Until the end of the 19th century, tolls were levied on many through roads in the Achterhoek. Travellers, merchants and farmers had to pay to use certain routes. The revenues generated from this were used for the maintenance of roads and bridges. Several tollhouses stood in Aalten, where the toll collector lived. In addition to collecting tolls, he often followed another trade, such as farming.
Below is an overview of the tollhouses in Aalten known to us. This overview is presumably not complete.
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.
Gerrit Jan Lammers was born on 23 October 1903 in Aalten, the son of miller Johannes Christiaan Lammers and Maria Scheurer. They lived at number 3 Molenstraat. On 25 July 1928, Gerrit Jan married Maria Evertje van Dreven (born in Wageningen, 28 December 1900) in Arnhem.
He had been working in journalism since 1921, and until 1940 he was a parliamentary editor for De Standaard, a newspaper affiliated with the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP).
Lammers was known as a rigid and principled Calvinist. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, he became a contributor in 1940 to Vrij Nederland, a publication declared illegal by the Germans. In June 1941, the German Sicherheitsdienst (SD) arrested him for his underground activities, after which he was imprisoned in Braunschweig, Germany, until late 1943.
After the war
After the war, he was a member of the Commissie voor de Perszuivering (Press Purge Commission), which focused on removing journalists and newspaper directors who had been pro-German during the war.
Lammers studied law both before and during the war. In 1945, he passed his Master’s examination (doctoraal examen) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and in 1952 he obtained his doctorate with a dissertation that later became famous, titled: “The Crown and the Cabinet Formation”.
Gerrit Jan Lammers. This photograph dates from 1968, when he was director of the Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst. (Nationaal Archief, RVD – CC0)
Before joining the Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (RVD – Netherlands Government Information Service) in 1952, Lammers was head of the information department at the Ministry of Social Affairs (1946–1947) and subsequently head of the general affairs department at that same ministry. In 1952, he was appointed director-general of the Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst, a position he held until 1968.
Gerrit Jan Lammers was a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion and a Commander in the House Order of Orange. He also held numerous foreign decorations. Lammers authored a great number of publications in the field of constitutional law.
Dr Gerrit Jan Lammers passed away on 7 November 1976, at the age of 72. He was buried at the public cemetery on Rodelaan in Voorburg.
Son
In 1931, Gerrit Jan and Maria Evertje had a son: Johannes Christiaan Jan (Han) Lammers. When his father Gerrit Jan was imprisoned by the Germans in 1941, Han’s mother moved with him to her in-laws in Aalten. Here, the boy attended the MULO (advanced elementary school), where he took organ lessons from 1942 onwards. Playing the organ would later become his greatest hobby.
Towards the end of the occupation, Han, who was only fourteen years old, set off alone on his bicycle to The Hague, where both his parents were staying at the time. Like his father, Han Lammers would later forge an impressive career. Among other roles, he was a journalist, a local councillor and alderman in Amsterdam, the mayor of Almere, and the Queen’s Commissioner for the province of Flevoland. Han Lammers passed away in 2000.
Dela Maria (Marja) Vaags was born on 29 December 1956 in Aalten. As a child, she lived at Bredevoortsestraatweg 105. She later achieved national fame as an actress, primarily for her role as Regina Jongschaap in the drama series Vrouwenvleugel. In 1994, the series won the Gouden Televizier-Ring (Golden Televizier Ring) for best television programme.
Vaags graduated from the Academy for Expression through Word and Gesture (Academie voor Expressie door Woord en Gebaar) in 1981. Following these studies, she took private lessons with tutors including Ton Lutz, Shireen Strooker, Hans Hoes, Rudolf Lucieer, Warren Robertson, and Ad van Kempen. After her training, she co-founded the theatre group Dames & Heren alongside Martine van Os and others.
Furthermore, she had guest roles in Goede tijden, slechte tijden and Medisch Centrum West, and appeared, among other projects, in several of the Sinterklaas films by Martijn van Nellestijn. In addition, she performed for a season with John Lanting’s Theater van de Lach. Her other stage credits included Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story with Stichting de Verwarring, and the play De Overgang with Stichting de Nel.
In 2007, Vaags was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Four years later, on 29 July 2011, she passed away at the age of 54 in her hometown of Amsterdam due to the complications of this illness. She was survived by a son.
