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Description
In a letter to the Rev. Pieter Oggel and his wife, published in De Hope April 29, Albertus C. Van Raalte reported that he was pleased to read the issues of this paper. He is also happy the Rev. [Jacob] Van der Meulen has accepted the call to his church. "And I am sure that it will not take long before this congregation favors a split in three." Later that year, the Ebenezer congregation and Third Reformed Church were organized. V.R. doesn't favor large churches because the members are not given sufficient pastoral care. V.R. is now on a major trip south because he thinks many people will be migrating south because of the climate and rich resources. He wants to make sure that the Dutch stick together to form communities. "The Southerners are very eager for emigrants to come and persuasive in their invitation. They know and love the Dutch more than I thought." V.R. is very optimistic about the prospects of a settlement in the South. This is a key letter and indicative of his thinking at this time.
Date
4-5-1868
City
Charleston, S[outh] C[arolina]
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, A. C. and Kennedy, Simone, "In a Letter to the Rev. Pieter Oggel and His Wife from A. C. Van Raalte, Published in De Hope" (1868). Van Raalte Papers: 1860-1869. 457.
https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/vrp_1860s/457
Notes
In Dutch. Translation by Simone Kennedy.
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.