Toleration was not the weakness of the intending minister. He did not do much harm to the "church whereout the came", as until his death in 1777, he remained a student of divinity. Writing he did better than making verses; the geneological tree prepared by him is, for a dilletante, neatly published. I spoke there of geneological tree according to van Dale's dictionary of the Dutch language, a geneological tree is "a table whereon (in the form of a stem with branches) the names of the members of the family are written". Not so with our theological candidate. With him no mention of names, also nothing of dates, he mentions only the fact, nothing more. That his work is therefore also inaccurate, it is scarcely necessary to add.

These notes, they do not merit any other name, are to be found in a collection of family papers in the possession of Mr. J. J. Metelerkamp at Utrecht, and were willingly allowed to be made us of in the compilation of these pages. With diligence were they read and reread, yet without any importance result. They embrace little and that little as a rule is inaccurate. But still they teach us that many attempts were made to get a history of this family, mainly during the latter part of the previous, and the beginning of the present century. In 1798 an enquiry was instituted at Bentheim, probably by Mr. R. Metelerkamp, Advocate at Gouda. He mentions in a letter that both in the church and in the cemetery were to be seen tombstones having reference to his family. Further, the then Burgomaster of Bentheim, Mr. Dithmahr, informed him that the family Metelerkamp was noble and two centuries ago "had enjoyed the prerogatives". Finally that the family house was still in existence. It was not large, but was built of stone and was used a farmhouse, and the people who came to live there took the name of Metelerkamp. This slight information did not satisfy the curiosity and in 1805 a second enquiry was made at Bentheim, the result of this was communicated from Wassenaar in a letter of September 23rd, 1805. With great pains the enquirer referred to everything and then also found more than his predecessor. In the church yard he discovered a small tombstone whereon stood "An. 1631 Jorien Metelerkamp" and this agreed with an entry in the Protoculs "Georg Metelerkamp Hendricks little son, died". After that follows an account regarding the birth of children of Everwijn Metelerkamp and of this son Jurgen or George. This account is made use of in the present book. It is of more importance as the baptismal books wherein they appear have been entirely lost, as Rev. Geelvink, Minister at Bentheim states. He also communicates two deaths: 5 Aug. 1657 Wednesday, Burgomaster Everwijn Metelerkamp's child died; June 11 1658, Burgomaster Everwijn Metelerkamp's child died without christening.

In the building of the Avezathe Metelerkamp, as it is called, there was nothing of note to see. "There lived, says the report, two young people, whose mother stayed with them. The man was also called Metelerkamp, and was my postillion from Bentheim to Welden. His father had also lived always at this place, which was not his property but an estate of the Court, which he held on tenure, as is still the case with the son". About the same time as important discovery was made. A coin was found on which on the one side the Arms of Lubek, with marginal inscription 48 schilling courant geld A.O. 1752. On the other side a crowned imperial eagle, with the number 48 on the breast, in a circle, and between the feet the following arms, three ears of corn on a white field, on a green and thereunder black ground with crowned helmet. The marginal inscription reads : -

Mon. nova Imp. Civitat Lubeccae.

People wrote to Lubek for enlightenment, but the answer was always a little unsatisfactory. The arms on the coin were borne by the Burgomaster Heinrich Rust. The senior burgomaster had the right to place his arms on the coins so long as he filled the position. Rust, it is further written, died without children, and among his ancestors to 1640 the name of Metelerkamp never occurred. The letter ends with these words (here follows some French).

Once again in 1835 Dr. J.J. Metelerkamp addressed a letter on these matters to Dr. H. Metelerkamp Cappenburg at Ulsen, who replied in August of that year, that the branch at Rheine in Munsterland had no connection and were originally called von Wessel. He gives no proofs for his assertions and his son who was lately Minister at Ulsen does not remember anything about this.

Reverting to the family papers, there are still two pieces which claim our attention. The first is signed Bentheim 14 April 1715 and Oldenzaal 15 April 1715 and is the marriage agreement of Mr. Alexander H. M. Cornet and Miss Cornelia Munts. Without this document we would have remained uncertain as to the year of his marriage.