Johan Obbink was born on January 23, 1869, at the Rikkert farm in the Aalten rural district of Heurne. He was a twin brother of the theologian and court chaplain Herman Theodorus Obbink. On June 25, 1891, he married Berendina Hendrika Sondern from Groot Heinen in Lintelo. Together they had three sons and two daughters.
In 1919, he purchased the Nieuw Slaa farm together with his son Hendrik Willem and went to live there.
Social contributions
Johan Obbink held a prominent position in public life in Aalten for many years. For instance, in 1896 he was one of the founders of the Coop. Dairy Factory and in 1898 of the Coop. Agricultural Association, institutions which he served as a board member for many years. On his initiative, the Coöp. Farmers’ Credit Bank was founded in 1903, where he served as cashier for more than a quarter of a century.
Furthermore, Obbink was chairman of the ‘De Graafschap’ Ring of Farmers’ Credit Banks, a member of the Provincial Council of Gelderland, a commissioner for the P.G.E.M., and a member of the local committee of the Gelderland Agricultural Crisis Support Foundation, a council member and later alderman for the municipality of Aalten, a board member of the Mutual Farmers’ Insurance Fund, polder master of the “De Baakse Beek” water board, co-founder of the Association of Purchasing Societies in Gelderland, a member of the Supervisory Board of the State Agricultural Winter School in Winterswijk, and president-churchwarden of the Dutch Reformed Church in Aalten.
The interests of the agricultural population in particular were always at the forefront for him, which led to Obbink being not only honored but also feared for the fierce tenacity with which he fearlessly defended his opinions. It was precisely this trait that certainly made him a pioneer for the ideals he set, and in his struggle for them, Obbink achieved a great deal.
For his exceptional services, Obbink was appointed Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau by H.M. the Queen.
Johan Obbink passed away on May 9, 1957, at the age of 88, at home in the Aalten Heurne. He was buried at the Old Cemetery on the Varsseveldsestraatweg in Aalten.
Funeral
His funeral took place with a very large attendance. The funeral service was held in Old St Helen’s Church, led by Rev. D. Groeneboer. On behalf of the municipal government, the service was attended by Mayor E.S. van Veen and Alderman J. te Roele; furthermore, the attendees included many directors of the organizations in which Mr. Obbink had played an active role, from local, regional, and national circles.
After the funeral service, a long procession, in which numerous floral arrangements were carried, departed for the cemetery at half past two. Upon arrival, the coffin containing the remains was carried to the final resting place by neighbors of the Obbink family.
Here, Mayor E.S. van Veen spoke on behalf of the municipality. The mayor described Mr. Obbink as a community man in the broadest sense of the word.
‘The first triumvirate’ of the Coop. Agricultural Association, drawing by Piet te LintumFuneral procession for the burial of Johan Obbink (De Graafschapbode, May 15, 1957)
Mr. T.G. Elkink from Ruurlo, chairman of the De Graafschap Ring of Farmers’ Credit Banks and Obbink’s successor, spoke in a similar vein. Elkink outlined the great influence Johan Obbink had among farmers; even outside Aalten, Mr. Obbink’s voice often had a predominant and decisive influence.
On behalf of the national association of farmers’ credit banks, Mr. H.J. Hendriksen, deputy director of the Raiffeisenbank in Utrecht, spoke: “The name of Johan Obbink is recorded in the annals of this bank, for it is with gratitude that we commemorate the blessed work performed by three, at most four, pioneers for hundreds of thousands of farmers, and of these pioneers, Mr. Obbink from Aalten was not the least.”
Anthonius Julius Hendrikus (Ton) Kötter was born on November 9, 1906, in Aalten, at number 184a (Hogestraat). Two years after his birth, the family moved to Groesbeek. On May 23, 1929, Kötter married Tobina Anna Maria van Spreeken (Rotterdam, October 11, 1896) in Ubbergen.
When he was twelve years old, he received private trumpet lessons. At the age of 14, he took violin and trumpet lessons at the music school in Nijmegen. He subsequently studied music theory and composition privately. He became a member of the Marinierskapel der Koninklijke Marine as a trumpeter. At the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, he studied composition and orchestral conducting under Professor Freidenberg and Wilhelm Furtwängler.
After World War II, Kotter became the conductor of various concert and fanfare bands, including the Police Band in Nijmegen. In 1948, he became the conductor for several orchestras in the Tilburg area, including the well-known Koninklijke Harmonie “Sophia’s Vereeniging” in Loon op Zand, and from 1950 to 1965, the Andels Fanfare Corps, Andel. He later conducted Soli Deo Gloria in Enschede. In 1965, he became a lecturer at the Conservatorium Enschede. From 1967 to 1977, he served as the conductor of Excelsior Eibergen.
