Cross on the ‘Kruisberg’ near the former Cross Chapel, Hemden (Photo: Remco Neerhof)
De Kruiskapel (Kreuzkapelle) in Hemden was een vluchtkapel voor de katholieken van Aalten en Bredevoort. Tijdens de hoogtijdagen van het calvinisme (1675-1821) mochten zij hun geloof niet meer uitoefenen. De kapel stond in het Duitse Hemden, tweehonderd meter voorbij de huidige groene grens bij de Kesenbult, aan het einde van de Kiefteweg.
Missionary Outpost
From 1672 to 1674, Christoph Bernhard von Galen, the Prince-Bishop of Münster (1650–1678), waged war against the Dutch Republic, supported by King Louis XIV of France. Von Galen, nicknamed ‘Bommen Berend’ (‘Bombing Bernard’), was forced to withdraw from Dutch territories following the Peace of Cologne in April 1674. However, the Catholics remaining in the area were still prohibited from owning their own churches or holding religious services. To provide the Catholics of Aalten and Bredevoort with the opportunity to practise their faith, Von Galen ordered the construction of nine missionary outposts along the border, one of which was the Cross Chapel in Hemden.
Construction of the Cross Chapel
Initially, Catholic services in Hemden were held in a barn on the Leicking estate, which had been converted into a house of prayer. In 1675, by order of Von Galen, the Cross Chapel was built on the Reyerding estate. The chapel, dedicated to the Holy Cross, was constructed under the leadership of Jesuit Father Ernst Ignatius Busch, who served as the parish priest for the Aalten and Bredevoort congregations from 1672 to 1674.
The chapel was an octagonal, largely wooden structure and became the religious centre for the exiled Catholics of Aalten and Bredevoort. Between 1710 and 1714, the chapel was restored and enlarged into a rectangular shape.
The ‘Kruisberg’ (Cross Hill)
Around the same time, the ‘Kruisberg’—a small hill—was created near the chapel, upon which a cross was placed. This cross faced the chapel and stood on a pedestal bearing the following inscription (translated from the Middle Dutch):
What you see here is an image of Christ and not He Himself, therefore, worship neither wood nor stone, but direct your heart only to Christ.
This inscription was intended to refute the Protestant accusations of the Reformation era that Catholics were worshipping idols through their figurative representations of Christ and the saints.
Church Life
In 1751 telde de parochie van de Kruiskapel ongeveer 27 Duitse en 451 Nederlandse katholieken. Iedere zondag, op katholieke feestdagen en bij familiegebeurtenissen zoals dopen en huwelijken, maakten de katholieken uit Aalten en Bredevoort de tocht naar de kapel, vaak via de huidige Bodendijk en Veenhuisweg. Volgens overlevering gingen de gelovigen in werkkleding en met hun werktuigen naar de kapel, zodat ze niet zouden opvallen als kerkgangers.
Transcriptions of the baptismal and marriage registers of the Cross Chapel are available on the Genealogiedomein website and are valuable sources for genealogical research.
The Restoration of Catholicism in the Netherlands
Vanaf 1798 kregen de Bredevoorters en vanaf 1799 de Aaltenaren weer het recht om in eigen land het katholieke geloof in vrijheid te praktiseren. Zij richtten weer eigen kerken op in Bredevoort en Aalten. Hierdoor daalde het aantal Nederlandse bezoekers van de Kruiskapel. Rond 1800 waren er nog maar enkele Duitse gelovigen die de kapel bezochten, voornamelijk op zon- en feestdagen.
In 1821, Pope Pius VII decreed that the parishes of Aalten, Bredevoort, and other surrounding areas were to be assigned to the ‘Dutch Mission’. As a result, only five German families remained as members of the Hemden parish. The Cross Chapel had thereby lost its original purpose.
The End of the Cross Chapel
On 16 July 1821, Pope Pius VII formally declared the separation of the Dutch Catholics. Two years later, in 1823, the Cross Chapel was demolished. The parish was dissolved and relocated to the nearby Bocholt rural district of Barlo, a few kilometres south-east of Hemden. All that remains today to commemorate the chapel is the Kruisberg, with its Baroque cross and a stone memorial plaque.
In total, seven parish priests served at the Cross Chapel. Although the chapel itself has vanished, the Kruisberg and its cross remain as a reminder of the religious life of the Catholics from Aalten and Bredevoort during a time of oppression and persecution.
Tjeerd Radsma was born on 20 February 1772 in Harlingen, the son of Hermanus Radsma and Aafke Steffanij. He married Anna Dina Kniphorst on 11 August 1799 in Meppel. Following her death in 1805, Radsma remarried on 6 October 1808 in Leeuwarden to Doedtje Nieuwenhuis, who had previously been married to Heert Jans Kingma.
In 1812, Tjeerd Radsma was registered as a resident of Hempens, near Leeuwarden. He was the minister of Hempens and Teerns at the time. It is also noted that he had four children at that point. Three have been identified, all from his first marriage:
Johanna (Hempens, 1800 – Aalten, 1847)
Aafke (Hempens, 1801 – Aalten, 1824)
Anna Dina (Hempens, 1805 – Meppel, 1806)
To Aalten
In 1817, at the age of 45, Radsma moved to Aalten as a minister. Five years later, on 11 August 1822, he commemorated his 25th anniversary in the ministry. On this occasion, he delivered a sermon based on 2 Corinthians 5:9. The opening sentence of the sermon read: “Every individual’s life presents times and days that are more remarkable than others and to commemorate these – provided their multitude does not weaken the impression too much – can be very useful.”
Tjeerd Radsma passed away on 4 December 1839 in Aalten, at the age of 67. He was buried in the Old Cemetery on the Varsseveldsestraatweg. His gravestone is one of the oldest remaining funerary monuments there. Also interred in the same grave are his widow, Doedtje, who died in 1855, and her granddaughter, Maria Elizabeth Dodina Bianka Lans, who died in 1835 at the age of eight. Maria’s mother was Janke Kingma, a daughter of Doedtje from her first marriage.
Banns of marriage for Tjeerd Radsma & Anna Dina Kniphorst, 1799Death of Rev. Tjeerd Radsma, 4 December 1839 Grave Tjeerd Radsma
Old Roman Catholic church on the Dijkstraat, by Piet te Lintum
Between the current addresses of Dijkstraat 2 and 4, there was originally a house occupied by two families. This house was presumably demolished around 1857, after which a Catholic church was built on this location in 1859. This church was destroyed by fire in 1893 and was not rebuilt. Today, a garden is located here, belonging to the former rectory.
Previously, a house occupied by two families stood at this location. In 1859, a Catholic church was built here. This church was destroyed by fire in 1893 and was not rebuilt. Today, a garden is located at this site.
Since 1800, the Roman Catholics of Aalten worshipped in a barn church in the Kerkstraat. After five decades, this church proved too small for the growing parish. During the Saint Nicholas market, which began with a church service, the attendance was sometimes so large that people attended the service outside in the bitter cold. A site for a new church was sought and found at the beginning of the Dijkstraat.
Construction of the Roman Catholic Church on the Dijkstraat (1859–1893)
Funds were raised for the construction of a church with a rectory, and on May 4, 1859, the new Waterstaatskerk was consecrated. The church stood between the current addresses Dijkstraat 2 (former RC rectory) and Dijkstraat 4 (where the Van den Dobbelsteen bakery was located until 2022).
Fire
On May 10, 1893, a fire broke out diagonally opposite the church, in houses on the Kerkstraat. The firefighters’ attention was entirely focused on extinguishing this fire. Orders were given to the firefighters, and they labored at the pumps. The wind was north-easterly, and the buildings close to the burning plots, which were downwind, were kept well-watered. However, the church, which was further away, was ignored until smoke clouds suddenly rose from the roof and tower.
The word spread from mouth to mouth: “the church is on fire.” Great consternation took hold of the population, the Catholics in particular. The church treasures had to be moved to safety, and they succeeded in doing so. The fire brigade was powerless. They had to keep the nearby plots wet, and now that the church was added to the blaze, they no longer knew how to act. It was a fantastic spectacle in the evening. The entire population of Aalten had flocked together to watch the drama unfold.
