Jacobus Craandijk

Jacobus Craandijk (7 September 1834, in Amsterdam – 3 June 1912, in Haarlem) was a Dutch Mennonite teacher and minister who enjoyed using his spare time for walks while taking notes and drawing.

He was trained at the Amsterdam Mennonite seminary and first served in Borne from 1859, where he met and later married Anna Geertruida Ballot in 1861.

[1] In 1869 he wrote the book Het Nederlandsch zendelinggenootschap in zijn willen en werken, in which he reported on the goals and more and less successful results of that society since its inception.

In general, he aimed to persuade people of all faiths to invest in one Missionary society as a way to join forces for good in the third world.

In 1879 Van Craandijk organized and presided over a conference of prominent Dutch Mennonite leaders held at Amsterdam.