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 population trend of the municipality of Aalten. Please note: in 2005, the former municipalities of Aalten and Dinxperlo were merged into the municipality of Aalten. This explains the significant jump in the number of inhabitants in that year.
Do you have any additions to these figures (including source)? Please let us know!
* On October 30, 1954, the Tubantia newspaper wrote about a sociographic study on “Settlements in Gelderland” written fifty years earlier by Prof. Dr. H. Blink:
It is undoubtedly interesting to also examine how the development of the municipality of Aalten has progressed over the last fifty years. First, regarding the population. The figures provided by Prof. Blink in his report must refer to the village of Aalten (excluding the rural districts). After all, according to the census of 1748, the number of souls in the parish of Aalten was 3,298 in that year. Of these, 1,163 lived in the village of Aalten. In 1819, the population officially numbered 4,913, of which 692 lived in Bredevoort and the remainder in Aalten and the rural districts. In the course of fifty years, the population of Aalten (village) has nearly tripled. Currently, approximately 6,500 people reside in the village.
Newspaper reports
Census number of inhabitants Aalten, 187910,000th inhabitant of the municipality of Aalten,1918Population development in the Graafschap 1850-1926
Number of inhabitants of the municipality of Aalten, 1947Aaltensche Courant, 14 January 1949
14,000th inhabitant of the municipality of Aalten, 195016,000th inhabitant of the municipality of Aalten, 1964
Gerrit Jan Heinen was a clock and turret clock maker who lived at ’t Kampe in IJzerlo, on the road that was later named after him: Klokkemakersweg.
Gerrit Jan Heinen was born on 11 April 1858 in IJzerlo. On 12 June 1885, he married Aleida Johanna Lohuis in Aalten. Together they had five children. Heinen passed away on 4 December 1929 and is buried at the Old Cemetery on Varsseveldsestraatweg.
On 1 June 1873, De Maasbode wrote:
AALTEN, 22 May. While one frequently encounters a dismissive judgement regarding the intellectual development of the so-called “Achterhoek farmer” — a sentiment which is admittedly shared by many in this region as well — the following case certainly serves to cultivate an opposing view.
The clockwork in the tower of the Dutch Reformed Church, manufactured in 1861 by a certain Mr Bartstra, an expert in that trade, soon proved to be of too light a construction. Consequently, deliberations were held on how to remedy its inherent flaws. Years passed, however, without any improvement in the situation, until a couple of years ago, a certain Mr Heinen, an amateur clockmaker residing at the smallholding of Kampe in IJzerlo, within this municipality, approached the gentlemen of the churchwardens. He assured them that he was fully capable of manufacturing an entirely new clockwork that would meet all requirements. He was subsequently granted permission, after a prior agreement was reached regarding the price and terms of payment, which would not take place until unconditional approval of the delivered work had been granted.
Astonishment at the short-sightedness of the churchwardens for entrusting such a matter to an untrained layman was not in short supply. Now, however, after many have convinced themselves — both during manufacturing and after completion — of the truly beautiful construction designed and executed by Heinen himself, and now that this clockwork enjoys universal satisfaction regarding both its striking and timekeeping mechanisms, that astonishment has given way to a rightful admiration of Heinen’s skill in this craft, in which he never received any formal instruction whatsoever. We heartily wish that his further endeavours may meet with the same favourable outcome as he has experienced in this matter.
Gooswijn van der Lawick or Goosen van der Lauwick (Diepenheim, ca. 1547 – Bredevoort, June 23, 1629) was a captain, Lord of Geldermalsen, vassal of ter Hegge and ten Velde, bailiff of Bredevoort, and a member of the knighthood of Zutphen and Nijmegen.
Van der Lawick coat of arms
Gooswijn was a son of Goossen van der Lawick, Lord of Geldermalsen and bailiff of Buren, and Anna van Asperen van Vueren. He married the widow of Floris van Buckhorst, Joanna Bentinck, and was consequently enfeoffed with the castle and lordship of Buckhorst near Zalk in Overijssel. Two of his sons, Christoffel and Georg Nicolaas, would later also become bailiffs of Bredevoort.
