•BOOK• The Exodus of Hendrik Peter Scholte

From the back of the book:

An idyllic and privileged childhood, an adolescence and young adulthood of unbearable losses, and a brilliant mind lead Hendrik Peter Scholte (1805 - 1868) on a tumultuous life path. Initially a manufacturer of boxes for sugar, he became a minister of the Reformed Church of the Netherlands and a leader of the Afscheiding which left that church. Due to religious persecution by the Dutch government, he led a group of emigrants from the Netherlands and founded Pella, Iowa, in 1847.

In Pella he struggled with his fellow immigrants about religion and politics. Scholte strove for a community of saints while keeping his personal freedom and autonomy. Publicly, he stood at the center of society as a minister, justice of the peace, real estate broker, banker, journalist, and politician. Privately, he was a husband, father, and critical friend. Van Diggelen tells the story, based on tall the historical resources available, of a man of flesh and blood, full of strengths and weaknesses.