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Knotter
Knotter is a typically surname from the Dutch city Leiden and it appeared in the city and church archives of the 13th century. The name was sometimes misspelled as: Knotters, Knotten, Knotte, Cnotter, van Knotter, Knopper, Knoppert, Knoter....
MEANING
1. In respect to the main industry of Leiden it
is likely that the name Knotter is related to the cloth industry.
Making a ball of wool is done by a knotter. For more information
on Leiden Cloth Ciry you are reffered to the website of Joop Pison.
2. Alternatively, knotting trees, in particular the
characteristic Dutch pollard willow, is also done by a knotter.
3. In the south of Germany and Sudetes the name appears in the 11-12th century
(8). They asume it relates with some one who knotts fishing nets.
The family Knotter consists of at least 7 branches between which no relations has been found yet. They all descent from Leiden en spread arround the country and world:
The branches 2 to 5 were described by R. M. Benata Hengstmengsel-Koopmans (1). The text is summerized below.
1. De oldest ancestor of the warmoezeniers branch is Cornelis
Leendertzoon Knotter.
Warmoes is old Dutch for vegetables and warmoezenier is someone
who grows vegetables. This branch lived in Leiderdorp and
probably de Knotterpolder is named after them (pic from ref 7: 94kB) (pic from ref 6: 183kB). For at least between 1700 and 1900 they
were protestant. All living Knotters that I have met or know
descent from this branch.
Although, this branch dates back to the 16th century, it is so
that all living Knotters descent from Jan Huibert Knotter (1766) and Willemijntje Reedenburg (1763). De
Knotter ancestors of Jan Huibert only had one vital mail line. In
all branches sprouting from Jan Huibert it is believed that
Knotter descents from Hugenots, However, for Knotter this is not
true. The ancestors of Willemijntje possibly fled as Hugenots or
Reformer from the Nothern French cities Tourcoingen, Arras, and
Bohain. Arrived in Leiden, they remained memeber of the Wallonian
church for a couple of generations. Jan Huibert and Willemijntje
had two sons, Dirk and Jacobus, from who all knotters descent.
+ Dirk married Elisabeth Fontein and gave three
new branches: the 'Meindert Huibert', 'Jan Huibert' and the 'Dirk' branch. These names remain in the
respective brnaches up to today. The Meindert Huibert branch was
a family of gardeners and also gave some civiel servants in the
Hague. Remarkable of the Jan Huibert branch is the French
orientation in the 19th century and the conversion to catholicism.
The Dirk branch remain narrow, were gardeners, and in the 20th
century profession of technical nature became domanant.
+ Jacobus married Johanna Magdalena de Vroede and gave two new branches:
the 'Johannes Jacobus' and the 'Willem Fredrik' branch. The Johannes Jacobus branch
consists of many emigrants with a lot of off-spring, Knotters and
non- Knotters, in the US. In this branch some sons went to the
Royal Navy. Besides the profession of smith there are musicians
and piano makers in this branch. The Knotters from Haarlem belong
to this branch.
There was a familiy Knotter living in Delft, which descents from Lodewijk Jacobszoon Knotter. He is great grandchild of Cornelis Leendertzoon Knotter, but no Knotters from this line is alive.
Appearance
This branch appears in the genealogy of Nieuwenburg, Kruysse, Imrie-Wampach, Beijs, and....
2. The Rapenburg branch
is a rich family of regents. Claes Janszoon
Knotter is the oldest
known Knotter in this family. They lived at the Steenschuur and
at the Rapenburg where they owed parts of the old cloister-Roma-block
(currently these are the house with nrs 35-57). In religion they
were liberal and allowed religious meetings of Lutheraans,
baptists, and Remonstrants on their property. They worked in the
cloth industry and some were member of the Counsel of 40 (kind of
town counsel). This family carries two coat of arms. Here (ref 6: 48kB) you can see the coat of arms
carried by Jan Claeszoon, Jan Adriaenszoon, and Cornelis
Adriaenszoon Knotter all members of the counsel. It is black with
a silverious twill and three silverious leopard heads. Jan
Janszoon Brouwer (=Brewer), alias Knotter, carried a sligthly
devianting coat of arms and replaced the heads by hop (ingredient
of beer).
3. The Skipper branch and the Reformed branch were mentioned in reference 1 as two seperate branches. However, the Reformed branch contained a lot of skippers and therre is a lot of overlap with similar witnesses. The oldest known person of the combined family is Jan Janszoon Knotter. The Reformed were "velleploters" and "lijndraaiers" working indepentantly and lived at Levendaal, the Hogewoerd, and the Zijdgracht. The skippers (mentioned as skippers mate, skippers help, skipper on the ferry to Utrecht, and skipper to Rotterdam) lived the Amsterdamse Veer, Kuipersteeg, Diefsteeg and the Mandemakerssteeg. The religion of the skipper family was Reformed.
Appearance
This branch appears in the genealogy of Smagge, Helden and probably Knopper.
4. The baptist branch
was a family of independent entrepreneurs in the linnen industry.
Oldest known Knotter in this family is Jan Adrieanszoon
Knotter. The were middle class and lived on the
Voldergracht, the Pieterskerkstraat, and the Hooigracht. Halve
way the 16th century, the baptist community seperated from the
Roman-Catholic church. These Knotters were clergymen, admonishers,
and servants of the Word.
5. The Lying-inn mothers
brench is a family of independent entrepreneurs and were "warmoeseniers",
bakers, and skippers. Gijsbert Ghijsbrechtszn Knotter is
the known oldest. They lived in the Breestraat, Hogewoerd, and
Haarlemmerstraat. Although many of the women were member of the
counsel of the Lying-inn mothers and came out the ranks of
regents, they married with the middle-class people. Members of
the counsel had to practice the state religion, which was
Reformed.
6. Unknown branch with oldest known Adriaen
Janszoon Knotter. He was skipper on the Kuytterste Ferry. Is there a link
with the Skipper branch?
7. The branch from the Hague with oldest known Jan Jans Knotter. Many of Jans childeren are skipper, which would indicated that there is a link with the skipper branch. Unlike most of the branches, this brench carries the name Knotter to the end of the 19th century (20th century?) and can be found in the genealogy of Martijn.
D. Martin Knotter
More information is
welcom! :
Some references
1. R. M. Benata Hengstmengsel-Koopmans "Een doopsgezinde
familie te Leiden rond 1600. Fragment genealogie Knotter', in Ups
en Downer (Leiden, 1985) p. 35.
2. Stamreeks gepubliseerd door L.P. van der Meij in....
3. Stamreeks samengesteld door M. H. Knotter te Eindhoven (private
commun.).
4. Stamreeks samengeteld door A. P. Knotter te Leiden (private
commun.).
5. Stamreeks fragmenten door P. A. Knotter te Blokker (private
commun.).
6. Photo is a painted glass picture and was sent by Annique Knotter
7. Sent by Hans Knotter taken from the
archieves of "hoogheemraadsschap van Rijnland".
8. Gerhard Knotter
(private
commun.).