Service to the States
Gooswijn van der Lawick became famous during the siege and relief of Bredevoort in 1606. After the Spaniards managed to overrun Bredevoort, the citizens and garrison were able to flee to Bredevoort Castle to continue the defense of the city while awaiting relief from surrounding States’ armies. However, the Spaniards had no powder and shot. These had coincidentally been brought into the castle by Gooswijn van der Lawick the day before. As a result, the Spaniards failed to take the town; they ran out of ammunition. In 1629, as commander, Van der Lawick also participated in the Capture of Wesel, together with Wolf Mislich.
Captain Wolf Misslich was the commander of the States’ garrison in Bredevoort during the early 17th century. In 1629, he participated in the capture of Wesel, for which he was rewarded by the States-General. Later that same year, he was appointed governor of the Lordship of Bredevoort. His substantial legacy to the poor established him as one of the greatest benefactors in the history of the town.
Misslich and his troops captured two Spanish redoubts on the Lippe. For his services, he received a gold medal valued at one hundred rijksdaalders from the States-General.1
Following these military successes, Misslich was appointed governor of Bredevoort, a strategically located fortified town in the east of Gelderland.
Family, legacy, and charity
In a deed dated June 27, 1629, Misslich is referred to as “van Paterborn” (Paderborn), indicating his place of origin.2 He was initially married to Catharina van Jeveren; from this marriage, a daughter, Anna Margaretha, was born. Anna Margaretha married Captain Robert van Giffen; they had a daughter named Catharina. Both Anna Margaretha and her daughter passed away in the summer of 1639, shortly before Misslich himself. After the death of his first wife, Misslich remarried his maidservant, Nelleke Servaes.3
In a will dated December 26, 1628, Misslich already demonstrated his philanthropic nature. In it, he bequeathed, among other things, 500 Carolus guilders to the poor of Emmerich; he named his daughter Anna Margaretha as the heir to the rest of his estate and also left five hundred guilders to his nephew (his namesake, Sergeant Wolf Misslich), three hundred guilders to his—then—maidservant Nelleken, and twenty rijksdaalders and a cloak to his servant Jurrien.4
His charitable work took further shape in the following years. In 1637, he purchased a house with a barn, garden, and appurtenances within the town of Bredevoort from the Deputies of the County of Zutphen, with the provision that the property would pass to the poor after his death.5 On July 13, 1639, he bequeathed 6,000 Carolus guilders to the New Orphanage in Zutphen and 100 rijksdaalders to the poor of Lochem.6
The house of Misslich (Agnietenhuis)
However, the most well-known part of his legacy went to the poor of Bredevoort. According to his will, he left his house, garden, and associated lands to the city’s poor relief—a donation later estimated at 15,000 guilders, an exceptionally large sum for that time. This gift gave rise to the local saying: “The poor of Bredevoort are rich.”7
Misslich’s house was likely located near the Ambthuis. The rental income from the property was entirely dedicated to poor relief. Until the nineteenth century, the fund resulting from his legacy was still managed by the church’s deacons and provisors. In 1808, the fund still represented a value of over 6,000 guilders.
One of the properties that passed to the poor of Bredevoort was the Erff und Guedt Lenckhoff in Aalten, which Misslich had purchased in 1638 from Count Georg Ernst van Limburg Stirum.8 This estate was situated in the area between the current Bodenvoor, Bredevoortsestraat, and Haartsestraat (later known as Lankhaverstegge) and extended to the Smees. The Lankhofstraat is named after it.
Death
Saint George’s Church in the 19th century (illustrative image)
On August 1, 1639, Misslich transferred part of his assets to his son-in-law Robert van Giffen, including an estate in Nieuw Vossemeer near Steenbergen and significant annuities in the Veluwe and Emmerich.9
Shortly thereafter, Misslich passed away; on August 17, 1639, his will was opened.10 He was buried in Saint George’s Church in Bredevoort.11
In 1661, he is still mentioned in the archives as “the stern and valiant governor” in connection with the sale of a house “for the benefit of the poor”.12
Wolf Misslich was not only a capable military officer and administrator but also a man with a profound social conscience. His generous donations ensured that the poor of Bredevoort received support for generations. Nearly four centuries after his death, his name lives on in the history of the town he served.
Landstraat 5 in Aalten is a characteristic residential and commercial building dating from 1911, built for the Heijmans firm, drapers and cloth merchants. The new building replaced an older house on the same site. The Aalten architect Jan Brill was responsible for the design.
