Camp Alderkill Retirement and Museum Site
In ancient times there were no postal, telephone or telegraph systems, nor radios or radar. The rulers of countries had to have special messengers to deliver orders and news to the people.These men were called heralds and they were important people . In Greece and Rome heralds stood in the public square to announce exciting news such as the approach of hostile armies. During the middle ages heralds became personal messengers for kings. They went to other kingdoms on important national matters such as ambassadors and state department officials do today. The king's heralds were almost sacred and it was a crime to keep a herald from performing his duty.
There is a story that one time a youth rode up to the gates of the palace at breakneck speed. His cloth of gold gleamed brightly in the sun as he leaned across his horse's neck to demand to see King John. The palace guard recognized his splendid uniform as the colors worn by the personal messenger of a neighboring ruler, King Wilfred. He hastened to open the palace gate because the message carried by a herald was always important. However,right on the heels of this herald came a second herald who also demanded to see King John with an important message. The king received both messages and then commanded the first herald to be beheaded. How did he know that the first herald was not a messenger of King Wilfred? He knew because he recognized the seal on the second message,while the first messenger had no seal or coat of arms.
During the Crusades heraldry became a system of symbols by which families could indicate their reputation for bravery or their family tree. Knights all over Europe and England carried shields and spears which looked very much alike. They also wore helmets which hid their faces. As the result,armyleaders could not easily identify the various knights on the battle field. Therefore,each man wore an emblem on his shield to identify him. At first each knight chose his own emblem,but that was confusing because countries appointed men called heralds to supervise all coats of arms in order that no two would be alike. When customs changed and soldiers no longer carried shields,coats or arms were engraved on silver,or carved out of wood and placed over doors of dwellings.
The emblem or coat of arms which is of interest to us is the coat of arms that belonged to a family named Van Meter. The Van Meter family originated in Holland,and the first mention of their name in public records is on a deed dated September 1253,seven hundred years ago. That deed told about land that had been transferred from one family to another. Throughout the years the name has been recorded on other papers. In 1548 a John Wan Meter was listed on the Knighthood rolls. In the years 1563 and 1578 Jasper Van Meter appears in the book of Knighthood or Nobility and various Van Meters appeared on various documents all thru the 16th century. According to the authorities to which we have access,the Van Meters first came to America from Bommell in South Holland in the year 1663 and landed at New Amsterdam when that city belonged to the Dutch.
One of the interesting Van Meters was Emanuel who was born in Antwerp in 1535. Emanuel's father was a man of great learning and progressive thinker. He,together with Miles Coverdale,translated and printed the first entire English Bible. Emanuel finally took up his abode in London,engaged in commerce,married twice and reared six children. In 1583 he was made Chief of Council for the Dutch merchants in London, and died in 1612. Henry Hudson's exploration trip up the Hudson in the Half Moon was brought about thru the influence and prestige of the Van Meters of Holland. Emanuel Van Meter wrote an account of Hudson's voyage of discovery. Now a direct descendant of Emanuel in New Jersey. Jan Van Meter went in command of a band of friendly Indians to Virginia in 1739. In this expedition into Virginia he explored the valley of the south branch of a river called the Wapatonica and was so impressed by the beauty of the river and its surrounding valley that he later moved his family to the area. We know the river to be the Potomac. Another direct descendant of Emanuel,a Col. Garret Van Meter,was a noted character of the Revolutionary times and close friend of General Washington when he was a Colonel in the Colonial army of Virginia during the French and Indian War. The friendship formed between General Washington and Colonel Van Meter continued throughout their lives.
Now that we have learned a little about the background of the family whose coat of arms is our camp emblem, let's look at the emblem itself. Everything on a coat of arms has a meaning,the colors,the arrangement of the colors,the animals,birds,flowers,etc. The twist at the top of our emblem is called a wreath or a bandeau, the flower is the Fleur-de-lis,and the bird is the English Starling. We are not certain as to why the Van Meter family chose these particular symbols. We do know,however,that the Fleur-de-lis is the mark of the sixth son of a family and because it is also the flower of France,it mayhave direct reference to the early French wars. In any event it connects the family in some way with the French just as the Starling means some attachment to England. The Starling is a harbinger of Spring,and so is a good standard for one who is prompt and ready in the dispatch of business. Our colors,which are silver,gold and red,also have a special meaning. Silver is for peace and sincerity,gold for generosity and elevation of mind, and red is for victory over srife and for nobleness of soul.
Verbatim of Margaret Treadwell's annual oral presentation to the camp courtesy of and special thanks to the granddaughters of Margaret Treadwell
Oct. 2007
"The name "Alderkill" comes from "Landsman kill" which is the stream running through our land, and from the Black Alder which grows in profusion along it's edges." Margaret Treadwell
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