The last strikes heard from the tower clock were at half past eleven. Then the spire collapsed and a sea of sparks swirled through the sky. It was over. Nothing but ruins remained. Fortunately, the rectory was spared.
Twentsche Courant, May 17, 1893
New Construction
What now? The adjacent school, to which a shed was added, was set up as a church, and means had to be sought to build a new church. The bitter pill was somewhat sweetened because the insurance was generous with the compensation. No less than approximately 26,000 guilders was paid out.
Since a new building had to be constructed anyway, a larger site was sought. This was found a little further along, on the other side of the Dijkstraat. There, the new RC church was built.
Earlier buildings
Before the construction of the church in 1859, a house stood on this location, occupied by two families. This house was demolished around 1857 (?).
Owners
Overview is incomplete.
Year
Plot
Owner
Description
1832
I-1243 I-1246
Berend Wevers Gerrit Jan Scholten
64 m² house & yard 133 m² house & yard
Residents
1813
Aalten 50
Half house and garden
Jan Willem Duenk (Barlo, 1751-02-10), day laborer Berent Wevers (Aalten, 1785-02-06), son, tailor Gradus Wevers (Aalten, 1799), son
2 males 2 females 1 son
Aalten 51
Half house and garden
Gerrit Jan Scholten (Lintelo, 1764-07-29), day laborer
Fragment of cadastral map from 1832 (HisGIS)Fragment of cadastral map from 1895 with the contours of the burned-down church at the bottom leftRC church at the beginning of the Dijkstraat, after the fire in 1893.
Adriaan Schouten was born on 6 June 1864, in Raamsdonk. He studied at the Christian Gymnasium in Zetten and subsequently at the Vrije Universiteit, where he became a candidate in 1889. On 26 January 1890, he was ordained into office in Charlois by Rev. F.P.L.C. van Lingen, rector of the gymnasium in Zetten.
A few days earlier, on 22 January 1890, he had married Johanna Maria Schuurman in Raamsdonk. Together they would have no fewer than 13 children, eight boys and five girls. However, several of them passed away at a young age.
Appointment in Aalten
Reverend Schouten left Charlois in 1892 for Willemstad, before moving to Rozenburg in 1899. On 13 December 1903, he was inducted in Aalten as the successor to Rev. A. van Dijken. As a gifted preacher, he managed to build a strong following in Aalten. He also played a significant role within the church community and beyond.
The Schouten family lived in the parsonage of the Westerkerk on Hogestraat in Aalten. Adriaan’s wife Johanna Maria passed away in 1919, at the age of 52, due to the Spanish Flu. She was buried at the Old Cemetery in Aalten.
Rev. Adriaan Schouten, 1934
Retirement
On 30 April 1930, after celebrating his forty-year jubilee in office, Reverend Schouten retired. He then moved to Ormelstraat 23, on the corner with Hofstraat.
As a minister emeritus, Schouten remained very active. For several years, he preached regularly in the small Reformed church in Dinxperlo. And when this congregation had sufficient resources to appoint its own minister, he had the pleasure of seeing his son Johannes Pieter Schouten become his successor there.
Schouten also frequently conducted services in the Reformed church in Halle. He did this with youthful enthusiasm and passion. In Halle, just as previously in Dinxperlo, he was affectionately called “our minister.”
Socially Involved
In his former congregation, the church of Aalten, Schouten always remained a faithful member of the church council. He never missed a meeting and was appointed as scriba (secretary), a role he fulfilled very meticulously. He also proved himself very useful as head of the church office. He performed all his duties with a vitality that belied his advanced age.
When a Reformed Men’s Association was founded in 1933, he was appointed chairman, and he performed this work with great cheerfulness. Furthermore, the “youthful elder” remained heart and soul interested in all kinds of association work, especially the activities of youth organisations. Schouten still regularly appeared as a speaker for them.
Beth San
He gave his house on Ormelstraat the name ‘Beth San’, which in Hebrew means House of Rest or House of Peace. Due to his commitment to elderly care in Aalten, the nursing home on Ludgerstraat was later also named Beth San. Since then, the house on Ormelstraat has been called ‘Klein Beth San’.
Adriaan Schouten later moved to Culemborg, where he passed away in 1954 at the age of 89. He was buried with his wife at the Old Cemetery on Varsseveldsestraatweg in Aalten.
Derk Breukelaar was born on 28 December 1814 in Varsseveld, the son of ‘chair turner’ Wessel Breukelaar and Grada Johanna te Rietstap. In 1847, he married Janna Hendrika Pennings (born in Aalten, 12 November 1825) in Aalten. Nine children were born from this marriage.
Following the foundation of the Christian Secession Congregation (Christelijke Afgescheidene Gemeente) in Aalten in July 1843, the young faith community sought to call a minister. On the advice of Reverend Brummelkamp, the young Derk Breukelaar from Varsseveld was invited. He accepted and moved to Ommen to study under Rev. A.C. van Raalte (1811–1876)—one of the first Secessionist ministers in the country.
Minister in Aalten
After completing his studies, Breukelaar was ordained on 24 September 1846 as the minister of the congregation in Aalten. This would remain his only parish; he served there for 44 years until his retirement in 1888. When Rev. Wildenbeest of Varsseveld passed away suddenly in 1852, that congregation extended a call to him. Initially, he accepted, but—realising he was then the only Secessionist minister in the Achterhoek region—he eventually declined and remained committed to the church in Aalten, though he also worked extensively in the surrounding areas.
’t Grotenhuis
Breukelaar lived with his family in a small farmhouse called ’t Grotenhuis, located on present-day Hessenweg just outside the village. Here, he grew his own food to supplement his modest stipend of 225 guilders, which later rose to 600 guilders per year. Parishioners also contributed in kind by bringing food, such as meat and potatoes, to his home. Catechism classes were also held at ’t Grotenhuis, as there was no room for them in the church. During busy periods, such as the harvest, his wife took over the teaching of these classes.
Evangelism and Youth Work
Evangelism was very close to the minister’s heart. This was the reason Derk Breukelaar took the initiative to establish several Sunday schools, through which he reached not only the children but also their parents. For children in the outlying hamlets, Sunday school was held at someone’s farmhouse so that the children did not have to travel all the way to the village. Later, long after Breukelaar’s death, various Sunday school buildings would be erected in the rural districts surrounding Aalten.
In 1868, Breukelaar founded the Reformed Young Men’s Association „Uw Koninkrijk kome” (Thy Kingdom Come).
De Standaard, 14 January 1891
Difficult Years and Recognition
The late 1870s were not the easiest years for the minister. In 1876, his wife passed away, and a few years later, he became involved in the “School Struggle” (schoolstrijd) in Aalten as the chairman of the school board.
Nevertheless, Breukelaar received much appreciation. On his fortieth anniversary in office in 1886, his congregation presented him with a States Bible on a beautifully crafted wooden lectern. On the same joyous occasion, the classis (regional church council) presented him with an engraving depicting ‘Golgotha’. When he retired in 1888, his catechism pupils gave him a tea service and a cake set as a gift.
Death and Legacy
Reverend Breukelaar passed away on 10 January 1891 in Aalten at the age of 76. He was buried at the Old Cemetery on the Varsseveldsestraatweg. The church council honoured him with a funerary monument. The inscription on the gravestone, which is now barely legible, is noteworthy for its curious use of the church name ‘Christian Secession Congregation’ (instead of ‘Christian Reformed Congregation’).
Three of his sons followed in his footsteps and also became ministers: Gerrit Jan, Willem, and Johannes. The latter is regarded as the founder of Christian education in Aalten. In June 1918, Johannes himself opened the Breukelaar School on Piet Heinstraat, which was named after him.
The nineteenth century was a turbulent period in Dutch church history. In 1834, the Secession (Afscheiding) from the Reformed Church took place in Ulrum. The seceders declared they were breaking with the Reformed Church, “until it returns to the true service of the Lord”. Besides the Ulrum congregation, many thousands of believers elsewhere in the country also left the ‘Dutch Reformed Church’. They no longer felt at home there, partly due to liberal preaching.
Instead of going to church, the seceders began holding house meetings. There they read the Bible together, or sermons by very orthodox ministers from centuries past, sang psalms together, and questioned each other about their spiritual lives.
