I am trying to establish whether or not John Edes might in some way fit into my family-tree. This may sound a bit far-fetched (I am Dutch, surname 'Van der Veen', but this wasn't added until Napoleontic times, in 1810, to be exact. The ancestor choosing this surname was called Jan Edses, variously spelled Edzes, Eedes, Edes, etc., 'Jan' being merely the Dutch variant of 'John'). I have found the name Edse, as a Christian name, as early as 1652. At the time, a part of the family was mennonite, from 1547 forced to flee the low countries to all sorts of places, to, e.g. East-Friesland (now part of Germany), Poland (Dantzig), Russia, & perhaps England (there is a John Edes from Newport, I.O.W.,who was Elizabeth I's personal chaplain!)and the U.S. Mind you, Eedes/Edes in a patronym, i.e. in Holland it merely meant 'son of E(e)de'.
If you think there might but some useful clue in what I have told you, please contact me!
Yours,
Bernard van der Veen
Zutphen, Netherlands

P.S. The word 'Holland'is misleading in this context. The name 'E(e)de(s) is typically Frisian, in other words, derived from a part of the Netherlands, modern-day Friesland, where no Dutch is spoken, but Frisian (which is closely related to English).