François Adriaan van der Kemp
Encyclopedia
François Adriaan van der Kemp or Francis Adrian Vanderkemp (Kampen
, 4 May 1752 - Barneveld, New York
, 1829) was one of the Dutch radical leaders of the Patriots
, a minister and publicist who gave the Patriot movement a Christian tint in his blazing speeches. Having been a promising student in Groningen, Franeker
and Amsterdam
, he led the local militia (exercitiegenootschap
) in Wijk bij Duurstede
and ended up in captivity. Van der Kemp was released on 9 December 1787 for a ransom of 45,000 guilder and emigrated to the U.S.A.
, but in 1766 the family moved to 's-Hertogenbosch. Adriaan studied at the local grammar school and moved to the University of Groningen
to study Oriental languages and botany under Petrus Camper
. Van der Kemp was offered a role as a civil servant in Elmina
, now in Ghana
, but did not go. Instead he went over to the Mennonites
and studied theology in Amsterdam with Abraham Staal
and Wybo Fijnje
. Van der Kemp refused an appointment in Goes and Makkum, but accepted one at Westzaan.
In 1775 he moved to Leiden. From the pulpit Van der Kemp proclaimed: "In America the Sun of Salvation has risen, which will also cast its rays upon us if we so wish: only America can teach us how to counter the degeneration of the national character, to curb the corruption of morals, to ward off bribery, to suffocate the seeds of tyranny and to restore to health our dying freedom. The supreme Being has ordained that America shall be Holland's last preacher of repentance".
It is said Van der Kemp was the author or ghostwriter of the "libel" "To the People of the Netherlands". Simon Schama notes he was the distributor of the pamphlet. Van der Kemp wrote a series of anti-bailiff or droste
pamphlets for Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol under different pseudonyms. Van der Kemp and van der Capellen argued that these feudal rights were arbitrarily applied and even unlawful, thus bringing them into conflict with the drosten and the Prince of Orange
, who derived the rights of his noble position from such things.
In 1782, he married a daughter of a mayor of Nijmegen. In 1783 Van der Kemp moved to Wijk bij Duurstede
and became the leader of the local patriots.
The arrest of Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia
at the end of June 1787 demanded a response, and so Van der Kemp and Adriaan de Nijs were taken prisoner on 5 July, near Wijk bij Duurstede
by a regiment of soldiers from Baden-Durlach and taken to Amersfoort
. After his release he emigrated to America. In his baggage was a portrait of Van der Capellen. Van der Kemp published Van der Capellen's collected works in six parts and also contained, next to all Van der Capellen's reasonings, official documents that had not been intended for actual publication.
in 1789, not far from Kingston
and from 1777 the capital of New York. He had a house, a shed, a chicken coop and a few slaves. In 1795, he was the founder of the Agricultural Society for the Western District of New York. Van der Kemp was linked to and visited in Kempwick by various Founding Fathers: John Adams
, with whom he had an extensive and fascinating correspondence, Thomas Jefferson
, George Washington
, Benjamin Franklin
and Alexander Hamilton
. Mrs DeWitt Clinton, Hamilton and Tappan
were all able to speak Dutch with his wife. He shared George Washington
's interest in scientific agriculture after a visit to Mount Vernon. Van der Kemp withdrew from political life and threw himself into a new project at 'Nieuw Rotterdam', now called Constantia, in Oswego County
.
Constantia had a fantastic location and a fine nature, and there was sufficient game for hunting and fish in the lake. Also Marc Isambard Brunel
lived in the neighborhood. However, the bears and Native Americans were never far away, and his friend Adam Gerard Mappa
lived at a day's travel away. Van der Kemp moved his family to Barneveld, now called Trenton
. His house in Constantia was converted into a school. The Holland Land Company
, that had taken into its service Gerrit Boon
from Rotterdam, had meanwhile set up a proper village, planted ahorn
s and had a sugar mill built.
On the national scene, Van der Kemp's opinions influenced many of the great leaders of America. John Adams credited him with a "vast view of civilization" and respected his advice. His warm friendship with John and Abigail Adams endured till their deaths, and John Quincy Adams
continued the relationship.
He persuaded Thomas Jefferson to anonymously publish the his religious work called a "Syllabus of an estimate of the doctrines of Jesus compared with those of others". Van der Kemp and Mappa wrote in an early stage (1807?) about digging a canal between Albany
and Buffalo
, the work on the Erie Canal
started in 1817. The state received 100000 acres (404.7 km²) from Holland Land Company.
The governor of the state of New York, Dewitt Clinton
, named him the most scholarly man in the U.S.A. In 1820 he received an honorary degree from Harvard University
. Van der Kemp started to translate the 17th century records in English, but his translation in the New York State Library
went up in smoke in 1911. Van der Kemp began to write his autobiography, but died of cholera
on September 7, 1829 at the age 77 and is buried in the Olden Barneveld cemetery Trenton, N.Y. Harvard University
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
received his library.
