As you probably know, Dutch children were usually named after family members. If one of your brick wall ancestors had an unusual name, or gave one of their children an unusual name, it might be worthwhile to look who else in the community shared that name. You can then investigate that person’s family to see if your brick wall ancestors fits in somehow. The other person could well be a grandparent, aunt, uncle, godparent, but could also be the landlord. They may have left records of their own that mention your ancestor and can help to prove the identity of that person’s parents.
A rare name can also provide indirect evidence of parentage. For an example, see the Case study: Working with Farm Names, where I used the rare name “Zeijne” as evidence for the identification of parents. Names alone don’t amount to proof, but they can help to build a case.
Clothes label of an abandoned child. Collection Amsterdam Museum (Public Domain)
About Yvette Hoitink
