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Abraham Blauvelt

a.k.a. Abraham Blewfields, Abraham Bluefields

Dutch Explorer & Pirate
   

Born: Unknown

Died: 1663?


Blauvelt was a Dutch Pirate who was instrumental in establishing several settlements in remote regions, many of which still bear his name today.

In the early 1630's Captain Abraham Blauvelt explored the coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua. Afterwards, he went to England and with a proposal for a settlement a site in Nicaragua, which is near the town and river of Bluefields, Nicaragua. Captain Blauvelt enlisted as a naval officer for the Swedish East India Company and by 1644 was in command of his own ship. He used his new vessel to prey upon Spanish shipping from Dutch New Amsterdam (Modern day New York) to a harbor in southwest Jamaica which is still named Blewfields Bay.

After peace came once more between the Dutch and Spain in 1648, Captain Blauvelt found that, due to political fallout from his raiding of Spanish vessels, that he was no longer welcome in New Amsterdam. Left with few options, Captain Blauvelt sailed to Newport, Rhode Island in 1649 to divvy up his loot. The governor of Newport declared one of his prizes an illegal capture and Captain Blauvelt's crew argued furiously with their Captain over the loss of the booty, blaming him for their lost revenue.

It is fair to say that Captain Blauvelt was treated poorly at Newport, primarily because the local towns people were afraid that Captain Blauvelt's piratical history had permanently ruined the reputation of Rhode Island and may in fact draw other unsavory types to their upstanding community.

In 1650 Blauvelt found himself in command of another ship, the French vessel La Garse, and bid a welcome farewell to the town of Rhode Island. There is a large gap in Blauvelt's history at this point, and his is not heard from again until he was documented along the border of Honduras and Nicaragua, living among the Indians at Cape Gracias à Dios. It was here that Blauvelt heard of Captain Sir Christopher Myngs' plans to organize a raid on Campeche Bay in Mexico. In 1663 he joined up with Captain Myngs and was an active participant in the raids.

Nothing is known of Blauvelt after this raid, and most historians have conceeded that this likely means that he perished in the attacks.


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