Paap family: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 13:15, 11 August 2026

The Paap family is the second family of De Vrienden. The family descends from the Nikolopoulos household, a Greek Orthodox family that fled the Ottoman-controlled Peloponnese around 1770 and settled in the Dutch Republic. The surname Paap developed after the migration and became hereditary among later generations.

Origins

The earliest established heads of the family were Nikolaos Nikolopoulos and Despina Papadopoulou. Nikolaos worked as a merchant in the Peloponnese, where he traded olive oil and wine. He and Despina had eight children. Their eldest child was Martinos Nikolopoulos.

The household fled the Peloponnese amid the suppression of the Orlov Revolt and the continuing pressure of Ottoman rule. Martinos and Aikaterini Nikolopoulou reached the Dutch Republic with their parents. Georgios Nikolopoulos and Eleni Nikolopoulou also survived the migration. Four other children died before or during the escape. Despina died from a heart attack on 3 February 1771, shortly after the family arrived.

Adoption of the surname

Martinos recorded the unfamiliar word "Paap" after a religious vision and used it in the Greek-language Book of Paap. Dutch people later applied the same word to the visibly Christian household. The family interpreted this agreement with Martinos's vision as confirmation that the name belonged to them.

The descendants gradually adopted Paap as a hereditary surname. Martinos became known as Martinos Nikolopoulos Paap and was remembered by later generations as "the one most true Paap" because of his place in the family's religious tradition.

Early Dutch generations

Martinos and Eleni Anagnostopoulou had four children in the Dutch Republic. Their eldest child, Melchior Paap, became the first known Great Paap and inherited custody of the Book of Paap. Johannes Paap was their second child, followed by Maria Paap. Nikolaas Paap was the youngest.

Aikaterini married Pieter Kromhout in Zaandam on 18 May 1773. She converted to Protestantism and moved with her household to Rotterdam in 1782. Georgios also settled in Rotterdam, where he worked as a maritime merchant. His son Aris Hugerinus Paap became the first bearer of the Hugerinus name in the family.

The family's early Dutch history is covered in Early history of the Paap family.

Family lineages

The primary Paap lineage continued through the descendants of Martinos. The Great Paap tradition passed through this line and placed the family leader in charge of preserving the Book of Paap.

The Hugerinus lineage began with Aris Hugerinus Paap, the son of Georgios Nikolopoulos and Cornelia Verzee. The lineage followed the four-letter given-name rule described in the Book of Paap. Later bearers included Karl Hugerinus Paap and his son Mark Hugerinus Paap.

The Jan Paap lineage developed through Jan Paap and his children during the twentieth century. Jan rejected the Book of Paap and the succession attached to the Great Paap tradition.

Later history

Paap family members developed commercial ties through maritime work after their settlement in the Netherlands. Shipping and transport remained important to later generations. Members of the family also became established in Germany and the United Kingdom.

By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Paap family members had formed relationships with the Noord family and Van Hetten family in the Netherlands. Connections with the Hoos family and Schroeter family also developed. These families later became the five principal families of De Vrienden.

Following the Second World War, Paap family members continued working in shipping and transport. Independent enterprise remained part of the family's economic activity in the Netherlands. Later members were also active in Germany and the United Kingdom.

Members

A list of documented family members is maintained at Paap family members.

