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If you want to learn more about researching Dutch ancestors, make sure to read the blog.
Postgraduate Certificate in Family and Local History
I have exciting news: I have received a Postgraduate Certificate in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee in Scotland. I started in September 2020. I actually met the requirements for the certificate a few months ago but thought I could not claim it yet because I did not receive any paperwork. The […]
Dutch Genealogy News for April 2022
This is an overview of the new sources, websites, and projects that were announced last month. Sources The website Brabant in Beelden has added several videos of villages in Noord-Brabant to their website. Indexes of notarial records from the late 1800s have been added to the Westfries Archief website. Scans of index cards of The […]
Ask Yvette – How to find a Dutch will
One of our Twitter followers, Karen de Bruyne, asked on Twitter how to find the will of her great-grandfather-in-law Jacob Bruijn, who died in The Hague on 28 May 1927. Since there are several ways to go about it, I thought I would write a blog post about it. Most people in the Netherlands did […]
Factory industries in the Netherlands in 1875
I came across this lovely map in the collection of the National Archives of the Netherlands, which shows the main types of factories in 1875. Translation of the legend: Katoen – Cotton Wolle – Wool Vlas en hennep – Flax and hemp Tapijten – Carpets Leder – Leather Papier – Paper Meekrap – Madder Steenbakkerijen […]
Ownership vs. Occupation
I listened to a presentation by Sue Adams about our farming ancestors, and she talked to the difference between ownership and occupation. You can own a house where you do not live, and you can live in a house you do not own. Similarly, you can own land you do not farm, or farm land […]
Quick tip – Did they know the witness?
You may encounter witnesses in several types of records: Baptismal records Church marriage records Aldermen’s court marriage records Civil registration records of births, marriages, and deaths Notarial records. When you come across witnesses, ask yourself: would this be the type of event a random person would witness? Or is the person likely to have been […]
Dutch term – Leeftijd
The leeftijd is the age. You may find a person’s age mentioned in birth records (father, informant, witnesses), marriage records (bride and groom, witnesses), death records (deceased, informant, witnesses), census records, and also in some court or notarial records, especially when people testify about something. As you go back further in time, there will be […]
