THE VAN DEVENTER FAMILY THE VANDEVENTER FAMILY Dedicated to the Memory of MR. WILLIS VAN DEVANTER Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Compiled by CHRISTOBELLE VAN DEVENTER Pres8 of E. \V. STEPHENS COMPANY Columbia, Missouri 1943 COPYRIGHT, 1943 BY CHRISTOBELLE VAN DEVENTER PREFACE Mr. Justice Willis Van Devanter had a keen interest in the genealogy of the family, and pursued it with characteristic thoroughness, devoting much time and effort to the collection of data. It was his purpose to publish and preserve the material, but unfortunately this purpose was not accomplished. He extended his research to the Netherlands and had made several visits there. A genealogist, recommended by the Archivist in the City of Utrecht, was engaged to trace the family, and succeeded in extending the line of descent to the great grandfather of Jan Pietersz van Deventer, the first American ancestor. The very thorough research made by Mr. Charles 0. Van­ devanter of the original records in all states where the early ramily had been located, has added materially to the value of this work. Much family data was supplied by various descend­ ant families. One of the first to undertake research, at a time when the subject was whol)y undeveloped, was Mr. Charles H. Van Deventer, of New York. Mr. James Thayer Van Deventer and three of his sons have contributed valuable records. Mr. Paul M. Chamberlain devoted considerable time to research. These records have all been made available and have been incorporated into this work. A considerable portion of the text is based upon original records and numerous recognized authorities. No effort has been spared in its preparation, that it may present a correct and accurate genealogy. The purpose has been to use the spelling of the name as used by each family. Valuable assistance has been received from Mr. Horace Van Deventer, Mr. Winslow Van Devanter and Mr. Braden Van­ deventer. Mr. Horace Van Deventer conducted research and supplied records of those of the name in the armed forces of the United States, shown in appendix, and also secured seven­ teenth century maps of the City of Deventer. We grateful)y acknowledge the assistance of an who have supplied material for this work. CHRISTOBELLF. VAN DEVENTER 502 Munford Court, Kansas City, Mo. 1943. FOREWORD This work was inspired by the late Justice Willis Van Devanter. It was a matter he had had on his mind for several years. Shortly before his death he invited the author to his home in Washington with a view to its preparation. As it happened, she and he were working on it at the time of his sudden death on the 8th day of February, 1941. His fine judgment and discernment are again demonstrated here. For no better or more fortunate selection for the authorship of this book could have been made. In saying this, I think I can safely undertake to speak for the whole family and its con­ nections. The only proof needed is the finished product itself. For even a brief perusal and checking will demonstrate the care and ability with which it has been prepared, the author's painstaking accuracy and the considerable time and effort it required. To her, in my judgment, the whole family owes a debt of gratitude. Few would undertake so heavy a task. Still fewer could do it so well even if they would. A considerable portion of the information compiled here was the result of long years of investigation and research by the Justice and by my father, the late C. 0. Vand~vanter. Such was almost the life hobby of both. This commori Jtiterest brought the two men together long years ago. They became and remained fast friends to the last. My father was by pro­ fession an engineer and so the training of both made for accuracy. In fact both were not only accurate and methodical to the extreme, but both were almost precisionists. Both com-· piled extensive data, all of which has fortunately been put at the disposal of the author. By reason of this and her own considerable additional independent research, she has been able to obtain an excellent result. I believe this volume will be found to be a comprehensive and accurate genealogy. BRADEN VANDEVENTER Norfolk, Va., 1943. ILLUSTRATIONS l\ln. ,JUSTICE WILLIS VAN DEVANTER ••••••••••••.••• Frontispiece Facing Page Cnuncu IN IIouTEN . 4 l\lAP OF DEVENTER • • . • • • • • • • • . • • • . • • • • . • • • • . • • • . • • • • • • • 8 ,Lums THAYER VANDEVENTER............................ 42 Dn. ,J OSEPII VAN DEVENTER . • • • • • • . • • • • • . • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • 100 CHARLES 0. VANDEVANTER ••••..••••..•••••••••••••.•..•• 104 l\lns. Er,IZADETH A. VAN DE\'ENTER • . • • . • • • • . • • • • • . • • • • • • 152 ANDRE\\' K. VAN DEVENTER •...•..••.•...•••••.•.••.•••.