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-The '''Paap family''' is the second family of [[De Vrienden]]. The family descends from a Greek Orthodox household from the [[Peloponnese]] that fled Ottoman rule in 1770 and later settled in the [[Dutch Republic]]. The family adopted the surname Paap after its settlement in the Netherlands. During the 18th and 19th centuries, several branches became active in maritime trade and transport.
+The '''Paap family''' is the second family of [[De Vrienden]]. The family descends from the Nikolopoulos household, a Greek Orthodox family that fled the Ottoman-controlled [[Peloponnese]] around 1770 and settled in the [[Dutch Republic]]. The surname Paap developed after the migration and became hereditary among later generations.
 == Origins ==
+The earliest established heads of the family were [[Nikolaos Nikolopoulos]] and [[Despina Papadopoulou]]. Nikolaos worked as a merchant in the Peloponnese, where he traded olive oil and wine. He and Despina had eight children. Their eldest child was [[Martinos Nikolopoulos]].
-The earliest established generation was headed by [[Nikolaos Nikolopoulos]], a Greek Orthodox merchant who traded olive oil and wine, and his wife [[Despina Papadopoulou]]. They had eight children.
+The household fled the Peloponnese amid the suppression of the [[Orlov Revolt]] and the continuing pressure of Ottoman rule. Martinos and [[Aikaterini Nikolopoulou]] reached the Dutch Republic with their parents. [[Georgios Nikolopoulos]] and [[Eleni Nikolopoulou]] also survived the migration. Four other children died before or during the escape. Despina died from a heart attack on 3 February 1771, shortly after the family arrived.
-Their eldest son was [[Martinos Nikolopoulos]]. [[Georgios Nikolopoulos]] also survived into adulthood. Their sisters [[Aikaterini Nikolopoulou]] and [[Eleni Nikolopoulou]] survived the family's flight as well. Four other children died before or during the family's departure from the Peloponnese.
+== Adoption of the surname ==
+Martinos recorded the unfamiliar word "Paap" after a religious vision and used it in the Greek-language [[Book of Paap]]. Dutch people later applied the same word to the visibly Christian household. The family interpreted this agreement with Martinos's vision as confirmation that the name belonged to them.
-The surviving household fled in 1770 and eventually reached the Dutch Republic. Despina died shortly after their arrival, while Nikolaos remained with the family in the Netherlands.
+The descendants gradually adopted Paap as a hereditary surname. Martinos became known as Martinos Nikolopoulos Paap and was remembered by later generations as "the one most true Paap" because of his place in the family's religious tradition.
-== Adoption of the Paap name ==
+== Early Dutch generations ==
+Martinos and [[Eleni Anagnostopoulou]] had four children in the Dutch Republic. Their eldest child, [[Melchior Paap]], became the first known [[Great Paap]] and inherited custody of the Book of Paap. [[Johannes Paap]] was their second child, followed by [[Maria Paap]]. [[Nikolaas Paap]] was the youngest.
-After settling in the Netherlands, the Nikolopoulos family gradually adopted the surname '''Paap'''. Martinos had previously recorded the word "Paap" in a religious vision. The same word later became associated with the family in Dutch usage because of their conspicuous Christian observance.
+Aikaterini married [[Pieter Kromhout]] in Zaandam on 18 May 1773. She converted to Protestantism and moved with her household to Rotterdam in 1782. Georgios also settled in Rotterdam, where he worked as a maritime merchant. His son [[Aris Hugerinus Paap]] became the first bearer of the Hugerinus name in the family.
-Members of the family regarded the appearance of the same name in the Netherlands as confirmation of Martinos's vision. Paap subsequently became the hereditary surname used by the Dutch branch.
+The family's early Dutch history is covered in [[Early history of the Paap family]].
-Martinos married [[Eleni Anagnostopoulou]]. Their children included [[Melchior Paap]], who became the first [[Great Paap]].
-== Book of Paap ==
-Martinos wrote the ''[[Book of Paap]]'' in Greek. The text was heavily influenced by the Bible and described a future confrontation between two Paaps. One was described as a Paap of light "who had lost it all", while the other was a Paap of darkness "who took it all". Martinos wrote that their confrontation would decide the fate of the world.
-The book stated that the Paap of light would bear the name '''Hugerinus''' and have a four-letter first name.
-Martinos was later praised within the family as "the one most true Paap". Most relatives respected him as a wise and devout member of the family but did not fully believe that the confrontation described in the book would ever occur.
-Melchior Paap became the first [[Great Paap]] and inherited responsibility for preserving the ''Book of Paap''. The title originally passed through his descendants by primogeniture. Its religious function weakened over later generations, while the Great Paap continued as head of the family.