In the 1930s, Bulten’s Bloemenhuis (flower shop) established itself here, and two greenhouses were erected at the rear of the property. In 1947, the narrow northern section of the building—originally consisting of a room, kitchen, and upper room—was incorporated into the business. The ground floor then housed a garage/workshop, a florist’s workshop, a small kitchen, and an office, with a storage attic above.
Geling’s Department Store
In the late 1950s, S.H.J. Geling established a department store here, specialising in household goods and toys. Under his instruction, the building underwent extensive renovations in 1960, based on a design by H.A. and J.L.F. Waalders. During this project, the building was fitted with new shopfronts and a modernised layout.
Three years later, in 1963, a significant expansion followed on the western side, including additional shop and warehouse space, also designed by the Waalders architectural firm from Winterswijk. In the following decades (1960s and 1970s), the shop and its facade were further modernised, and the workshop was integrated into the retail area.
Following the closure of Geling’s department store, Theissen Tweewielers (a bicycle shop) occupied the premises for some time. Currently (2025), the building has been vacant for many years.
Owners
Overview is incomplete.
Year
Plot
Owner
Description
1832
I-1269 I-1270 I-1271 I-1272
widow of Jan Hendrik Brethouwer
38 m² house & yard 51 m² house & yard 192 m² house & yard 350 m² garden
Residents
1813
Aalten 63
Jan Hendrik Brethouwer (Aalten, 14-06-1761), cloth merchant
At this location once lived the Van Herwaarden family, a lineage of coppersmiths who operated a workshop here for approximately 125 years until 1850. Around 1725, the couple Everhard van Herwaarden and Berendina van Isendoorn settled in Aalten, initially living with Berendina’s father, Abraham van Isendoorn, a man of high social standing. They subsequently established a coppersmith workshop on the small street that later became known as Peperstraat.
Generations later, their children and grandchildren also lived in Weesp, Naarden, and Amsterdam, including Jacobus Hendricus van Herwaarden. He was born in 1817 in Weesp, as the son of coppersmith Jacobus Everhardus van Herwaarden and Anna Catharina Berner, a ‘coppersmith-trader’. Jacobus Hendricus moved in with his grandfather Jacob(us), who had taken over the coppersmith workshop in Aalten and saw in him a successor.
However, this succession in Aalten never came to fruition. In 1837, the twenty-year-old Jacobus Hendricus left for Amsterdam and from there departed for Suriname. In 1848, Jacobus, nearly 89 years old, returned to his city of birth, Amsterdam. This marked the end of the Van Herwaarden coppersmith workshop in Peperstraat.
Owners
Overview is incomplete.
Year
Plot
Owner
Description
1832
I-1148
Jacobus van Herwaarde
240 m² house & yard
Residents
Jacobus van Herwaarden (Amsterdam, 21-10-1759 – Amsterdam, 05-01-1854) married on 22-03-1789 in Aalten to Mette te Kulve (Winterswijk, 23-09-1763 – Aalten, 27-02-1844)
Jacobus became a church member in Aalten on 07-04-1779.
Jacobus is mentioned in 1813 as a ‘garçon de chaudronnier’ (coppersmith’s assistant) in the Register Civique of Aalten.
Fragment cadastral map, 1937 (plot I-6926)In the building currently located at number 4, on the right of the photo, Lensink’s grocery store was once situated, later Luimes electronics, and currently Dierservice Aalten is located here.Opregte Haarlemsche Courant, 13 June 1846Aaltensche Courant, 12 September 1924
Evert Maarten Smilda was born on 10 June 1928 in Utrecht. He passed away on 11 November 2020. Smilda played a major role of significant social importance in Aalten. Among other achievements, he made a vital contribution to putting Aalten’s history firmly on the map.
The Dutch East Indies
He was working in a laboratory as an instrument maker when he was deployed as a soldier to the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia). He completed his military training in Arnhem and trained as an armourer (geweermaker) in Zaandam. This was to be his role in Indonesia. Evert was just twenty years old when he departed for the East. The voyage by boat lasted a month.
Smilda served in Indonesia for two years. Following the departure of the Japanese, the task of the Dutch military was to attempt to restore peace and order. They moved from village to village. Once “ordinary” daily life resumed in a place, the young men moved on.
