Schroeter family

The Schroeter family is one of the five families associated with De Vrienden. In the numerical order adopted by De Vrienden around 1980, Lourens Schroeter was assigned number five and the same number became associated with the Schroeter family, even though Lourens had joined before Eef Hoos. The family's documented history reaches the early 19th century in Germany and the Netherlands, with a branch in the United States by the 1940s. Farming and military service were common in the older branches. Schroeter Traktoren, founded in 1902, later became the main family industrial enterprise before disputes over its future divided the family during the Middenvader Era.

Origins

Records trace the Schroeter family to the early 19th century. The older German and Dutch branches worked mainly as farmers and landholders. Some relatives served in Prussian military formations before the unification of Germany. Military careers continued among later family members, and during Nazi Germany a large proportion of the family served in the armed forces. Most formal military service ended in 1945.

By the 1940s, part of the family had moved to the United States. These branches continued agricultural work and also worked in industrial support roles while retaining ties to relatives in Europe.

Hereditary spinal fragility is documented in the family. The word merg is used in Schroeter family terminology for the spine and for bone-like or rod-like structures.

Industrial development

Ferdinand Schroeter established Schroeter Traktoren in 1902 after the closure of the Schroeter Metaal en Lood Fabriek. The company began with agricultural machinery. It later built road vehicles in addition to its farm equipment and operated in both the Netherlands and Germany.

After 1945, relatives disagreed over whether Schroeter Traktoren should remain the family's main institution and whether family farming assets should remain under Schroeter control. By the late 1940s, the dispute had divided the family between Schroeters who wanted to retain the company and a western bloc concentrated around Rotterdam-West. The western group wanted the family to leave rural operations and move toward urban industry.

The first Middenvader Commissie met in 1949 but ended without a lasting agreement. A separate industrial branch subsequently operated as Schroeter-Traktoren West in Rotterdam-West. Conflict between the two sides continued through the 1950s.

A second commission was held in 1959 and again failed to settle the dispute. Several days after the meeting, Ferdinand Schroeter was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds. The risk of armed conflict within the family increased after his death. Under pressure from Noord authorities and representatives of other families, the Schroeters agreed to dissolve Schroeter Traktoren. The company closed in July 1959, and a formal truce prohibited its re-establishment. The split between the two family blocs became permanent.

Later history

The western network did not disappear after Schroeter Traktoren closed. Former workers remained active around the old Rotterdam-West sites together with business contacts tied to the properties. During the 1960s, these local arrangements developed into the Rotterdam-West faction. By the 1970s, the organisation no longer operated as a direct branch of the Schroeter family's industrial enterprises.

Another Schroeter company survived the 1959 split. Lourens Schroeter (father) had begun assembling road vehicles with his son Lourens Schroeter in 1945. Their workshop was formally registered as Schroeter Romeo in Vriendendam in 1950. The company remained active after the dissolution of Schroeter Traktoren and continues to operate.

De Vrienden

In 1975, Lourens Schroeter became associated with the group formed by Angelo Noord and Martin Paap after Imro van Hetten had joined earlier that year. Eef Hoos joined in 1976, completing the five-member group that became known as De Vrienden.

Around 1980, De Vrienden adopted a fixed numerical order for its members and their families. The Hoos family received number four and the Schroeter family number five. This reversed the chronological order in which Lourens Schroeter and Eef Hoos had joined the group.

Members

A list of documented members of the family is maintained at Schroeter family members.

See also

• Schroeter family members
• Schroeter Traktoren
• Schroeter-Traktoren West
• Middenvader Commissie
• Assassination of Ferdinand Schroeter
• Schroeter Romeo
• Rotterdam-West (faction)
• De Vrienden