3. The name "Te Selle"
The farmstead "De Selle"
In Saxon regions in the eastern parts of the Netherlands, among which, of
course, are the Achterhoek and Winterswijk, many family names usually have the
following characteristics: they end in '-ing' or '-ink' ; names derived from
place names are preceded by te, ten or ter; many of them
are specified by the adjectives 'groot' or 'klein', 'lutje' or 'lutke', 'oud'
and 'old', in contrast to 'nij' and 'nie'. Examples in the neighbourhood of
Winterswijk are: Groot Kormelink, Groot Landeweer, Groot Nibbelink, Klein
Nibbelink, Klein Poelhuis, Klein Langenhorst, Lutjenkossink and Lutke Schipholt.
We also come across, Oude Heuvel, Oude Nijhuis, Olde Kalter, Nije Twilhaar,
Nijweide, Nieuw Beusink. We sometimes even see two adjectives in conjunction,
like Olde Nije Wheme, and Olde Grote Bevelsborg.
A second characteristic of the eastern Dutch family name is the large number
of which has "huis" ("house") for a second element. Also in Winterswijk
one comes across names like Nijenhuis, Nijhuis, Groothuis, Berghuis, Kamphuis,
Lohuis, Nienhuis, Rothuis, Slijkhuis and Veldhuis.
A third characteristic is when the family name has been composed from a
geographical term with a personal name for a second component: Broekroelofs,
Dinkelharbert, Schopbarteld, Schuurhannes, Zandjans.
The suffixes '-ing' en '-ink'.
One of the most striking characteristics however is the suffix '-ing', of
which the suffix "-ink" is a variant caused by speech; it's a sharpening of the
final consonant. In old documents this variant is represented by spelling it
"-inc" or "-inch". Nowadays we see it occasionally spelled "-ingk", like in
Alberdingk, Odingk en Smedingk.
This suffix dating from early Germanic times had for its main meaning:
"belonging to", but it can also be explained as "son of", and it is especially
in this meaning that we find it attached to Christian names. The suffix was not
restricted to the eastern parts of the Netherlands but occurred in the whole of
the German linguistic area, especially in the Old Saxon and Anglo-Saxon part.
Gradually the meaning of "son of" changed into "descended from" or "belonging
to the family or the retinue of" and was affixed to the name of an influential
man. Thus names of royal families sprang into being like Merovingians and
Carolin Carolingians, the latter being descended from Charlemagne.
In the eighth century we also see Christian names ending in "-ing": Ameling,
Erming, Harding, Huging, Ruding, Willing. At present some still survive, like
Azing, Dunning, Haring and Nanning. In the small communities of those days one
name was sufficient, but later people needed a first name and a family name. The
first example in East Holland is Heinricus Emmikinc, mentioned in Hummelo in
1200, son of Emmiko.
When in those ancient times someone called Willing settled as a farmer, his
house and the grounds he farmed were named after him, and in this way it became
the name of a farmstead, belonging in the category of place-names. Albert te
Selle lives on an old farm called "Fökkink" in Kotten. Probably this old
farmhouse had a first inhabitant called Fökkink, which means "son of Fokke or
son of Foke".
That the meaning "son of" was kept alive for a long time appears from a
mention of someone from Ootmarsum called Egbert Tackensoen (son of Tack) but by
1337 and later Egbert Tackinc. He has clearly been called after his father.
But for almost all names ending in "-ing" or in "-ink", it must be assumed
that originally these were names of farmsteads, which implies that someone
called "Fökkink" almost certainly wasn't descended from an ancestor called Fokke,
but from a farmstead called "Fökkink".
In our family tree we find large numbers of "-ink" names: Willink, Zegelink,
Aarnink, Bennink, Besselink, Boeijink, Harmelink, Hesselink, Kruisselbrink,
Obbink, Stemerdink, Wassink, Willink, Wilterdink and Zegelink.
