Graftdijk, Oost- and West- (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)
Ooost-Graftdijk (coordinates: 52° 32′ 50″ N, 4° 48′ 50″ E) and West-Graftdijk (coordinates: 52° 33′ 0″ N, 4° 48′ 0″ E) are two small old villages in the Dutch province of North Holland, situated on the great canal between Amsterdam and Helder, nine miles southwest of Alkmaar. Their combined population in the 1950s was about 600, with 44 Mennonites. There was in each of the villages once an old Mennonite congregation. Both congregations belonged to the Waterlander (Rijper) Societeit, but turned rather conservative in the second half of the 17th century and also joined the Zonist Conference. There was a meetinghouse in both villages. The one in West-Graftdijk, built in 1648, burned down in 1758, and was replaced by a new one, dedicated on 3 December 1758. This typical small frame church, remodeled in 1855, was sold in 1921. In Oost-Graftdijk a brick church was built in 1856, and both the churches of Oost- and West-Graftdijk acquired organs in 1901. The congregations were separate until 1921, but since 1773 had been served by one pastor. Since the two villages are less than a mile apart, it was decided for financial reasons to unite the congregations and to use the small church at West-Graftdijk. It is now called the Graftdijk congregation. In 1921 the congregation of Graft-Noordeind was united with the Graftdijk congregation. The membership of the Oost- and West-Graftdijk congregations must have been very large in the 17th century (figures are not available). In the 18th century it declined; in 1833 the two congregations together had 67 baptized members. In 1947 Oost-Graftdijk had 91, and West-Graftdijk 42 members; in 1898 the corresponding figures were 54 and 43; in 1953 the total membership was about 65. Since 1900 the congregation had been served by the following ministers: R. J. de Stoppelar 1900-1911, Y. S. Buruma 1912-1917, A. Keuter 1917-1920, J. H. van der Giessen 1929-1934. After the death of van der Giessen the pulpit was vacant. Graftdijk had a women's circle in the 1950s.
Bibliography
Doopsgezinde Bijdragen (1861): 158; (1917): 47, 61, 62.
Cate, Steven Blaupot ten. Geschiedenis der Doopsgezinden in Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht en Gelderland, 2 vols. Amsterdam: P.N. van Kampen, 1847: I and II, passim;
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. II, 155.
Hoop Scheffer, Jacob Gijsbert de. Inventaris der Archiefstukken berustende bij de Vereenigde Doopsgezinde Gemeente to Amsterdam, 2 vols. Amsterdam: Uitgegeven en ten geschenke aangeboden door den Kerkeraad dier Gemeente, 1883-1884: I, No. 896; II, Nos. 1828-1830.
Additional Information
Congregation: Doopsgezinde Gemeente Graftdijk
Address: Oost Graftdijk 27, 1487 MB, Graftdijk, Netherlands
Denominational affiliation:
Algemene Doopsgezinde Sociëteit
Maps
Map:Oost-Graftdijk (Noord-Holland, Netherlands) Map:West-Graftdijk (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)
| Author(s) | Y. S. Buruma |
|---|---|
| Nanne van der Zijpp | |
| Date Published | 1957 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Buruma, Y. S. and Nanne van der Zijpp. "Graftdijk, Oost- and West- (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Graftdijk,_Oost-_and_West-_(Noord-Holland,_Netherlands)&oldid=145297.
APA style
Buruma, Y. S. and Nanne van der Zijpp. (1957). Graftdijk, Oost- and West- (Noord-Holland, Netherlands). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Graftdijk,_Oost-_and_West-_(Noord-Holland,_Netherlands)&oldid=145297.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 562. All rights reserved.
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