Samuel Godijn

Samuel Godin, Godyn or Godijn (Antwerp, 1561 or around 1566 – September 29, Amsterdam, 1633) was a wealthy merchant, originally from Southern Netherlands, trading on Spain, Brazil and the Levant. He was one of the administrators of the Noordsche Compagnie, involved in whaling, and of the Dutch West India Company. From 1620 he traded on New Netherland. His name was at first given to the Delaware Bay and he was one of the main investors in Zwaanendael. The colony did not last very long as it was plundered by Native Americans soon after its founding.

In 1595 he was involved in serious legal case with Isaac le Maire and Dirck van Os on behalf of his "father-in-law". In 1597 he seems to have lived in Middelburg. In 1600 he sent a letter to Clusius. On 24 August 1602, Samuel Godijn married Anneken Anselmo in Bremen, born in Antwerp on 8 July 1583. Together with his brother Daniel Godijn, he invested 3,000 guilders in the first subscription for VOC shares in August 1602. Godin traded in wool, indigo from Spain, brazilwood, but around 1619 he became more interested in whaling. Because of the recent troubles with English whalers around Spitsbergen the plan came up to catch whales in the Atlantic, near the North River. About ten men invested two ships, Godin was one of them. August 1622 he bought a plot on Keizersgracht and settled within a year in a house called De Bruinvis (The Harbour porpoise) or De Walvis (The Whale), either on number 105 or 107.

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