John van Gurp

by Dr. G. J. van Gurp (Eindhoven, Holland - c.1983)

The van Gurp family history can be traced back to circa 1300 and possibly even further. My own research has progressed to the mid-15th century.

The family derives its name from the hamlet Gorp, near Hilvarenbeek, in the province of Noord Brabant. This hamlet, which today only consists of a small castle, a number of homes and parcels of land, belonged to the Duke of Brabant whose seat was in Brussels and who had given it by tenure to one of our ancestors. At that time a person by the name of Wouter was the vassal. Since he lived in Gorp he was called Wouter van Gorp, or van Gorop. In legal documents one can also find other name forms such as: Jan Gerits op Gorop wonende (Jan Gerits living at Gorp), or in short Jan Gerits op Gorop. The vassalage passed from father to son. When there were several sons, they all inherited land but only one inherited the title. Gradually the name Van Gorp was used even when the person no longer lived in Gorp.

It is probable that the name was pronounced Görp as is still the case in the western part of Noord Brabant. The government officials whose job it was to write deeds and other legal instruments were always local people who knew how t he name was spelled. When, during the 17th century, clergymen from outside Brabant were appointed, the name was distorted to Van Geurp or Van Gurp in the baptismal and marriage record books and it is for this reason that today both the names Van Gorp and Van Gurp appear, both traceable to the vassal of the Duke of Brabant.

Over the course of history the Duchy of Brabant split into two sections of which one became part of the Netherlands (Noord Brabant) and the remainder part of Belgium. The name Van Gorp or Van Gurp appears on both sides of the border.

The research which I am conducting contains some areas of genealogical uncertainty. The genealogy of our family can be traced with certainty to the beginning of the 18th century when our ancestors lived on the isle of Goeree-Overflakkee, namely in Stad aan het Haringvliet. Because of a 50-year gap in the baptismal and marriage record books and because the family did not live in Stad aan het Haringvliet before that time, there is also a gap in the genealogical tree. A family named Van Gorp has been found who lived on the island circa 1700 but it cannot be proven that the Van Gurp family descended from them. However, it appears probable and this essay will be based on the assumption that the relationship is indeed factual.

Our ancestors therefore came from the Hilvarenbeek region of Noord Brabant in which Gorp was located. Ancestors also lived in Tilburg. An important relocation took place circa 1578 when Hendrick Laureijs van Gorp moved from Tilburg to the village of Cape lle in de Langstraat. The reason for this move is not known. It may possibly have something to do with the persecution of the protestants which resulted in an exodus from ’s Hertogenbisch and de Meierij, to which Tilburg belonged. Capelle which is now in Noord Brabant, was then part of the province of Holland which enjoyed a considerable degree of freedom of religion. Adam, Hendrick’s brother, also moved from Tilburg (circa 1592) and settled in Poppel which is now Belgium, close to the border. Our ancestors lived in de Langstraat for about 100 years and during that time some of them also moved from de Landstraat to Oud Beijerland, whence the trail leads to the isle of Goeree-Overflakkee. These relocations always took place by boat which was necessary because all these places were located on or near waterways. For our ancestors the move away from Goeree-Overflakkee took place circa 1880 when Pieter van Gurp moved first to Sliedrecht, then to Noord Brabant and later still to ’s Gravenhage.

In the part that follows I shall present the genealogical tree to the extent that it represents the direct line of descent from father to son. The data were researched mainly in the following archives: Algemeen Rijksarchief (General State Archives) in ‘ s Gravenhage, Rijksarchief van Noord Brabant (State Archives of Noord Brabant), Gemeentearcgieven (Municipal Archives) in Tilburg and Sprang-Capelle, and the archives of the Nederlands Hervormde Gemeente (Dutch Reformed Congregation) in Sprang-Capelle.

For the period after 1600 baptismal and marriage record books are significant sources. For the preceding period judicial and notarial instruments are the only sources. Among these are deeds of purchase and sale, wills and testaments, bankruptcy petitions, et cetera. It is understandable that these documents are also of importance for the period after 1600. For the purpose of this research they are only of importance to the extent that the family owned property and unfortunately that was not the case during the early part the 18th cetury which coincided with the gap in the baptismal and marriage record book in Stat an Haringvliet. Years of birth are not known for the time before circa 1600 since baptisms and marriages were not recorded which makes the construction of the family tree somewhat like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle.

It goes without saying that baptismal and marriage records were entered by hand. Because this was sometimes done in poorly legible handwriting, data cannot always be traced. Besides, the baptismal and marriage record books are not complete. Also, name changes occur which hampers research. Relocations were not recorded with the result that a branch of the family tree simply breaks off. All this means that it is nearly impossible to construct a family tree in its entirety. For that matter, such would also take a great deal of time.

As late as the 18th century it was common to use patronymics, having one name to which the father’s name was added. For instance: the father of Laureijs Hendricks van Gorp (Hendricks meaning Hendrick’s son) was Hendricks Jans van Gorp.

Infant mortality was high and as a result it happened that sometimes several children in a family had the same name. Apart from this, one will also find that two children from one family carried the same name without one having died. In such case they we redistinguished as Cornelis de oude (Cornelis the older) and Cornelis de jonge (Cornelis the younger). This is how the surnames De Oude (the Older) and De Jonge (the Younger) came into existence. Sometimes there were also a Cornelis de middelste (Cornelis the middle).

Few people lived to be 65; many died before that age. Many women died in childbirth.

With those who were less well-off it often happened that they moved because work could be found elsewhere. That is how one family, Jacob Hendrickse van Gorp is found under three different addresses on the isle of Goeree-Overflakkee (circa 1685).

Official functions were always awarded for a number of years by the Schout en Schepenen (sheriff and magistrates). It is not surprising that the most important functions were filled by wealthy families, sometimes passing from father to son.