, April 16th 1734
Charles Crommelin
2nd Titull
Whereas your Petitioner has a very good piece of land for to cultivate cotton and adjoining onto the Royal Company's Plantation near this Town with a large cistern therein.
That the said piece of land for being so near to the said Plantation, your Petitioner believes that if he should improve it, as he has already begun to do, that the Company's running stock would daily be into it and destroy all his labour by reason of his having no negros thereon.
That your Petitioner well conceives the said piece of land to be situated very commodious for the Long Bay next unto Warneer Abrahamsen of little worth by being exposed to the north yet situated more at hand for Your Petitioner, plantation negros to improve the the said piece.
Your Petitioner therefore humbly prays that your Honour would be pleased to accept of an Exchange of your Petitioner's said piece of land for the like value in the Company's tract in the Long Bay and as in duty bound shall ever be thankful.
St. Thomas, April 16th 1734
Charles Crommelin
P. 32 right side
3rd TitullWhereas your Petitioner by an order from His Britannic Majesty to his Resident at the Court of Denmark [ie. British Ambassador Walter Titley who lived in Copenhagen] by virtue whereof he has obtained their Danish Majesty's order to the Governor of this Island, that a prompt Justice be rendered to him relating to his pretences on the Estate of the Late Messrs. Pieter & James Smith.
That not withstanding the said order, the copy whereof is in the public records of this Island, your Petitioner has waited here of about 19 Months with an incredible patience for the accounts of the said Estate to be settled by Mr. Lawrence Henericksen, Judge of this Island, the which accounts not having been delivered before his death has been very prejudicial to your Petitioner's affair both in this Island and New York where from he has been absent above years from his family,
Your Petitioner therefore humbly prays that your Honour Would be pleased to appoint a proper Person in quality of a Judge to state the said accounts in order that your Petitioner may depart hence, and also in duty bound shall ever be thankful.
St. Thomas, April 16th 1734
[Signed by a Notary Public for Charles Crommelin]
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4th TitullWhereas your Petitioner having sundry Plantations delivered to him by Mr. Lawrence Henericksen, the late Judge of this Island, is a part of his right in the Estates of Peter & James Smith,
The boundaries whereof not being well known and specially of that Plantation adjoining onto Mr. Schonnemann's on the north side heretofore named Vlak Plantation,
That the said Plantation when first given to settle was a remnant of land between other plantations which were laid out to each of their proprietors - the first as he has been told in that neighbourhood was Carrick Bay to Mr. van Beverhoudt - and as the boundaries of the said Carrick Bay are well known near the sea side, it seemed that to be the better place to begin to measure from,
Your Petitioner therefore humbly prays that your Honour would be pleased to order two good men that know the said boundaries for to run thereon, and determine the breadth of Mr. Schonnemann's Plantation to the end of which both the boundaries required do begin, and your Petitioner as is duty bound shall ever be thankful.
St. Thomas April 16th 1734
[ Note: " Carrick Bay " is on the north shore. Known today as Carret Bay it is near cliffs almost 800 feet high and offers spectacular views. A noted Danish historian says the name derives from sea turtles.There are old plantations such as Estate Dorothea and Malleville which date back to Charles Crommelins time but they may either be built over or off limits.
Schonemann probably refers to Jacob, a Notary Public and plantation owner.]
P. 33 left bottom and right
5th Titull
Whereas your Petitioner by his Petition bearing date the 16th of April Last represented to your Honour the hardships under which he laboured in your government by the delays of Mr. Lorentz Henrichsen, the late Judge of the Island, only for the Accounts of Partition of the Estate of Peter
Smith whose heirs I represent,
That your Petitioner further represents to your Honour that although he has from time to time made known his suffrances to the said Judge and made his complaints thereof to your Honour, and upon which complaints your Honour has been pleased to recommend to the said Judge by word of mouth and by letters for to dispatch your Petitioner's said affair, yet neither did your Honour's recommendation nor your Petitioner's prayers in any wise move the said Judge; only in his last days being wearied of your Petitioner's solicitations he told him, and also to others, that the said Accounts were done and that they only wanted to be put together.
That your Petitioner being much aggrieved to hear, since the said Judge's decease, that his said Accounts were not finished, your Petitioner therefore humbly prays that your Honour would, in his justice, be pleased to make choice of persons well versed in such accounts for to work therein with assiduity for without that assistance from your Honour this eternal affair will yet remain and be the entire ruin of your Petitioner whose desires are to retire to his family after near eight year's absence!
Likewise that your Honour would be pleased to consider how many Judges have already had that affair in hand who have died, and how long the said affair might yet remain undecided...