Kampen (Overijssel)
Kampen is a municipality, a city and an old Hanseatic city at the lower reaches of the river IJssel in the Dutch province of Overijssel.The municipality of Kampen counts 50,073 inhabitants in an area of approximately 162 km² . Kampen is located in the North West of Overijssel and is the...
, 4 May 1752 - Barneveld, New York
Barneveld, New York
Barneveld is a village located within the Town of Trenton in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 332 at the 2000 census. The village name is derived from the name of the Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt ....
, 1829) was one of the Dutch radical leaders of the Patriots
Patriots (faction)
The Patriots were a political faction in the Dutch Republic in the second half of the 18th century. They were led by Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol, gaining power from November 1782....
, a minister and publicist who gave the Patriot movement a Christian tint in his blazing speeches. Having been a promising student in Groningen, Franeker
Franeker
Franeker is one of the eleven historical cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Franekeradeel. It is located about 20 km west of Leeuwarden on the Van Harinxma Canal. As of 1 January 2006, it had 12,996 inhabitants. The city is famous for the Eisinga Planetarium from around...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, he led the local militia (exercitiegenootschap
Exercitiegenootschap
An exercitiegenootschap or militia was a military organisation in the 18th century Netherlands, in the form of an armed private organization with a democratically chosen administration, aiming to train the citizens and the lower bourgeoisie in use of muskets...
) in Wijk bij Duurstede
Wijk bij Duurstede
- The city of Wijk bij Duurstede :The city is located on the Rhine. At Wijk bij Duurstede, the Kromme Rijn branches off, and the main branch is called Lek River downstream from Wijk bij Duurstede....
and ended up in captivity. Van der Kemp was released on 9 December 1787 for a ransom of 45,000 guilder and emigrated to the U.S.A.
Life
Adriaan was the son of an army officer, his mother was related to Willem Jacob 's Gravesande, a scientist. He grew up in Zutphen and ZwolleZwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
, but in 1766 the family moved to 's-Hertogenbosch. Adriaan studied at the local grammar school and moved to the University of Groningen
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen , located in the city of Groningen, was founded in 1614. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 100,000 students have graduated...
to study Oriental languages and botany under Petrus Camper
Petrus Camper
Peter, Pieter, or usually Petrus Camper was a Dutch physician, anatomist, physiologist, midwife, zoologist, anthropologist, paleontologist and a naturalist. He studied the orangutan, the rhinoceros, the skull of a whale...
. Van der Kemp was offered a role as a civil servant in Elmina
Elmina
Elmina, is a town in the Central Region, situated on a south-facing bay on the Atlantic Ocean coast of Ghana, about 12 km west of Cape Coast...
, now in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, but did not go. Instead he went over to the Mennonites
Mennonite Church in the Netherlands
The Mennonite Church in the Netherlands, or Algemene Doopsgezinde Sociëteit, is a body of Mennonite Christians in the Netherlands.The Mennonites are named for Menno Simons , a Dutch Roman Catholic priest from the Province of Friesland who converted to Anabaptism around 1536...
and studied theology in Amsterdam with Abraham Staal
Abraham Staal
Abraham Jacobsz Staal was a Dutch Mennonite teacher at Goes , Bolsward and Leeuwarden who combined sermons with revolution. He became known in the wider world as "arendsneus"...
and Wybo Fijnje
Wybo Fijnje
Wybo Fijnje was a Dutch Mennonite minister, publisher in Delft, Patriot, exile, coup perpetrator, politician and - during the French era - manager of the state newspaper.-Early life:...
. Van der Kemp refused an appointment in Goes and Makkum, but accepted one at Westzaan.
In 1775 he moved to Leiden. From the pulpit Van der Kemp proclaimed: "In America the Sun of Salvation has risen, which will also cast its rays upon us if we so wish: only America can teach us how to counter the degeneration of the national character, to curb the corruption of morals, to ward off bribery, to suffocate the seeds of tyranny and to restore to health our dying freedom. The supreme Being has ordained that America shall be Holland's last preacher of repentance".
It is said Van der Kemp was the author or ghostwriter of the "libel" "To the People of the Netherlands". Simon Schama notes he was the distributor of the pamphlet. Van der Kemp wrote a series of anti-bailiff or droste
Landdrost
Landdrost was the title of various officials with local jurisdiction. It is of Dutch origin, with land- corresponding to the English meaning of an area, suggesting a somewhat larger jurisdiction than just a village or estate; and drost being a short form of Drossaard, one of many similar titles in...
pamphlets for Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol under different pseudonyms. Van der Kemp and van der Capellen argued that these feudal rights were arbitrarily applied and even unlawful, thus bringing them into conflict with the drosten and the Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. In French it is la Principauté d'Orange....
, who derived the rights of his noble position from such things.
