The YouTube channel Defragged History just published the first episode of a series about Uncovering the Fascinating History of New Amsterdam: New York's Origin Story. The video, which is 70 minutes long, gives the historical context, including about the West India Company, Eighty Years' War, the Dutch Reformed Church, the Pilgrims, and many other topics that are relevant to understanding New Netherland history. I am impressed by the depth of the analysis, the beautiful images, and the humorous … [Read more...]
Map of the Week – Groningen, 1895
17 March 2025 by 1 Comment
This week, we are looking at a map of the city of Groningen from 1895. The map shows the streets in the center, the cemetery outside the wawlls, and the surrounding countryside. An inset map displays the changes between 1863 and 1888, when the city walls were demolished and new streets created on the southside of the city. Groningen was one of many places in the Netherlands where the old fortifications and town walls were demolished in the second half of the nineteenth century. Improvements … [Read more...]
New Additions To My Library
14 March 2025 by Leave a Comment
A large library gives a genealogist or historian strategic depth. It is where we can retreat to increase our understanding and sharpen our arguments. I have been doing genealogy since 1991 and have collected a large library, spread across the four floors of our house. Some items are directly related to genealogy, such as genealogical journals and publications, or research guides. I also have many books about history, including local history of places in the Netherlands and Dutch colonies or … [Read more...]
Map of the Week – Limburg, 1659
10 March 2025 by Leave a Comment
In 1659, the famous mapmaker Joan Blaeu published his world atlas Tooneel des Aardrycks [Display of the Realm of Earth]. The archives in Leiden have made their atlas available online. This week we are looking at Blaeu's map of the Duchy of Limburg. In the east, we can see the river Meuse [Maas in Dutch, "Mosa Fluvius" on the map] connecting the cities of Maastricht ("Maestricht") and Luik ("Luyck vel Liege"). Limburg is in the higher part of the Netherlands, so we see more woods and hills, … [Read more...]
New Netherland Ancestors Seminar
7 March 2025 by Leave a Comment
The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society is hosting a one-day virtual seminar about New Netherland ancestors on 2 May 2025. John Blythe Dobson will share how to discover New Netherland settlers in published sources, and how we are developing sketches fo rthe New Netherland Settlers project. I will be giving presentations about tracing New Netherland Ancestors in the Netherlands and researching enslaved and native people in and around New Netherland. For details, fees, and … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Vaandrig
5 March 2025 by Leave a Comment
A vaandrig is an ensign, the lowest officer rank in the army. From the 1800s, the term is more specifically used for officers-in-training. The rank was also used in civil militias. You may come across the term in a range of records, including military records, church records, and town records. … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for February 2025
28 February 2025 by Leave a Comment
Here is an overview of the new sources, websites, and other news of the past month. Sources Court records of several local courts in Groningen, mainly for the 1600-1811 period, are now available via FamilySearch. Birth, marriage, and death records of several municipalities in Noord-Brabant are now scanned and indexed and available via the Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum. These are mainly records that have become public in recent years. Several church records of Hoorn have been … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Herder
19 February 2025 by Leave a Comment
A herder usually is a shepherd. The term is also sometimes used for a cowherd, though that is more often called a koeherder. In areas with large moors, you may find this as an occupation for adults. Some farmers who had some some land that was not arable kept a few sheep and hired a young boy, a herdersjongen [shepherd boy] to herd them. … [Read more...]
Quick Tip- The Best Of Times, The Worst Of Times
12 February 2025 by 1 Comment
When researching ancestors we did not know personally, we rarely see them on an average day. We may see them at the best of times: when they get married, when they have a child, or when they receive a medal. Or we may see them at the worst of times: when they lose a child, when they go bankrupt, or are prosecuted for a crime. Average days typically do not create many records. If we are lucky, we might find a witness statement where they were going about their normal work when something … [Read more...]
Using Occam’s Razor in Genealogy
7 February 2025 by 1 Comment
Occam's Razor is a philosphical tool that helps you zoom in on the most likely explanation. A lot has been written about Occam's Razor, but it boils down to "the simpler explanation is usually correct." We can use this in genealogy in different ways: We can use Occam's Razor to determine the most likely hypothesis. If we find a combination of unusual circumstances, Occam's Razor tells us that a single cause that explains all events is more likely to be correct. This can allow us to … [Read more...]
