Rengers is a Mennonite family found in the Dutch province of Groningen. The first known member of this family was a man with the Christian name of Renger, who lived in Leens or Ulrum about 1600. Some of his descendants took Rengers (a patronymic meaning the son of Renger) as their family name (found since about 1760); others assumed the name Arkema, Doornbos, and Huizinga, all of which are still familiar names in this province. A number of them have been Mennonite preachers, e.g., Jacob Melles (Rengers), serving at Leens 1649-1683.

There was also a noble Rengers family in the province of Groningen, which was not related to the Mennonite family of this name. A member of this family was Johan Rengers ten Post, a contemporary of Menno Simons, who wrote a chronicle, Kronyk, in which he described the Anabaptist troubles at 't Zandt.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 300. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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