Coopersburg (Akkrum, Friesland, Netherlands)
Coopersburg was an Old People's Home at Akkrum, Dutch province of Friesland, was founded 1900 by Folkert H. Cooper. This Folkert was a son of Willem Harmens Kuiper and IJtje Rommerts de Vries, both loyal members of the Mennonite congregation of Akkrum. They were rather poor and had a large family. So their son Folkert Harmens Kuiper at the age of 23 decided to emigrate to America, as did many in Friesland in the second half of the 19th century. In the United States he first had some very difficult years, but then made a fortune in business, owning at first a drugstore in Peoria, Illinois, and then managing large stores in Chicago and New York, of which in the course of time he became the private owner. He changed his name to Cooper. Before long he was well-to-do, and about 1890 even a very wealthy man. He did not forget his parents. As soon as he could earn money he sent some to his parents and relatives, first a little, and soon more. He also visited his father, who died in 1897 at the age of 94, many times. His mother had died shortly after he emigrated. Cooper himself spent his last years in his native country, dying at Akkrum on 31 December 1904. In 1900 he founded the Coopersburg Old People's Home to the memory of his parents, as the Frisian inscription in the cornerstone states. The home contained 22 small houses, which were intended particularly for married couples at least 60 years of age. They had their own living quarters and also a small kitchen to prepare their meals. The residents also received a certain sum of money. The home was not limited to Mennonites, though Mennonites had priority. The foundation was administered by a board, of which the Mennonite minister of Akkrum was a member.
In 2008 Coopersburg was used to house one and two person households.
Bibliography
Doopsgezind Jaarboekje (1911): 68-81, with picture
| Author(s) | Nanne van der Zijpp |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1953 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
van der Zijpp, Nanne. "Coopersburg (Akkrum, Friesland, Netherlands)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Coopersburg_(Akkrum,_Friesland,_Netherlands)&oldid=63067.
APA style
van der Zijpp, Nanne. (1953). Coopersburg (Akkrum, Friesland, Netherlands). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Coopersburg_(Akkrum,_Friesland,_Netherlands)&oldid=63067.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 709. All rights reserved.
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