Hugenholtz
(also Snellen)
Frederik Willem Nicolaas Hugenholtz was born in Rotterdam in August 1839.
click to see his children
The forefathers of F.W.N. Hugenholtz were ministers and theologians, and F.W.N. was himself invited to America as a theologian. The Hugenholtz family is traced to 1550, the time of Martin Luther, in Wetter an der (on the) Ruhr. Wetter a/d Ruhr is a picturesque town in Westphalia, the region of Germany bordering the Netherlands. The Ruhr is a tributary of the Rhine. They served as magistrates and councilmen in Wetter. Petrus Bernhardus Hugenholtz (1663-1736) was headmaster of an early “latin school.” Before latin schools and the Reformation, reading was confined to the clergy of Christian Europe, and translations of the Bible into vernacular languages were forbidden.
Ancestors of F. W. N. Hugenholtz (1839-1900)
L-R: Frederik (1839-1900), Petrus (1796-1871), Petrus (1766-1832), Petrus (1728-1811), Frederik (1693-1730)
Pictures, from right to left (courtesy of Gerard Hugenholtz):
- Frederik Willem (1693-1730)
, son of Petrus Bernhardus, was the first minister in the family. Born in Wetter an der Ruhr (in today’s Germany), Frederik became minister at Schuttorf on the Dutch-German border.
- Petrus Hermannus (1728-1811)
, born in Schuttorf, studied theology at Groningen. He became minister at Delft.
Petrus (1766-1832), christened at Delft’s Nieuwe Kerk. (“New Church,” which was built in the 1500s, has the burial crypts of the Dutch royal family.) He became minister at Utrecht.
Petrus Hermannus (1796-1871), was born in Amerongen, just east of Utrecht. He became minister at Rotterdam. He was criticized by the Dutch Reformed Church for espousing “Modern Theology that lacked a [Calvinist] concept of damnation.” Responding to criticism, he was “recognized as a most able speaker.” He had ten children by his first and four by his second wife. (Second wife, Hillegonda Cornelia Snellen, was proudly affiliated with the English Presbyterian Church rather than the Dutch Reformed Church. There are multiple connections between the Hugenholtz and Snellen families.) Seven of the children survived to adulthood, and three became theologians: Philip Reinhard (1821-1889), Petrus Hermannus (1834-1911), and Frederik Willem Nicolaas (1839-1900)
Frederik Willem Nicolaas (1839-1900) was born in Rotterdam and educated at Leiden. He and two brothers, mentioned above, had a following of free-thinkers frustrated with the Dutch Reformed Church of the 1870s. Philip Reinhard preached in Amsterdam’s Nieuwe Kerk for the last time in 1878. The Vrije Gemeente (Free Congregation) was organized, and Petrus Hermannus became its first minister. They built a large church in Amsterdam, which functioned from 1880 to 1967. The building exists today as The Paradiso, a concert hall. In 1885, Frederik was invited to America by their followers in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Vrije Gemeente became affiliated with the Unitarian Church in America.
COMING TO AMERICA. F.W.N. Hugenholtz (1839-1900) left his congregation in Santpoort (near Haarlem and Amsterdam) and came to Grand Rapids with his family. He had married Hendrika van Gogh in Den Haag, and they had six children ranging in age from 22 down to 6: Hillegonda (Gonne), Paul Theodore, Herman, FWN Jr (Frits), Elisabeth, and Henriette (Jetty/Yetty).
In 1885, the family sailed to New York on the new Leerdam. The voyage required 15 days. Trains provided transportation between New York and Grand Rapids. Shown is the Grand Rapids station in 1900.
Before departing Santpoort: FWN (the father), Gonne, Jetty, housekeeper, Hendrika (the mother), Paul Theodoor with Alida (his fiancee), Betsy, Herman, Frits.
At their first American house, Bridge Street, Grand Rapids: Frits, FWN (the father) on porch with Hendrika (the mother) and a guest, Alida (Paul Theodoor’s wife) with Jetty, Betsy, and Herman. There’s a dog in every family picture!
Their church was adjacent to their Bridge Street house. Built after their arrival, it replicated many architectural features of the Vrije Gemeente’s Amsterdam church. After FWN’s death in 1900, the congregation continued until 1920 under Bernard A. van Sluyters. A major highway was constructed in the 1960s over the site of the house and the church. (source: Grand Rapids public library)
Although several churches (circle) were located on Bridge Street in 1890, this postcard shows large buildings surrounded them by 1905. The family built their homes on North Avenue and on Robinson Avenue.
The family purchased undeveloped land on North Avenue and on Robinson Avenue. The latter was outside the city limits in 1890. FWN and his children built four or more houses on these two sites. Two houses remain today; one on North Avenue, and one on Robinson Avenue. Hillegonda’s family was living on North Avenue in 1900.
By 1900, FWN had built two structures on Robinson Avenue. One was his residence (below).
FWN’s Robinson Avenue house exists today.
The other structure, located across the street, was presumably a guest cottage or a church retreat, which supported their associations with Unitarians in Chicago and elsewhere. In fact, the cottage was a replica of cottages at a Unitarian retreat in Wisconsin. It was ready for the 1893 World’s Congress of Religions.
The family’s first American residence, adjacent to the church, became the office of the church publication, Stemmen uit de Vrije Hollandsche Gemeenten in Amerika (Voices of the Free Dutch Congregation in America).
“Interesting information about the Dutch labor element in the Furniture City [Grand Rapids] appeared. It also took the intolerance of the orthodox Dutch severely to task.” [from Netherlanders in America]
FWN died of pneumonia in Grand Rapids in 1900, and both papers carried the sad news as a lead story.
“As a member of the board of city commissioners, Mr. Hugenholtz reached out his hand to do good to many. He was the vice president of the board and was invaluable as an advisor regarding conditions in certain sections of the city. Many times it was found that he could engineer matters through when no one else was able to do so....The city hall flag is at half mast.” [The Evening News, Feb 17, 1900, page 1]
“TRUE FRIEND OF THE POOR....The big flag floating at half mast over the city...Mr. Hugenholtz’s memory will be long kept green among the poorer classes of Hollanders in the city, and his attention to the wants of the poverty-stricken of all nationalities never wearied.” [Grand Rapids Herald]
click to see his children