Special Note:  I make no claim that our branch of the Reinder's family, are somehow descendants of the Reinders family name which can be traced back to an ancestral farm, in what is now the village of Arrien, in Northern Overijssel.....This would be nice, but I have no evidence as yet that would confirm this one way or the other.

The following document was researched and prepared by Michael Reinders, a 2nd cousin to Rose Reinders, wife of Tjeerd (Sid) Tjeerdsma. Michael obtained the information from various sources. I would like to give a very special thanks to Michael and Sid for allowing me to post this information on our family website.

The origins of some family names are obvious, but for many the meaning and significance has either been lost or there never was any. Some names can be traced back 500 years with relative accuracy usually if a family and descendants continued to live in the same area.

Many names have recognizable characteristics typical to different areas of the Netherlands, for instance in Friesland and Groningen the ending "stra" or "ma" or "ga" is common. In the Province of Overijssel, many names have the letters "ink" at the end. This ending is thought to mean place or from the family of... or belonging to.... The ending huis is also very common in the area.

Other names are typical of anywhere in the Netherlands for instance the name 'Jansen' comes from 'the son of Jan' and usually originated in 1810 when Napoleon decreed that all Dutch citizens were to take a last name. In rural areas and villages, most people took the name of their father as a last name or if they had a family name, they usually had their father s name as a second name anyway whether you were male or female. For instance, a daughter of Berend Reinders, named Hendrikje would be known as Hendrikje Berends Reinders or Klaas the son of Roelof Reinders would be known as Klaas Roelofs Reinders. This practise carried on well into the 1800's.

The prefix "van" or "vander" or "de" and many variations are common everywhere as well. The last name often described a place of origin or residence, the person, his title, his occupation or his landlord or employer. The taking of a family last name was often treated as a joke in 1810, because it was thought that the French occupation would soon pass and therefore also the burden of a family name, so people also took on humorous names, but whatever they chose it became permanent. Some of these include Suikerbuik (Sugarbelly), Spring in t Veld (Jump in the Field), Uiekruier (Onion-crier), Naaktgeboren (Naked-born), Poepjes (Poopies), Schooier (Messy), Scheefnek (Crooked-neck) etc.

Many names in Overijssel evolved from the original Saxon settlers. For example, there was a certain person known only by a first name of Benno and whose farm was known as Bennink, meaning the place of Benno . The children were also named Benno and the name Bennink has carried on ever since. Many other names came about in the same manner such as the names Wesselink, Lamberink, Harbertink, Bensink, Naemink, Ryckerdink, Wermink, Warmelink, Avekink, Hesselink, Alferink, Ootberink, Immink, Ditmerink, Wennmerink, Remberink, Wiltink, Wyckmannink, Seygerink, Assink, as well as simply first names such as Arents, Peters, Engberts and of course Reinders.

The name Oosting was taken by a family living in the eastern (in Dutch: Oosting) area of Zeesen. The names Grotemarsink and Kleinmarsink was taken from the Great March (Dutch: grote mars) and the small March (Dutch: klein mars) respectively. The name Camphuus, later Kamphuis, likely originated literally from a camp residence, the name Loohuus where loo means forest or open place, the name Hekhuus where hek means fence and the name Horstink or Horst from the word horst meaning a place of heights.

The name Grootenhuis, Grootens and Groothof came from a substantial farm with a large house, groot meaning large and huis or hof meaning house. Likewise came the name Nijenhuis and Niens from a nieuw or new house as well as the name Oldenhuus from old house.

The following names described the occupation of the original Heir: Schepers or de Scheper from shepherd or cow-herder, Visscher or de Visscher from fisherman, Wever and de Wever from weaver of cloth, Schipper from shipper or boat skipper, Timmerman meaning carpenter, and Mulder from molenaar or miller usually from a windmill.

Names were taken to distinguish people from others for instance by hair colour such as red, white or black and therefore de Roode, de Wytte or de Wit and de Zwart.

Many family groups with the name of Reinders exist, many originating from the northern provinces of the Netherlands Provinces of Drenthe and Overijssel in north eastern Netherlands. Several of the Reinders family groups originate from Drenthe in Ruinen/De Wijk/Zuidwolde, Emmen, Pesse, Zweeloo, and Benneveld and in Gramsbergen, Overijssel. These family groups are for the most part apparently unrelated simply because they all descend from unrelated individuals who were individually known by the first name of Reinder or some variation such as Reindert, Rijnder or Reiner.

