The Women of the House: How a Colonial She-Merchant Built a Mansion, a Fortune, and a DynastyThe remarkable Margaret Hardenbroeck Philipse arrived in New Amsterdam from Holland in 1659, a brash and ambitious twenty two year old bent on making her way in the New World. She promptly built an empire of trading ships, furs, and real estate that included all of Westchester County. The Dutch called such women she merchants, and Margaret became the wealthiest in the colony, while raising five children and keeping a spotless linen closet. Zimmerman