Page 34 - Click to enlarge....if your Honour should not choose persons capable for to terminate the same, all which your Petitioner humbly prays your Honour would cause speedily to be done, and also that satisfaction be given him out of the said Judge Estate for the loss of his time and damages sustained thereby and by wilfully neglecting your Petitioner's said affairs, and also that arbitrators be chosen for to settle the account of the said Judge Henrichsen administration for the time he took to himself the management of your Petitioner's plantations, the produce of which said plantations he has not rendered any account of, and your Petitioner as in duty bound shall ever be thankful.
Charles Crommelin
St. Thomas, May 8th 1734Resolution: - in Danish, undecipherable...
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Swiss Cheese Slices...
The following pages may be the original Petitions of which the copied transcripts are presented above...
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1737 Deliberations
The West India and Guinea Company, St. Thomas and St. John:
The Secret Council Registers of requests and resolutionsSource: RigsArkivet (Danish Archives)
To the honorable Mr. Captain Frederick Moth, Commander and Governor of the Danish islands in America
Dear noble Lord.
Charles Crommelin, merchant, having arrived on this island of St. Thomas with news from Europe concerning the execution of the legacy of Pieter Smith, its execution being done in the same way as in England. Because Mr. Smith died in 1719, his claim had come to an end. The division of assets occurred in 1713.
When I came upon the property I was indebted to a sum of fourteen thousand rixdaalers (money), four and a half of which was the expense of the plaintiff to comply with the legal requirements. I am also obliged to make known the cost of the hotel and ministry made by a Londoner [an agent for the heirs in Europe] to maintain himself, as well as unjustified expenses incurred by the executor, James Smith, made on the estate of Peter Smith who disregarded the judgments of Mr. Lejeune. Lejeune, representative in Martinique, who was here and hoped, with his power of attorney for the general heirs and under the same lords of the Government, wished to hold the inheritance of the son or else to have a false deposit stand out.
The noble Lord Gardelin, one of the arresting officers in the seizure of the inheritance, saw too late the mistake made by a colleague in the course of the inheritance and informed the higher Lord of it. This led to great sadness, enormous costs and difficulties, and notwithstanding all protests, he [the higher Lord] acknowledges that his sergeant's actions were contrary to His Majesty's will. After this, he has done everything possible to hinder a fair accommodation in accordance with the normal rules. The Secretary on this island confirms the action against the Gentleman directors with an order on this matter sent to the first governorate [in Denmark].
This summation includes the European debt to the heirs, paying for their part in the transaction in consideraion of their surrender to me of a sum of thirty thousand seven hundred rixdaalers worth of plantations and slaves evaluated at half their price and which I must maintain at great expense, considering also that I have to build sheds in the spring. Also, instead of claiming for interest one year behind, I am to be charged with numerous other claims. Below, for example, is a sum of 7600 before City Hall to be settled according to the inheritance list upon liquidation.
For whatever sums the authorities estimate and demand of me, I have to borrow money for their settlement in London. In addition, the London agent will charge all known costs for the execution of the inheritance, charges for debts incurred in London, personal expenses, and all additional costs incurred to settle the inheritance according to the will of His Majesty. Also there are costs incurred in view of the aforementioned delay for the continuation of the plantation. The expenses of previously contested lawsuits are also included.
With your consent we will have a meeting of all creditors. This is to pass around the debt list so that the debts can then be settled to the lawful persons. My costs incurred are also in this accounting.
In spite of the statement that there has been a major mistake and that great sadness ensued, this will be a matter for the family and the living sons to deal with - a matter of truthfulness and fairness for which the Almighty God will reward you.
I remain with a deep respect,
Your servant,
C. Crommelin
St. Thomas, 17 May 1737
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Secret Minute Books - 1736-1754
Source: RigsArkivet (Danish Archives)
Click to enlarge.There are 651 pages in this book. This is page 13 - 13/651
Brief mention of Charles but impossible to determine the subject. The Governor is now Frederich Moth. Jacob Schonnemann appears to be " Interim Secretary " or at least a functionary.
The " rebellionen " and St. Jan frequently mentioned.
Due to very bad instances of ink bleeding through, many pages and months had to be skipped over. Basically I had to just skim through and briefly at that, the years of 1738 and 1739. It would be impossible to index such a book, and it isn't indexed.
A Mr. Andreas T____________ mentioned. I will try to determine the surname. Few words relating to "Charles Crommelin" can be made out - mostly dates 23 Aug 1735 and so forth.
If this can never be translated into English at least it can be placed in chronological order of various documents and at least it will be known that Charles was not forgotten in the Secret Meetings.
- Jay Robbins
