In 1614 explorer Adriaen Block claimed what is now this U.S. state for the Dutch
The next spring, a 
Dutch merchant working for the same company, Adriane Block,... [DOC] [TLE] American Colonies - Dutch - The History Files [PAR] In 1614, Adriaen Block led an expedition into the lower Hudson, with Block ... to 
use the name 'New Netherlands' on a map of the Americas, laying claim on the ... 
an explorer and fur trader who has been instrumental in building up the colony.