Voorleser was the title given to a highly responsible citizen in

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...

and later

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

colonies, who had semi-official duties in local

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

and

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

Origin and use

The word ''voorleser'' as used in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

texts is a variant of the

word ''voorlezer'', which means "one who reads (to others)". However, both spellings are used interchangeably when referring to the collective official title used by colonial Dutch Americans. It has several different translations or interpretations, such as "lay reader",Lurie, Maxine N. and Mappen, Marc (2004)
"Bertholf, Guiliam."
''Encyclopedia of New Jersey.'' Rutgers University Press. Retrieved 2010-08-01. "public reader","Original 1685 Bell."
Friends of the Old Dutch Church & Burying Ground. Retrieved 2010-08-01. "fore-reader",Bulletin of the Passaic County Historical Society (1958-03)

The Passaic County Historical Society. Retrieved 2010-08-01. and "church reader". The title was predominantly used from the mid-17th century to the late 18th century; in the small colonial villages of this era, one person could maintain many tasks. After the English took over the Dutch settlements of

,Russell Shorto, (2004). "The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America." ''The Island at the Center of the World'' (New York, Doubleday). Retrieved 2010-07-15. the existing Dutch settlers continued relying on the voorleser for maintaining village records and documentation. The last person given the title of voorleser resigned in 1789, where his successor was given the title of "clerk".Holland Society of New York (1914)
"Bergen Records."
''Yearbook of the Holland Society of New-York.'' Retrieved 2010-08-01. Documentation in the Dutch settlers' native language, however, lasted until 1809. The title and tasks of the voorleser disseminated after the populations grew beyond the ability of one person to maintain, and the majority of settlers began speaking and keeping records in English.

Duties

The voorleser had numerous local duties and was considered a highly important member of the communityVan Winkle, Daniel (1910)
"History of Bergen Village."
''The New York Times.'' Retrieved 2010-08-01. by the early settlers.Nelson, William (1882)
"New Barbadoes."
''History of Bergen and Passaic counties, New Jersey: with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men.'' Everts & Peck. Retrieved 2010-08-01. Each voorleser had jurisdiction over virtually all legal and religious actions and ceremonies in their community. Voorlesers required scholarly qualities, as they acted as the village clerk and

schoolmaster The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled after B ...

, typically educating the youth in the same building where religious services were held. As a

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

minister, occasionally reading the scriptures, the voorleser would also be responsible for

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

communicant The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

s and

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

s. When a death occurred in the community, voorlesers were given full charge of

funerary A funeral is a ceremony connected with the Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture ...

tasks, serving as an

undertaker A funeral director, also known as an undertaker (British English) or mortician (American English), is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as w ...

, grave-digger, or sexton, and attending the burial of the dead. The voorleser would also lead the congregation in singing during church services, and in the absence of a proper pastor, the voorleser would perform the ceremonies on

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

, which consisted of prayers and typically, a prepared

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...

by a highly regarded

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

.Van Wincle (1902)
"Old Bergen: History and reminiscences with maps and illustrations.''
J.W. Harrison. Retrieved 2010-08-01. They also would read the law and

creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...

, as well as portions of the

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

Notable voorlesers

*Stuynhuysen, Engelbert – Old Bergen's first voorleser, gaining the title in 1662. *Bertholf, Guiliam – began working in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on April 24, 1690.Riker, James (1881)
"The Reformed Church."
''Harlem (city of New York): its origin and early annals.'' Retrieved 2010-08-01. *Sickels, Abraham – Old Bergen's last voorleser, retired in 1789.

Advisory boards

Other prominent members in the community of

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...

(which included all the settlements around the

Upper New York Bay New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...

) were part of councils that advised the

Director of New Netherland This is a list of Directors, appointed by the Dutch West India Company, of the 17th century Dutch province of New Netherland (''Nieuw-Nederland'' in Dutch) in North America. Only the last, Peter Stuyvesant, held the title of Director General. As t ...

. Called upon at various times during the colony's existence, they were known as the

Twelve Men The Council of Twelve Men was a group of 12 men, chosen on 29 August 1641 by the residents of New Netherland to advise the Director of New Netherland, Willem Kieft, on relations with the Native Americans due to the murder of Claes Swits. Although ...

, the

Eight Men The council of Eight Men was an early representational democracy in New Netherland. It replaced the previous Twelve Men and was followed by the Nine Men. Council In 1643 Abraham Pietersen Van Deusen who had served on the Twelve Men, council of twe ...

and the

Nine Men The council of Nine Men was a citizens board and a form of representational democracy in New Netherland. It replaced the previous councils, the Twelve Men and the Eight Men. Members of the council were elected in 1647, 1649, 1650 and 1652. On J ...

References

{{reflist New Netherland Afrikaans words and phrases Dutch words and phrases

Origin and use

Duties

Notable voorlesers

Advisory boards

See also

References