Stoppelaar, de, a Dutch Mennonite family, found in the 17th century in Rotterdam, where Daniël de Stoppelaar was a deacon of the High German Men­nonite church in 1639. Later members of this family lived in Amsterdam, where Jan (Johannes) de Stop­pelaar (died 1740) was a physician. Both he and his wife Ida de Neufville were members of the Amster­dam Lamist church.

Jan de Stoppelaar (Hengelo 1855-The Hague 1919) studied theology at the Amsterdam Men­nonite seminary and served the congregations of St. Anna-Parochie 1880-81 and Krommenie 1881-85. In 1885 he retired because of bad health.

Reinder Jacobus Taekema de Stoppelaar (Ureterp 1873-Enschedé 1948), after studying at the Men­nonite seminary and the University of Amsterdam, served as pastor at Oost- and West-Graftdijk 1899-1901 and Warga 1901-1938. He is known for a large number of excellent and attractive books of nature description, especially ornithology, particularly of Friesland.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 637. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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