17th Century Beads- Albany, NY
Black glass buttons were found at the home of Volkert Jansen Douw, a Dutch trader and land speculator. Douw moved to New Amsterdam in 1638, then relocated to Fort Orange (later known as Albany) as a fur trader and Indian commissioner. At the time, the area served as an outpost of the Dutch East India Company and glass buttons were used as currency between merchants and local tribes.
The buttons originated from Germany, specifically the Fichtelgebirge region of northeastern Bavaria. The area was known for producing both buttons and beads using a furnace wound glass technique. Buttons were later distributed throughout the world, but a majority are found in Dutch and English colonies along the coast.
Despite their single source, not all glass buttons are the same. Mid-Atlantic sites, like Jamestown, preferred glass buttons with painted flowers, while Dutch sites preferred undecorated buttons as seen above. There is also speculation if the buttons were used as intended or simply purchased for trading.
More 17th Century Artifacts
Sources:
Huey, Paul R. “The Archaeology of 17th-Century New Netherland Since1985: An Update.” Northeast Historical Archaeology 34 (2005): 95-117.
Marcoux, Jon Bernard. “GLASS TRADE BEADS FROM THE ENGLISH COLONIAL PERIOD IN THE SOUTHEAST, CA. A.D. 1607–1783.” Southeastern Archaeology 31, no. 2 (2012): 157–84.
Peña, Elizabeth S. “The Role of Wampum Production at the Albany Almshouse.” International Journal of Historical Archaeology 5, no. 2 (2001): 155–74.
