Boissevain

Boissevain is the name of a Dutch patrician family,

On 4 December 1687 he[who? ] drew up his will in the town of Bergerac, Dordogne.[1] Because of Catholic persecution of the Protestants, to Amsterdam (Netherlands).[1] He settled there in about 1691, using the name Boissevain.[1] Thus, all bearers of the name Boissevain are necessarily descended from Boussavy.[1]

In the course of the generations the family spread further over the rest of the Netherlands and Europe. Adolphe Boissevain (1843–1921) acquired an outstanding reputation in financing companies, particularly railway companies, e.g., the Canadian Pacific Railway. Along this line is situated, in Manitoba, the town of Boissevain, Manitoba named after Adolphe.[citation needed ]

The investment bank owned by the family, Boissevain & Company (with offices in New York and Amsterdam) was acquired by Hallgarten & Company in January 1926. It had been in existence for around 25 years.[citation needed ]

Daniel Boissevain (1856–1929), who turned against the family wealth and became a farmer and socialist activist in Alberta, Canada[2] contributed to the spread of the Boissevains over the North American continent, while Willem Frederik Lamoraal Boissevain (1852–1919) contributed to the presence of the family in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia).[citation needed ]

Three children and a grandson of Amsterdam newspaper editor Charles Boissevain (1842–1927) emigrated to North America.

The family coat of arms features a silver shield with three green trees. Prior to the 20th century, these trees were represented in many different variations; in 1935 the family decided they would be box trees in all future uses,[3]

Family-related websites include: