As most of my maternal ancestry consists of mid-1800s Dutch immigrants to West Michigan, I can trace several lines of descent from members of the Dutch Seceded Churches, or, those who left the NHK (Nederlands Hervormde Kerk/Dutch Reformed Church) in the wake of Hendrik de Cock's 1834 secession in Ulrum, which began the Afscheiding. In West Michigan, my ancestors were certainly involved in the Reformed Churches- my great-grandfather, Alvin John TerVree Sr., was a Deacon at First Reformed Church of Holland, and my 3rd great-grandfather, Pieter Huyser Sr., was an Elder at Beaverdam Reformed Church, for example. But what about back in the Netherlands? Were my ancestors as involved in the Dutch Reformed Church as they were in the Reformed Churches of West Michigan? The short answer is, it doesn't seem so. My maternal grandfather's family just happens to be intensely religious. However, I have recently discovered some interesting information on my 5th great grandfather, Roelof Frens Strik of Smilde, Province of Drenthe (1773-1840), which show his active involvement in the Reformed Church in Smilde, as well as his role in the secession of the Smilde congregation from the NHK.
In 1816, King Willem I of the Netherlands introduced major changes into the NHK. The Church Order adopted at the Synod of Dort in 1619 was set aside and replaced with a government created hierarchical structure. This also turned the NHK into the State Church. In the old Dutch Republic, the NHK was never the state Church, although it had certain privileges, and public officials were required to be communicant members. These changes were the beginning of the events that led to the Afscheiding.
My first discovery on Roelof Frens Strik found that he was a Deacon as early as 1817. Apparently, at a church service in 1817, the Reverend Amshoff sang one of the new man-made hymns introduced by the new Reformed church order. Deacon Roelof Strik refused to sing along, because he considered this contrary to God's Word. Because of his actions, he was suspended from the diaconate and later fined. This was a very interesting anecdote to read, especially considering that the introduction of man-made hymns was a major catalyst for the Afscheiding, yet most of the churches descended from the Seceder movement no longer object to man-made hymns. For example, the Christian Reformed Church, which split off from the "liberal" Reformed Church in America in 1857, no longer holds to exclusive psalmody. Despite this, I still admire Strik for taking a stand for what he believed in, especially because of the personal consequences.
Next, I found that Roelof Frens Strik was an early member of the Consistory of the Seceded Church in Smilde. On November 20, 1834, the nearly eighty-member Afgescheiden Gemeente in Smilde was instituted by the Reverend Hendrik de Cock, the father of the Afscheiding. The first members of the Consistory who were elected were Elders Roelof Strik and Hendrik Heins, as well as Deacons H. Sickens and J. Nuys. The Consistory later met at Strik's home on December 1st. From this, we can conclude that Roelof Strik was a respected figure in the Seceder community of Smilde, due to his election as an Elder.
The next thing I discovered is that soon after the formation of the Seceded Church in Smilde, the leader of the community, L. Dijkstra, and the Elders, Strik and Heins, went to Mayor Kymmell of Smilde to inform him that a Christian Seceded Congregation had been established, with the request to grant protection to the congregation. However, the mayor referred them to the governor of the Province of Drenthe. On November 25, they went to his residence and were informed that they should turn to the King for such matters, and were warned that King Willem I would certainly not be pleased, because he hated dissent in the Church.
On November 21st, 1834, a letter was written to the Mayor of Smilde, bearing Strik's signature alongside 35 other individuals. The computer generated translation is rather hard to understand, but at first glance, it appears to be related to the education of children. Apparently, the writers seem to be requesting that they be allowed to have a Seceded educator, D. van der Werp, educate their children, due to problems they saw in the public schools. Three lines from the letter stand out: "being convinced that now in the schools true doctrine is not impressed upon the children, we cannot send them thither without sinning against God", "we cannot let our children grow up like savages, who know nothing" and "we, then, unable to have them vaccinated without staining our consciences before God, wish to obey God more than men".
On December 11th, 1835, the Consistory of the Seceded Church in Smilde wrote a letter to the King of the Netherlands, requesting that they may freely practice the Seceded religion. The letter starts off by saying that the Dutch Reformed Church is not based on God's Word or the Three Forms of Unity. They reference the Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to support their claims for freedom to practice their faith. They argue against the commonly used constitutional provision against the Seceders, disturbing the peace, as they say they are the quietest of citizens, the most faithful and peaceful subjects. As they say: "Our slogan is: Fear God, honor the King; which slogan we willingly wish to practice in everything, praying for the salvation of Fatherland and King, but above all for the prosperity and peace of Zion and Jerusalem". The rest of the letter is basically a summary of requests, and is signed by Strik, as well as L. Dijkstra, H. Hein, J. Sickens, J. Nuijs, and the aforementioned teacher, D. van der Werp, the scribe.
The last thing I found is a negative description of Strik, given by the Mayor in a letter to the governor of Drenthe. He writes: "About the elder R.Strik, a poor carpenter known for the disharmony in which he lives with his wife, as well as his opposing intolerance and his stubborn feelings, which always go hand in hand with [his] stupidity." Essentially, the Mayor describes him as an intolerant, stubborn, stupid man who doesn't get along with his wife (his second wife, I descend from his first wife). What a fascinating description!
At first I doubted that this was my ancestor. However, a quick search on WieWasWie finds no other possible Roelof Strik in Smilde between 1800 and 1850, and the description of him as a carpenter by the Mayor matches his known occupation, as he's listed as a carpenter in all known records. Despite the fact that I probably wouldn't get along with him, I must admire his courage to stand up for his beliefs and faith in a world he considered immoral. I would definitely consider him a role model!
FURTHER SOURCES:
- https://gereformeerdekerken.info/2019/02/07/de-gereformeerde-kerk-te-smilde-1/ DE GEREFORMEERDE KERK TE SMILDE (1)
- http://oud-schoonebeek.nl/index.php/drenthe/10-kerken-en-preken/170-cocksianen-in-drenthe Cocksianen in Drenthe
- https://gw.geneanet.org/kdoumadijkstra?n=dijkstra&oc=&p=1+8+luitzenjochems Luitzen Jochems Dijkstra (his biography includes a long history of the Afscheiding in Smilde)
- https://jimdo-storage.global.ssl.fastly.net/file/7bbd01a1-9d38-4a80-824d-7d4916a38bb8/205%20POD%20Drentse%20kerken%205%20jan%202022%20web.pdf Drentse Kerken
- https://www.dbnl.org/arch/bos_070arch02_01/pag/bos_070arch02_01.pdf ARCHIEFSTUKKEN BETREFFENDE DE AFSCHEIDING VAN 1834