The Minister at Oldenzaal, Arnoldus Reiners, who pronounced the blessing over the young couple was, it appears, forgetful. Mr. G. Waller, at present Burgomaster at Oldenzaal, kindly writes that is occured repeatedly that he did not keep his registers well; it appeared also to be the case here as no entry is found of this marriage.

The second piece is greater and fills four quarto pages whereof the first was placed under the following title : - "State book of Mr. A.H. Metelerkamp born in Zwol 11th August 1744 about 8 o'clock and Mrs. A.E. Metelerkamp born de Rhoer, born in Gouda 10th December 1747 about 3 o'clock at night. Married in Gouda on Monday 23rd November 1767, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, by the Rev. Couperus, Elder Bastiaansen and Deacon Maas". The three remaining pages were taken up by notes concerning his children and date from 4 March 1772 to 18 March 1810.

The last note which is found in the papers is of 1820.

It is intended, with the mention of these somewhat extensive notes, to conclude, in order to describe the enquiries, the result of which is given in the following pages. First and foremost it was necessary to ascertain if one could find any printed matter concerning the family and at once the Biographisch Woordenboek of van der Aa was consulted. It mentions three of this family; for that work had been referred to, as their names occurred therein. It is the same in Glasius' "Godgeleerd Nederland" which mentions only Dr. Joh. Jac. Metelerkamp, Minister at Delft.

More enlightenment is obtained from the well known work of Mr. J. van Doorninck, "Geslachtkunkige Aantekeningen van Overijsel" published at Deventer in 1871. In this a portion of the family at Zwolla is mentioned. But the information given there is mostly already known from papers of Mr. A.H. Metelerkamp at Gouda.

Of the branch at Groningen less is known; only the names of places where Ministers Metelerkamp were, but not details as to date or christian names. This defect was considerably minimised by book of the Minister and Rector at Apingadam, Heino Hermannus Brucherus, titled "Gedenkboek van Stad en Lande, in zig behelzende eene naamlijst van de predikanten dezer provincie sedert 1584 tor 1792 enz. enz.; te Groningen, bij Nicolaas Veenkamp en Zoon, 1792".

When one first had the dates fixed, it was not so difficult to enquire for more enlightenment in the numerous places in Groningen where in earlier times as well as the Ministers of this persuasion stayed. The Burgomasters, as well as the Ministers, turned up for this enquiry the old registers with the greatest willingness in their power. These gentlemen are hereby individually and publicly thanked therefor.

It was more difficult to carry on the enquiries at Bentheim. Three books bear on this subject, by Messrs. Fisch, Riet and van Bogelskamp, without any of them mentioning in a single instance the name Metelerkamp, and it was a book written from a Catholic standpoint, "Geschichte etc." that alone makes mention of an inscription on a tombstone.

The tradition mentions that the son of the Romish Priest was a merchant and brewer at Emmelenkamp, thus from this place their enquiry must start. The present Minister there, the Rev. G.H. Hana, states that about 1700 the parsonage and nearly the whole village was destroyed by fire whereby many old records were lost. The enquiry brought to light certain entries concerning Joan Metelerkamp and his children, but of the merchant himself nothing was found.

Things went no better at Bentheim. Mr. Geelvink, Minister there, mentions that not a single baptismal, marriage or burial register, prior to 1687 was in existence and that the membership book was first started in that year. Also after that year the registers were so badly kept that, for instance, in 1715 the births were only written up to March, while during the whole of 1716 four only appear.

At last after more that half a year had been wasted by useless enquires, enlightenment came. Mr. G.E. Jordens, a notary at Deventer whose mother was Miss Anna Maria Metelerkamp furnished most willingly considerable information concerning the first members of this family. By his communication, a considerable modification was made in the meaning that Romish priest had only on son, the merchant at Emmelenkamp, who in turn should have had three sons, whereof the youngest must have been the Minister at Brandlecht.

