Biographies of Notable Americans

VAN ELTEN, (Hendrik Dirk) Kruseman, artist, was born in Alkmaar, Holland, Nov. 14, 1829; son of Daniel Nicolaas and Elizabeth Frederica (Kruseman) Van Elten. He studied art under C. Lieste, at Haarlem, and at the Academy of Design, and in 1849 established a studio of his own at Amsterdam. In 1865 He came to the United States, and settled in New York city. He was married in July, 1874, at Amsterdam, [p.243] Holland, to Margeretha Rudolpha, daughter of Pieter and Maria (Vermande) Westerman Holstyn of Amsterdam. He received a gold medal at the International exhibition at Amsterdam; was awarded medals in Boston, Philadelphia and New York, and was decorated with the order of the Netherlands Lion, by the King of Holland. He was elected an academician of the National Academy of Design, a member of the Royal Academies of Amsterdam and Rotterdam; was an honorary member of the Brussels Water Color society; a member of the American Water Color society, and of several foreign art societies. Among his paintings, are: Sunday Morning; Morning in the Woods; Lake Mohonk; Spring Morning; Evening at the Pool; Straggling Brook; Spring in the Woods; Heathfield in Holland; and Late Autumn.

J. F. C. Westerman was a popular and well-known boys' author who wrote for BOP and Chums in the 1920s and 1930s. He also edited a number of omnibus editions for Oxford University Press, and authored many adventure novels including series which featured 'John Wentley' and 'Jaggers'. No biographical details are known at present, except that he was not related to:

PERCY FRANCIS Westerman, born in Portsmouth, England, in 1876. PFW was at one time during the mid-1930s voted the most popular boys' author in Britain for his many nautical adventure stories. He penned around 200 novels at the rate of three per year, his first, "A Lad of Grit', appearing in 1908, the last, 'Mistaken Identity', in 1959. He also wrote flying stories, one of his memorable characters being 'Standish of the Air Police'. PFW spent many years living on a converted barge at Wareham in Dorset and was at one time Commodore of Redclyffe Yacht Club. My three sources quote different dates of his death; 1958, 1959 or 1960!

Collection Title:Westerman Collection Title:Westerman (William) Document
Dates:1823

Educational opportunities in Mississippi during the early years of the nineteenth century were severely limited. Families who could afford the expense sent their children to New Orleans or to Europe for their education, while others chose to hire private tutors.

In Warren County, Mississippi, public schools did not operate until after 1845. Prior to that time, due to the lack of state-funded educational institutions, many people in the area relied on the services of private tutors such as William Westerman. Tutors regularly advertised their services in local newspapers and then signed contracts with an individual, or group of individuals, effective for a certain period of time. Paid a monthly salary based on the number of children under their care, tutors such as Westerman were required to teach only the basic fundamentals, mainly reading, writing, and arithmetic. In some cases, other subjects such as Latin or French were required, depending on the social status of the employer. People hiring private tutors were usually prominent within the community and sufficiently affluent to afford the expense.

Among the families employing William Westerman as a tutor were the Hyland, Rawls, and Gibson families of Warren County, Mississippi. The Hyland family, one of the first families to settle in the south of Warren county, had resided in the area since the turn of the century. Between 1818-1827, Jacob Hyland served in the county legislature, while James Hyland watched over the family business and plantation. Associates of the Hylands included the Gibson Family and the Rawls Family (who arrived in the area at the same time as the Hylands). David Gibson arrived in Warren County in 1826 and built the family plantation. Following his death, his sons, including Levi R. Gibson, remained in the area until the 1830s when Levi Gibson moved to Le Flore County.

This collection contains a single sheet document -- a contract agreement between William Westerman and twelve individuals of Warren County, Mississippi. In the contract, Westerman agrees to teach the children of the signers at a rate of $2.50 per child, per month. The contract is for a total of ten months, during which time Westerman agrees to teach reading, writing, grammar, and mercantile arithmetic. Westerman also agrees to make up any time lost due to personal illness or absence from the school. The signers agree to the price of Westerman's services and indicate at the bottom of the printed contract that a total of sixteen children will be under Westerman's tutelage. The document is signed by twelve individuals: Jacob, James, and Christopher Hyland; Claudius Rawls; Levi R. Gibson; Abel Wright; James Clark; Archibald Erwin; Edmund Reeves; Gabriel Burnham; Jesse Wright; and Jackson Downs, all residents of Warren County in the 1820s and 1830s. The signature of William Westerman does not appear on the contract, which became effective on Monday, November 10, 1823.

Floyd Red Crow Westerman
Born: 17. August 1940
Film Biography

"MacGyver" (85) - Two Eagles ("Mask of the Wolf")
"Hardball" (89) - ("Cleveland Indian")
"Renegades" (89) - Red Crow
"Powwow Highway" (89) - (voice)
"Dances with Wolfes" (90) - Ten Bears
"Northern Exposure" (90) - One Who Waits
"Son of the Morning Star" (91) - Sitting Bull
"The Doors" (91) - Shaman
"Clearcut" (91) - Wilf
"Rio Shannon" (93) - Gabriel
"Earth and the American Dream" (93) - (voice)
"The Broken Chain" (93)
"Walker, Texas Ranger" (93) - Uncle Ray
"Siringo" (94) - Plenty Wounds
"Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee" (94)
"Jonathan of the Bears" (94) - Chief
"Buffalo Girls (95) - No Ears
"500 Nations" (95) (voice)
"The Pretender" (96) - Ernie Two Feathers ("Mirage")

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