Jacobus van der Puije


Jacobus van der Puije was an administrator of the Dutch West India Company. He became President of the Council of the Dutch Gold Coast in 1780.

Biography

Jacobus van der Puije was born in Middelburg to a family that originally came from Sint-Maartensdijk. His father was William van der Puije. He was governor of Fort Crèvecoeur in Accra from 1776 till 1780, when he succeeded Pieter Woortman as the colonial governor of the entire Dutch Gold Coast.
Jacobus van der Puije had a daughter named Anna van der Puije with a slave named Asoewa. Anna van der Puije herself was also a slave and freed for 1 mark of gold, paid for by Jacob Rühle, who subsequently married her. He also had a son, Peter van der Puije, with a local Ga woman from Accra, Ayaley Ablah.

Legacy

Jacobus van der Puije is the direct patrilineal ancestor of the Vanderpuije family in Ghana. Descendants include politicians Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye and Isaac Nii Djanmah Vanderpuye, newsreader Claudia-Liza Armah-Vanderpuije, actor William Vanderpuye, and musician Joseph Bartlett-Vanderpuye.

Citations