Verlaan, a former Dutch Mennonite family, found in the 17th century at Amsterdam, where Johannes (Jan) Verlaan was a preacher of the Waterlander Toren congregation in 1642-1645. Nicolaas Ver­laan (b. ca. 1690 at Amsterdam, d. ca. 1763 at Haarlem) was trained for the ministry at the Remonstrant seminary at Amsterdam, thereupon serving the Amsterdam Lamist congregation 1714-1716, Rot­terdam 1716-1729, and Haarlem Peuzelaarsteeg church 1729-d. ca. 1763. During his Rotterdam period he was active in behalf of the suppressed Mennonites of Prussia and occasionally too he supported Mennonites from the Palatinate immigrating to America via Rotterdam.

He was married to Anna van der Hoef; his sons Jan and Willem Verlaan were both warm Collegiants and often addressed the meetings at Rijnsburg.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, pp. 814-815. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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