ALTHUIS[IUS] Family

Originally this family name was Althuis or 'old house'. Stan said this line went back to the 16C French Huguenots.

Stan remembered that Akke c1870-c1960 was of French Huguenot ancestry, but was unsure of the exact lineage. As an interesting sidenote, ALTHUSIUS of Westphalia in Germany 1557-1638 was an influential Calvinist political theorist, sometimes even called 'the Calvin of the North'. I found this reference in the book The Emergence of Liberty in the Modern World by Douglas F. Kelly. Further info from Jonathan Israel's book The Dutch Republic: Johannes ALTHUSIUS, political writer, was brought to Emden 1604 as secretary (i.e. mayor) by local Calvinists. He was "the pre-eminent German [Westphalian] Calvinist political writer and arch-defender of civic rights and local privileges against princely absolutism. His famous 1603 book Politics approved of 'freedom of conscience' while rejecting 'freedom of practice' for Catholics, dissenters and Jews ... [he was, like most Calvinists] eager to regulate doctrinal disputes within the public church."

An internet search produced more information about [and pics of] Johannes ALTHUSIUS. He was b1557 at Diedenshausen, Westphalia, Germany and d. 12 Aug 1638 at Emden, then in E Friesland but now in NW Germany. He pursued a very thorough education, including earning a doctorate in civil and ecclesiastical law at Basle University (Switzerland) in 1586 (he was 29yo). By the time he finished his formal studies in 1581, the Dutch Revolt against Spain had already come to a head ... not settled until the 1609 recognition by Spain of TDR as an indep republic.

After several years of further studies and teaching, in 1603 he published his famous book 'Politica', which was very successful (Liberty Fund recently pub'd a new edition). Because of the fame it brought him, he was offered (and quickly accepted) the position of 'syndic' or chief municipal magistrate for the city of Emden, among the first cities in Germany (or Friesland) to embrace the Reformed articles of faith. His influence there was comparable to that of John Calvin himself in the city of Geneva. Althusius in fact based much of his thinking on that of Calvin. He guided the city until his death in 1638 at 81yo. After his death his fame gradually faded until the German historian Otto von GIERKE 1841-1921 wrote a book on him which revived scholarly interest in ALTHUSIUS. He is now considered the 'intellectual father of modern federalism and advocate of popular sovereignty', 'the most profound thinker between Jean BODIN 1530-96 and Thomas HOBBES 1588-1679. BODIN developed the idea of 'sovereignty' which later slid into monarchical absolutism and later jacobinism i.e. diminishes legitimacy of simple legality by saying 'the law is what [fill in blank] says it is'. See also wiki site for Althusius.

From the www.geni.com page for Anneke JANS (long essay): In the late 18C a struggle ensued between the House of Orange party (which had become conservative) and the Patriot party (for democratic reforms). Orangists triumphed briefly with the help of an invading Prussian army in 1787, but in 1794 Napoleonic France invaded (with exiled Dutch liberals) and replaced TDR (7 United Provinces) with the [puppet] Batavian Republic, modelled after the revolutionary French one. In 1810 that was incorporated into France, but in 1815 the Netherlands' independence was restored by the Congress of Vienna.

Acton JA page



Names

3 1866-1964 ALTHUISIUS, Akke - Sietze NIJDAM, Sietze c1870-c1960
4 1840-1900 ALTHUISIUS, Durk - van'T ZET, Jitzke Douwes 1846-70
5 1816-1842 ALTHUISIUS, Taeke Gerardus - GROENEVALD, Akke Everts 1820-62
6 1785-1839 AKTHUISIUS, Gerardus Dirks - TJEMMES, Lijsbeth Wybes 1791-1827
7 1761-1794 ALTHUISIUS, Dirk Gerardus - BAKKERIUS, Hibma (or Anna?)
8 1721-1791 ALTHUISIUS, Gerardus - TEEKES, Neeltje 172x-1803
9 1680-1739 ALTHUISIUS, Johannes [Jr] - HENDRIKS, ?
10 1644-1708 ALTHUISIUS, Johannes [Sr] - JANS, ?
11 1620-1666 ALTHUIS, Geert Jansz - GIJSBERT, Wendel
12? 159x-16xx ALTHUIS, Jan - ?
13? 1557-1638 ALTHUIS, Johannes, famous German pol. theorist - NEURATH, Margarethe

Akke 1866-1964 (acc. to link, also source of ancestors shown below)

Cornelia (aka Kee, pronounced 'Kay', sis of Akke) 186x-19xx (link), emig. to CA c1900, worked for, later m. ? KRAMER



Descent Chart

Geert's father was likely Jan ALTHUIS b1590s? m. ? (perhaps son or nephew of famous German political theorist Johannes ALTHUIS 1557-1638? JA m1596 in Siegen [Co. Siegen-Wittgenstein, or Sayn-Witt.) to Margarethe NEURATH b1574; they had at least 6 kids, Hermann ... [cf Ir data])

The site above (where this info came from) did not provide any ancestors of any of the wives.

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