For the rest the above explanation of the "-ink names" is not exactly
undisputed. In this way wrote J.G. Graaskamp in the Nieuwe Winterswijkse Courant
the article below :
What now is the proper meaning of the ending "-ink"?
Winterswijk has such a big number names of farmsteads and family names ending
on "-ink", that almost the complete alphabet is represented, from Aarnink to
Zieverdink (also known as Sieverdink). Even now many people assert that this
ending means "son of" as most of the time this ending stands behind an ancient
first name. To stick to the name of Aarnink, this name came into being from
Arend-ink, so clearly out of a Christian name. But this is not the case in the
names Schurink (hamlet Meddo) and Winkelhorstink (Aalten). Here we clearly have
to deal with a building (barn) and a piece of land (corner of high land). In
connection with this we are very blessed in Winterswijk with the fact that about
our farmstead names exceptional many mediaeval data are available in archives
scattered here and there. From these archives we can rather precisely gather
what the ending "-ink" originally meant here. In this case it turns out that
people here in the middle ages still walked around without "-ink" behind their
names.
The eldest charter we possess concerning the Winterswijk estates, is a list
of revenues (Heberolle in German) of the Saint Maurice monastery at Munster from
the years 1050. In this list one comes across - among others - the farmstead
inhabitants Hoyko, Hezel, Heyo, Boso en Menso.1
Clearly can be seen that by adding "-ink" from these names originate the
farmstead names Hoykink (nowadays Huitink), Hesselink, Hijink, Beusink en
Mensink. This is completely in agreement with the well-known Heberolle of the
monastery of Frekkenhorst, district Warendorf, from about 950, in which the
owners of the tax-giving farmsteads are also only mentioned by their Christian
names or name by which someone is generally known. It is true that we see there
the ending "-ing" in the names of villages, such as Livoreding-thorpa,
Boing-thorpa en Huninghova. So the persons were not and the villages were indeed
designated with "-ing".
How is that? Exceptionally enough from these twofold forms has remained a
fragment in the Winterswijk name giving. We can draw up a long list of farmstead
names which still can be used here in everyday language still always without
"-ink". The list is as follows:
| Proper Name |
Hamlet |
Farmstead Name (Official Name) |
| Anneveld |
Kotten |
= Annevelink |
| De Bönneker |
Dorpbuurt |
= Bonnink |
| Boveld |
Woold |
= Bovelink |
| De Buiker |
Kotten |
= Boykink (Buitink) |
| De Deter |
Meddo |
= Dieterink |
| Elferd |
Woold |
= Elterdink |
| Garverd |
Meddo |
= Garverdink |
| Hilbeld |
Brinkheurne |
= Hilbelink |
| Leeferd |
Ratum |
= Leeferdink |
| De Menger |
Henxel |
= Menckwerdynck (in 1506) |
| De Meert |
Woold |
= Meerdink |
| Rauwerd |
Woold |
= Rauwerdink |
| Rennerd |
Huppel |
= Rennerdink |
| Roord |
Woold |
= Roerdink |
| Simmeld |
Meddo |
= Simmelink |
| Reuseld |
Kotten |
= Reuselink |
| Seibel |
Kotten |
= Siebelink |
| Steemerd |
Brinkheurne |
= Stemerdink |
| Tenk |
Ratum |
= Tenkink |
| De Ubbeker |
Dorpbuurt |
= Ubbink |
| De Vökker |
Kotten |
= Fökkink |
| De Wajjer |
Meddo |
= Waijerdink |
| Waomeld |
Dorpbuurt |
= Wamelink |
| De Wesselder |
Meddo |
= Wesselink |
| De Wieber |
Brinkheurne |
= Wieberdink |
| De Wigger |
Dorpbuurt |
= Wiggerink |
| Wilterd |
Kotten |
= Wilterdink |
| Zieverd |
Brinkheurne |
= Sieverdink |
| De Zikkerd |
Kotten en Corle |
= Sikkink |
Are there still more than these 29?