Upon returning to the Netherlands, matters were poorly arranged for many veterans of the Indies conflict. Evert had lost his job. However, he picked up the pieces and trained as an amanuensis (science laboratory technician). He later earned a degree to teach mathematics, physics and chemistry, and taught for many years at the technical secondary school (LTS) in Aalten.
Shortly after leaving the military, Evert met his future wife, Itte. In 1959, he and his wife moved to Aalten so he could take up a position as a laboratory technician at the Christian Comprehensive School (Christelijke Scholengemeenschap). Through evening study, he worked his way up to become a teacher at the evening secondary school (avondmavo) and the LTS.
Local history
Smilda had a profound interest in history. Early in the 1916s, he already recognised the importance of Aalten’s beautiful historic village scene. He lobbied the province of Gelderland to get various characteristic properties listed as heritage sites (monumentenlijst) that would otherwise have been demolished. Thanks in part to these efforts, the centre of Aalten became the very first Protected Village Conservation Area (Beschermd Dorpsgezicht) in Gelderland.
In 1962, he was involved in the founding of the historical working group ADW. Around the same time, he joined the board of the Aalten Museum (Oudheidkamer). He served on the board for forty years, nineteen of which as chairman. Together with others, he laid the foundations for what is now the Nationaal Onderduikmuseum.
In 1964, he wrote Twee eeuwen tussen Es en Slinge (Two Centuries Between Es and Slinge), which chronicled the coppersmiths of Peperstraat. Later, he oversaw the publication of Aalten in oude ansichten (Aalten in Old Postcards) and two volumes of Aalten, zoals het was zoals het is (Aalten, As It Was, As It Is) in collaboration with G.J. Timmer.
When the local Jewish community could no longer afford the maintenance of the Aalten synagogue, Evert—at that time chairman of the Vereniging Oudheidkamer Aalten—took the initiative to have the synagogue declared a Municipal Monument. In 1983, along with several others, he established the ‘Friends of the Aalten Synagogue’ foundation.
Smilda also provided Dutch language lessons at the former Groot Deunk asylum seekers’ centre in Barlo. Furthermore, he was a member of the Municipal Monuments Committee in Aalten for 22 years. In cooperation with German historians, he worked on the publication of bilingual historical works.
In 2005, Smilda became a member of the Aalten Evergreen Choir. On his 92nd birthday, the choir surprised Evert with an outdoor musical tribute (aubade) at the Zuiderkerk. This was also intended as a farewell gift for Smilda, who had indicated earlier that year that he wished to step down as a choir member. Seated in an open landau carriage pulled by two beautiful horses, Evert and his wife took a tour through the village. The presence of his family made the surprise complete.
Evert Smilda and his wife in the carriage. Photo: Leo van der Linde
Smildapad
On the site of the former Technical School, 56 residential homes are being built. A street will be constructed between the southern and northern sections of the development plan on Ludgerstraat. Historical circles and supporters of the synagogue requested that this street be named after Evert Smilda, in recognition of his extensive public service. In October 2022, the municipality responded favourably and decided that the street will bear the name Smildapad.
Dirk (Dick) Fries (1924-03-30 – 2002-10-08), son of Georg Fries and Jansje Meijerman, was a household name in Aalten. Everyone knew him from his tobacco shop, Sigarenmagazijn Dick Fries. He was also a well-known figure on the streets, accompanied by his guide dog.
Fries had become blind during World War II. In 1949, he opened his shop on Landstraat in Aalten. Despite his disability, he was able to find his way around his shop flawlessly. Handling payments with customers also presented no problem for him.
Every cigar enthusiast knew how to find Dick Fries’s little shop in Aalten. Dick Fries was even a Purveyor to the Royal Household. Two years after his passing, the interior of this shop was moved to the Netherlands Open Air Museum in Arnhem.
In the Middle Ages, a so-called veemgericht (vehmic court) was established in the vicinity of manor house ‘t Walfort near Aalten. Veem is Low Saxon for ‘punishment’. It was a special court whose hearings took place in the open air near a grove called “Sleehegge”. Here, justice was administered four times a year at sunrise.
The court was presided over by a free-count, a judge after the old Westphalian model. A free-count represented a so-called free seat. A free seat covered a certain area, usually similar to the gauges of Carolingian times. The free-count has its origins with the Saxons. After the subjugation of the Saxons by Charlemagne, the old vehmic courts continued to exist for a long time.
This free-count and a number of free vehmic jurors or assessors ruled on the charges, after summoning the suspect. The vehmic court would have intervened if there were concerns that a privileged person could not be brought before a regular court, thus filling a gap in the legal system.
