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Abraham Blauvelt
a.k.a. Abraham Blewfields, Abraham Bluefields
Dutch Explorer & Pirate
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Born: Unknown
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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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