For instance, the Reinders families of Pesse, Drenthe descended from a Reyner Hendrix, born in Havelte, Drenthe around 1700, who had a son, Jannes Reinderts, who had a son, Reinder Reinders, whose son, Koop Reinders moved to the Pesse area around 1820. The last name of Reinders was assumed at the turn of the 19^th century.

It was around this time, in 1810, when the Netherlands were under French occupation that the Emperor Napoleon decreed that all citizens would take a permanent family surname. Prior to that date many people, particularly in the rural areas, assumed the first name of their father as their last name. For example, if Hessel Jans had a son named Koop, the son would henceforth be known as Koop Hessels. If Koop Hessels then had a son called Geert, this son would be known as Geert Koops and so on. The decree of 1810 simply froze many last first names at that instant in time, hence many modern last names are actually first names of ancestors 200 years back, names such as Geerts, Koops, Hessels, Jans, Hendriks, Roelofs and of course, Reinders.

Usually a father named his first son after his father, the second son after his father-in-law and other sons after brothers or grandparents. Therefore, first-born sons often carried the name forward by alternating generations, for instance, Reinder Jans, Jan Reinders, Reinder Jans and so on. This practise carried on in the 1800's for instance Hendrik Reinders had a son in 1841 whom he called Berend named after his father. Berend in turn named his first son Hendrik and Hendrik then had a son whom he named Berend.

The Reinders family group living in the Ruinen/De Wijk/Zuidwolde area around Hoogeveen, Drenthe in the early 1900's had moved from the Ommen area in northern Overijssel at the turn of the previous century. That Reinders family name can be traced back to an ancestral farm in what is now the village of Arrien in northern Overijssel. This farmstead carried the name of Reinders and the descendent owners passed on the name from generation to generation probably directly from the original Saxon settlers.

The Netherlands were originally inhabited by Celtic tribes such as the Frisians and the Batavi and later partially occupied by the Romans. The Romans retreated from northwestern Europe around 410 A.D. succumbing to a great movement of peoples which occurred in the European continent. To the Romans these peoples were known as the Barbarians. The Germanic Saxons were one of the Barbarian peoples who migrated west into what is now the central part of the Netherlands pushing back the Frisians to the northwest and the Jutes to the south west. The Romans left written records of their history, but few Barbarians could read or write. As a result, very little is known of the few centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire and therefore this period is called the Dark Ages. Historians have pieced together information from archeological finds and from crude historical recounts first recorded by priests around 800 A.D. when Charlemagne, the king of the Franks conquered the western areas of Saxony including the Low Lands.

The Saxons first established permanent settlements in the area now known as the Province of Overijssel during a period of time around 500 A.D.. The Saxons lived communally and all lands were originally used in common. Over time, the residents had their own freehold areas to farm and each freehold farm was passed on from the previous generation to the next heir. The principle farmers in the area were called Erven a direct translation of which is Heirs . These Heirs had land for there own use but the large grazing pastures, fields of heather, forests, and peat bogs were collectively managed and used by all.

These common lands were collectively formed into what was known as a Marke , a large rural area. Each Marke had anywhere from 5 to 15 Heirs and varied in size from 20 to 50 square kilometres. The borders of the Markes were marked with stones, ditches, dikes, stakes and pits.

The following information about the Markes of the area around Ommen, Overijssel area is gleaned from a book written in Dutch about the Markes. Interwoven through it is the story of Heir Reinders of Arrien.

Only owners of the freehold farms were named as Heirs and together they owned the entire Marke. Each farmer possessed measurable portions of the Marke called a whare , but not equally. Most had two whares but some had one or fractions thereof. Over time some of the farms were divided by inheritance between sons or by partial sales of land. The farms were known by the name of the Heir that lived there and family members originating from these farms often assumed the same name. The Reinders family name originates from a farm in the Marke of Arrien that was named after the original Heir.