Havezathe ‘t Walfort, Jan de Beijer, 1743
The Dücker will get you
The most famous and notorious free-count at ‘t Walfort was Berend de Dücker, also mayor of Bocholt. He was appointed to ‘t Walfort in 1430 and was particularly feared, because his convictions often ended in death. The condemned man was hung by three anonymous vehmic jurors on a noose of willow branches. De Dücker presided over the vehmic court for 61 years. A well-known threat from parents to their children, if they did not want to obey, was still until the 20th century: “The Dücker will get you”.
Because the vehmic courts undermined the government’s monopoly to impose punishments, the Duke of Guelders forbade his subjects to comply with a summons to the vehmic court. At the end of the sixteenth century, the vehmic court on ‘t Walfort disappeared. It is the only place in the Netherlands where it has been proven that there was a vehmic court.
In 1936, the Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad wrote about the vehmic court at ‘t Walfort:
The vehmic court on the Walfort.
Arising from the pressure of the times and as a reaction to the tyrannical domination of the Pledgers, it [the cattle court, ed.] met at night. The citizens, who formed the court, sometimes did not know each other. They appeared masked. To prevent the prisoners from revealing what had happened, and where the hearings, or rather the meetings, were held, the sentence that was passed was always the death penalty. The easiest punishment to carry out was that of the noose.
In order to show the passing that they were dealing with a vehmic sentence, the sign of the vehmic court was cut in the tree on which the hanged man had been sentenced with an axe, a so-called ‘Wolfshaak’ [or Wolfs’ Hook, ed.]. All this seems to us, at the present time, very cruel. But it must not be forgotten that the bitterness in connection with the need of the times has led to these measures.
For chiefly the majesties turned against the dismissed soldiers of the many armies of the many little armies of the many little potentates who were constantly fighting each other.
These warriors, who spared neither friend nor foe, scoured the countryside in larger or smaller troops. They stole cattle, chickens and food. Also money, which was scarce among the peasant population of those ancient times, as well as household goods and jewelry. And church treasures were to their liking.
These people behaved shamefully towards women and children. And woe betide the farmer who lived on a lonely farm dared to resist their crimes. His family was abused in front of his eyes, while he watched, bound. His farm was set on fire, and he himself was the last to be beaten to death.
The vehmic court, which was composed of residents of Bredevoort and Aalten, was later officially established on the Walfort, where the van Lintelo family, the judge, free-count or president of the court were elected. In 1573 we find Arend van Lintelo as such.
Also read “A vehmic court on Dutch soil”, by Dr. H. Kits Nieuwenkamp (1938):
Gerrit Hendrik Heinen (Aalten, 01-08-1851 – Aalten, 26-09-1930) was born on Varsseveldsestraat in Aalten. His parents were Jan Willem Heinen and Antonetta Piepers.
At the age of nineteen, Gerrit Hendrik left for Warnsveld, returning to Aalten a year later in 1871. In 1877, he left once again—this time for Rotterdam, to learn the trade of house painting and decorating. Two years later, he ended up in Amsterdam. There, he started a painting business and, within a few years, employed more than a hundred journeymen.
Heinen received commissions for wall and ceiling murals, including for the Doelen Hotel and Central Station in Amsterdam, and the railway stations in Enschede and Antwerp.
Schiller
Heinen “made it”, so to speak, and invested in real estate. Hotel-Café Schiller on Rembrandtplein was the go-to meeting place for the property trade, and Heinen was consequently a frequent face there.
At the time, Gerrit Jan Prins from Aalten—who would later own the café on Prinsenstraat—also worked there. Through Heinen’s mediation, the official opening of ‘Sociëteit Schiller Prins’ was celebrated on 1 April 1901, attended by Mr Schiller from Amsterdam. In 1902, Heinen gifted four murals, which together depicted the four seasons, for Schiller’s newly built conservatory.
Heinen continued to visit Aalten often. He was a bon vivant, a city dweller, and naturally an artist in the decorative arts. He dreamed of turning Aalten into an art destination and donated several works to the local museum (Oudheidkamer). However, the crowds of people failed to materialise.
On one of his travels abroad, Heinen met the Swiss Marie Streuli. He married her in 1880, and together they had nine children. They lived on Keizersgracht. Gerrit Hendrik Heinen was the father of, among others, Marie Heinen, who became the director of the Nationaal Bureau voor Vrouwenarbeid (National Bureau for Women’s Labour). Gerrit Heinen and Marie Streuli divorced in 1911.
