Reenders genealogy Site Navigation Home genealogy Photos / Pictures Resources/Sources Judicial Archives Revolution in the Ommelanden Calling (new!) Left Home Search this site powered by FreeFind Dutch Most likely everyone who bears the surname Reenders is a descendant of Reender (or Reinder, Reijnder, Riender) Martens. He was born in Onderwierum and baptized there on 12 February 1736 as son of Bartelt Sierts and Grietje Rienders. Reender Martens married Ebeltje Berends about 1760 and was a skipper by trade. In 1773 he died at a fairly young age. Nearly 40 years later, in 1811, five of his six children registered their patronymic 'Reenders' as their surname. unity Reender Martens and Ebeltje Berends lived in Eenrum, a beautiful village in the north of the province of Groningen (now the municipality of De Marne ). For half a century, Eenrum was the only place in the world where Reenders lived. That is why on this site special attention is paid to sources related to Eenrum. In addition, work is being done on a village genealogy of Eenrum (from the end of the 17th to the middle of the 19th century). Naming and logo Occasionally it happened that the strict rules for naming children were broken. This is also the case with Reender Martens. His name was exactly the same (first name and patronymic) to the name of his maternal grandfather. This must have been a tribute to the grandfather who had died a few years before Reender's birth, probably in the winter 1730-1731. This grandfather Reijnder Martens was Landdag-comparant for Onderwierum from 1709 to 1731 and Elder in Onderwierum from 1724 to 1731. He could not write, but a kind of signature of his has survived. On June 8, 1729, as an elder, he signed an "Acta Consistoria" of the church in Onderwierum (see below). Pastor M. Antonides declares that Riender Martens himself has signed with the trademark. This signature is the logo of this site. (Grand Haven, MI, USA) (Eenrum, the Netherlands) English Very likely all people with the surname Reenders are decendents of Reender (or Reinder, Reijnder, Riender) Martens (born in Onderwierum in 1736; son of Bartelt Sierts en Grietje Rienders. Abt. 1760 Reender Martens married Ebeltje Berends. In 1773 Reender Martens died at a rather young age. Almost 40 years later, in 1811, five of his six children adopted the family name Reenders. Eenrum Reender Martens and Ebeltje Berends lived the beautiful village Eenrum in the North of the province Groningen (community De Marne) in the Netherlands. For about half a century all people with the surname Reenders lived in Eenrum. A good reason to pay special attention to Eenrum. On this site you can find transcriptions of Eenrum related sources and we are working on the genealogy of the village (abt. 1700 to 1850). Name and Logo In the 18th century in the province of Groningen it was very common to name a child using only a Christian name and a patronymic. Only in some special cases this rule was abandoned. Family names were rare. When Reender Martens was baptized his name should have been Reender Bartelds. Instead he got exactly the same patronymic as the father of his mother who died a few years before in the winter of 1730-1731. This was a way to honor the deceased grandfather. The grandfather Reijnder (or Riender) Martens was an important person in his village. He represented Onderwierum from 1709 to 1731 and was elder in the church from 1724 to 1731. Although he never learned to write we found his signature in a church book of Onderwierum. On June 8, 1729 the reverent M. Antonides declares that the special mark was the signature that Riender Martens wrote in his presence (see the handwriting above). This signature of Riender Martens is the logo of this website. Remark Presently much of the information on this website is in Dutch. My apologies. At the moment I am concentrating on gathering information rather than presenting it... But if you have questions don't hesitate to ask. © 2010 Fred Reenders Last update on .