-== Early development ==
-The surviving branches developed separately after settlement in the Netherlands.
-Aikaterini Nikolopoulou married [[Pieter Kromhout]] in [[Zaandam]] and converted from Greek Orthodoxy to Protestantism. The couple later moved to [[Rotterdam]].
-Georgios Nikolopoulos also settled in Rotterdam, where he became a maritime merchant. He remained Greek Orthodox and married [[Cornelia Verzee]]. His descendants formed the branch later known as the [[Hugerinus lineage]].
-During the 18th and 19th centuries, other members of the family became active in shipping, transport and trade. Later generations also established themselves in [[Germany]] and the [[United Kingdom]].
 == Family lineages ==
+The primary Paap lineage continued through the descendants of Martinos. The [[Great Paap]] tradition passed through this line and placed the family leader in charge of preserving the Book of Paap.
-=== Primary Paap lineage ===
+The [[Hugerinus lineage]] began with Aris Hugerinus Paap, the son of Georgios Nikolopoulos and Cornelia Verzee. The lineage followed the four-letter given-name rule described in the Book of Paap. Later bearers included [[Karl Hugerinus Paap]] and his son [[Mark Hugerinus Paap]].
-The primary Paap lineage continued through the descendants who retained the Paap surname after the family's settlement in the Netherlands. The [[Great Paap]] developed within this line and remained the head of the wider family.
+The [[Jan Paap lineage]] developed through [[Jan Paap]] and his children during the twentieth century. Jan rejected the Book of Paap and the succession attached to the Great Paap tradition.
-=== Hugerinus lineage ===
+== Later history ==
+Paap family members developed commercial ties through maritime work after their settlement in the Netherlands. Shipping and transport remained important to later generations. Members of the family also became established in Germany and the United Kingdom.
-The [[Hugerinus lineage]] descends from Georgios Nikolopoulos.
+By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Paap family members had formed relationships with the [[Noord family]] and [[Van Hetten family]] in the Netherlands. Connections with the [[Hoos family]] and [[Schroeter family]] also developed. These families later became the five principal families of De Vrienden.
-Georgios named his son [[Aris Hugerinus Paap]] after the name Hugerinus used in the ''Book of Paap''. He chose the name because he considered it meaningful, without knowing that his descendants would continue using it.
+Following the Second World War, Paap family members continued working in shipping and transport. Independent enterprise remained part of the family's economic activity in the Netherlands. Later members were also active in Germany and the United Kingdom.
-Later members preserved Hugerinus as a family naming tradition and followed the rule that its bearers had four-letter first names. [[Mark Hugerinus Paap]] was later identified by believers in the ''Book of Paap'' as the Paap of light described by Martinos.
-=== Jan Paap lineage ===
-The [[Jan Paap lineage]] developed from [[Jan Paap]] and his descendants.
-Jan had been expected to inherit the position of [[Great Paap]], but rejected the ''Book of Paap'' and the traditions attached to the title. He did not believe Martinos's prophecy and wanted the Paap name to become the basis of a powerful family without being governed by the old religious tradition.
-The ''Book of Paap'' contained the statement:
-:"When the next Paap rejects the book, the darkness begins its final crusade."
-Later believers interpreted Jan's rejection as the event described in the passage. [[Eef Paap]], one of Jan's sons, was later identified as the Paap of darkness.
-== Association with other principal families ==
-During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, members of the Paap family became acquainted with members of the [[Noord family]], [[Van Hetten family]], [[Hoos family]] and [[Schroeter family]] in the Netherlands.
-These relationships later formed the family network associated with [[De Vrienden]].
-== Postwar period ==
-Following the [[Second World War]], branches of the Paap family continued to live in the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. The position of [[Great Paap]] continued as the formal leadership of the family.
-The Hugerinus and Jan Paap lineages later became central to the interpretation of Martinos's prophecy through [[Mark Hugerinus Paap]] and [[Eef Paap]].
 == Members ==
+A list of documented family members is maintained at [[Paap family members]].
-A comprehensive list of documented members is maintained at [[Paap family members]].
 == See also ==
-* [[Paap family members]]
+* [[Early history of the Paap family]]
 * [[Book of Paap]]
 * [[Great Paap]]
 * [[Hugerinus lineage]]
 * [[Jan Paap lineage]]
+* [[Paap family members]]
+* [[De Vrienden]]
 * [[Noord family]]
 * [[Van Hetten family]]
@@ Line 91: / Line 49: @@
 [[Category:Families]]
+[[Category:Paap family]]
 [[Category:Vrienden]]
-[[Category:Paap family]]

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