Clockmaker
Gerrit Jan Heinen was a clockmaker and maker of tower clocks. He lived at ’t Kampe in IJzerlo, on the road later named Klokkemakersweg after him.
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 clock mechanism in the tower of the Dutch Reformed church, made in 1861 by a certain Bartstra, an expert in the field, soon proved too lightly constructed. Consideration was therefore given to remedying its defects. A long time passed, however, without any improvement in the situation, until a few years ago a certain Heinen, an amateur clockmaker living at Kampe in IJzerlo in this municipality, approached the churchwardens and assured them that he was fully capable of making an entirely new clock that would meet every requirement. Permission was granted after agreement had been reached on the price and method of payment, which would not take place until the completed work had been unconditionally approved.
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.
See also: ‘The Heinen clockmakers of Aalten’
