Feenstra family

Feenstra, an old Mennonite family of Friesland in the Netherlands, has produced a number of preachers. The oldest of these was Wepke Feenstra, preacher at Franeker 1773-1779. His son Thys became mayor of Leeuwarden; another son of Wepke Feenstra, Pieter Wepkes Feenstra, born 1792 at Franeker, died 23 August 1858 at Sneek, was called in 1792 to Holwerd, and from 1797 until his retirement in May 1842 he was the pastor at Sneek, where he dedicated a new church on 10 April 1842. He published a sermon for the day of thanksgiving and prayer, 22 February 1809. Under his leadership the union of the two branches in Sneek took place. One of his daughters was married to J. Kuiper, pastor of the IJlst congregation, another to the notary Kuiper of Bolsward. A son of the latter was Taco Kuiper, a Mennonite minister of Amsterdam, the father of A. K. Kuiper, also a preacher of Amsterdam, and of K. Kuiper (died 1922), professor of Greek language and culture. A third daughter was married to P. H. Veen, minister at Bovenknijpe, whose grandson became the pastor of Monnikendam, also P. H. Veen, and whose daughter married J. Oosterbaan, a Mennonite minister of Makkum, whose son became preacher at Hilversum.

Pieter Wepkes had three sons, two of whom, Wepke and Pieter Feenstra, should be mentioned. Wepke, a physician in Holwerd, was the father of Pieter Wepkes Feenstra, born 1831, preacher at Dantumawoude 1854-1870, and at Leeuwarden 1870-1897, died 1919 at Rolde, father-in-law of J. Wuite, minister at Leyden. He wrote the ceremonial address for the bicentennial of the founding of the Friesche Doopsgezinde Sociëteit. Pieter was also prison chaplain at Leeuwarden and active in the Maatschappij tot Nut van 't Algemeen.

Pieter Feenstra, born in 1800, was pastor of the Mennonite congregation at Sappemeer 1824-1830, at Leer 1830-1837, and again at Sappemeer-Hoogezand 1837-1871, father of Pieter Feenstra, Jr. He was one of the founders of the Groninger and Oostfriesche Sociëteit, and died in retirement on 5 January 1886.

Bibliography

Doopsgezind Jaarboekje (1921): 19-28.

Doopsgezinde Bijdragen (1895).

Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. I, 635.

Hoop Scheffer, Jacob Gijsbert de. Inventaris der Archiefstukken berustende bij de Vereenigde Doopsgezinde Gemeente to Amsterdam. 2 v. Amsterdam: Uitgegeven en ten geschenke aangeboden door den Kerkeraad dier Gemeente, 1883-1884: I, No. 731.

Visscher, H. and L. A. van Langeraad. Het protestantsche vaderland: biographisch woordenboek van protestantsche godgeleerden in Nederland, 8 vols. Utrecht, 1903-1918: III, 28 f.

Author(s)	Karel Vos
Date Published	1956

Cite This Article

MLA style

Vos, Karel. "Feenstra family." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Feenstra_family&oldid=120946.

APA style

Vos, Karel. (1956). Feenstra family. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Feenstra_family&oldid=120946.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 319. All rights reserved.

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