Where in The Netherlands or Germany can this name jewel be
equaled? The forming of the ending in " ink" is almost still alive
here! How is that, you may wonder?
The answer can be found in some archaic
name forms as Gorkengoet (1532), (nowadays Geurkink), Eesen-brink
(now Eesinkbrink), Beuzen-es (identical with the name Beusink) and
Scholten-enk. Just as in the discussed names Bovenhuis
(beside Boefkinck), Rosenhuis (beside Roessink) en Luikenhuis
(beside Loykink) we have to deal here with the strong genetive
declension (on " en") of proper names, which changed later on
into " ink". So the meaning was in fact "from" and
nothing else!
When a farmstead changed hands it could be
identified by the name of the old or the new owner. In 1645 Johan
Hissinck lived near Zelhem on farmstead Roessink; in 1660 his sons
were called Herman and Lubbert Roessinck but their father was still
called Johan Hissinck after Roessinck.
In later centuries an inhabitant called
himself after a farmstead and gave up his own name, something that
unofficially still happens. In the Winterswijk hamlets. Bertus
te Selle from Miste is called "Harmelink", Albert te Selle in Kotten
is called "Den Fökker" and Erik te Selle is called "Guldeman", so
all of them were named after their farmsteads.
Thus the ancestors of our family were first
called Wiggers, a name that still frequently occurs in the
municipality of Winterswijk. As soon as they became inhabitants of
the farmstead "De Selle" they are called "Selleman" or "Te Selle".
The introduction by Napoleon of the obligatory
enlisting for the army - the conscription - changed the giving of
names. The inhabitants of Holland who did not bear a family name yet
were ordered by Napoleon's decree of August 18, 1811 to adopt one
within the period of one year. And thus, fixed hereditary family
names became obligatory.
After the introduction of the Registry Office
(of Births, Deaths and Marriages) , everybody had to choose a name
and quite a few people didn't know exactly what their name was. In
those cases, both names were entered. Because of that method, we
find double names like Geerding Johannink, Vennegoor or Hesselink,
Wissink and Geerdink. Te Riet also called Scholten.
It was also possible to translate "or" into
the more posh Latin "sive", and thus names like Ter Haar sive Droste,
Rengelink sive Röttgers sprang into being. People with the same name
could be distinguished by adding "on" followed by the name of the
farmstead: Ensink on Kemna; Ensink on Reimer.
Gerrit Willem Bloemers who emigrated to America in 1842 with Janna te Selle
was given the name of "Dijksbos" at baptism, the name of the farm (Diekebos)
where he was born. When permanent family names were introduced he called himself
Bloemers (again) after his father.
The names descended from place-names: te, ter, ten.
The family names derived from place names (in East-Holland all names of
farmsteads belong to this category) may or may not be preceded by a preposition,
with or without an article, or they can be linked with 'man'. So one can either
be called 'Te Selle' or 'Selleman'.
If one lived near a brooklet, dike, a region of high land, or field in
West-Holland, one is called Van (der) Beek, van Dijk, Dijkman, van der Horst,
van der Velde, or in het Veld; in East-Holland, however, one was called ter Beke,
Beekman, ten Dieke, Diekman, ter Horst, Horstman or te(n) Velde, Veldman.
The prepositions 'te', 'ten' and 'ter' originate from the Old-Saxon 'to',
'tom', and 'tor'. (In Germany: zu, zum, zur)
The latter two prepositions have been contracted from 'to' and the declined
articles 'dem' and 'der'.
In some family names that still exist, the old forms have been kept: to
Bokholt, te(n) Bokkel, Thorbecke (ter Beke), Thomberg (ten Berg), Tombrink (ten
Brink); Tombroek (ten Broeke). Various Te Selle's married a to Bosch or a Toebes.
Because the stress is usually placed on the first syllable, names are
difficult to recognize at times.