Photography
In 1894, Heinen took a series of photographs of Amsterdam, which he published independently under the title ‘Panoramas and Cityscapes of Amsterdam’, featuring 26 prints. For his photography, he chose high vantage points, such as the Rijksmuseum, Central Station, the Paleis voor Volksvlijt (Palace of Popular Industry), and the Doelen Hotel, as well as the Nieuweramstel water tower and the attics of ordinary residential houses. Murals painted by Heinen can still be seen inside Amsterdam Central Station today.
Heinen earned so much money as an entrepreneur that he was able to retire in 1913. He did, however, continue to paint bas-reliefs. He spent the final years of his life in Italy, where he met Pietro Armati, an Italian painter whom he brought to Aalten and helped secure commissions.
Servaas van Leuven was a medical doctor in Aalten from 1836 to 1896. He was born on 12 March 1811 in Kampen, the son of Jan Adrianus van Leuven, a tailor, and Johanna Maria Huijzer. Van Leuven passed away in 1898 at the age of 87.
On 1 May 1836, Van Leuven arrived in Aalten to succeed the surgeon Adolph Wechgelaar, who had died shortly before. Initially, he established himself at Wechgelaar’s residential address on Dijkstraat.
On 18 May 1838, he married Henriette Wilhelmina Christina Theodora Rost in Aalten, the daughter of the retired captain Johann Christian Rost. In 1839, the couple moved to Peperstraat. Not long after, they settled permanently on Bredevoortsestraatweg. Opposite their home, on the corner with Peperstraat, was the livery stable where Doctor Van Leuven’s horse and carriage were kept.
The couple had no fewer than ten children. Two of them passed away at a very young age and were buried in the burial mound at ’t Smees.
Work as a doctor
Servaas van Leuven was a valued and respected doctor who for decades played a vital role in local healthcare.
For sixty years, he carried out his often demanding and exhausting work with great dedication. He particularly excelled in the field of obstetrics through his diligence and devotion to duty. At all hours of the night, in winter cold and storms, his assistance was never sought in vain, even in his advanced years.
In an era when medical assistance in the Achterhoek was scarce, he was regarded by many as a saving grace. He delivered thousands of babies and offered pro bono care and advice to many of the less fortunate.
Final years and passing
After more than sixty years in practice, Van Leuven ended his medical work in 1896 at the age of 85.
Servaas van Leuven passed away on 24 November 1898 in Aalten and was buried at the Old Cemetery on Varsseveldsestraatweg.
On the left, the building that formerly stood on the corner of Bredevoortsestraatweg and Peperstraat (where Pepper 8 is located today). This was the livery stable where Doctor Servaas van Leuven kept his horse and carriage in the late 19th century. Zutphensche Courant, April 17, 1886
Warnar Willem Marinus Moll was born on August 17, 1857, in Bredevoort. He passed away on November 18, 1937, in Winterswijk.
The Aaltensche Courant wrote the day after his death:
A well-known figure from our municipality passed away on Wednesday at the age of over 80. Mr. W.W.M. Moll, a former teacher—the always cheerful and vigorous elderly gentleman—passed away at the hospital in Winterswijk after a few days of illness.
Since time immemorial, ‘Master Moll’ served education in Bredevoort, and he saw the majority of Bredevoort’s residents in the school benches. Outside of school, Mr. Moll participated intensely in social life, serving public life in many capacities.
His greatest passion was undoubtedly the Tuberculosis Association, which was based in Aalten. For many years, he was the driving force behind this association. Furthermore, he served for years as the chairman of the Butter Factory and Bredevoorts Belang, and held board positions in the livestock fund, the association for hospital nursing, the Zwanenbroek commission, etc. From its founding until 1922, he was a director of the Geld.-Westf. Tramweg Mij. Mr. Moll was one of those who gave the initial impetus for the founding of this company. Additionally, the deceased held the chairmanship of the committee for the prevention of truancy, a position he had already filled for a great many years.
Bredevoort in the first place, and the municipality of Aalten, lose in Mr. Moll a fellow citizen who did a great deal for the interests of his place of residence. On Monday afternoon, the remains will be interred at the general cemetery in Bredevoort. Undoubtedly, many will feel compelled to pay their last respects to the deceased.
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