Geelvinck (" yellow finch") was a

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

surname. The family died out in the early 19th century. Some notable members of the family include: * Jan Cornelis Geelvinck, the son of a merchant in beans and peas, and involved in the West India Company. He was the first in the family who became

burgomaster Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, ) is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or executive of a city or town. The name in English was derived from the Dutch . In so ...

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

in Amsterdam. * Jan Cornelis's son Cornelis Geelvinck was also a burgomaster in Amsterdam and involved in the West India Company. * Cornelis's son Albert Geelvinck was a lawyer and involved in Surinam. He married a rich orphan, Sara Hinlopen, the daughter of Jan Jacobszoon Hinlopen. The Museum Geelvinck-Hinlopen is named after this couple. * Cornelis's eldest son Joan Geelvinck (1644–1707), a merchant and politician, who was allowed by the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...

to baptize the ''Geelvink'', one of the three ships under the command of

Willem de Vlamingh Willem Hesselsz de Vlamingh (baptized 28 November 1640 – after 7 August 1702) was a Dutch sea captain who explored the central west coast of New Holland (Australia) in the late 17th century, where he landed in what is now Perth on the Swan ...

who had orders to explore the Australian west coast in 1696. The Geelvink Channel on the west coast of Australia received its name. The Geelvink Bay and the Geelvink Islands near

Western New Guinea Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, and Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the island of New Guinea, formerly Dutch and granted to Indonesia in 1962. Given the island is alternatively named Papua, the region ...

were discovered in 1705. Also the East Geelvink Bay languages, the

Geelvink pygmy parrot The Geelvink pygmy parrot (''Micropsitta geelvinkiana'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae endemic to Biak and Numfoor islands in Western New Guinea. The name Geelvink comes from a Dutch ship and family called Geelvinck. It has ...

, Geelvink Bay flying fox and Geelvink pygmy tree frog carry the name of the ship. * Joan's son Lieve Geelvinck was a burgomaster and married in 1730 the richest woman in Amsterdam. Lieve was a powerful republican; in 1734 the prince

William IV of Orange William IV (Willem Karel Hendrik Friso; 1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751) was Prince of Orange from birth and the first hereditary stadtholder of all the Dutch Republic, United Provinces of the Netherlands from 1747 until his death in 1751. D ...

and his wife Anna of Hanover left the city of Amsterdam within an hour, after being received by him. * Lieve's son,

Nicolaes Geelvinck Nicolaes Geelvinck (11 October 1706, in Amsterdam – 15 June 1764, in Amsterdam) was lord of Castricum, Bakkum, Santpoort, Velsen, Stabroek, schepen, and owner of the country estate Akerendam-by- Beverwijk. He was appointed as mayor of Amst ...

, married in 1729 the daughter of the richest woman in Amsterdam. He was married three times. Helped by his father-in-law, he became mayor of Amsterdam in 1748. Within a few months one third of the

vroedschap The ''vroedschap'' () was the name for the (all male) city council in the early modern Netherlands; the member of such a council was called a ''vroedman'', literally a "wise man". An honorific title of the ''vroedschap'' was the ''vroede vadere ...

was removed by the

stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...

. Geelvinck also lost his seat in the

Admiralty of Amsterdam The Admiralty of Amsterdam was the largest of the five Dutch admiralties at the time of the Dutch Republic. The administration of the various admiralties was strongly influenced by provincial interests. The territory for which Amsterdam ...

, despite widespread expectations that he would lead reforms. '' Ahasuerus and Haman at the Feast of Esther'', a painting by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

, was given to him by his great-aunt Sara Hinlopen. * Nicolaes's son

Nicolaas Geelvinck Nicolaas Geelvinck (3 June 1732, Amsterdam – 7 December 1787, The Hague), son of Nicolaes Geelvinck, Lord of Stabroek, was President of the Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company () was a Dutch chartered company that was foun ...

, lord of

Stabroek Stabroek () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of and Stabroek proper. In 2021, Stabroek had a total population of 18,680. The total area is 21.51 km². In 2008 Stabroek cele ...

, was an administrator of the West India Company; between 1784 and 1812 Georgetown in

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

was called Stabroek. * In 1756 Nicolaes's son Lieve married Catharina Elisabeth Hasselaer, the daughter of a diplomat. In 1757 he died. The widow Geelvinck was a close friend of Belle van Zuylen and

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 ( N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson, '' Life of Samuel ...

, who called her "la belle veuve". * Nicolaes's son Joan Geelvinck (1737–1802), was a

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

and in 1787 a burgomaster for only five months. He fled to Paris and joined Lafayette. * Joan's daughter Maria Petronella Geelvinck (1769–1831), married in 1787 Anton Tschiffely (1759–1824), until 1785 in the Dutch military service. Maria Petronella moved with him to Switzerland and took a painting with her by Gabriël Metsu. Tschiffely, since 1795 a member of the

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

city council, used the title Lord of Stabroek. In 1832 the painting was sold by her inheritants to the

Gemäldegalerie, Berlin The (, Painting Gallery) is an art museum in Berlin, Germany, and the museum where the main selection of paintings belonging to the Berlin State Museums (''Staatliche Museen zu Berlin'') is displayed. It was first opened in 1830, and the cur ...

.Gent, J. van, (1998) Portretten van Jan Jacobsz Hinlopen en zijn familie door Gabriël Metsu en Bartholomeus van der Helst. In: Oud Holland 112, p. 133. (in Dutch)

Family tree

Notes

{{surname, Geelvinck Dutch-language surnames Dutch patrician families