Westeremden, in the Dutch province of Groningen, formerly the seat of a Mennonite congregation be­longing to the Groningen Old Flemish and in the 17th century temporarily to the very strict Ukowallists. The congregation existed from the early 16th century; by the early 17th century it was more or less united with that of Middelstum. The relations to Middelstum, however, are not quite clear; in the 18th century Westeremden was inde­pendent again until it merged in 1783 with Huizinge, the name of the congregation then being Huizinge and Westeremden. There was a small meetinghouse at Westeremden, but after a new meetinghouse was built in Huizinge in 1815 no meetings were held at Westeremden. The mem­bership at Westeremden was always very small, in 1800 only seven. The Groningen Old Flemish elder Luirt Luirts, who was very influential ca. l655-74, was a farmer at Westeremden.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 932. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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