This is the second half of the story of Jacob Den Herder.
In 1878, at age 44, Den Herder opened a bank in Zeeland.
In 1880, he was elected to the office of elder in his church, First Reformed Church in Zeeland. It wasn’t his first time. He also partnered with his son, Christian, then about 15, to purchase a shoe business from Roelof Veneklasen, son of brickmaker Berend Veneklasen.
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In 1882, he lost $1,000 because of forged bank notes. He recovered $500 and, in gratefulness, gave $100 to charity.
In 1883, burglars broke into his upstairs office at the bank. They drilled a hole through the top of his safe, dropped in a stick of gunpowder and exploded it with a fuse. Fortunately, they didn’t do enough damage to get any money. But in response, Den Herder decided to join a mutual insurance company.
In 1884, he partnered with his son-in-law, Albert LaHuis, married to Christine, to open a dry goods store. In 1887, fire destroyed the store but, thankfully, the contents were insured.
In 1886, Den Herder was elected as state senator. Even though he concluded the position negatively affected his financial position, he ran again. But he lost.
In 1891, Jacob recruited his son Christian, then 31, to join the bank as cashier. In 1898, the bank lost $4,000 when burglars successful blew the doors off Den Herder’s safe. But now he was insured.
In 1900, burglars again tried to rob his bank, but failed. By that time, the bank had over $1.5 million in deposits. Believing his bank was too big to operate as a family business, and given a change in state banking laws, Den Herder increased the capital in his bank by incorporating it and inviting in outside shareholders.
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In addition to son Christian and son-in-law Albert LaHuis, the new directors were Dr. T. Huizinga, Roelof Veneklasen, Henry DeKruif (a farm implement dealer) and Frank Boonstra (a men’s clothier). Den Herder’s bank was renamed Zeeland State Bank.
In 1904, Christian helped found the Second Reformed Church, the first English-speaking church in Zeeland. Meanwhile, Jacob continued to invest time at First Reformed Church, including serving as a Sunday School teacher.
Jacob Den Herder passed away in 1916. In his place Frank Boonstra, aged 66, became president of the bank.
In 1923, Dirk (D.J.) De Pree, manager at the Michigan Star Furniture Company, persuaded his father-in-law, Herman Miller, and his banker, Christian Den Herder, to purchase the bedroom furniture company.