As opposed to the streets’ chaos, Weylin grew up in a very quiet and cozy Dutch colonial gambrel roof house. He loved drawing and writing stories, and sometimes helped his mother with the cooking. He found this task a little tedious but also enjoyed it, because he liked the feeling of helping with the food preparation for the family.
His parents belonged to the first generation of intercultural couples in the Colony. His father, Mr. Louis B. Seymour was an English sailor who was exhausted by the political conflicts on English waters during the first Anglo-Dutch war and felt pushed to sail away and disembark in New Amsterdam in 1654. It was because of an asthma problem that Mr. Seymour found himself obliged to give up sailing and dedicate his time to a new office in his new homeland. He volunteered to work in social relations for the English by using his strong social skills, although he later started switching. He was such a versatile man that his closest mates had counted over 40 different professions that their dear friend had practiced in a very short time. They said he had worked as a veterinarian specialized in horses, a baker, an alpinist, a driver, a policeman, and even a priest! A real godfather of multitasking, a special character in the newly multicultural community.
Soon after, Mr. Louis managed to buy a small boat to start his brand new fishing company. Feeling recovered from his illness, he departed for what was supposed to be the first fishing trip, but sadly it also happened to be the last one. Some say the wind and the ocean got into a terrible and inclement fight, and that poor Louis was caught in the midst of the stormy dispute:‘he and his ship must have tragically drowned’.
Some of his superstitious friends believed this terrible storm was created by Greek Gods, the Anemoi and Poseidon. The sad truth is he never came back, leaving his wife and son to their own fate.
To be continued…
(Artwork Illustration by Edward Harold Mott)