Hendrik van Gelder, b. 1737 at Amsterdam, d. 3 October 1808, at Zaandam, the son of Arend van Gelder and Alida Nieuwenhuizen, was called as pastor of the Mennonite congregation at Ouddorp in 1759, Enkhuizen 1765, Enschede 1771, and West-Zaandam 1781-1808. He was married to Maria Smidt, a daughter of Petrus Smidt, a professor at the Zonist Seminary. Their son Pieter Smidt van Gelder was the founder of the paper factory that still bears their name. Another son was Arend van Gelder. Hendrik van Gelder was the author of the following: Davids dankbaarheid . .. (Amsterdam, 1784), a sermon preached in the Mennonite church at West-Zaandam on 14 March 1784), when a pipe organ was installed in the church; Lyk-rede op S. Hoekstra Wz (West-Zaandam, 1786); Het voorregt der openbare godsdienst-oeffeninge (Amsterdam, 1787), a sermon preached on 4 November 1787, the centennial of the dedication of the West-Zaandam church; Het leven van Joannes den Dooper in leerredenen (West-Zaandam, 1803). For a number of years van Gelder was secretary of the Zonist Conference. He also diligently studied Mennonite history, as appears from a manuscript found in the Amsterdam Mennonite Library. He also composed the Naamlijstof 1815.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 450. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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