Joost Berman

Joost Berman (9 January 1793 – 18 March 1855) was a Dutch lawyer, judge, politician, poet, nonfiction writer, and editor.

Life

Joost Berman was born in Ouwerkerk as the son of Maarten Berman (1769–1832) en Geertruida der Weduwen (1772?–1844). Along with some contemporaries from an evolving rural farming elite, he managed to complete his studies at the French and Latin schools. When he went on to study law at Leiden University (1814–1817), he was the first of these "farmer boys" to acquire higher education.

After graduating, Joost Berman worked as an attorney in Zierikzee. Subsequently he was employed by the local court, serving as Assistant Clerk to the Court, Clerk to the Court, Judge of Peace, and from 1838 as Canton Judge. In 1843 Jacobus Boeije succeeded Berman as Canton Judge and Berman served again as Clerk to the Court until 1851.

Joost Berman wrote several works of poetry mobilizing public opinion against the Belgian Revolution, supporting a continued Dutch rule over Belgium. His dissertation and some other nonfiction works were also published. Berman often wrote for magazines.

From 1836 to 1847, Berman was co-editor of the "Zeeland People's Almanac" (Dutch: Zeeuwsche Volks-Almanak), alongside Rev. H.M.C. van Oosterzee. While meticulously covering all of Zeeland, both editors lived in Zierikzee, putting Schouwen slightly more central in the Almanac than customary in Zeeland publications.

In the elections of 26 September 1848 for the city council of Zierikzee, Joost Berman received 75 votes, just one vote less than the last candidate to receive a 9 year appointment to the council. Berman and the two candidates behind him were selected to fill in places of deceased council members for a "short" term of 6 years.

Personal and death

On 29 July 1817, Joost Berman married Neeltje Sevenhuizen (1797–1871) from Zierikzee. They had 12 children, 4 of whom died at a young age. In 1823, Berman was released from serving in the Zierikzee's civil guard for health reasons.

Berman resigned from the Zierikzee court in 1851. There are indications of hardships around or after this decision. He died in Zierikzee on 18 March 1855, aged 62, after a disease his wife said lasted only 2 days.

Joost Berman's son, Alexander Johan, studied at Joost's alma mater to become the Dutch Reformed minister of Watergang. His grandson, Simon Berman, was the mayor of six municipalities in the Netherlands, among which Schagen, Bedum, and Alblasserdam.

Bibliography

Nonfiction

* 1817 – De poenis secundarum nuptiarum atin: Penalties of the marriage( Lugduni Batavorum)
* 1819 – Iets bij gelegenheid der viering van het éénjarig bestaan van de Vlissingsche afdeeling der Maatschappij tot nut van 't Algemeen
* 1834 – Beschrijving van de St. Lievens Monsterkerk, te Zierikzee, op den 7 october 1832, door brand ten eenemale verwoest ( Van de Velde Olivier)
* 1834 – Geschiedkundige beschrijving der St. Lievens Monster of Groote Kerk te Zierikzee istorical_description_of_the_Sint-Lievensmonstertoren_or_Groote_Kerk_in_Zierikzee.html" ;"title="Sint-Lievensmonstertoren.html" ;"title="istorical description of the Sint-Lievensmonstertoren">istorical description of the Sint-Lievensmonstertoren or Groote Kerk in Zierikzee">Sint-Lievensmonstertoren.html" ;"title="istorical description of the Sint-Lievensmonstertoren">istorical description of the Sint-Lievensmonstertoren or Groote Kerk in Zierikzee(Le Sage ten Broek)
* 1836 – Troost bij het afsterven van den wel eerw. zeer gel. heer F. Pleyte [Consolation on the passing of the venerable, very educated Mr F. Pleyte] (Van de Velde Olivier)
* 1841 – Ter nagedachtenis van den wel ed. J. de Kanter, Phz. [In memory of the good lord Johan de Kanter, Phz.]
* 1854 – Beschrijving van den hooge watervloed te Zierikzee escription of the high water flood at Zierikzee( De Looze)

Poetry

* 1827 – "Liefde voor het Vaderland" ove for the Fatherlandcontribution to Willem Kroef: Feestrede bij gelegenheid der viering van het derde halve eeuwfeest der verlossing van Zierikzee van de Spanjaarden (Van de Velde Olivier)
* 1830 – Opwekking aan de bewoners van het platte land, tot deelneming in de vrijwillige militaire dienst (Van de Velde Olivier)
* 1830 – Wapenkreet all to arms(Van de Velde Olivier)
* 1831 – Feestdronk toegebragt aan en ingesteld ten behoeve van de gekwetsten in Zeeland (Van de Velde Olivier)
* 1831 – Hulde aan de nagedachtenis van J. C. J. van Speyk (Van de Velde Olivier)
* 1831 – Warschau's val arsaw's fall(Van de Velde Olivier)
* 1831 – contribution to Gerard van Wieringhen Borski: Blik op den verledenen, tegenwoordigen en toekomenden toestand des Vaderlands (Van de Velde Olivier)
* 1833 – Een drietal zangen van den dag hree songs of the day(Van de Velde Olivier)
* 1852 – Hulde toegezongen aan den weled. geb. heere M. C. de Crane (De Looze)

Unpublished

* 1839 – Brief aan Christianus Petrus Eliza Robidé van der Aa (letter)
* 1834 – Wat wordt er van de ziel? (2 page manuscript)
* 18?? – Aan mijne boeken (2 page manuscript)http://www.worldcat.org/title/aan-mijne-boeken-b-00492-h-1/oclc/800457498

References

External links

Joost Berman
on Digital Library for Dutch Literature

Joost Berman
on Wiki Zeeland Library

Google Books

Beschrijving van de St Lievens Monsterkerk

Dissertatio juridica inauguralis de poenis secundarum nuptiarum jure romano et hodierno

Een drietal zangen van den dag

Feestdronk

Warschau's val

Ter nagedachtenis van den wel. ed. z. g. heer J. de Kanter

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berman, Joost
1793 births
1855 deaths
19th-century Dutch judges
19th-century Dutch male writers
19th-century Dutch poets
19th-century Dutch politicians
Dutch magazine editors
Dutch male poets
Dutch members of the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch monarchists
Dutch non-fiction writers
Leiden University alumni
Municipal councillors in Zeeland
People from Zierikzee
Male non-fiction writers