View source for Verspeck, Albert (d. 1612)

Albert (Albrecht) Verspeck (Verspecht), d. 1612 at [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]], was a Dutch Mennonite elder. In 1576 he was an elder of the [[Waterlanders|Waterlander]] Mennonite congregation at [[Antwerp (Belgium)|Antwerp]], Belgium. He was probably engaged in some business with Hans Bret, who suffered martyrdom at Antwerp on 4 January 1577, as his servant. After Bret's death Verspeck moved to the [[Netherlands|Netherlands]]. In September 1577, then living at [[Alkmaar (Noord Holland, Netherlands)|Alkmaar]], he was a coauthor with [[Ries, Hans de (1553–1638)|Hans de Ries]] and some other Waterlander elders of a confession of faith. At the Waterlander conference of 1581 at Amsterdam Verspeck represented the Antwerp congregation, and was sent by the conference, commissioned to visit the church in [[Ghent (Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium)|Ghent]], Belgium, and the Mennonites in [[Zeeland (Netherlands)|Zeeland]] every four months. Later he was an elder of the Amsterdam Waterlander congregation until his death.

If the assumption is correct that this Mennonite elder is identical with the Albrecht Verspecks who is mentioned by Wessel as an <em>[[Ouderling|ouderling]] </em>of the Reformed Church at Antwerp on 4 November 1575, then Verspeck, like de Ries, was Reformed before he joined the Mennonites.
= Bibliography =
<em>Doopsgezinde Bijdragen </em>(1863): 111 note; (1864): 20; (1872): 57; (1877): 79 f.; (1904): 142, 144 note 2.

Cramer, Samuel and Fredrik Pijper. <em>Bibliotheca Reformatoria Neerlandica,</em> 10 vols. The Hague: M. Nijhoff, 1903-1914: 248.

Hoop Scheffer, Jacob Gijsbert de. <em>Inventaris der Archiefstukken berustende bij de Vereenigde Doopsgezinde Gemeente to Amsterdam,</em> 2 vols. Amsterdam: Uitgegeven en ten geschenke aangeboden door den Kerkeraad dier Gemeente, 1883-1884: I, No. 520; II, Nos. 82b, 834.

Kühler, Wilhelmus Johannes. <em>Geschiedenis der Nederlandsche Doopsgezinden in de Zestiende Eeuw</em>. Haarlem: H.D. Tjeenk Willink, 1932: I, 335.

Vos, Karel. <em>De Doopsgezinden te Antwerpen in de zestiende eeuw</em>. Reprint from <em>Bulletin de la Commission Royale de Belgique</em> 84 (1920): 360.

Wessel, J. H<em>. De leerstellige strijd tusschen Nederlandsche Gereformeerden en Doopsgezinden in de zestiende eeuw.</em> Assen. Van Gorcum: Prakke &amp; Prakke, 1945: 22 f.
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