Seceders in Aalten
In Aalten, too, there were several Seceders at that time, as the Dutch Reformed church council minutes of November 1835 reflect: “In the months of September and October, several persons saw fit to secede from the existing church denomination”. Their names are also known: Lammert Geurink, Antonia Knuvers, Janna G.E. Navis, Derk Jan Klumpenhouwer, H. Wevers, B. Goorhuis, and Hendrik Jan te Kotte. In November 1836, the number of ‘aggrieved’ members stood at ten.
In Aalten, during the first few years, the Seceders met for their religious services at the Bouhuis farm on Bolwerkweg, the Sondern farm on Sondernweg, and the Navis farm on Brakenweg. Rev. A. Brummelkamp (1811–1888) from Hattem, one of the first Seceded ministers in our country, often led these services, which usually took place during the week. These were long journeys for the minister, who nevertheless supported the Achterhoek Seceders with advice and action. Furthermore, he frequently had to pay a fine for breaking the law: without permission from the local authorities, it was forbidden to hold religious gatherings of more than twenty people.
Christian Seceded Congregation
The Christian Seceded Congregation in Aalten was presumably instituted in July 1843 with the confirmation of the office bearers. These were the elders G. Bouhuis and A.J. Pennings and the deacons F. Heijerman and J.H. Kappers.
The young Seceded Congregation wished to call a minister. On the advice of Rev. Brummelkamp, the young Derk Breukelaar (1814-1891) from Varsseveld was asked if he would become the minister of Aalten. He agreed, after which he left post-haste for Ommen to study with Rev. A.C. van Raalte (1811-1876) – also one of the first Seceded ministers in our country. Meanwhile, in September 1843, the church council members asked the classis if the minister of Varsseveld, Rev. J. Wildenbeest (1808-1852), and the minister of Winterswijk, Rev. J.W. te Bokkel (1815-1888), could come to preach in Aalten and Bredevoort as often as possible.
The Aalten church council also took steps to be recognised by the government as a Seceded Congregation. Rev. Brummelkamp drafted a petition for this purpose, which was sent to King William II on 10 October 1843 (he was the head of the Dutch Reformed Church).
In the letter, the King was informed that the Three Forms of Unity constituted the confessions of the Aalten congregation, and that the Utrecht Church Order of Rev. H.P. Scholte (1805–1868) served as its regulations. They further promised to make no claim to the funds and properties of the Reformed Church nor to funds from the State Treasury. They also reported that they would hold their church services in “a church building to be erected for that purpose on a piece of land on the Esch near the village of Aalten, specifically to the North East”. Thirty-five male members signed the petition.
On 12 January 1844, King William II recognised the congregation as an independent Christian Seceded Congregation.
The first Oosterkerk in Aalten
Holding church services in the various farms of congregation members was a solution in the early days, but it was naturally not an ideal situation. Therefore, in 1844, the church council, together with the male members, decided to build their own church. The location chosen was the present-day Oosterkerkstraat, on the site where the (now decommissioned) Oosterkerk stands today. “With great sacrifices, one giving money, another their labour, a third both”, the church was finally completed and could be put into use.
After Derk Breukelaar had finished his studies, he was inducted into the Seceded congregation of Aalten on 24 September 1846. It would remain his only congregation. He worked there for forty-four years until his retirement in 1888. When Rev. Wildenbeest of Varsseveld died suddenly in 1852, that congregation issued a call to him. Initially, he accepted it, but – realising that he was now the only Seceded minister in the Achterhoek – he ultimately declined and remained connected to the church in Aalten. However, he also worked extensively in the surrounding area.
Rev. Breukelaar lived in a small farm (called ‘t Grotenhuis) on the present-day Hessenweg, just outside the village. Catechism classes were also held at ‘t Grotenhuis, as there was no space for them in the church. His wife, Janna Hendrika Pennings, also sometimes took the catechism classes when the minister himself had hardly any time for them during the harvest season.
The Doleantie of 1886
After the Secession in 1834 and subsequent years, many orthodox Reformed members had remained in the Dutch Reformed Church with the intention of ‘bringing the Reformed church back to the Reformed path of the Fathers’ from within, as it was called. In Amsterdam, however, this ‘struggle for Church Restoration’ eventually resulted in a schism in 1886, which took place under the leadership of, among others, Dr Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920).
This conflict, known as the ‘Doleantie’ (from ‘dolere’ = to grieve), stemmed from the struggle that had been waged for years against the habit of the Reformed synod to grant as much freedom as possible to those who did not agree with the Church’s confession, in order to avoid any ecclesiastical conflict.
Rev. J.H.F. Gangel was a fervent supporter of this movement in Aalten. Mutual tensions rose so high that the municipal authorities were forced to call in military assistance to maintain public order. Rev. Gangel had been removed from office by the classical board of the Dutch Reformed Church, which he initially refused to accept. Notable in this context is that the minutes of the church council from 26 November and 23 December 1885 have been removed from the register of church council minutes. However, lists of those who wished to remain members of the Dutch Reformed Church are found in the archives. These lists date from 1887.
The end result was that the ‘dolerenden’, like the seceders, had to leave the Dutch Reformed Church. In doing so, they also had to relinquish church property. The lawsuit brought by the ‘dolerenden’ against the Reformed congregation of Aalten regarding church possessions ended in 1888 to their disadvantage.
By bailiff’s writ, Rev. Gangel and the former church council were forced in 1888 to hand over the financial administration of the rest home in Aalten to Rev. van Oostrum-Soede and the sitting church council. From the religious composition of the population of Aalten, one can deduce the scale the Doleantie had reached in 1885-1888: in 1901, the number of Dutch Reformed in Aalten was 3,560 souls, the number of Reformed (Gereformeerd) was 2,497, the number of Roman Catholics was 1,287, and the number of Christian Reformed was 118. This was out of a total population of 7,726 inhabitants.
In 1813 the Israelite Congregation in Aalten consisted of the following members:
Jacob Gompers Vles(+) (1753), church administrator (1810) ⚭ Sara Isaac (Stadtlohn/D, 1763 – 1825) with 4 children: • Gompert Jacob Vles, 17 years old, ovl. 1854; ⚭ Brandje Simon • Isac Jacob Vles, 14 years old • Gumken Jacob Vles, 25 years old, ⚭ 1815: Simon Jacob Schaap • Fijken Jacob Vles, 21 years old
David Isak Franken (Aalten, 1753 – Aalten, 1823) with 1 child: • Aleida David Franken (Aalten, 1799 – Aalten, 1865), ⚭ Benjamin van Beek
David Jacob Schaap, ⚭ (1) 1789: Duifken Levie, *Elten, 1771, ovl. 1811; ⚭ (2) 1815: Hanna Gompert, *Groenlo, 1767, ovl. 1844; with 1 child: • Levi David Schaap, 6 years old, ovl. 1840, unmarried
David Isac de Haas(+) (Aalten, 1767 – Aalten, 1855); address 1823: Landstraat 31 ⚭ Sophia Gompers (Groenlo, 1772 – Aalten, 1853) with 4 children: • Isac David de Haas (Aalten, 1803 – 1883) • Gompert David de Haas (Aalten, 1809 – 1877) • Eva David de Haas (Aalten, 1806 – 1866) • Sebilla David de Haas (Aalten, 1812)
Moses Jacob de Haas ⚭ 1802 Sophia Isaac (Jilchen/D) with 4 children: • Levi Mozes de Haas, 8 years old • Jacob Mozes de Haas, 6 years old • Sara Mozes de Haas, 2 years old • Hendele Mozes de Haas, 4 years old
Simon Jacob Schaap (Aalten, 25-12-1780 – Aalten, 30-03-1825) ⚭ Sara Casper Cohen (Winterswijk, 1787 – Aalten, 11-04-1814) with 4 children: • Scheune, Simon Schaap (Aalten, 08-11-1807 – Aalten, 20-11-1869) • Klara Simon Schaap (Aalten, 03-10-1809 – Aalten, 18-12-1878) • Diena Simon Schaap (Aalten, 04-01-1811 – Zevenaar, 14-08-1872) • Jacob Simon Schaap (Aalten, 02-02-1813 – Aalten, 28-11-1876)
Sara Joseph, wed. Aron Gompert van Gelder (A.G. van Gelder was born between 1798 and 1804)(+); with 5 children: • Joseph Aron van Gelder (Aalten, 15-03-1778 – Aalten, 20-03-1847) • David Aron van Gelder (Aalten, 06-06-1784 – Aalten, 19-06-1859) • Rachel Aron van Gelder (Aalten, c. 1785) • Gompert, Aron van Gelder (Aalten, 11-11-1792 – Aalten, 08-09-1836) • Liefman Aron van Gelder (Aalten, 05-01-1800 – Aalten, 07-04-1866)
Bilha Abraham van Gelder (= Sibilla Moses), with 1 illegitimate son: • Philip van Gelder, 44 years old
Hindele Ansel van Beek (= Hendele Jacobs, 1772 – Aalten, 1841), with 1 illegitimate son: • Benjamin Nathan van Beek (Aalten, 1800 – Aalten, 1873)
Eliaser / Lazer Levie de Haas
Isaac Abraham de Haas
Samson Jacob Schaap, *1785; ovl. between 1813 and 1823, unmarried
(+) This sign refers to the article by Peter Lurvink in Mishpoge II / 1, Jan. 1989: “David Markus and his descendants, a Jewish family in Aalten”.
