Couwenhoven (in Prussia usually Kauenhoven), was a family of Flemish emigrees who left Flanders about 1600 and moved to the Netherlands, where they were found in Bridle and Haarlem. The Bridle branch of this family, which was very numerous in the 17th century and some members of which moved to Rotterdam, belonged to the Reformed Church. It is not clear whether they were Reformed from the beginning, or had turned from Mennonitism to the Reformed Church.

The Haarlem branch was Mennonite and belonged to the (Old) Flemish branch. From the Netherlands some members of the Couwenhoven family emigrated to Danzig, where they are found since 1661. Cornelis Couwenhoven became a preacher of the Danzig Old Flemish congregation in 1720.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 726. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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