VINEYARD ESTATE - The ROMONDT Family...

Preserving The Structures...

One thing that comes to mind when the Vineyard building is mensioned is The VAN ROMONDT FAMILY. They were a powerful dominant family on the island from about 1820 until shortly after World War II.

The earliest record we have of the van Romondt family is that of Herman van Romondt, who was born in 1544 in Deventer, Holand, and who died in 1602.

There are also van Romondts listed and having lived in Uteretch, among them: Jan van Romondt (1642 - 1710), Diederik van Romondt (1676 - 1737), and a second Diedrick van Romondt (1723 - 1764).

The van Romondt who was an ancestor of the St Maarten Branch of this family is Diederik Joahannes van Romondt, born in Amsterdam, Holland on February 16th 1781.

He arrived in St Maarten in the year 1801, and died there on April 19th 1849. In 1804, three years after his arrival, he married Ann Hassell (1784 - 1845) who was born in St Maarten. She was the daughter of John Hassell and Susann Westerbrand.

Diederik Johannes serves as Governor - a devout Methodist...

Diederik Johannes served as Governor of St Maarten from 1820 to 1840. He entertained Prince William Henry on his visit to St Maarten in 1835. He was the first member of the house of Orange to pay a visit to the "Beach Islandz."

Governor Diederik Johannes was a Methodist and it was during his administration that Methodism made rapid progress. Not having decended from plantation owners, he was in a position to take a more objective view on the need to educate slaves in the teachings of the Bible.

The Vineyard Estate building was erected in 1872 by Louis A Van Romondt, the merchant who was to import the first car in St Maarten in 1914.

The first car eventually got to the Island on Jan 4th 1917.

Later the house was owned by Louis constant Fleming of the well known house in Marigot. L.C Flemming was also the Mayor of French St Maarten for many years.

In 1938 Miss J.C Buncamper purchased the house.

The flowers seen in the picture carpet the yard of the Vineyard Building in the spring time.

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