Familienstammbaum vd Schoot en v Gelder

HISTORY OF VAN DER SCHOOT NAME There are a lot of people who wandered the world with the name van der Schoot. The last name van der Schoot is mainly found in Brabant and Belgium, but there is also a big family living in the region of Leeuwarden (up north in the state of Friesland). The name van der Schoot comes from a region name. Many places in Brabant have the name Schoot or Schot in their name, for example Berkel en Schot, Budel Schoot, Oirschot. In the 14th century lived an aristocratic family van der Schoot in Oirschot. Later, a rich salesman lived in Tilburg and a baron in Breda. In Leeuwarden lived a family with a beautiful coat of arms. Schoot comes from an expression of other land rather than the surrounding land. On these pieces of land are a lot of bushes (called opschot). Another explanation of the name Schoot is that there were parts of community land where cattle from other places came to eat. The owners of the community grounds separated this foreign cattle (in Dutch opgeschut/opgeschot). In the 16th century the Catholic people had to baptise their child with a name. The priest wrote their names in the so-called DTB books and kept their marriage and death records in it. At first the Christian names were enough but many people came with the same name and so the name of the area or profession became their last name. That is how our family came to their last name. Between Schijndel and Sint Oedenrode is a community area with the name Schoot. We have, even now, in Schijndel and St Oedenrode a street with the name Schootstraat. Around 1640 a priest noted in Schijndel, as well as in St. Oedenrode, with a van der Schoot last name in their books.

HISTORY OF VAN GELDER NAME Spelling variations include: Gelder, van Gelder, Vangelder, Op-Gelder and many more. First found in Holland, where the name became noted for its many branches in the region, each house acquiring a status and influence which was envied by the princes of the region. Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were those recorded from the mid 17th century onward in the great migration from Europe to the New World.

NETHERLANDS HISTORY OF SURNAMES The early history of the Netherlands was fraught with conflict. In the 1st century, the original inhabitants of this area, who were primarily Celts and Frisians, came under the control of the Roman Empire. By the 5th century, the Franks had forced the Romans to withdraw, and they dominated this region until the end of the 8th century. In the 11th century, the area that is now the Netherlands, came under the power of the Holy Roman Empire. It was divided up into fiefs, and parcelled out to various dukes. In 1477, these fiefs came into the possession of the Hapsburgs. In 1555, this territory became part of the domain of Phillip II of Spain. The Spanish control of the Netherlands inaugurated an 80 year period of conflict. In 1581, William the Silent successfully led the northern provinces to independence. The independence of the rest of the country was not officially recognised until the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. It was in this period of relative peace that the Dutch first gained prominence in trade and commerce. Their economic growth, in this period, was staggering. In addition to this economic development, the Dutch enjoyed developments in the areas of culture and scholarship as well. Unfortunately, this period of peace was not to last. Beginning in the early 18th century, the Netherlands again became a battleground. They were weakened first by the Dutch Wars, the War of the Grand Alliance and then the War of Spanish succession. Clearly, their problems with the Spanish had not ended. Finally, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Netherlands was invaded by the French under Napoleon. Napoleon established the Batvian Republic (1795-1806) and the Kingdom of Holland (1806-1810), during which time the Dutch remained under French occupation. In 1814, under the provisions of the Treaty of Paris, the Netherlands and Belgium were united. This union, however, collapsed in 1830. Finally, in 1848, a liberal constitution was introduced, (undoubtedly a product of the many revolutions of that year), which created the Kingdom of the Netherlands.