Enns Name Oldest Dutch Records

The Dutch line of the Enns name is most likely is related to the the extinct village of Ens on Schockland Island in the Netherlands, however it could be much older. In this post I will list the oldest records pre-1500, that I have been able to find regarding the Enns name in the Netherlands. I suggest you first read however the post on origin theories then use the following links and dates table to do further research. The Flevoland Cultural and Heritage Association gives a great introduction to the topic:

In the certificate book ‘Gelre en Zutphen’ from 793 we find the name ‘Enedseae. The certificate was drawn up because some people, who were converted by the missionary Liudger (742-809), donated their estates to him. Liudger in turn donated half of his heritage between Berilsi and Enedseae and half of the Seaewald or Suiterbant forest to the church of Deventer. This ‘Enedseae’ must have been located somewhere southwest of the current island. A register from 1150 speaks of ‘ Endesle’, in 1302 a James van Enesce (at that time it is customary to take the name of the place of residence as the surname) becomes a citizen of Kampen. In the years that followed, the name ‘Enesc’ always occurs and in the oldest foliant in Kampen from 1324 to 1354 a mention is made of ‘Enze ’ and’ Ense.

https://www.flevolanderfgoed.nl/home/kunst/noordoostpolder/ens.html

Links for Further Research:
Stadsarchief Kampen (Kampen City Archives)
AlleFriezen (Frisian Municipal Archives, including Leeuwarden)
Groningen Archieven (Groningen Municupal Archives)
OpenArchives (Dutch & Belgian Archives)
Geneanet (Evert van Ense dutch family tree from 1411 to the 1600s)


Evert/Engelbert Family Line
This family line is a potential connection linking the older Ense name from Germany to Schockland then to Leeuwarden where Dutch persecution against the Anabaptists began in 1531 and Menno Simmons began his conversion.

1373 – an Evert van Ense is mentioned in German Documents. He could be the link between the German Westphalian Ense family and the Dutch Schockland Ense family.

1411 – Evert van Ensse is a witness (secondary source)
–1496 – Cunera van Ensse dies (secondary source) (son of Evert)
–1525 – Everdt van Ensse dies (secondary source) (son of Cunera)
–1558 – Engelbert van Ense – Coevorden (secondary source) (son of Everdt)
–1567 – Engelbert van Ensse dies – He was Drost in Ens, descendant of Overijssel, son of Everdt van Ensse. He had strong connections with Leeuwarden and could be the bridge between the “Schockland” era of the Enns history and the Mennonite era (1531).

Distances from Schockland
Horses can go 80-150km per day. This calculation assumes 80km.

Leeuwarden, Netherlands – 71km (1 day by horse)
Groningen, Netherlands – 95km (1.5 days by horse)
Amsterdam, Netherlands – 151km (2 days by horse)
Ense, Korbach – Germany – 221km (3 days by horse)
Endsee, Steinsfeld, Germany – 544km (7 days by horse)

Table of Dutch Records between 793 and 1499
^{1 – Primary Source Documents
2 – Secondary Sources}

Note: I have included a couple relevant german records in this list. There are many more German records for the Enns name in this period of history than in the Netherlands.

Year	Name	Place	Event	Notes	1	2
793	Ludger	Enedseae	donates land	Frisian missionary donates land near Enedseae		[a]
1150	Endesle	Endesle		A document mentions Endesle		[a]
1302	Johannes Enesce	Kampen	becomes citizen of Kampen	AKA James van Enesc		[a] [b]
1331	Herman van Ens			court case		[d]
1331	Peeter van Ens
1373	Evert Van ense	Wustung	Sale	Squire Evert van ense sells tithe. This is interesting because it is a pre-1400 German link to the name Evert van Ense		[e]
1375	Gherit van Enze	Kampen		Dispute regarding Herben van Putten	[SK]
1411	Evert van Ensse		witness	Evert begins a family tree down to Engelbert van Ennse (1567)		[c]
1425	Cunera van ensse		born to Evert	1425-1496. Son of Evert. Father of Everdt		[c]
1443	Herbert van ense		death	Father of Wobbeken		[c]
1469	Wobbeken Herbert von Ense		death	son of Herbert		[c]
1480	Gerit Ense	Brabent		overdue entry fee	[OA]
1486	Johan van Ensse	Kampen	mentioned		[SK]
1487	Godert (Gert) Ense	Westphalia		son of Heinrich		[f]
1493	Jan van Ense	Kampen		Failed attack on city or robbery by Jan van Ense	[SK]