Looking for your ancestors from the Netherlands? Yvette Hoitink is a professional genealogist in the Netherlands who does research throughout the country. Read about our services, fees, and example projects or read testimonials by clients like you.
If you want to learn more about researching Dutch ancestors, make sure to read the blog.
Ask Yvette – Military passports in the 1800s
Reader Freddy Walhof asked me about the practice of military passports in the 1800s. In the military service record of an enlisted man, the column for end of service said “gepasporteerd” which means “passported.” Freddy wondered if an actual passport was issued or if this was an administrative term only. At the end of service, […]
Dutch Genealogy News for August 2023
Here are all the new sources, projects, and other news announced in the past month. Sources Hattinga’s atlas of Gelderland, Overijssel, and Groningen from the 1740s has been digitized and can be consulted at the website of Collectie Overijssel. Cause of death notes from the east of North Brabant have been digitized and indexed. Check […]
Source: Estate Inventories
Estate inventories tally the assets and debts of a person, family, or company. They were typically created for people of means. You are unlikely to find them for poor ancestors. Different regions have different customs, but in general, you are unlikely to find them before the 1600s, though you may find earlier examples. The most […]
Dutch Ancestors Research Plan – 17th and 18th century
In my Level-Up Challenge, I defined six levels of ancestral profiles. In this post, I will give you a basic research plan for an ancestor living in the 17th and 18th century for levels 1-4. Level 1: Names only I usually find the name of the person in records of somebody else I am researching. […]
Dutch Genealogy News for July 2023
Here is an overview of the new sources, projects and other news announced last month. Sources The colonial records of Curacao, Bonaire and Aruba 1828-1845 have been digitized. Scans are available via the finding aid at the Nationaal Archief website. These records contain government, court, and notarial records and are crucial for researching ancestors who […]
Quick tip – Mensenlinq
Mensenlinq is a website where many current newspapers publish their family announcements. It is a good place to find the recently deceased. It can be difficult to find recent deaths since death records are not public for 50 years and recent newspapers are not published online due to copyrights. Mensenlinq allows you to search for […]
Dutch term – Patria
Patria (literally: fatherland) is a Latin term sometimes used in Dutch colonial records to refer to the Netherlands. You could come across the term in government or notarial records, in reference to people about to return home. The word patriot is derived from patria as well.
