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Description
In a long letter of Rev. Albertus C. Van Raalte to his wife's brother, Carl Godfried de Moen, he chided his brother-in-law for not writing more often. The letter is a goldmine of information on many matters such as giving a description of the Van Raalte home, their dog who goes after the numerous rodents, people such as Paulus den Bleyker, business matters, and the "Free School" in Ommen. He also wrote: "We are laying the foundations of towns and villages, foundations of a mightily blessed people, a people who, if they do not leave their God, will have a wonderful influence in the West." He also wrote: "The congregations [of the Holland Classis] are glad with the ecclesiastical union with the old Dutch Church." Mrs. Christina Van Raalte added a note saying, "I have a good life here and it is to my liking."
Date
5-23-1851
City
Holland, Michigan
Source
The original documents are held in the Theological University Archives, Kampen.
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 Theological University Archives, Kampen.
Recommended Citation
Van Raalte, A. C. and Kennedy, Nella, "Letter from A. C. Van Raalte to Carl Godfried de Moen" (1851). Van Raalte Papers: 1850-1859. 200.
https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/vrp_1850s/200
Notes
In Dutch; transcription and translation by Nella Kennedy, April, 2003.
Description of the document and reference to the Theological University Archives, Kampen, 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.