View source for Schuurmans, Nicolaas Dirk (1838-1908)

Nicolaas Dirk "N. D." Schuurmans (b. 21 March 1838, d. 1908 at Haarlem) was a missionary of the Dutch Mennonite Missions Association (now [[Doopsgezinde Zendingsraad|Doopsgezinde Zendingsraad]]). Being an orphan, he was trained in the [[Oranjeappel, De (Amsterdam, Netherlands)|Oranjeappel]] orphanage to be a blacksmith; but he desired to devote his life to Christian missions, and was accepted by the Dutch Mennonite board as a future missionary. After studying in the mission house in Rotterdam, he undertook a journey to visit all the Mennonite congregations in the Netherlands, married Christina Jacoba Portugies (20 February 1863), and on 18 March 1863 entered the service of the mission. He went to Java to support [[Jansz, Pieter (1820-1904)|Pieter Jansz]] in his work. In August 1863 he took up his work in [[Japara (Java, Indonesia)|Japara]]. His especial work was with the schools. On 27 March 1875, he sent a warm letter of thanks to the [[Sembach (Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany)|Sembach]] "Groschenverein" with a description of his work. He also wrote a letter to America. He thus maintained close contact with his brethren. But in a few years his wife and child became ill and his own health broke down; in 1878 he had to give up his work. On the journey home he suffered a serious shipwreck, in which he lost all his goods. At home he again devoted himself with zeal to the cause of missions. His account, <em>Overzicht van het Zendingsveld in Nederlandsch Indien</em>, has historical value.


= Bibliography =
 <em class="gameo_bibliography">Doopsgezinde Bijdragen</em> (1886): 87; (1890): 48-51; (1892): 39, 41, 44 ff.; (1893): 111 ff.

Jaarverslagen (Reports) of the Dutch Missionary Association.

"Schuurmans Nicolaas Dirk." Genlias. Accessed 3 July 2007. &lt;[http://www.genlias.nl/nl/searchDetail.jsp http://www.genlias.nl/nl/searchDetail.jsp?val=0&amp;xtr=10787997&amp;vgr=1]&gt;


{{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 4, p. 486|date=1959|a1_last=Neff|a1_first=Christian|a2_last=van der Zijpp|a2_first=Nanne}}