• 216 EXPLANATION The names in parenthesis after the name of principal repre­ sent the direct line of ancestors, and the superior figures after and slightly above any name designate the generation within the family to which the individual belongs, commencing with the earliest American ancestor as No. ('), Family numbers: The numerals placed at the left of the names of the children in any family are repeated where the individual again appears as the head of a family. These numbers will be found in numerical sequence. Abbreviations, as follows: b., born. bp., baptised. bd., buried. ca., circa (about). ch., ch:ldren. d., died. dau., daughter. m., married. unm., unmarried res., residence. pro., probated. INTRODUCTION THE NAME The surname van Deventer, meaning of (or from) Deventer, is of Netl1erland origin, derived from the ancient City of Deventer, in the province of Overyssel on the River Yssel. Used in the Netherlands in the form of van Deventer, the name in America has assumed the variant spellings of Van Deventer, Vandeventer, Van Devanter, Vandevanter, Van De­ vender, Vandevender, Van Devander, Vandevander, etc. The differences in spelling arose in part, in accommodating the Dutch pronunciation to the common forms of speech of people about them. For two or three generations in America, they spoke and wrote the Dutch language. The Netherland pronunciation of the name is vahn Dayven­ ter. Jn America, in the East the accent is usually placed on the second syllable, in the Middle West on the first syllable, and in the South both are found, some branches of the family using one, and some the other. The name did not originate wi[ ..1an Pietersz (sometimes written Pietcrsen) van Deventer. who emigrated from the Netherlands to New Netherland in 1662. It was a well recog­ nized family name in Holland long before that date, and has continued so to be until the present time. Books of the highest authenticity show that Deventer was used as a family name in Holland as early as the sixteenth century. Gerard Prouninck, called Deventer, was an able and popular national leader, and through the influence of the Earl of Leicester obtained the appointment of burgomaster in the City of Utrecht (1586). Hist. United NetherlandR, Motley, Vol. II; Hist. of the Dutch People, Blok, Vol. III; John of Barneveld, Motley. John Lothrop Motley, the historian, in one of his works pays a high compliment to a Holland historian named van Deventer. The art galleries of Holland contain the works of a noted painter of that name (1824-97) Amsterdam. A great doctor, Henry A. van Deventer, lived in Groningen, 1651. One of the name became governor of the Island of Sumatra; another was a member of the Dutch Parliament. A van Deventer went to South Africa about the time our ancestor came to America. Of this family, Sir Jacob Louis Van Deventer (1874-1922) South African soldier, became (1) 2 THE VAN DEVENTER FAMILY second in command to General Smuts during the invasion of Cape Colony, later attained the rank of major general and was commander-in-chief in campaign in German Southwest Africa. Ency. Britannica. The chief judicial officer in the Province of Utrecht in 1932 was Judge Garret Jansen van Deventer (son of Jan, son of Pieter). His family lived, about 1590, in Deventer, and moved to Zwolle. Ever after they were known as van Deventer and used that as a family name. A search of the archives in the province of Utrecht reveals many van Deventer names between 1600 and 1662. The name is well known and in use in the Netherlands at the present time, and from those who bear the name we have the information that the family is a very old one. The earliest record found of the name van Deventer is in a book entitled Conversations of the Heart, by Gerlacus Peter­ sen van Deventer. A copy in the Juniata College Library, Huntingdon, Pa., was pul lished 1730 by Joh. Georg Boettiger, at Franckfurt and Leip;ig. This German version, translated from the Latin original, was written more than three hundred years before. Up to the year 1730 there had been two Latin and four Dutch editions. A note refer8 to chapters 54-5 of the Chronicle at the Cloi8ter of Windesheim for detailed in­ formation of the life of the author. Gerlacus Petersen van Deventer is said to have died in 1411 at t'1.,-:i age of thirty-three and is buried in the Cloister of Windesheim. On the title page of the 1730 edition of ConverRationB of the Heart he is called "the other Thomas a Kempis." United Netherlmuis, Motley, VolR. n, III; John of Barneveld, Motley, Vols. I. II, III; Enc11. Britannica; Conversations of the Heart, Gerlacus P. Van Deventer. The name "van" always concerns the place where the bearer or one of his ancestors was born. A. F. H. Blaauw, Molenstraat, Oss. ANCESTRY OF JAN (JOHN) PIETERSZ VAN DEVENTER The following data was collected for Mr. Justice Willis Van Deva11cer by Heer ,Jos.