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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Remarkable Woman, in a Little Known Time, November 10, 2006
This review is from: The Women of the House: How a Colonial She-Merchant Built a Mansion, a Fortune, and a Dynasty (Hardcover)
Early America, and indeed most of the world, was a man's world. Women couldn't own property, vote, etc. etc. Margaret Hardenbroeck must have stood out as a wolf among sheep. In 1659 she moved to New Amsterdam (Manhattan) -- young (22), single, a business factor or agent for her family's business, a 'she-merchant' or today what we could call an entrepreneur.
Our limited studies of the women of the time usually show them as individuals but reflected in the light of their husbands. Martha Washington, Abigail Adams were indeed strong women, but we would never have heard of them except for their husbands.
Margaret made her own life, hers was not a reflection of her husband. She made her own way. She was probably not a nice person. In the way we think of Martha Stewart, she was tough. And as a slave trader we need to remember her in the light of her time, not of ours.
Much of the book covers life in New Amsterdam at the time, with only supposition that this was how Margaret lived or what she did. There was limited material available on her personal life, much more on her business activities.
This book opens up a new aspect of life in Dutch America, and of the rights and lives of women in our history.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Colonial period comes alive in this good book, November 10, 2006
This review is from: The Women of the House: How a Colonial She-Merchant Built a Mansion, a Fortune, and a Dynasty (Hardcover)
If the walls of the Philipse Manor Hall could talk, what stories would they tell? Zimmerman gives voice to the women who lived in the house, from humble beginnings to New York's high society.
Margaret (1659-1691) would become the richest woman in New York. She attended elementary school in Holland and would use her reading, writing and math skills to become a she merchant. She would own trade vessels, property in Manhattan, New Jersey, Albany and Barbados. Margaret would also have a family and raise five children. (She merchant was a term applied to females who were respected for their skills in commerce.)
Catherine (1652-1730) was an heiress who married Margaret's widowed husband, Frederick. She would build a church and was appointed the guardian of Frederick II, her step-grandson. Frederick II would inherit a large portion of Margaret and Frederick's estate.
Joanna (1700-1765?) married Frederick II. Due to the hard work and the business savvy of Margaret and Catherine, Joanna was able to be a society matron. I loved the description of the dessert buffet, complete with marzipan hedgehogs made by the hostess and her daughters.
Mary (1730-1825), Margaret's great granddaughter, was a beautiful socialite. She had a number of eligible bachelors after her hand in marriage, among them George Washington. Mary and her family lost most of the family fortune during the American Revolution.
The book also deals with the unethical practices of this time period: slavery and piracy. (However, in the 17th and 18th Century, many people did not think these practices were wrong.) Margaret and Frederick added to the family fortune through transporting and trafficking slaves from Africa. Frederick also did business with "the King of Pirates," trading in slaves, tobacco and rum. The Philipse family would continue to own slaves until the very end. They would also have a personal connection to a slave revolt.
Zimmerman makes the colonial period come alive with her storytelling and interesting trivia that ranges from hummingbirds to slave gangs. There are detailed notes for each chapter and sixteen pages of black and white pictures. It is unfortunate that the women in the Philipse family did not leave any journals or letters because it would have been interesting to read their own thoughts.
Armchair Interviews says: Travel back in time to meet the colorful inhabitants of Colonial New York.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
General cultural history, but scant specific history on the women, September 25, 2006
This review is from: The Women of the House: How a Colonial She-Merchant Built a Mansion, a Fortune, and a Dynasty (Hardcover)
I truly enjoyed reading this book, but it wasn't what I expected. I expected a real biography/history of Margaret Hardenbroeck and the women in her family who followed. Instead, the scant factual information about these women is set in a cultural and historical context that could apply to any (rich) women of that time and place. The author mostly imagines the lives of these women within a specific cultural framework.
The book is a welcome addition to the cultural history of women in colonial Dutch New York, and I was fascinated by the wealth of information provided. The contrast shown between Dutch and English mores and laws, for example, as they pertain to women, is thorougly presented.
I would like to have known more about the specific lives of the three main women in this book. Except for a few legal documents, these women left no records, such as letters, journals, etc. Thus, the culture and even details the author presents (for clothing styles and having a baby, for example), are GENERIC to the time and place, but not specific to these women. I wanted to know much more about Margaret Hardenbroeck. She doesn't seem like a real person to me because her views are unknown. What does she think about her business, her husbands, her children, the switch to English governance, her travels? We simply don't know.
Later generations are less accomplished than Margaret. It's true the culture changed and women had less opportunities, but I got the sense that these women and their families did little of note as time passed. They were simply very rich. Boring. They deserved what happened to them at the end of the American Revolution, in my opinion.
Picky comment: The details of the maps are unreadable to these eyes. A map showing clear street names, would have been a boon to this reader, and made the book easier to follow. I also would have enjoyed more detailed footnotes.
Final irony: Isn't it interesting that Margaret Hardenbroeck is referred to as Margaret Hardenbroeck Philipse on the jacket cover? She used her own name, following Dutch custom, not her husband's for her entire life. Why couldn't the publishers respect that? Also, I'm insulted on Margaret's behalf that she is compared to Martha Stewart. UGH.
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