The Roslyn Landmark Society has uncovered a 1727 Keur edition of the States General Bible, known as the “Staten Bijbel.”
The Bible will eventually be on display at the renovated Roslyn Grist Mill’s educational center. The Grist Mill, which was constructed between 1715 and 1741, is a unique surviving example of a Dutch-framed watermill.
During the Synod of Dort, an international assembly of the clergy held in Dordrecht, Netherlands, in 1618–19 by the Dutch Reformed Church, they established it as the official Protestant translation of the Bible into Dutch.
According to the landmark society, Henderick Onderdonck, a Roslyn resident, owned it in 1751. Onderdonck, who was born in 1724, was the owner of the Roslyn Papermill, New York’s first paper mill, and the Roslyn Grist Mill from 1758 to 1809. Notably, on April 24, 1790, President George Washington paid Onderdonck a visit at his Roslyn residence, which was adjoining the grist mill.
Handwritten in Dutch, the Bible records Henderick Onderdonck’s marriage to Phebe Tredwell on May 20, 1750. In addition, 14 Onderdonck family members’ birthdays are listed.
A total of 51 vignette pictures and six maps are both included in the 14-by-9-1/2-inch book. Pieter and Jacob Keur, who were renowned for their excellent printing and text accuracy, produced the book.
A 1658 map of America shows California as an island. It also shows Canaan — the current locations of Israel, Palestine and Jordan.
