Mats family

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Mats is a Mennonite family found in Westzaan and Zaandam, Dutch province of North Holland. Arian Cornelisz Volger (1) of Akersloot in North Holland, who died in 1609, is said to have belonged to the Catholic Church; while he was still a young man, he went to Alkmaar to buy a vest, and came back with a Bible; soon after, he joined the Mennonites. His son Jan Ariansz Volger (2) settled at Westzaan and changed his family name to Mats (the reason is not known). Aerjan Jansz Mats (3), the son of (2), became a preacher of the Frisian Mennonite congregation of Westzaan and Zaandam until 1667. His son Klaes Aerjansz Mats (4), d. 1694, was a preacher of the "Oude Huys" (Frisian) congregation of Westzaandam and Westzaan 1681-ca. 1694. Other members of this family were deacons of the Mennonite congregations of Zaandam and Westzaan until the 20th century.

Most members of this family were wood dealers and shipowners. In the early 18th century they moved from Westzaan to Zaandam and greatly contributed to the prosperity of this town. Gradually the Mats family, which by marriage was related to many well-known families of Zaandam and the Zaanstreek (Zaan district) like Schoen, Duyvis, van Gelder, Ouwejan, Rogge, Corver, and van de Stadt, came to great wealth. So for example Jacob Dirksz Mats (about 1716-1753), a grandson of Klaes Aerjansz (4), equipped a fleet of seven sailing vessels ("Groenland-vaarders") for whaling near Greenland.

Bibliography

Lootsma, S. Het Nieutue Huys. Zaandam, 1937: 189-200.

van Gelder, J. M. Stamboek der familie van Gelder. Amsterdam, 1899: 193 ff.


Author(s) Nanne van der Zijpp
Date Published 1957

Cite This Article

MLA style

Zijpp, Nanne van der. "Mats family." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mats_family&oldid=119487.

APA style

Zijpp, Nanne van der. (1957). Mats family. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mats_family&oldid=119487.



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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 538. All rights reserved.


©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.

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