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 on his death bed, 1714. Credits: Vincent Laurens van der Vinne, collection Rijksmuseum (public domain)
About Yvette HoitinkYvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist, writer, and lecturer in the Netherlands. She has a Master of Letters in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee, and holds the Certification of Genealogist and Qualified Genealogist credentials. Yvette served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists and won excellence awards for her articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly. Yvette has been doing genealogy for over 30 years. She helps people from across the world find their ancestors from the Netherlands and its former colonies, including New Netherland. Read about Yvette's professional genealogy services.
Yvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist, writer, and lecturer from the Netherlands who helps people find their ancestors from the Netherlands and its former colonies, including New Netherland. She has a Master of Letters in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee, and holds the Certified Genealogist and Qualified Genealogist credentials.
Do you need a genealogist in the Netherlands to help you with your research?
Please read what Yvette can do for you.
This Dutch Genealogy webinar gives you a great introduction to researching your Dutch ancestors. Requires a Legacy FamilyTreeWebinar subscription to watch. [Affiliate link]
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.
Thank you, Virgil! It’s been a pleasure to help you find your ancestors, and to keep in touch all these years.
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.
Excellent addition, I will edit the article to include this information. I have seen similar examples.