Do you have Dutch ancestors? Congratulations! Here are five things that are awesome about having Dutch ancestors.
1. Dutch records are excellent
- Since 1850, the government did not just keep census records, they kept them up to date so they always know who’s living where. These are called population registers.
- Civil registration of birth, marriages and deaths was introduced in 1811 (or even earlier in some southern parts of the country).
- Church records of baptisms, marriages and burials usually go back to the early to late 1600s.
- Court records often start earlier than that, in the mid to late 1500s.
- There were crazy taxes like hearth tax, step tax, window tax, salt tax, horse tax and spice tax. Guess what they did with people who paid these taxes? That’s right, they recorded them!
2. Dutch records are often available online, for free
Websites like WieWasWie, Open Archives, Archieven.nl, and websites of archives provide free access to millions and millions of indexed and scanned records. Check the Digital Resources Netherlands and Belgium site for links to find online sources.
3. Dutch women are recorded by their maiden names
Records mention women by their maiden names, even after marriage. Makes Dutch women muuuuuch easier to find than their counterparts in many English-speaking countries.
4. Dutch people speak English
If you need help, you can just ask in English. All the archives, municipalities and local historical societies will be able to understand you and write you back in English. Some elderly relatives may speak limited English but they usually have a younger relative willing to translate.
5. The Netherlands is a wonderful place to visit
We have stroopwafels. We have windmills. We have cheese. We have tulips. We have Rembrandt. We have bikes. We have dikes.
If you want to come over, here’s 11 things you should know before coming to the Netherlands.
You also have André Rieu and his wonderful orchestra providing the greatest music in the world.
Amen, amen, amen to points 1, 2, and 3. The Zeeland ancestors I am currently researching just imigrated to the US and research suddenly became much harder.