8 Ways To Find Your Ancestor’s Emigration Date

If your ancestors left the Netherlands to move to a different country, you may be wondering when they left. Here are eight strategies and sources to find out their emigration date.

1. Passenger lists

Perhaps the passenger list that documented their journey has survived. These can typically be found in the place of arrival. An example are the New York Passenger Lists at Castle Garden, 1820-1891 (FamilySearch).

Departure of an emigrant ship. Credits: Steenkamp, collection Nationaal Archief

2. Passage fees records

Sometimes, the shipping company kept a separate set of records of the passage fees. An example are the Holland America Line passage records, 1900-1969 (Stadsarchief Rotterdam).

3. Census records

Census records in the new country may give the year of arrival. If there is a list of children, you may be able to tell when the last one was born in the old country, and when the first one was born in the new country, which gives you an approximate date of emigration.

4. Naturalization papers

Naturalization papers in the country they moved to may list the date of arrival, and the ship on which they arrived. This can help you find their passenger records (see 1).

5. Church membership records

Church membership records in the place of origin may list their departure. Church membership records in the place of settlement may list their arrival.

6. Population registers

If your ancestors left the Netherlands after 1850, their population registers should include their date of departure.

7. Lists of emigrants

Between 1848 and 1877, municipalities compiled annual lists of emigrants. An index is available via the Nationaal Archief.

Emigrant list, 1868 (left page)

8. Build a timeline

If you cannot find any sources that mention an emigration date, build a timeline for the person. This should tell you when they last were in the Netherlands, and when they first were in the new country. That will give you the period in which they must have emigrated.

For an example of how to find the emigration date, see the blog post about Hiram Bauke Ferverda.