Carte Postale Blason de Famille de Dutch van Westervelt

Dutch van Westervelt Family Coat of Arms Postcard. I colorized the black and white family coat of arms on my computer according to the caption description under the black and white photograph found in a copy of the 1905 book THE GENEALOGY OF THE WESTERVELT FAMILY compiled by Walter Tallman Westervelt, written by Wharton Dickinson. I had the idea while I was mowing my yard ... I had taken fine art classes as well as computer art classes after a large company bought the facility where I had worked 30 years (my age 21 1/2 - 51 1/2) helping to operate large offset lithography printing presses. The buyer took our work to their other printing facilities throwing us all out of work unless we would be willing to move to where their facilities were. But, my home was here and my mom was here. She is a survivor from having Polio from her age 16 so she needs me to stay here to help her. So, I chose to not move so far away. As some of our work went out of country we were offered government grants to take classes to help us and I chose to take classes in hand and computer illustration because liked art classes in high school. So, at my age 51 1/2 I took these art classes and graduated top of my class in 2005. Any way the idea came to me that this was something I could try to do. This black and white photograph of the family coat of arms came from the family tomb at the old church in Harderwijk, Gelderland Province (formerly the Duchy Gelre / Geldriae / Guelders), Netherlands where the family ruled as hereditary mayors or burgomasters in the 1600s and where their ancestors by other names had ruled in the 1500s and 1400s ... possibly going as far back as 1231 when Harderwijk was given city rights by Otto II the Count of Gelre / Guelders. Those previous ruling families included van Haersolte van Westervelt, van Wijnbergen, van Speulde, van Heuckelom, and possibly van Arkel. By the early 1600s came the name van Westervelt. The family ruled from the Kasteel (Dutch castle) de Essenburg in nearby Hierden. This building still stands and is used as a venue for gatherings, weddings, etc. But, according to the book GENEALOGY OF THE WESTERVELT FAMILY, our family name actually comes from the name of an old manor estate Huis Westervelt / Westerveld / Westerveldt found in the adjacent Province Overijssel in a region called Salland and north of the city Zwolle. This structure was demolished in 1816 but stood there over 300 years ... its earliest date lost to time ... we only know it was given as a wedding gift from Johan ten Bussche, citizen of Zwolle, and his wife Berte Bloemendael to their unnamed daughter married to Jan van Warmelo who was listed as a knight in 1519. Their son also named Jan van Warmelo called himself van Westervelt / Westerveld / Westerveldt ... and his grandson was Gerard van Warmelo Lord of Westervelt / Westerveld / Westerveldt who was appointed by the Prince of Orange to be the Drost (military commander) of Salland so he greatly expanded the estate Huis (manor house) to become the Kasteel Westervelt / Westerveld / Westerveldt. This work was done by carpenter Berend Geerts about 1603 - 1606. This building was near the confluence of Rivers Overijsselse Vecht and Zwarte (Black) Water ... In 1606 Gerard van Warmelo Lord of Westervelt defeated the Spanish troops of Ambrogio Spinola at the Battle of Berkummer Bridge at the confluence of these two rivers ... saving Zwolle from invasion. His military buddy was Lubbert Ulger / Ulgher. Together they were in many battles against Ambrogio Spinola as they supported the Princes of Orange. As Gerard died in 1610 with no legitimate children, the Kasteel passed eventually in 1633 to relative Rutger van Haersolte (who was only age 10 at the death of Gerard van Warmelo) who had lived there from 1621. He then became Lord of Westervelt / Westerveld / Westerveldt appointed by the Prince of Orange as Drost of Salland. He lived 1600 - 1666. His mother was Fenne / Fenna Ulger / Ulgher a relative possibly daughter of Lubbert Ulger / Ulgher. Our immigrant ancestor to America had the name Lubbert Lubbertsen van Westervelt born about 1620. My theory is he could have been the out of wedlock son of Rutger van Haersolte (born 1600) but raised by this mother's brother Lubbert Lubberten Ulger ... so thus named Lubbert Lubbertsen Ulger which he corrected to van Westervelt upon immigration. It conveniently just fits. It is known the immigrants came from Meppel, Drenthe (adjacent province) where the family of this estate also owned property. So, it fits there, too. Legally, Rutger willed the estate to his daughter Margriet / Margaretha who was therefore called the Vrouwe (Lady) van Westervelt / Westerveld / Westerveldt. She married into the ruling count family Rechteren, marrying in 1647 Joachim Adolf van Rechteren, lord of Rechteren and Almelo. Margarethe van Haersolte dies in 1682. Westerveld passes into the hands of her son Reyner van Rechteren.