Edwin DeVries Vanderhoop facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edwin DeVries Vanderhoop
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Edwin DeVries Vanderhoop
December 12, 1848 Gay Head, now Aquinnah, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Died | January 28, 1923 (aged 74) |
| Resting place | Aquinnah Town Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Wayland Seminary |
| Occupation | Politician, soldier, teacher, whaleman, fishermen, proprietor |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Amelia Hollensworth Cleggett Vanderhoop |
| Children | 7: (Nanetta, Anna, Pauline, Edwin P., David F., Leonard F., William D.) |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Helen Vanderhoop Manning |
Edwin DeVries Vanderhoop was an important American leader. He was born in Gay Head, Massachusetts, which is now called Aquinnah. Edwin was part Wampanoag Native American and part Surinamese. He was a soldier, a politician, a fisherman, and a hotel owner. He lived from 1848 to 1923.
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Early Life
Edwin DeVries Vanderhoop was born in 1848. His father, William Adrian Vanderhoop, was a whaler from Suriname. His mother, Beulah Oocouch Saulsbury, was Wampanoag. Edwin grew up in Gay Head, Massachusetts. He had eight brothers and sisters.
His Career
When Edwin was 16, he joined the Union army's navy. This was during the American Civil War. He served on a ship called the USS Mahaska. His job was to stop British goods from reaching the Southern states.
Education and Family
After the Civil War ended, Edwin worked on whaleboats for a short time. Then, he went to Wayland Seminary in Washington, D.C. A seminary is a school that trains people for certain professions, often religious ones. He graduated in 1878.
After Wayland, Edwin traveled to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to teach. He likely taught at the Branch Normal School. This school is now known as the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Edwin's sister, Anna, also taught there. Sadly, she passed away in 1881.
In Pine Bluff, Edwin met Mary Amelia Cleggett. She was also a teacher at the school. Edwin and Mary got married in March 1883. Their first child, Nannetta, was born in 1884.
In 1885, Edwin and Mary decided to move back to Gay Head. They wanted to raise their family there. They also wanted to help their hometown. Gay Head had just been recognized as a town by the government in 1870.
Politics and Hotel Business
In 1887, Edwin Vanderhoop became very well known. He was elected as the county commissioner of Dukes County. He was a Republican representative in the state legislature. This made him the first Wampanoag person to serve in the Massachusetts Legislature.
Besides politics, Vanderhoop owned a hotel. He built it himself and called it the Aquinnah House. This hotel had 19 rooms. It was on a hill overlooking the ocean. Visitors would arrive by steamboat to stay there. Over time, the strong weather damaged the hotel. It became known as the "Haunted House."
In 1892, Vanderhoop also worked as the clay agent for the town. In 1893, the town leased clay from the Gay Head Cliffs. A company paid $500 a year for the clay. The clay was used to make bricks.
In 1907, he was one of three Selectmen, Assessors, and Overseers of the Poor. He worked with Francis Manning and Linus S. Jeffers. These roles involved managing the town's affairs and helping those in need.
Edwin DeVries Vanderhoop Homestead
In 1869, Massachusetts began to divide tribal lands in Gay Head. This was part of making Gay Head an official town. Edwin's father, Adrian Vanderhoop, bought some land in 1890. He bought it from a tribal member named William Morton for $40. Adrian immediately gave the land to his son, Edwin. Edwin also received another part of the land.
Sometime between 1890 and 1897, Edwin and his family built a house on this property. This house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
Today, the house is a museum. It is called the Aquinnah Cultural Center. The museum teaches visitors about the history and culture of the Wampanoag tribe.
