Kops family
The Kops (Cops) were a Dutch Mennonite family originally from the Rhineland, Germany. Wolter Kops (ca. 1520-1602 or later), who lived at München-Gladbach in the duchy of Jülich, was the ancestor. His son was Claes Wolters Cops, who served as preacher of the München-Gladbach Mennonite congregation and later at Haarlem. Two of Claes Wolters Cops' sons were Goedschalk Cops (1586-1636), a merchant of yarns and linen at Goch, Germany, and Willem Kops, b. 1619 at München-Gladbach, d. 1665 at Haarlem. He also was a linen merchant, living at Nijmegen, where he obtained citizenship in 1652, not by swearing an oath of allegiance, but "bij Mannen waerheyt," i.e., by simply making an affirmation of loyalty. He was a deacon of the Nijmegen congregation. About this time Wyand Kops, a deacon, moved from Gladbach to Nijmegen. In 1669 he returned to Gladbach. Descendants of Goedschalk and Willem Kops since the 18th century were especially found at Haarlem, where they often were deacons and trustees of the Mennonite orphanages, and in Amsterdam, where they also served the congregation as deacons. In Amsterdam most of them were members of the Zonist congregation. Jacob Kops, a merchant, lived at Hamburg about 1675. Willem Kops (1724-1776), a merchant of Haarlem, was also a man of letters; he is considered the author of Het Leeven van Pieter Langendijk. In 1774 he published the poems of Elisabeth Koolaart-Hoofman with a biography, and in the same year Schets eener geschiedenis der Rederijkeren. The preachers Jan Kops and his grandson Jan Kops were members of this family. In the 19th century there are also a number of descendants by the name of Bruyn Kops, descended from Pieter Kops (Haarlem, 1746-1803), owner of a yarn factory and also serving in some governmental offices, and M. C. van Oosten de Bruyn. Their son Cornelis Johannes de Bruyn Kops (1791-1858) was a mayor of Haarlem. Three sons of this Cornelis de Bruyn Kops, viz., Jacob Leonhard (1827-1887), Alexander Louis (1827-1892), and Cornelis Johannes (1830-1891), occupied prominent places in the Netherlands, the first two as engineers, the last as a political economist.
Bibliography
Doopsgezinde Bijdragen (1874): 6, 13 f., 20.
Molhuysen, P. C. and P. J. Blok. Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek. 10 vols. Leiden, 1911-1937: III, 714-716; IV, 861.
Nederland's Patriciaat X (1919): 1920-2000; XL (1954): 206-228.
Roosen, B. C. Geschichte der Mennoniten-Gemeinde zu Hamburg und Altona. Hamburg, 1886: I, 74.
| Author(s) | Nanne van der Zijpp |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1957 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Zijpp, Nanne van der. "Kops family." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 24 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Kops_family&oldid=133583.
APA style
Zijpp, Nanne van der. (1957). Kops family. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Kops_family&oldid=133583.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 226. All rights reserved.
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