Johannes Hendrik Frederik Gangel was born on 7 December 1839 in Appeltern, the son of Bernardus Gangel, a schoolteacher by profession, and Christina Leemhorst. He studied theology at Utrecht University. In 1879, Gangel was called as minister to the Dutch Reformed Church (Nederlands Hervormde Kerk) in Aalten.
He succeeded the liberal minister, the Reverend Klinkenberg. Relations between the two ministers of Aalten—the Reverend Gangel and his liberal colleague, the Reverend C.F.S. Pape—soon deteriorated. Because he was ill, Pape had appointed a substitute to conduct his catechism classes. However, church regulations granted that authority strictly to the church council (kerkenraad). The Reverend Gangel and the council would undoubtedly have preferred to appoint an orthodox substitute.
In Aalten, Gangel quickly became a beloved figure. He was deeply committed to his congregation and was known for preaching in a clear and inspiring manner. For his time, Gangel was a progressive minister who strove for renewal within the church. He was a proponent of modern biblical criticism and wanted the church to focus more on the daily lives of its believers. He was also a strong advocate for using standard Dutch in church services, rather than Latin or the regional dialects that were still being used in some congregations.
Rev. J.H.F. Gangel (1839–1908)
In Aalten, Gangel was highly active in community life. For instance, he founded both a choral society and an amateur dramatics society. He was also involved in education and worked hard towards the establishment of a Christian school.
Gangel’s activity extended well beyond the confines of the church community. He was involved in setting up a local health insurance fund (ziekenfonds) and establishing a local branch of the Society for Public Welfare (Maatschappij tot Nut van het Algemeen). Furthermore, he served as a member of the municipal council and held various other civic and public roles.
Although Gangel was a well-loved minister in Aalten, he faced several conflicts over the years. Initially, he found it difficult to adapt to the conservative and orthodox congregation of Aalten. Consequently, it took some time before he truly found his feet there.
The school dispute
A subsequent conflict arose when the Reverend Gangel (who, it must be said, was not always the most tactful of men) wished to allow a representative from the Unie School en Evangelie (School and Gospel Union) to give a lecture on the importance of Christian education in the Reformed church building. However, the church trustees (kerkvoogden) refused to grant permission. Over sixty members of the congregation, including the Reverend Pape, completely agreed with the trustees and made their views plain in writing. They stated they had heard of the Reverend Gangel’s plan “with indignation”, expressed their “full sympathy” for the trustees’ decision, and “highly condemned the conduct of the aforementioned minister”. Conversely, the Christian Reformed (or Seceded) Congregation (Christelijke Gereformeerde Gemeente) did grant permission to hold the lecture in their own church building. Notably, Gangel’s stance on Christian education ultimately led to a significant increase in pupil numbers at the local School met den Bijbel (School with the Bible) in Aalten.
However, the school board did not invite the Reformed members whenever board elections were held. The board wished to “keep its principles pure” and prevent too much Reformed influence from taking root. Naturally, the Reverend Gangel disagreed with this policy and protested with some passion. When they were barred from a second meeting as well, a fierce conflict erupted, both with the Reverend Breukelaar (the chairman of the school board) and with the Christian ‘Seceded’ Congregation, as the Christian Reformed members still called themselves. Headteacher Siebel also left his post to join the newly established Reformed primary school.
The Secession
Meanwhile, the struggle against theological liberalism and the power of central church hierarchies had come to a head in Reformed Amsterdam. The majority of the Amsterdam church council had been suspended by the denominational authorities, leading them to establish the Nederduitsche Gereformeerde Kerk on 16 December 1886. This movement was led primarily by figures including Dr A. Kuyper (1837–1920), who was himself one of the suspended elders.
In the Reformed congregation of Aalten, the atmosphere between the Reverend Gangel and his liberal colleague, the Reverend Van Oostrom-Soede, had also become toxic. Van Oostrom-Soede had stopped attending church council meetings for some time, and his wife refused to retract an accusation she had levelled at the Reverend Gangel (whom she had called “the vilest scoundrel in the world”). As a result, she was barred from taking Holy Communion. A succession of disputes between the two ministers only worsened the atmosphere. Naturally, the congregation noticed this rift, splitting into two opposing camps of supporters: the ‘Ganglians‘ and the ‘Soedians‘. The liberal newspapers reported on the ecclesiastical unrest in Aalten with great relish.
On 15 February 1887, the Aalten church council resolved to enter into Doleantie (secession) by withdrawing from the central Reformed church authorities. At that meeting, three council members stated that they felt “with grief compelled to step down from office”. The council then took the decisive step, formalising the resolution in an official council deed. Unlike the Reverend Gangel, the Reverend Van Oostrom-Soede informed the council that he would not be joining the Doleantie. The first Sunday following the secession passed quietly, and the Seceders (Dolerenden) were able to use the Reformed church building as usual.
A turbulent Sunday…
On Sunday 6 March 1887, however, events did not unfold so smoothly. The regional church classis had instructed a Reverend Bergsma to preach in the Reformed church of Aalten; however, the Reverend Gangel also intended to lead the service in that very same building. As soon as churchwarden G.J. Lammers opened the church doors, followers of both ministers rushed inside to capture the pulpit. “A burly Soedian [who, according to the Seceding church council, had been bribed by close friends of the Reverend Van Oostrom-Soede] occupied the elevated ministerial seat, while crowds positioned themselves on or near the stairs—shoving, thumping and scratching much like on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange,” one newspaper reported.
The Seceding church council recorded in its minutes: “Deplorable in this regard was the attitude of Mayor Hora Adema, who happened to pass by the church during the scuffle and did nothing to prevent it. Nor did he act when, called upon five minutes later by the churchwardens, he witnessed and heard the shouting and swearing near the pulpit, refusing to bring the crowd to reason, whereupon the churchwardens requested him to clear the church.”
The council decided not to hold a service the following Sunday because E. van Eerden, a supporter of the Reverend Van Oostrom-Soede, had threatened to shoot the Reverend Gangel dead the moment he stood in the pulpit.
Churchwarden G.J. Lammers (Photo: ‘Een kerk in de lens’)
The Reverend Gangel appeals to the authorities
While opponents of the Reverend Gangel gathered at the railway station with pockets full of stones—having caught wind that he would return that evening from a train journey to see the King’s Commissioner—the minister instead travelled on to The Hague, accompanied by Elder W. te Gussinklo. There, he sought an audience with the Minister of Justice, Baron Du Tour van Bellinchave.
When the Reverend Gangel failed to arrive on the evening train in Aalten, the disappointed prospective stone-throwers marched to the rectory in Hoekstraat, chanting: “Hop, hop, hop, hang Gangel and the Ganglians.” Eventually, the Reverend Gangel had to return home, but the Reverend Van Dorsen of Varsseveld warned him beforehand of the looming danger as a precaution.
The minister arrived in Aalten at half past one in the morning. Since no one was willing to drive him, he walked to the rectory, escorted by some seventy like-minded farmers from the Aalten hamlet of Lintelo, who were armed with sticks.