We sometimes find both the West- and East-Holland way of composing the same
name indiscriminately: te Lintelo, called after the farmstead to Lintelo,
besides van Lintel. In the first case, the East-Holland 'te' has been combined
with the full name of the farmstead; in the second, the West-Holland 'van', with
the local pronunciation form of Lintel.
So for the East-Holland names with the prefixes 'ten', 'ter' and 'te' are
characteristic.
For the Saxon regions in general, the names consisting of two syllables
ending in -e- are characteristic, for instance Rogge, Rijke, Vinke, Witte. In
the Winterswijk phone directory one quickly finds:
Te Beest, Te Bokkel, Te Bogt, Te Braake, Te Brinke, Te Brummelstroete, Te
Kolsté, Te Giffel, Te Winkel, Te Gronde, Te Grootenhuis, Te Hennepe, Te
Hofstee, Te Koppele, Te Kortschot, Te Kronnie, Te Kulve, Te Lindert, Te Lintum,
Te Loo, Te Luke, Te Mebel, Te Molder, Te Morsche, Te Pas, Te Paske, Te Peele,
Te Plate, Te Poele, Te Riet, Te Roele, Te Roller, Te Selle, Te Siepe, Te
Slippe, Te Strake, Te Vaarwerk, Te Veele, Te Voortwis, Te Vruchte and Te
Winkel.
Many farms derive their names from particular situations,
such as soil condition or local. From where, then, does the name of the farm De
Selle originate?
It is generally accepted that sele-names
belonged to the West Germanic tribes of the Chamaves and Salians who
originally inhabited the territory on the right bank of the Rhine.
The name of Hamaland occurred by the tenth century, so the occupied
territory of the Chamaves or Salians might possibly have been
between the Ijssel and the Lippe rivers also known as Salland, the
Gelderland Achterhoek, and West-Overijssel. The collection of tribes
in this area formed an alliance called the Cheruscs or Cherusci in
order to protect against Roman advances. Whereas the tribes paid tax
to the Romans in the form of cow hides and supplied soldiers for the
Roman army, the Chatuari, the Bructer, the Amsivari, and the Chatti
tribes grouped together as early as the third century to present a
powerful and united front against the northern most advancements of
the Roman Empire.
After the third century, this alliance was designated with the
generic term Salian Franks (Franci Salii). The name Franks means
“brave” or “bold” and was used by warring tribes to describe
themselves. Since the Franks were adventurers and united in order to
attack the lower Rhine boundary of the Roman Empire, this name is
probable. The military power of the Franks developed quickly during
the second half of the third century. Together with the Alamanni and
other Germanic tribes, they invaded the Roman Empire between 250 and
275 C. E. and successfully attained what was known as Gaul by
274-275.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the
Franks settled in the now southern part of the Netherlands and the
northern part of Belgium. There are quite a few place names in which
the word sele is found, such as Broeksele (Brussels), Barsele
(Basel), Melsele, Belsele, Elversele, Moorsel. These place names are
composed of two Germanic words: Bara which means barren, bare, or
desolate which can be seen today in the term “bare feet” and Sali
which can also be written as sela, sele, and selle.
Linguists appear to agree on the meaning of sele. According
to J. Vercoullie, sele or selle means “a spacious
room comprising a complete building and that according to the
circumstances can serve as a common dining hall or as a bedroom or
still as a barn”. The Flemish linguist M. Gijsseling writes that
the word sali, sele, or selle can be described
as “housing for man and cattle being made up of one room”.
This definition is what is called an “open house” (los hoes)
in the eastern part of The Netherlands.2
In the year
1156, the village of Bazel, Belgium was called Barsela. By the
thirteenth century, the place names could also be written as Barsele
or Baessele. Analyzing the compound word, then, a person can deduce
that bara + seli easily indicate the condition of the
soil upon which the house was standing so that the explanation of
Barsele would be a house being made up of one room and built upon
arid or barren land.