The Heirs were self-ruling farmers and therefore made all decisions concerning the Marke. A meeting of the Heirs was held once per year and was called a "Holting" or "Holt-spraeke". The word holt means a hollow or clearing , hence it is likely that these meetings were originally held out in the open air in a clearing, especially since the early Saxons built little else than huts. Decisions in the Holting were made democratically by the majority of votes taken where each Heir could cast one vote per whare . As literacy advanced, records were kept of the decisions and transactions. These records, begun in the 1400's are known as the Markebooks and have for the most part been preserved and are stored at the Overijssel Provincial Archives in Zwolle.

The Markebooks yield much of the information about the communal lifestyle passed on from the Saxons and it is here that the Heirs named Reinders and descendants are recorded many times as the holder of a whare and as a Markerichters of Arrien. These Heirs are the earliest recorded ancestors of the present day Reinders family. They are mentioned as Erve or Heir Reinders, as Boer Reinders or Reinders the farmer and also as Reinders the Markerichter. These descriptions indicate that the Reinders family was likely part of the long established rural structure in the Marke which had evolved from the original communal Saxon settlements.

A Markerichter was the chairman of the Holting meeting and was chosen every 3 or 4 years. In the 12th century it was often a noble who was the largest landowner and would therefore be chosen for this influential position. The barons and noblemen of the city of Ommen exercised the power of the Bishop of Utrecht and were the feudal lords of the countryside. In some of the Markes they were the major Heirs and Markerichters since they controlled much of the land.

The Markerichter had control of the finances, had to carry out the decisions of the Holting and was paid a salary for his trouble. In order to maintain good control in a large Marke, the Markerichter was supported by various people such as farm directors, clerks, hunters, regulators and others. The regulators had to regulate of the number of cattle since tenant farmers were limited to a maximum number. If cattle strayed off their owner's fields, the cattle were returned only after the owner paid a fine to the regulators and collected by the Markerichter. The roads, dikes, waterways, churches and parsonages were maintained collectively by the residents of the Marke and the money required to cover these costs were collected from the fines, farm leases and special levies.

Besides the Holting meeting of the Heirs, there were also neighbourhood meetings (Buurtbrinks) which took place once a week. The neighbours gathered together to talk about various needs in the farming community which may have included such topics as a road that needed repair or word of advice for a dispute or problem and the conclusions were arrived at by majority vote. There were no titles, rank or position but this was an influential middle level organization that demonstrated the communal origins of the Marke.

When a Marke farm was bought by a new owner, the new Heir had to pay special 'initiation tax' of "one tonne of beer" or "one brace of good wine". In every Marke there were older farms where the owner himself did not live on the farm anymore but leased the farm to a Meier . If a particular family lived on the same farm for many years, Meier assumed the rights of an 'Owner-Heir'.

As the population expanded there were also labourers and helpers who settled in the Markes. No person could settle in the Markes without the consent of the Heirs and for a small fee. All land purchases were carefully considered, conditions set and a record made at the Holting.

The labourers had few rights in the Marke, were not allowed to be part of the Marke meetings and actually lived by the grace of the Owner-Heirs. Annual rent was gladly paid to the Marke for the privilege to live there. These small-time farmers, known as "keuterboertjes", had to work very hard to rise from being common labourers to becoming a farmer. These people cleared and cultivated the large heather fields and by the grace of the Marke owners could earn small parcels of Marke land to own for themselves.

Because of its strategic position in Europe, the Netherlands was in a constant state of war. Through military campaigns in the 8th century the Franks (from present day France) led by King Charlemagne conquered the Frisians and the Saxons in the Low Countries. The Frankish kings were devout Christians and found it necessary to convert the Saxons to Christianity by force in order to maintain lasting peace. The Vikings from Scandinavia raided the Low countries regularly, burning towns and destroying farmland and Charlemagne had to delegate his power to local dukes in Gelderland and Brabant, counts in Holland , Flanders and Zeeland and to the bishop in Utrecht. After Charlemagne s death the nobles and clergy gained total control over the Netherlands returning it to what it had been before: a collection of regional, autonomous territories. A long feudal period began, from 1100 to 1400 A.D., in which peasants and their families were the serfs of nobility and clergy. They were expected to farm the land, transport commodities, build barns, and do hundreds of other chores for their masters. In addition, a fixed part of the wheat, pigs, and cheese they produced was for their masters. The serfs received no money for their labour and products, only protection. Some serfs escaped and tried to live as free peasants but if found would risk the loss of ears and tongue. Later most of the Netherlands came under the control of one of the minor Saxon kings. After 1384 the provinces were ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, who acquired them by purchase, blackmail, cession, theft and marriage (just normal real estate transactions in the Middle Ages). In 1548 they passed by marriage into the ownership of Spain. From 1568 to 1648 there was a succession of rebellions in the northern provinces (now known as the Netherlands) resulting in the independence of the largely Protestant Netherlands from Spain.

