Occupation: Gerrit was the schoolmaster of Oudewater
DEATH: Pualus was "Jong overleden" (died young)
DEATH: Willem was "Jong overleden" (died young)
Occupation: Paulus was a merchant in Amsterdam
89. Jan VAN VOORTHUIJSEN Pastor
Occupation: Jan was a pastor to Zoelmond 1815-1821, Leerdam 1821-1853. I am not sure of the denomination, but I assume it was the Nederlands Hervormde Kerk, since the Gereformeerde Kerk had not been established yet.
houthandelaar
BIOGRAPHY: The following and all circumstances if not experienced personally (by Willem Kapteyn, born 6 September 1903) are copied and put together from history written by Father Pieter Nicolaas Kapteyn (born 16 May 1874)
"Arie,(son of Paulus), remained unmarried, but Willem (Arie's brother) became the ancestor of a large posterity. During the French period, Willem, who was still unmarried, was taken from his home to serve in the armed services of Napoleon, but he deserted in the year 1812 and remained for quite some time underground working for a farmer in the Gelderland. When He was 42 years old he married Dirkje Veldhuyzen who hailed from Benthuizen. He met her on the way somplace in his horse and buggy, which was the usual means of transportation in those days, and he caught up with a girl who asked him for a ride, which he gave her. As they were riding she made herself known to him as Dirkje Veldhuyzen, and mentioned that she was looking for a position as a maid, which was quite common in those days. It just so happened that Willem needed a maid, and so they soon agreed that she would go to work for him. It wasn't too long after this that they fell in love and got married. 10 children were born to them; Paulus, Willem, Fitje, Pieter, Arie, Cornelis, Pietertje, Gerrit, Gerritje, and Dirk.
Willem took over the operation (of the farm)from his father. Also in those days it yielded only a meager existence, also because of a large family; a lot of mouths to feed. But he knew his Lord and Savior, and together with his wife they brought up the children in the fear of the Lord. Those were the days of difficulty in the churches. The spiritual backsliding and increasing superficiality in the doctrine of the Hervormde Kerk also touched the lives of Willem and his wife. More and more preachers turned away from the old reformed doctrine also because of the actions of the Reformed Church Society which permitted and also protected freedom in preaching.
More and more people, however, had their eyes opened concerning this backsliding, and protested against the actions of the Church Society, but without success. Willem Kapteyn as well joined those who perservered in the pure preaching in the truth of God's word. Encouraged through the boldness and steadfastness of several preachers who defended the old Reformed doctrine, his home soon became a place of prayer and preaching (Thursday evenings; see biography of his daughter Gerritje) since he wouldn't go along with the preaching and actions of the church society. This, and other circumstances, eventually resulted in financial difficulty for Willem Kapteyn since his brother Arie and others who supported him financially threatened to withhold their support if he dared to turn his back on the "old church", and join those "purists". Because of all these trials, he was torn severely.
Then followed a period of spiritual awakening, which took place roughly between 1816 and 1834. When separation began in 1834, Willem Kapteyn was one of the first to resign his membership in the Netherlands Reformed church society. He thus acted according to his conscience and conviction.
Fortunately, during that period farm product prices began rising and consequently land values as well. Willem inherited land from his brother Arie upon the latter's death, and thus was able to vastly improve his position and became a well-to-do farmer.
He passed away at a ripe old age, being 83 years old, on September 3, 1858 and lived to see many grandchildren."
Paulus is overleden op 08-05-1836 in Bodegraven, Netherlands, 17 jaar oud (oorzaak: Paulus had a friend who had come down with smallpox, and he went to visit him. He did not enter the house, but only looked in through the window. What he saw frightened him very much, and he prayed that his friend would not die. Unfortunately, Paulus contracted it anyway and passed away from the same dreadful disease.
BIOGRAPHY: Willem was a pastor, and served in Staphorst in 1851, Nijkerk in 1853, Coevorden in 1856. He became Emeritus in 1884.As an interesting side note I found a record of Willem presiding at the marriage of Ds. Hendrik Diemer and Jantien Jansen in Coevorden on 11 February, 1861. The record was found in the Hekman library on the campus of Calvin College in the book, "de afgescheidenen van 1834 en hun nageslacht."