In 1782, he married a daughter of a mayor of Nijmegen. In 1783 Van der Kemp moved to Wijk bij Duurstede
Wijk bij Duurstede
- The city of Wijk bij Duurstede :The city is located on the Rhine. At Wijk bij Duurstede, the Kromme Rijn branches off, and the main branch is called Lek River downstream from Wijk bij Duurstede....
and became the leader of the local patriots.
The arrest of Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia
Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange
Wilhelmina of Prussia, born Frederika Sophia Wilhelmina, , was the consort of William V of Orange and also the de facto leader of the dynastic party and contra revolution in the Netherlands...
at the end of June 1787 demanded a response, and so Van der Kemp and Adriaan de Nijs were taken prisoner on 5 July, near Wijk bij Duurstede
Wijk bij Duurstede
- The city of Wijk bij Duurstede :The city is located on the Rhine. At Wijk bij Duurstede, the Kromme Rijn branches off, and the main branch is called Lek River downstream from Wijk bij Duurstede....
by a regiment of soldiers from Baden-Durlach and taken to Amersfoort
Amersfoort
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
. After his release he emigrated to America. In his baggage was a portrait of Van der Capellen. Van der Kemp published Van der Capellen's collected works in six parts and also contained, next to all Van der Capellen's reasonings, official documents that had not been intended for actual publication.
Van der Kemp as immigrant
In 1788 Van der Kemp arrived in New York. He bought a farm in Ulster County, New YorkUlster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
in 1789, not far from Kingston
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
and from 1777 the capital of New York. He had a house, a shed, a chicken coop and a few slaves. In 1795, he was the founder of the Agricultural Society for the Western District of New York. Van der Kemp was linked to and visited in Kempwick by various Founding Fathers: John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
, with whom he had an extensive and fascinating correspondence, Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
and Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
. Mrs DeWitt Clinton, Hamilton and Tappan
Tappan, New York
Tappan is a hamlet in the Town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Old Tappan, New Jersey; east of Nauraushaun and Pearl River; south of Blauvelt and west of Palisades and Sparkill...
were all able to speak Dutch with his wife. He shared George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's interest in scientific agriculture after a visit to Mount Vernon. Van der Kemp withdrew from political life and threw himself into a new project at 'Nieuw Rotterdam', now called Constantia, in Oswego County
Oswego County, New York
Oswego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 Census, the estimated population was 122,109. The City of Oswego and the Village of Pulaski serve as the dual county seats in a two shire system of government...
.
Constantia had a fantastic location and a fine nature, and there was sufficient game for hunting and fish in the lake. Also Marc Isambard Brunel
Marc Isambard Brunel
Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, FRS FRSE was a French-born engineer who settled in England. He preferred the name Isambard, but is generally known to history as Marc to avoid confusion with his more famous son Isambard Kingdom Brunel...
lived in the neighborhood. However, the bears and Native Americans were never far away, and his friend Adam Gerard Mappa
Adam Gerard Mappa
Adam Gerard Mappa was a Dutch Patriot and active colonel in a local militia,...
lived at a day's travel away. Van der Kemp moved his family to Barneveld, now called Trenton
Trenton, New York
----Trenton is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 4,670 at the 2000 census. The town is reportedly named after Trenton, New Jersey.- History :...
. His house in Constantia was converted into a school. The Holland Land Company
Holland Land Company
The Holland Land Company was a purchaser of the western two-thirds of the western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. This tract was known thereafter as The Holland Purchase...
, that had taken into its service Gerrit Boon
Gerrit Boon
Gerrit Boon was the son of a Lutheran minister Johan Michiel Boon. His father had studied in Helmstedt and moved in 1752 from Amersfoort to Delft and in 1774 to Rotterdam. Gerrit Boon became a sugar refinerer in the city, working for his brother-in-law...
from Rotterdam, had meanwhile set up a proper village, planted ahorn
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
s and had a sugar mill built.
On the national scene, Van der Kemp's opinions influenced many of the great leaders of America. John Adams credited him with a "vast view of civilization" and respected his advice. His warm friendship with John and Abigail Adams endured till their deaths, and John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
continued the relationship.
He persuaded Thomas Jefferson to anonymously publish the his religious work called a "Syllabus of an estimate of the doctrines of Jesus compared with those of others". Van der Kemp and Mappa wrote in an early stage (1807?) about digging a canal between Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
and Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, the work on the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
started in 1817. The state received 100000 acres (404.7 km²) from Holland Land Company.
The governor of the state of New York, Dewitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton was an early American politician and naturalist who served as United States Senator and the sixth Governor of New York. In this last capacity he was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal...
, named him the most scholarly man in the U.S.A. In 1820 he received an honorary degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Van der Kemp started to translate the 17th century records in English, but his translation in the New York State Library
New York State Library
The New York State Library is part of the New York State Education Department. The Library and its sister institutions, the New York State Museum and New York State Archives, are housed in the Cultural Education Center...
went up in smoke in 1911. Van der Kemp began to write his autobiography, but died of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
on September 7, 1829 at the age 77 and is buried in the Olden Barneveld cemetery Trenton, N.Y. Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
received his library.