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). 2. Passage fees records Sometimes, the shipping company kept a separate set of … [Read more...]
About Yvette Hoitink
Yvette 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.
Map of the week – Vlissingen, 1750
12 May 2025 by Leave a Comment
This week we are looking at a map of Vlissingen (Flushing) in Zeeland in 1750. The map is part of a series of topographical maps created by Anthonie and David Willem Coutry Hattinga. The Austrian War of Succession (1740-1748), during which the French invaded the southern Netherlands, created a demand for accurate maps of the border area. The Hattinga brothers received a commission to survey the province of Zeeland. The map shows the fortified harbor town of Vlissingen on the island of … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Middenstand
7 May 2025 by Leave a Comment
The middenstand is the middle class. Middenstanders are typically self-employed. Historically, most Dutch people who were considered middle class were either business owners or had a trade. Aunt Piet Trouw (in white apron) before her shop in Princenhage (public domain) … [Read more...]
Map of the Week – Doetinchem Destruction in World War II
5 May 2025 by Leave a Comment
This week we are looking at a map of Doetinchem, created between 1946 and 1961. It shows the damage to buildings during World War II. The map was created to inform the plans to rebuild the town center. Red: destroyed Blue: heavy damage Yellow: light damage. Doetinchem was one of several towns in the Netherlands that was bombed during the war. Doetinchem was targeted by allied bombs three times: on 19, 21, and 23 March 1945. 120 buildings in the center were destroyed, and 170 … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for April 2025
30 April 2025 by Leave a Comment
Here is an overview of all the new sources, websites, and news from archives that came out in the past month. Sources Death Duties Files of Brabant 1903-1927 have been digitized and indexed and can be searched at the Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum website. Catholic baptisms, marriages, and burials, and marriage duties registers of Hoorn have been indexed and are now available via the West-Fries Archief. Leiden police reports from World War II (1940-1945) can now be consulted … [Read more...]
Map of the Week – Eminent Domain for The Hague, 1913
28 April 2025 by Leave a Comment
This map shows the plans for a new railroad connection for the municipal slaughterhouse in The Hague in 1913. To build the new railroad, several pieces of land had to be acquired by the government via eminent domain. The land in question is marked in brown, future developments of the area in salmon pink, the existing waterways are in light green, and the new waterways in teal. If your ancestors owned land and were dispossessed by the government, this could have left interesting records. You … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Paus
22 April 2025 by Leave a Comment
A paus is a pope. Up until recent decades, about half of the Dutch population, especially in the southern half of the Netherlands, was Catholic. The Netherlands has only ever supplied one pope: pope Adrian VI (1459-1523), who served as pope for 20 months until his death. … [Read more...]
Map of the Week – Graves in Wons, 1831
21 April 2025 by 1 Comment
This week we are looking at a rare type of map, showing the graves in the churchyard of Wons in 1831. Wons is a small village in the west of the province of Friesland. This map was probably created as a result of the 1829 law forbidding burials in churches or the built-up area of a town. The law required each town with a population over 1000 to designate a cemetery outside the town proper. The map shows the locations of the graves around the church, and gives a list of names of owners of … [Read more...]
12 ways to use tax records to prove relationships
18 April 2025 by Leave a Comment
If people needed it or enjoyed it, there probably was a tax on it. Here are twelve ways I have used tax records to prove relationships between people. 1. Time of death Some taxes were registered every year. I have used real estate tax records that list when the previous owner died. In places without burial registers, this can help to rule that person in or out as a prospective parent. For example, if a marriage record mentioned that the parents were deceased, but the tax records show a … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Echtelijke Staat
16 April 2025 by Leave a Comment
Echtelijke Staat means marital status. You may come across the term in some pre-printed forms, like prison registers or military service records. Possible answers are: Gehuwd (married) Ongehuwd (unmarried/single) Weduwe (widow) Weduwnaar (widower) Gescheiden (divorced). … [Read more...]