The following Sunday, the church remained closed. It was guarded by soldiers, as was the Reformed rectory. On the Saturday, fifteen hussars and forty infantrymen had arrived in Aalten to maintain public order. This, however, did not entirely prevent further disturbances. As a safety measure, the mayor ordered all pubs to close.
A temporary church
In the meantime, the church council had set to work building a wooden temporary church on Varsseveldsestraatweg (the ‘Plankenkerk‘ or Board Church). Architect Van de Wilk drew up the designs for what was described as a ‘lead-blue painted shack with an undeniably austere, seceding appearance’. A communion set and a baptismal font were purchased, and the building was opened for use on 1 May 1887. The sermon was based on 1 Kings 18 verse 21: “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” Twenty-four young people made their confession of faith, and six children were baptised that afternoon.
To safeguard the congregation’s records, the Reverend Gangel transcribed the membership registers from 1816 up to the Doleantie, and also copied the council minutes starting from the meeting at which the secession was decided. This was done out of fear that a court might eventually order these books to be returned. This order was indeed issued in the summer of 1888. The court also ordered the Reformed rectory to be handed back. Consequently, a new rectory was built on Hogestraat in 1888 at a cost of 5,100 guilders.
Disagreement over church construction and more
A variety of disagreements and conflicts made life within the Seceded church less than pleasant during its early years. For instance, the Reverend Gangel was eager to replace the wooden Plankenkerk with a brick church. He proposed that this could be financed by renting out the pews in the new church, a common practice in many other parishes. In his view, this revenue would cover the interest and loan repayments. However, the churchwardens believed it would be better to hold “a voluntary annual subscription to meet the costs of public worship”. The Reverend Gangel feared this would take far too long, while the Plankenkerk remained highly uncomfortable: stiflingly hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. Friction persisted.
The Reverend Gangel also deemed it necessary for the elders to take on pastoral home visits. The elders, however, felt that spiritually caring for a congregation that had grown to 1,700 members would demand far too much of their time. The parish had been divided into four districts: Dale and Barlo, IJzerlo and Heurne, Aalten and Haart, and a district for Lintelo, each overseen by two elders.
The classis intervenes
Meanwhile, relations within the Seceded church council continued to sour. During a mid-week evening service on a Wednesday, Elder De Wijn caused an uproar by launching an “unprecedented public vilification”, presumably targeted at the minister. The Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant reported on the incident, and the regional classis was naturally made aware of the infighting. It dispatched a committee to Aalten, led by the Reverend J.C. van Schelven (1854–1904) of Dieren, to conduct an inquiry. It emerged that Elder Lammers was also on poor terms with the minister: “The unpleasantness that has arisen owes its origin to the Reverend Gangel’s driving desire to build a brick church in place of the wooden temporary church.” Elder Wijn further brought up the allegation that the Reverend Gangel had knowingly failed to visit a gravely ill member of the congregation.
Naturally, the Reverend Gangel did not remain silent, pointing out the vast amount of extra work he had been forced to undertake. He had been responsible for all the correspondence relating to the lawsuits following the Doleantie. Moreover, he was heavily burdened with work for the school, the Supplementary Fund (which paid the school fees for children of impoverished congregation members), the Young Men’s Association, and the Sunday schools, which had left him severely sleep-deprived.
The Reverend Van Schelven urged reconciliation. In the end, Gangel and Lammers made peace, but De Wijn wished to put the entire matter before the male voting members, though peace was eventually brokered with him too through the mediation of the Reverend P.C. Koster (1857–1929) of Velp. The Reverend Gangel began to find his working environment unbearable and wished to relocate to Velp, stating, “because quite apart from any reconciliation, my work here has been rendered impossible.” Nonetheless, he rescinded this decision in February 1889, noting that “after a heavy personal struggle, he had yielded to the pressure exerted upon him by so many members of the congregation.” Two council members visited him to express their delight at his decision. The others remained resolutely silent.
Sermon reading and minuting disputes
Another source of friction between the council and the minister concerned the practice of ‘sermon reading’ by elders when the minister was away. One day, Elder Lammers was on duty and was given a choice of several sermons handed to him by the Reverend Gangel. Refusing to comply, Lammers chose instead to “just speak a few words of his own”, adding in passing that he was entirely opposed to the practice of ‘sermon reading’. The minister had no choice but to state that if no sermon readers could be found, he would have to ensure that Sunday services were cancelled in his absence.
The drafting of council minutes also proved a divisive issue. Up to this point, the Reverend Gangel had always written the minutes himself, using them to record detailed accounts of all the arguments that took place within the council. This caused resentment among other council members. Consequently, Elder W. te Gussinklo was appointed as secretary (scriba). However, he eventually had to hand the role back to the minister, admitting that he had “deliberately omitted” certain matters from the record.
The Reverend J.H.F. Gangel (1839–1908) in his later years
The construction of the Westerkerk (1891)
In March 1891, during a meeting of the male voting members, the question was raised regarding the desire to build a brick church and thereby close the Plankenkerk. The vote revealed ninety-four in favour, thirty against, and twelve blank votes. The construction project went ahead. The site chosen was next to the new rectory on Hogestraat. As the full sum could not be raised immediately, a loan of 15,000 guilders was taken out. Construction progressed very rapidly, and the church was completed that same year. Congregation members went door-to-door to raise funds for a church bell. A memorial stone valued at 40 guilders was also commissioned; this was partly funded by the remaining balance from the bell collection (15 guilders), while the Reverend Gangel personally paid the remaining 25 guilders.
The church was dedicated on ‘a Wednesday in February 1892’. The church council of the Christian Reformed Congregation was also invited and attended. Meanwhile, the rental prices for the pews in the new church had been fixed. The most expensive seats cost 5 guilders, the ‘middle class’ seats were 3.50 guilders, and the cheapest cost 2 guilders. “To the poor and those of modest means, a 5-guilder seat was offered right in the middle of the church!”
The church featured a hexagonal pulpit resting on a central pillar. Initially, there was no gallery; this was added in later years. There was, however, an organ situated at the front of the church, which by 1898 had deteriorated to such an extent that a committee met to consider purchasing a new instrument. Although the church council—upon seeing the plans—did not deem it strictly necessary, they ultimately gave permission to raise 1,500 guilders, on the condition that impoverished members of the congregation would be spared during the collection.
A year of saving yielded the required funds. The church council decided that the organ would be installed ‘in a position where it blocks the least light’, which was directly above the pulpit—requiring the pulpit’s central pillar to be slightly shortened.
Church A and Church B (17 June 1892 to 1 January 1909)
The church building of Church A, viewed from the rear with the vestry
As previously indicated, the national ‘Union’ between the Christian Reformed Church and the Nederduitsche Reformed Churches—originating from the 1834 Secession and the 1886 Doleantie respectively—was finalised in 1892. From 17 June 1892, the two denominations merged to form The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (De Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland).
The synods had agreed that in towns where a local merger between the two churches could not be achieved immediately, both congregations would nonetheless take the name ‘Reformed Church‘. The older of the two—usually the Christian Reformed Congregation—would append an ‘A’ to its name, while the younger—usually the Nederduitsche Reformed Church—would append a ‘B’. Consequently, from 17 June 1892, two entirely independent Reformed churches existed in Aalten: the Reformed Church of Aalten A (the former Christian Reformed Congregation) and the Reformed Church of Aalten B (the Seceded/Dolerende church).
Merger talks put on ice
In Aalten, too, both churches were expected to enter into talks to achieve local unity. Joint council meetings were held from time to time. However, there was considerable opposition, particularly within Church A, to a full merger of the two congregations. The majority of Church A’s members were opposed to it, as well as to the holding of joint council meetings. Furthermore, Church A did not want elders from both churches conducting pastoral home visits together. It was decided to let the matter of the merger rest for the time being.
For the council of Church A, a key reason to proceed cautiously with the merger was the fear of a schism within their own ranks. What would the opponents of the merger do if both councils decided to unite? Examples of this could be seen elsewhere in the country. For instance, two Christian Reformed ministers had submitted a formal objection to the ‘Union’ at their synod and—when the merger went ahead regardless—had broke away to found the ‘Continued’ Christian Reformed Church.
