Surname Saturday - Hoppel

“Ons Voorgeslacht” is a magazine for genealogy in Holland. In 1957 it featured an article by J. MacLean describing the Hoppel family in Heerjansdam. Since then K.J. Slijkerman has found some addition information about this family.

Mathias Hoppel was a pastor in Heerjansdam in the period 1583-1616. He had moved there from the area around Aachen in Germany. His wife’s given name was Maeijke. Their known children are Aert, Sara, Abraham and Hendrik. Weakened due to old age, Mathias retired in 1616. 

Mathias' son Abraham was discredited in the summer of 1614 when Vranck Corneliss van Esch made a declaration that one evening, when he was working on his land, Vranck had seen Abraham Hoppel, completely naked and smelly, and carrying a knife. It was just moments after Abraham had tried to rape two young women, Aeltgen and Meijnsken, daughters of Aert and Lijsbet Pieters. Abraham Hoppel was ordered to pay their mother 12 pounds.
Despite this gross misbehavior, Abraham was a member of the local water authority in 1619, 1624 and 1625.

Hendrik Hoppel, another son of Matthias, was married to Ingetje, daughter of Bastiaan, who had brothers Leonardt and Pleun. Hendrik had surviving children named Bastiaen, Hendrik, Marija, Arien, Hendricxie and Maeijken. In 1619 Hendrik is mentioned as being 40 years old, so he was born around 1579.
I descend from Hendrik’s son of the same name whose daughter Maeijke married Cornelis Leenheer (±1638-1709) on 10 April 1662 in Heerjansdam.

Sources: J. MacLean: Ons Voorgeslacht 1957; K.J. Slijkerman: Ons Voorgeslacht 1999, Kronieken 2000.