This Nicolas or Claas, as he also writes his name, gave on the 21st November 1695 a large Luther's bible to his wife. In those times this was not in itself so uncommon, but in the front of this bible he entered all the happenings of his family. This folio with the notes written thereon, came into the possession of the grandmother of Mr. Jordens, namely Mrs. G. Metelerkamp Groeneveld. She gave the notes to her grandson, but not the bible. These pages are carefully kept by Mr. Jordens and an extract therefrom is used here for the purpose of welcome and indisputable enlightenment.

Presently, one's surprise is aroused that nowhere is it suggested by our Nicolas of the Village Emmelenkamp of that of which tradition speaks, while even less is there any family story concerning a change of name. He was not far removed from the occurrences which prompted his ancestor to fly; he was born about 1627. Secrecy was no longer necessary; the reformation had been long established and numbered many adherents. When he makes mention of the death of parents, he states that they were buried in the ancestral vault at Bentheim and he could not have said this so positively if his grandfather had lived and died at Emmelenkamp. He writes his notes partly in Latin, but mostly in High German with Latin letters. This first is noteworthy, as Low German was generally written and spoken in Bentheim at that time. He is, besides, very profuse in his writings. If one of his children is baptised, he mentions the name of the Minister who performs this duty, the names and addresses of the baptismal witnesses and even the donation, usually a piece of money, by which the parents and those present did honour to the newly born child. If a member of the family died, he mentioned the Minister who held the burial service and the text he took. He notes even the prayers which are offered on such an occasion. Occasionally he mentions some special occurrence more than once. Thus he notes the dates of the death of his parents three times, twice in German and once in Latin. For this reason his notes are not printed here. There is no doubt that they contained accurate information. An enquiry at Braddlecht concerning the birth of his children proved without doubt that these notes were authentic.

It surprises us more that he does not say that his father had a brother. He must have known the descendants, as he came forward at witness at the baptism of a child of Everwijn Metelerkamp.

We come not to a branch of the family which fortune favoured less - to the children of Arent Metelerkamp and Geesjen Stoltencamp. It is supposed that when Arent died, his widow relapsed into bad circumstances seeing he left seven young children while the eighth was born after his death. Probably she sold the ancestral home and went later to Amsterdam with some of the children. They did not get on well and so we find them reduced to shoemakers and tailors.

This enquiry was made easy by Mr. Roever Az, whose courtesy does not need my praise. At the same time the late Archivist of Den Bosch, Mr. van Zuilen, was busy searching the note books and powers of attorney of Amsterdam and had the friendliness again and again to notify me what he had found concerning the name Metelerkamp. I wish to thank him for this. This branch probably died out before 1800, unless they moved elsewhere.

The name Metelerkamp appears formerly to have always been spelt with a "c". The Amsterdam branch did this certainly as also the Minister at Brandlecht. Once in his notes he writes it with a "k". Later when they came or where settled in the Netherlands they made an alteration in this. The last example of this probably George Christoff Metelerkamp, who died at Zwolle in 1842 and who changed the "c" into "k".

The arms also show a difference and appear to be borne in three different ways : -

First as it is shown here. Second, on the one half of the shield three ears of corn and on the other a high ascending tree. Third, on the one half of the shield three ears of corn and on the other, a high ascending tree, two stags standing on their hind legs, with their forefeet against the stem and placed opposite each other.

The arms as they are here presented are taken from a wax impression of the seal used by Mr. A.H. Metelerkamp of Gouda. The seal itself appears to be lost, the impression is in the possession of Mr. A.T.L. Metelerkamp at Arnhem.

(Here follows a page of thanks)

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1. HENRIK

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Everwijn Hessina

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2. ARENT

This method of depicting the family tree continues from page 7 to 17 and is followed by an example of now to trace back the family tree.

Following the tree are 6 pages of notes by Attie Wessels which will be produced here time permitting.

Lastly, there is a depiction of the family tree selected to follow the ancestry from my immediate family as far back as the original Henrik.

For corrections comments or additions, please feel free to contact me via email at: bruce.metelerkamp AT .com my gmail friends will work it out