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Description
Rev. Albertus C. Van Raalte reports to his wife about his trials in obtaining more land for the Holland Colony. When he got to Marshall he discovered that land speculators had already taken the land he thought was available for the Colony. He and a lawyer left Marshall and traveled to Grand Rapids to see the owner who relinquished the property. The man who owned the property purchased the land because he was the contractor for a canal. With the help of prominent men in Grand Rapids, the land went back to the state. These are anxious days for Van Raalte but he urges his dear wife not to worry. Van Raalte says much also about the horse he had and its need for rest.
Date
11-2-1847
City
Yankee Springs, Michigan
Source
The original documents are held in The Joint Archives of Holland.
Rights
This digitized material is intended for personal research/study only. The original documents may not be reproduced for commercial use in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from The Joint Archives of Holland.
Recommended Citation
Van Raalte, Albertus C.; Dekker, Ellie; and Kennedy, Simone, "Letter from Albertus C. Van Raalte to His Wife" (1847). Van Raalte Papers: 1840-1849. 157.
https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/vrp_1840s/157
Notes
In Dutch; translation by Ellie Dekker, 17 October 1996. Transcription of the original and corrections by Simone Kennedy, June, 2002.
Description of the document and reference to The Joint Archives of Holland by Dr. Elton J. Bruins.
About the collection:
Elton J. Bruins, long-time professor in the Department of Religion at Hope College, spent years collecting documents by and about Albertus C. Van Raalte, founder of Holland, Michigan and early patron of Hope College. Documents were gathered from dozens of public and private collections, making a nearly exhaustive collection of Van Raalte's writings and reflections. It is these documents that make up the "Van Raalte Papers."
Digitizing the Van Raalte papers was supported by the Dutch Culture USA program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York. The project was done in partnership with Heritage Hall at Calvin University, which also digitized its Van Raalte collections.