Dutch Genealogy News for October 2023

This is an overview of the new sources, projects, and other news that was announced last month. Sources Regionaal  Archief Zutphen is indexing the church membership records of Brummen, Hall, Gorssel, Laren, Lochem, Warnsveld and Zutphen. Each Thursday, the newly entered entries are added to their ancestor database. The society Veluwse Geslachten has made 37 publications, mostly transcriptions of church records of various places in north-west Gelderland, available for free to their … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Oom

Oom means "uncle." Like in English, the Dutch word oom is used for the brother of a parent, or the husband of the sister of a parent. There is no separate word for paternal or maternal uncle. You may encounter references to ooms in guardianship records, estate inventories, as specification of how witnesses are related to the main parties, and in many other types of records. Records do not usually differentiate between full and half uncles, or between uncles-by-blood or uncles-by-marriage. … [Read more...]

Quick tip – Spelling variations

In the past, there was no concept of official spelling. Do not rule out that a record is for your person just because their name is not spelled the way you think it should have been. In the Netherlands, spelling of surnames should have been fixed since 1811, but errors occurred even later. We tend to think of the written word as the canonical version, but in the past it was the spoken word. The written version was just a derivative. And don't forget that many of our ancestors were illiterate … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Palingvisser

A palingvisser is a fishermen that specializes in catching eel. Several villages around the Zuidersee (South Sea, now a lake called IJsselmeer), like Volendam, were famous for their eels.   … [Read more...]

10 Ways to Find Notarial Records in the Netherlands

Notarial records are some of the richest sources of information about our ancestors' lives. They may contain wills, estate inventories, contracts, sales, and a range of other voluntary legal transactions. They are an important source for researching emigrants from the Netherlands. Many people went by a notary before leaving, for example to enter into a work contract or give a power of attorney to handle their affairs. Emigrants can still appear in notarial records after departure, if they owned … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Grafrechten

Grafrechten are grave duties, the fees that have to be paid for a grave. Some churches or towns kept registers of these payments. They can act as a substitute for missing burial records. In most cemeteries, graves can only be leased, not bought. After the lease expires, the next of kin have to pay grave duties again or the grave will be cleared. … [Read more...]

Quick tip – Burials under name of husband or father

Many burial registers and related registers like burial fees registers recorded entries under the name of the head of household. Entries might be for the wife of Jan Claesz, or the child of Pieter Willems. If you cannot find a married woman in a burial register, check under her husband's name. If you cannot find an unmarried person, such as a minor child, in a burial register, check under their father's name. … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Machinist

A machinist is a person who operates heavy machines. The occupation started to appear in records in the nineteenth century. Originally, the term was used for all kinds of machines, including in factories. Over time, it became used for machines related to transportation, such as the train driver or the engineer on board of a ship. Hat tip: @Lena via Discord. … [Read more...]

The Genealogical Unproof Standard for Brick Walls

I think the term "brick wall" is used too easily for any ancestor where you don't know the parents. I think you shouldn't call someone a brick wall ancestor unless you gave it your best shot. Many genealogists are familiar with the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS), as formulated by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. The GPS as has five components: Reasonably exhaustive research Complete and accurate source citations Careful analysis and correlation of evidence … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Vrijwillige rechtspraak

Vrijwillige rechtspraak means voluntary justice. You may come across the term in finding aids of court records. The series of vrijwillige rechtspraak are cases where the court is involved, but nobody is charging or sueing anyone. Examples of records you may find in the series of voluntary records are prenuptial agreements, guardianship appointments, last wills, or estate divisions. In regions that had notaries, you may encounter those types of records in the archives of the notaries instead. … [Read more...]