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Utrecht had for centuries been the ruler of church and state and therefore also had a measure of control in the Markes. Prior to the declaration of Protestant rule in the Netherlands in 1648, there were 3 Roman Catholic parishes in the rural areas around Ommen called Ommen, Den Ham and Avereest. Both Den Ham and Avereest are now independent municipalities and the Ommen parish now falls under the Town of Ommen . The parish of Ommen contained 14 Markes: Varsen (Versen), Ommen, Arrien (Erryen), Stegeren (Steygheren), Vilsteren, Gietmen, Bestmen, Zees (Zeessen), Archem, Junne, Beerse, Eerde, Lemele and Dalmsholte. Varsen, Ommen, Arrien and Stegeren were situated north of the Vecht River and the other ten to the south.

The Marke of Arrien had 16 Heirs all of whom carried the title of Markerichter although only one at a time could actually hold the seat of Markerichter of Arrien. This right to carry a title was discontinued in 1817 and thereafter only one was chosen by the Heirs.

1.   Haetberting later Habers.
2.   Naemyng later Namink.
3.   Camphues later Kamphuis.
4.   Nijenhues later Niens.
5.   Ridderijng later Ridderboer.
6.   Meijering later Meyerink.
7.   Bertoltshoeve later Bartels.
8.   Bonniers later Beniers.
9.   REIJNERS later REINDERS.
10.  Wuerting later Woertink.
11.  Rijckerding later Rijkerdink.
12.  Tempelman.
13.  Lamberink.
14.  Praestinck later Brinkhuis.
15.  Aernink.
16.  Cathuis later Cottes.

The Bishop of Utrecht controlled the Markes through feudal courts which included resident noblemen who had varying degrees of influence and power. These residents of the court had to serve the court as feudal lords and provide military service as a knight and therefore they had to have ready at all times a horse, armour and weaponry. The nobility ruled the countryside until the French Revolution and French occupation of the Netherlands starting in 1795.

Municipalities were formed during the Napoleonic occupation of the Netherlands around 1810, which took over many of the functions of the Markes, the church and nobility. The French Revolution had, of course, abolished the rule of all nobility and replaced it with national democracy. The Markes had been organized and operated for many centuries by the Heirs and Markerichters who had inherited the old Saxon form of communal life. This self-sufficient and self-ruling societal structure was left behind forever. Land and farmer rights, which for hundreds of years had functioned in a small, closed and inward focused society, were replaced with national rights which blended the small self-sufficient farming communities into a broad interdependent national economy. The rural farming families in the Markes now found themselves living in a whole new societal structure and many left to start anew elsewhere. The Reinders family of Arrien was one of those.

Berend Reinders, the son of Willem Jansz was the first to take on the name Reinders as the legal family name and was the last to live on the Reinders family farmstead in Arrien. He died there in 1821. His oldest son, Willem moved to the village of Varsen, not far from Arrien, but he died at the age of 44, survived by a daughter who died at the early age of 18. The youngest son, Jan, died at the age of 23 unmarried.

The second son, Hendrik, lived to a ripe old age of 80 years old. He first lived in the village of Junne close by to Arrien, then in 1844 moved to the village of Ane, just outside the town of Gramsbergen, Overijssel and then in 1852 he moved to Lutten in the municipality of Hardenburg, Overijssel and finally with all of his 5 sons and 3 daughters moved to Koekangeveld, Drenthe in 1875. Koekangeveld is a rural area close to Koekange between De Wijk and Ruinen in southern Drenthe. Hendrik Reinders died at his small farm in Koekange in 1889, survived by his wife Johanna who died in 1892.

Hendrik was also survived by his sons Berend, Frederik Jan, Klaas, Roelof and Jan and daughters Hendrika, Jennigjen and Geesjen.