Similarly, in the Frisian village of Suawoude, the church council and the congregation, led by their minister, the Reverend J.W. Draijer (1851–1894), had severed ties with the Reformed Churches in 1893 “to remain what we were, namely Christian Reformed”. A similar outcome was feared in Aalten, which undoubtedly slowed down the unification of the two churches
Eighteen months after the council of Church A had put the talks on ice, the council of Church B sent a letter asking whether Church A actually desired a merger of the two congregations at all. If so, what steps was the council taking to bring about unification? Or was the council perhaps afraid of a split within its own ranks? The council of Church A replied that while a majority of its council members were now in favour of a merger, this did not mean it could be implemented immediately. The council of Church A made no mention of the hostile attitude of many of its own congregation members…
The council of Church B found this disappointing. It decided to cancel the joint mid-week services—effectively the only activity they did together. In turn, the council of Church A found this disappointing.
The Reverend Gangel departs
The Reverend Gangel departed in 1895 to take up a position at the Reformed Church in Rijswijk (South Holland), having preached his farewell sermon to the congregation in Aalten on 28 April. The following year, he became a Reformed minister in Voorst, but in 1900 he left the Reformed Churches to return to the Dutch Reformed Church. He passed away on 27 July 1908 in Arnhem.
Herman Theodorus Obbink was born on 23 January 1869, at the Rikkert farm in the Aalten rural district of Heurne. He was a twin brother of Johan Obbink, who was, among other things, co-founder of the Dairy Factory and ‘de Landbouw’ in Aalten.
On 16 September 1889, Herman, aged 20, left for Doetinchem, and lived there on the Burg. van Nispenstraat (link). The Latin school (later State Gymnasium / Municipal Lyceum) was located there.
On 20 September 1892, he left Doetinchem for Utrecht, where he studied at Utrecht University. Subsequently, he served as a minister in Hoogersmilde, Kamperveen, Middelburg, and The Hague. On 2 December 1901, he obtained his doctorate in Utrecht with the thesis “The Holy War according to the Quran”.
On 20 April 1897, he married Jantine Gérardine ten Cate (1874–1949). The couple had three sons.
Professor
In 1910, he was appointed professor at the University of Amsterdam with the teaching assignment “General History of Religion and the History of the Israelite Religion”. His inaugural lecture was titled “The Significance of Egypt and Babylonia in the Ancient Religious World”.
In 1913, he was appointed Professor of Theology and History of Religion at Utrecht University. His inaugural lecture was titled “On Ancient Egyptian Conceptions regarding Death and Life”. The subjects of both lectures reflect his interest in the Egyptian and Babylonian-Assyrian world, which he always studied in connection with the Old Testament. At Utrecht University, he also gave language lectures in Assyrian and Ancient Egyptian.
Bible translator and court chaplain
In 1924, Obbink’s translation of the Old Testament was published. This was supplemented in 1927 with a translation of the New Testament by his colleague Annéus Marinus Brouwer (1875–1948). The translation, the “Utrecht translation“, is usually referred to as “Obbink and Brouwer”. He was rector of Utrecht University in 1928/1929. In 1939, he retired; his son Hendrik Willem Obbink succeeded him.
From 1929 to 1947, Obbink was a court chaplain. In that capacity, he officiated at the wedding of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard in 1937. He also baptized Princess Beatrix and led the funerals of Queen Emma and Prince Hendrik, the husband of Queen Wilhelmina (source).
Nieuwe Vlaardingsche Courant, 18 November 1896Obbink officiates at the wedding of Juliana and Bernhard (1937)
The Fatih Mosque on Bodendijk in Aalten has been used as a house of worship for the Turkish Islamic community since 2009. The building previously served as a Reformed Youth Centre and later as a nursery school, before being acquired by the Fatih Aalten Foundation. The mosque is also known by its Turkish name, Fatih Camii.
Name and Meaning
The name Fatih Camii literally means “Mosque of the Conqueror”. Fatih refers to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II Fatih (1432–1481), nicknamed the Conqueror, who captured Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) in 1453. Camii is the Turkish word for mosque, derived from the Arabic jāmiʿ (جامع), meaning “gathering place”. Many Turkish mosques, including those outside Turkey, bear this name.
History
The first gatherings of the Turkish community in Aalten took place in smaller premises, but with the establishment of the Fatih Aalten Foundation, they gained the opportunity to create their own prayer space. In 2009, the building at Bodendijk 12 was officially inaugurated as a mosque.
Since then, the premises have been adapted to function as an Islamic house of worship. Traditional decorative elements, such as handmade tiles from Turkey, have been installed inside. The building has no minaret or dome, but is recognisable as a mosque by its interior and the layout of the prayer hall, with a mihrab and minbar.
Function and Activities
The Fatih Mosque primarily serves as a house of worship, with Friday prayers being the most important weekly gathering. In addition, the mosque plays a broader role in community life:
Religious and Quranic lessons are held.
The mosque has facilities for Islamic funeral rites (djanazah).
Open days and bazaars are regularly organised to introduce local residents to the mosque and Turkish culture.
The mosque explicitly welcomes the entire Aalten community. On its website, the mosque is described as both a religious and social centre — a place of peace, hospitality, and solidarity, where everyone is welcome for encounters, dialogue, or simply a cup of tea.
Jan de Vries (Bredevoort, March 21, 1911 – Bafwasende, December 19, 1964) was the son of Johan de Vries, station master of the tram station in Bredevoort, and his wife Aleida Wensink. He served for many years as a Roman Catholic missionary in the Belgian Congo (present-day Zaire), where he was murdered in 1964.
At the age of 12, he left for Bergen op Zoom to attend the Juvenate of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; after completing this education, he took his vows on September 8, 1930. He subsequently studied philosophy in Liesbosch and theology in Hees (Nijmegen). On July 14, 1935, Jan was ordained as a priest.
Missionary in the Belgian Congo
On August 27, 1937, he left for the Belgian Congo, where he became a traveling missionary in the Archdiocese of Stanleyville. There, he traveled through the jungle from village to village, a period he described in the children’s book Waar het oerwoud ruist (Where the Jungle Rustles, 1938). Later, he became the director of several schools in Avakubi, where he conducted a choir, and served as novice master in Bafwasende, where he trained brothers from the Belgian Congo. In his final years, he was a mission superior and parish priest of Lubutu and Batama. In 1960, De Vries returned to Bredevoort to celebrate the silver jubilee of his priesthood.
These film recordings were likely made at that time:
Bafwasende Massacre 1964
In that same year, the Congo gained independence, and a civil war broke out when the Simbas rebelled against the new government. De Vries was on a retreat in Stanleyville but immediately returned to his mission in Batama. There, on October 31, 1964, he was captured and mistreated by the rebels along with four brothers and two sisters. They were among twenty-seven people transported by truck to Bafwasende.
On November 25, the priests were sentenced to death by a kind of military tribunal. On November 27, they were taken to the banks of the Lindi River near the village of Bafwasende. The women who remained behind heard machine-gun fire. The women were eventually liberated by mercenaries on December 19.
The death of Jan de Vries made a profound impact on Bredevoort. That same year, a memorial stone was placed in the local RC church. When his house was demolished a few years later to create access to a newly planned street, the municipality of Aalten decided (presumably in 1969) to name this street Pater Jan de Vriesstraat.
Sources
Nazareth, Bredevoort en zijn katholieken – Jos Wessels, Uitgeverij Fagus, 1997 (ISBN 90-70017 16-4)
Pater Jan de Vries, een man met een missie – Hans de Graaf 2014, Uitgeverij Lammers Dtp
Until 1989, a small Sunday school stood at Brethouwerweg 9 in the Aalten hamlet of Heurne, where Sunday school was held once a week for children up to the age of 12. After reaching that age, they could attend the youth club, which also took place once a week. Occasionally, the building was also used for small parties and gatherings.
Regarding the old Sunday school, we read in De Graafschapper of 22 October 1937, among other things:
Commissioning of the new Sunday School hall in Heurne
Last Wednesday was a happy day for many residents of the hamlet of Heurne near Aalten. On this day, the completely renovated Sunday school hall was festively and officially commissioned. With this, this hamlet has also been released from its so-called isolation regarding a good location to hold meetings.
