The Fulkerson Family Pages
Business Was Booming
The Tijger was one of the first ships to visit Manhattan island. After she burned, her captain, Adriaen Block, returned aboard her replacement, the Onrust.
There is speculation that the charred remains of a ship unearthed by Irish workmen in the construction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1916 might have been that of the Tygre.
Reportedly, James A. Kelly, part-time Vaudeville singer and foreman of the construction crew, even attempted to use mules to extricate the craft from its grave, but was unsuccessful.
Undaunted, Kelly did not give up.
Finally, in 1955, testing confirmed that the ships' timbers Kelly had found most likely had, indeed, been those of the Tygre.
In American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures in North America, author Colin Woodard identifies 11 distinct cultures that have historically divided the United States. In a July 2015 article in Business Insider encapsulating Colin's observations,
Matthew Speiser mentions that the New Netherlands colony has retained certain specific characteristics and values among its peoples to this day.
He (Colins) writes, A highly commercial culture, New Netherland is "materialistic, with a profound tolerance for ethnic and religious diversity and an unflinching commitment to the freedom of inquiry and conscience," according to Woodard. It is a natural ally with Yankeedom and encompasses New York City and northern New Jersey. The area was settled by the Dutch.
