Uriel da Costa

The history of the "New York Penny" (VOC Duit) is inextricably linked to the massive Dutch trading empires that dominated the 17th century. The Curiel / Da Costa family were not merely employees of these empires; they were elite merchant-bankers and major shareholders who helped finance the very fleets that carried these coins.

Jacob Curiel (also known as Duarte Nuñez da Costa) was one of the largest shareholders of the Dutch West India Company (WIC). This company controlled trade in the Americas and governed New Amsterdam (modern-day New York). The "Duit" coins, originally minted by the VOC for trade in the East Indies, were imported to the Americas to solve a currency shortage in the fledgling colony.

It was the WIC—the very company Wendy's ancestors owned a stake in—that authorized this transfer. This copper coin is not just a piece of currency; it is a physical artifact of a global network built by Sephardic refugees who turned exile into empire. It represents the intersection of the East India and West India trades, both of which the Curiel family helped architect.

---

The Combined Lineage: Curiel, Da Costa & Coriell

The names Curiel, Da Costa, and Coriell appear distinct, but they are branches of the same Sephardic Jewish lineage originating in Coimbra, Portugal. This family’s history is a map of the Diaspora—from the fires of the Inquisition to the forests of New Jersey.

The family traces back to the Curiel family of Portugal. During the Inquisition, many were forced to convert to Christianity, adopting Portuguese surnames like Da Costa or Nuñez da Costa. In the 17th century, members of the family escaped to Amsterdam and Hamburg, where they openly returned to Judaism. Notable figures include the philosopher Uriel da Costa and his brother Joseph da Costa, who was an early settler in New Amsterdam (New York).

By 1702, a man named Abraham Coriell was recorded in Piscataway, New Jersey. For generations, family lore cited him as a French Huguenot. However, modern Y-DNA studies have confirmed a direct male-line ancestry connecting the New Jersey Coriells to the Sephardic Curiel/Da Costa line. The name "Coriell" is likely the Anglicized spelling adopted by these refugees after they arrived in the English colonies, allowing them to survive and thrive in a new world.

Buy Now