It was more than necessary. The old, small building, which had been erected with very primitive means at the time, was in such a desolate state despite various repairs over the years that a new building or a complete renovation proved more than necessary. The latter has now been achieved through the well-meaning cooperation of many within and outside this hamlet. The building itself has, among other things, two reasonably spacious rooms, which are connected in such a way that, in the event of large meetings, etc., one large room can be obtained.
On Wednesday evening, the official opening took place for the elders and interested parties. The chairman of the Building Committee, Mr H.G. ter Maat, opened this festive gathering by having Psalm 89:1 sung and led in prayer. He then read Psalm 147. In his opening address, he expressed thanks to all who cooperated to achieve the construction and completion of this project.
After a break, a beautiful report followed from Mr J.W. Colenbrander, secretary of the Building Committee, as well as from Mr H. Navis, treasurer. The delegate of the Boys’ Meeting conveyed congratulations and presented the chairman with a beautiful gift for wall decoration. A recitation by Mr J. Legters closed this second part before a new break.
Subsequently, Mr S. Wevers spoke on behalf of the Association of Sunday School Teachers. Several recitations by Mr H. Hoftijzer (Veenhuis) and Colenbrander provided the necessary variety. The dialogue by Messrs H. and G. Wesselink and Klein Poelhuis was also superb in one word. Mr H. Nijman spoke an earnest and inspiring word after having told several interesting things from the old days regarding the rise and further development of youth work in Heurne.
Finally, the chairman thanked everyone who had cooperated in the success of this evening; he then handed over the building to Mr J.H. Jentink, as chairman of the Association that will manage the building. The latter finally spoke a concluding word, after which this festive meeting was ended.
D’n Heurnsen Tref
Heurne is a rural district without a central core. There is no school or café and no clear focal point. Therefore, the Heurns Belang (Heurne Interest) association devised a plan to transform the small Sunday school into a slightly larger community centre that could be used for multiple activities. A round of visits to the residents of Heurne to hear if there was interest in this and if they were potentially willing to contribute financially had a positive result.
Heurns Belang hired an architect and applied for a building permit for a new community centre. To keep costs low, many volunteers helped with the construction. On 6 April 1990, the building was festively opened, and the fitting name, devised by a resident of Heurne, was revealed: ‘D’n Heurnsen Tref‘ (The Heurne Meeting Place).
Standing from left to right: J.H. Wassink, Sunday school teacher; A.S. Winkelhorst, leader of the boys’ association; D.J. Neerhof, treasurer of the parents’ association; J. Legters, teacher of the boys’ association; H.A. Hengeveld, leader of the boys’ association; H. Navis, treasurer of the building committee; H.J. Hoftijzer, leader of the boys’ association. Sitting from left to right: J.W. Perebolte, secretary of the parents’ association; J.H. Jentink, chairman of the parents’ association; H.G. ter Maat, chairman of the building committee; J.W. Colenbrander, secretary of the building committee (Graafschapbode, 22 October 1937)D’n Heurnsen Tref (photo: G. Schreurs, 2025)
In the early morning of 21 September 1943, Piet Hoogenkamp, the assistant of the Aalten general practitioner and resistance fighter Joop der Weduwen, placed a package in front of the house with address Patrimoniumstraat 12 in Aalten. Resistance leader Hendrik Jan Wikkerink alias Uncle Jan lives at that address with his family. The doorbell rings.
The package turns out to be a newborn baby. He is the son of Lena Jedwab-Kropveld and Yitzack Jedwab, rabbi (pastor) of the Jewish community in Aalten. From mid-1942 the couple was in hiding on the De Ronde farm of the Veldboom family in Lintelo. Resistance leader Uncle Jan and doctor Der Weduwen have agreed in advance to lay the foundling.
Foundling
Daughter Jo Wikkerink later told about this:
“We knew that the delivery was coming and the baby would be brought to us. Father and mother only told the oldest three. The youngest knew nothing. They could not talk past their mouths. Father and mother waited in the dark room in the evening. It seemed to the neighborhood as if they had gone to bed. When the doorbell rang, they knew the baby was there. They got the youngest out of bed and shouted in surprise: “Come and see what is there now!”
The Jewish child was therefore born in hiding and was registered three days later by Mrs. Dela Wikkerink-Eppink with the name ‘Willem Herfstink’ and registered as such in the birth register of the municipality of Aalten. The name was chosen symbolically. Willem refers to Queen Wilhelmina, Herfstink to the first day of autumn (21 September) and the Saxon suffix ‘ink’ means ‘belonging to the yard or family of’.
Because only a few people – such as doctors – were allowed to be on the street at one o’clock in the morning, four o’clock in the morning was given as the time when the baby was found. This made the investigation into the origin of the child considerably more difficult. “I sometimes came home late at night with a big belly by train. Then I had ‘contraband’ with me as if I was heavily pregnant. When Wimke was put on the sidewalk, they said: “That’s what they say, but it must be one of the girls.”
Declared Aryan
The next day, the municipal doctor on duty, Dr. Knol, had to examine the foundling. The baby was not circumcised and therefore he issued the declaration that the child was 100% Aryan. “The next day father immediately went to Schepers, who lived diagonally across from us (he worked at Paske). Father knew: if I tell it there, everyone in Aalten will know it immediately. Behind us, next to Vossers, lived an NSB woman. She was on her knees in front of Wimke’s crib to see if he had any Aryan features.”
Lennie and Yitzchak had meanwhile moved to another hiding place in Lintelo. In June 1944, the resistance moved them in a hay-covered wagon to the house of Bernard and Gesina Wevers in the hamlet of Dale, behind the Ringweg, just outside the village of Aalten.
Initially, they did not want to take the Jedwab couple into their home because they were already sheltering evacuees. A minister of the Reformed Church changed the pious Calvinists’ minds: he preached that the persecuted should be helped.
Bernard, a carpenter, built them a room behind the closet where they spent all their time. Mrs. Wevers cooked for her Jewish guests as much as possible according to kosher rules.
In the meantime, Willem had been lovingly taken into the family of the Wikkerink family. Especially mother Dela and eldest daughter Lien Wikkerink took care of ‘Wimke’ as they called him. Dela Wikkerink regularly walked with the baby in the pram to the hiding place of the Jewish parents in Dale. She often took some fruit from the vegetable garden with her in her bag. There were people in Aalten who said: “What does Mrs. Wikker always have to do with Wevers?”
Towards the end of the war, two German soldiers were billeted in the Wevers house. While the soldiers were in the house, Lena and Yitzack sat in chairs in their hidden room and were not allowed to move or make a sound, sometimes for days.
Dela Wikkerink-Eppink with Aron Jedwab alias Willem HerfstinkPatrimoniumstraat 12, AaltenKoningsweg 2, Dale (source)Yitzchak Jedwab and Lena Kropveld – wedding photo, March 1942Aron Jedwab with Dick, Jannie and Ina Wikkerink, 1943 (source)Birth certificate ‘Willem Herfstink’, 21 September 1943
After the war
After the liberation in March 1945, the family was reunited and the little one was given his real name: Aron Jan Willem Jedwab. The name Willem remained and the second first name Jan refers to his rescuer Jan Wikkerink. Queen Wilhelmina came to Aalten soon after the war and visited the Wikkerink family to honour them for their actions in the resistance. Jo Bulsink-Wikkerink: “I can still see Wilhelmina. She slapped my grandfather on the shoulder and said: Wikkerink, you have a brave son.”
The young child Willem hardly knew his own parents. Jo Wikkerink – the second daughter in the family – then moved in with the Jedwab family for a year, so that Willem could get used to his own parents and new environment a little easier. The Jedwab family emigrated to the US in 1947 and there they changed their surname to Jade.
In the nineteenth century, Reverend Breukelaar had arranged that Sunday schools were established in Aalten. For children in the surrounding districts, the Sunday school was held at someone’s home on a farm, so that the children did not have to travel all the way to the village.
Gradually, a need arose within the hamlets to build dedicated rooms or small Sunday school houses (zondagsschoolhuuskes). A total of nine small Sunday schools were eventually built, of which only a few have been preserved.
