Though he represented the Dutch colonists, his direct descendants are said to be of Spanish ancestry, possibly gaining access to the Netherlands during the Spanish occupation before its establishment as a separate nation. His place in the history of colonial Holland can be compared to the well-known Peter Stuyvesant and the less-known Willem Verhulst.
The passage compares the subject's historical significance in colonial Holland to that of prominent figures like Peter Stuyvesant and lesser-known individuals like Willem Verhulst, highlighting their shared connection to Dutch colonialism.