Broek, however, means a pasture of
alluvial soil along a stream. Consequently broek would mean
the best meadowland where farmers put their cattle out to pasture.
The name Brussels first came into being as “broek-seele”.
Sele or zaal is a building in the broek or
meadowland. With this same reasoning, a person can also interpret
the family name van Moorsel with mor which means bog or swamp
land and sele again meaning house.
To conclude, it can be mentioned that not only does Winterswijk have
a farm by the name of De Selle but there is also a village, Ellecom,
which has a farm named De Selle known since the eighteenth century
as Hofstede in De Selle (Farmstead in De Selle).
The name Te Selle, how is it written?
- In Dutch-speaking countries (and derivations of it), languages,
places, some ideas/notions /concepts and proper names get a capital (letter):
Northern Holland, German, Winterswijk, Second World War, Jan van den Berg.
- Also the preposition of a name, like in Te Selle, is written with a
capital letter when the name is not preceded by an initial (letter) or a
first/Christian name. Family name and its preposition also have to be kept together
on one line.
- A space is placed between the preposition of a family name and the
proper family name.
- In the plural form the letter 's' has to be connected to the preceding
word if the pronunciation of the word is not changed by doing so.
Thus you will see in this booklet:
- Harmen Jan te Selle emigrates to America.
- H.J. te Selle emigrates to America.
- Mister Te Selle emigrates to America (note: given
name or initials are not shown).
- The Te Selle brothers emigrate to America.
- The Te Selles emigrate to America.
- The present Te Selles in the United States most of the time leave out the
space between the preposition and the family name (i.e., TeSelle).
Nevertheless, the capital
(letter) 'S' often remained, as in Harmen Jan TeSelle.
About what can we be fairly certain?
- The farmstead names 'De Selle' and 'Wiggers' are very old and are already
mentioned in the land tax list of 1648. Both farmsteads are situated in the
hamlet Woold belonging to the municipality of Winterswijk.
- The people living at farmstead 'De Selle' were called Te Selle and the
people at 'Wiggers' were called Wiggers after the name of their farm.
- About 1712 Harmen Wiggers begins to inhabit
farmstead 'De Selle' and since then he is called Harmen te Selle. From that moment on his children too are
called Te Selle. People living at the farmstead 'De Selle' before 1700 were at
that point also called Te Selle yet later received other family names. Up
until now they are not demonstrably related to the present Te Selles.
- In the period that The Netherlands were annexed by Napoleon (1810-1813)
and formed a part of the French empire, the name Te Selle became an official
family name with the introduction of civil registration.
- The family name Te Selle is derived from the name
of their farm. The word Selle is derived from the language of the
West-Germanic tribes. Sali, their word for a dwelling, evolved in
the course of time to sela, sele and selle and
meant "housing for man and cattle being made up of one room".
- The family name Te Selle is typical of Achterhoek and even typical of Winterswijk. Nowhere in The Netherlands or
America have we so far come across people carrying the Te Selle family name that
cannot be traced back to our family tree.
1
B, Stegeman. 'Het oude kerspel Winterswijk', reprint
1966, page 35f.
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2
 Het
'los hoes' is een boerderijtype dat veel in de Gelderse Achterhoek
voorkwam. Het is een boerderijtype met een steil pannendak en een
gedeeltelijk houten gevel. De woning en de schuur vormden
oorspronkelijk één grote ruimte (los = open). De hoge puntgevel
werd bekroond met een gevelteken met symbool (waarvan het teken van
de twee paardenkoppen 'Horsa en Hengest' het bekendste is). Aan het
gevelteken was ook vaak de godsdienst van de toenmalige boer af te
lezen: een kruis, miskelk of hostie voor de katholieke boeren en een
haan of een zonnerad voor de protestanten. Het oorspronkelijke los
hoes - van materialen uit de omgeving zonder spijkers gebouwd - is
vrijwel verdwenen.
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