Lintelo formerly had two Sunday schools. In the heart of Lintelo, on Schooldijk, a small Sunday school stood on land belonging to the Helmink family. It was demolished in 1950. In 1934, the building’s address was Lintelo 150. A residential house was built at this location in 1953, which became Schooldijk 1 in 1967.
Additionally, there was a Sunday school on Sondernweg in Lintelo. That building still stands today and currently serves as a vacation rental.
Former synagogue, originally built around 1830. The building was already dilapidated in 1858, but did not qualify for a ministerial subsidy at that time.
At the end of the 19th century, the Jewish community in Bredevoort appeared to have insufficient members to hold regular services. In 1900, the community of Bredevoort was dissolved and merged with that of Aalten.
The building on the Vismarkt served as a synagogue until the beginning of World War I. Around 1920, the synagogue was converted into a home. Today, the building is a municipal monument and is registered with the province of Gelderland as a historical architectural monument.
The Elim Building (Gebouw Elim) is used as a multi-purpose community hall by the Protestant Congregation of Aalten. The current building was constructed in 1959 to replace the Elim catechism house on the same site. Older children of the Dutch Reformed Church used to receive religious education here. Around 1880, Sunday school was also held in this catechism house.
In 1907, plans were drawn up to modernise the catechism hall of the time. The costs were estimated at over 2,000 guilders. A major renovation was desperately needed, as could be read in the Aaltensche Courant:
Which building in Aalten is used more for meetings than the catechism house? Often, two or three meetings have to be held simultaneously, which is obviously impossible at present. Furthermore, the space is far too small. We are thinking of public meetings, anti-fair assemblies, Christmas celebrations, etc. The building is not even practical for regular meetings of the Young Men’s and Boys’ Associations. Moreover, the existing building is in poor condition and, should the renovation unexpectedly fall through, a thorough restoration will soon be required.
What became of these plans has not (yet) been found.
New Construction
On 20 October 1959, the Dagblad Tubantia newspaper reported:
Rev. Stegeman to open the new Elim on Monday
Rev. J.D. Stegeman, minister emeritus of the Dutch Reformed Congregation of Aalten, will officially open the new Elim church centre on Monday afternoon. This will festively conclude a two-year period during which the old Elim was completely demolished to make way for a spacious, modern building designed to serve as a meeting hub for all Reformed inhabitants of Aalten.
Congregation made sacrifices for it
Elim has been a household name in Aalten for decades. Meetings were held here at every level, choir and drama societies rehearsed here, catechism classes were conducted, and Elim served for wedding and funeral services. Gradually, however, Elim outgrew its boots and began to show signs of wear and tear. Consequently, plans for a complete rebuild began to take shape about three years ago; plans that would require a substantial amount of money to execute.
But the Reformed congregation of Aalten unitedly raised the funds. A collection among the church members provided a solid foundation of over ƒ80,000, to be collected over a five-year period. To this could be added a fund originally intended for the construction of a Reformed youth centre on the Wehme, a plan that was ultimately never carried out. All in all, a building fund of over one hundred thousand guilders was available.
Nevertheless, practice has shown that even this amount will not suffice. The construction of the new Elim is estimated to require one hundred and fifty thousand guilders, and that does not include the interior fittings and fixtures.
A good investment
It is a significant investment for a church congregation. But it has been a good one. For the new Elim has become a beautiful building – perhaps not so much on the outside, as options there were limited, but especially regarding its interior. The work was carried out by the Aalten building firm Vreeman, under the architectural direction of Mr J.B. Blekkink from Aalten and Mr Huistra from Almelo.
In the entrance hall, a sculpted cross with vines immediately catches the eye, a beautiful creation by the artist Baljet from Beek near Nijmegen. The main hall, which will also be used for youth and funeral services in due course, accommodates 254 people (without tables). A modest stage area has been built in. The ground floor further comprises the library room, the kitchen, and toilets. On the first floor, there are three more meeting rooms, the largest of which is intended for so-called full kirk session meetings, choir rehearsals, and the like. One of the smaller rooms is notable for its solid, old beams, giving the space an antique appearance. A separate staircase leads from the entrance hall to the cloakroom. Above the stairs to the upper floor, one’s eye is drawn to a mural painted by Piet te Lintum, based on the Bible verse from Exodus: “And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.”
To the regret of many residents of Aalten, a striking landmark has disappeared from the village streetscape with the demolition of the old Elim, namely the raised passageway with its particularly charming little staircase on the Kerkstraat side. Now, a road several metres wide runs between the church and Elim, though it will not be open to public traffic.
Renovation
During the 2009–2010 period, the Elim building was completely renovated, during which Piet te Lintum‘s remarkable mural was preserved. The building features a main hall with around 150 seats and a stage. It also has a dressing room/meeting space, three meeting rooms, two kitchens, a spacious entrance hall, and good toilet facilities on both floors. A lift is available for the upper floor. The building is used for various church activities and is also hired out for events such as meetings, drama evenings, or presentations.
Excerpt from the land registry map, 1882 (plot I-3737)Dagblad Tubantia, 15 October 1959The ‘olde trepkes’ (old little steps) on Landstraat, by Piet te Lintum
Overlay from ‘Boerderij- en Veldnamen in Aalten’ (Farm and Field Names in Aalten) on a Google aerial photograph, showing house numbers in 1967
In the nineteenth century, the Reverend Breukelaar ensured that Sunday schools were established in Aalten. For children in the surrounding hamlets, Sunday school was held at someone’s home on a farm, so that the children did not have to travel all the way to the village.
Over time, a need arose in the hamlets to build a dedicated room or a small Sunday school building (zondagsschoolhuuske). In total, nine small Sunday schools were built, of which only a few have been preserved.
A small Sunday school also used to stand in IJzerlo. According to ‘Boerderij- en Veldnamen in Aalten’, this was supposedly located near the Smitshuus / De Timpert farm. Does this building still exist?
Records
Address directory 1934
IJzerlo 29 > 102
Zondagschoollokaaltje (Sunday school room)
Address directory 1967
Neither number 102 nor the Sunday school is listed in this directory.
Does this building still exist? If you have more information and/or photographs of the Sunday school building in IJzerlo, please leave a comment at the bottom of this page or send us a message!
A Lourdes Grotto, dating from 1912, is located in the Vestingpark in Bredevoort. It is a (small) replica of the famous cave near the French city of Lourdes. The Bredevoort Lourdes Grotto is made of lava stone and stands on the remains of a lower rampart of the Vreesniet bastion, next to the Tea House on the Grote Gracht. It is a municipal monument.
After Mary reportedly appeared to the girl Bernadette in Lourdes in 1858, ‘Lourdes Grottos‘ were created all over the world with statues in honor of Mary and the girl. This was also the case in Bredevoort, in the former garden of the Sint Bernardus monastery.
The Bredevoort Lourdes Grotto was built by order of the Franciscan Sisters of Thuine. The construction date of the Lourdes Grotto was unknown for a long time. However, in 2010, an inscription was discovered during renovation work: ‘B. Elschot May 1, 1912’.
Procession Park
At the beginning of the last century, a procession park was laid out in the garden behind Sint Bernardus, where the Lourdes Grotto is located. Here, local Roman Catholics could perform religious ritual acts undisturbed in the open air. Processions were not permitted on the public roads in Aalten.
The sacramental procession took place here on the second Sunday after Pentecost. People walked from the monastery to the Lourdes Grotto. Paths that were not used were decorated with floral patterns by girls. After 1967, these processions ceased as a result of ecclesiastical changes. The Lourdes Grotto fell into disuse and crumbled. Vandalism did the rest.
In 1985, the last nuns left the Sint Bernardus monastery. Subsequently, the Bredevoorts Belang association purchased the monastery park to preserve it as a city park. The park was extensively renovated in 2015/2016. The park is open to the public from sunrise to sunset.
Restoration
At the beginning of this century, the grotto was little more than an overgrown pile of stones. However, in 2010, the Bredevoort Lourdes Grotto was restored to its former glory. The restoration of the grotto cost 12,000 euros. Windows now protect the statues and candles from vandals and inclement weather, and there are niches for candles. With a solemn inauguration ceremony, the Lourdes Grotto was put back into use: as religious heritage, but also as a place of devotion.
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