In modern Dutch, the term bejaard means “senior” and a bejaarde is a senior citizen.
Before say 1800, the term bejaard or bejaerd was used to indicate that somebody had reached the age of majority. You can encounter the term in marriage records, which may call somebody an onbejaarde man [man who is not of age] or bejaerde dogter [woman/daughter who is of age].
Elderly women in Kollum, 1950. Credits: J.D. Noske, collection Nationaal Archief (CC-0)
About Yvette HoitinkYvette 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.
Yvette Hoitink, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist in the Netherlands who helps people find their Dutch ancestors. She is certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists and has a post-graduate diploma in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee.
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]