Quick tip – No Cause of Death in Death Records

Dutch death records do not normally list the cause of death. Only in unusual cases, for example if the person died at sea or was found dead outside somewhere, will a death record give you a clue about the cause of death.

Usually, there won’t be any surviving records that allow you to find out how your ancestor died. Here are some things you can try to find the cause of death.

man lying on his death bed

Man on his death bed, 1714. Credits: Vincent Laurens van der Vinne, collection Rijksmuseum (public domain)

About Yvette Hoitink

Yvette Hoitink, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist in the Netherlands. She holds the Certified Genealogist credential from the Board for Certification of Genealogists and has a post-graduate diploma in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee. She has been doing genealogy for over 30 years and helps people from across the world find their ancestors in the Netherlands. Read about Yvette's professional genealogy services.

Comments

  1. Virgil Hoftiezer says

    And she has been helping people with genealogy for as long as she has been doing genealogy. I met Yvette years ago when she directed me to my ‘family farm’ from memory and we had Dutch pancakes in Aalten (before i even knew how to do genealogy). She had my eternal gratitude, admiration and appreciation then and yet continues to aid my understanding and knowledge of my early Dutch ancestors still today.

  2. Judd Zandstra says

    I have found only 2 death certificates that mention cause of death. In both cases the men were lost at sea. And the approximate location was given.

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