If you are researching immigrants, beware that immigrants often named towns after their place of origin, so there might be two or more places by that name, perhaps thousands of kilometers apart.
When a New Netherland records says “Haerlem,” did they mean Harlem in current-day New York or Haarlem in the Netherlands? If your Michigan ancestor was born in Holland, was he born in Holland, Michigan or somewhere in the Netherlands?
Studying the surrounding records can help, for example if you see that everybody who is from the Netherlands has a country or province included in their record.
Even in the Netherlands, there are several same-named towns. Examples:
- Hengelo: a town in Overijssel and Gelderland
- Geesteren: a town in Overijssel and Gelderland
- Alphen: a town in Zuid-Holland (Alphen aan den Rijn), Noord-Brabant and Gelderland
- Roosendaal: a town in Noord-Brabant, not to be confused with Rozendaal in Gelderland.
Detail of map of Michigan showing Holland, Zeeland, Vriesland and Groningen, 1873. Credits: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)
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Other examples in the Netherlands: Laren, Zuidwolde