Here is an overview of the new sources, websites, and projects that were announced last month. Sources Breda and the former municipalities now belonging to Breda have been added to HisGis, the historical geographic information system. The map viewer shows the plots and ownership in Breda in 1832. 1200 maps of Drenthe from the 1600s to 1900s can now be consulted at the Drents Archief website. The Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum added scans of the aldermen's court records of … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Nedersaksisch
3 August 2020 by Leave a Comment
Nedersaksisch is the Dutch word for Low Saxon, a language spoken in the north-east of the Netherlands and across the eastern border in Germany. It has different dialects, including Gronings (in Groningen), Drents (in Drenthe), Twents (east of Overijssel), and Achterhoeks (east of Gelderland). In 1998 it was recognized as an official regional language of the Netherlands, alongside Frisian and Limburgs. Most people who speak Nedersaksisch also speak standard Dutch, though sometimes with an … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Friesland Memorabilia
29 July 2020 by Leave a Comment
If you have ancestors from Friesland, you want to check out the website of Hessel de Walle: Memorabilia uit Friesland [Memorabilia from Friesland]. Hessel collects references to Frisian memorabilia with people's names on them, like mourning boards in churches, inscribed silverware, grave monuments, etc., and generously made his database available online. You can search the database in different ways: Gemeente - Municipality Plaats - Town Typen - Types Achternaam - Last name … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Pandemie
27 July 2020 by Leave a Comment
A pandemie is a pandemic. The 1918 Spanish flu pandemic hit the Netherlands pretty hard. About 38,000 people died. The province of Drenthe had the most cases. Here is an image of children going to school outdoors, in the dead of winter in 1918. … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Assess Online Trees and Other Publications
24 July 2020 by 3 Comments
Many of my research projects start with a survey of published literature: journals, books, and online trees. Here are five ways I assess the quality and reliability of these publications. Sources The first thing I look for are the sources: If the publication has no sources, there is no way to evaluate the quality of the underlying research. If the publication only lists other trees or published genealogies as sources, that implies the compiler did not do original research. If the … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Magazines and Journals at Delpher
22 July 2020 by 1 Comment
The website Delpher is famous for its newspapers, but also has a large collection of magazines and journals. This includes many trade and professional journals that have information about people in these occupations, such as teachers and farmers. The majority of the periodicals dates from the 1850s to 1950s. … [Read more...]
Quick tip – 98% of Dutch People have Immigrant Ancestors
15 July 2020 by 1 Comment
Did you know that an estimated 98% of people in the Netherlands have an immigrant ancestor somewhere in their trees in the past 500 years? They could be descendants of German laborers, French Huguenots, Swiss or Scottish mercenary soldiers, people from former Dutch colonies like Suriname, the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), or the Netherlands Antilles, or more recent immigrants like guest workers from Morocco or Turkey, or refugees from Iraq or Syria. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Mannelijke en Vrouwelijke Lijn
13 July 2020 by Leave a Comment
In Dutch, the mannelijke lijn is the male line, and the vrouwelijke lijn is the female line. Traditionally, many Dutch publications have focused on the male line only. Over the past few decades, it has become common to focus on both male and female lines, both in terms of descendants and ancestors. Most Dutch genealogists I know are researching their kwartierstaat, their ancestors in all the lines. People interested in the female line can join Mamamito, a Belgian research project that … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogical Abbreviations
10 July 2020 by 2 Comments
Here is a list of abbreviations you may come across during your research in the Netherlands. Abbreviation Full version English translation A.R.A. algemeen rijksarchief national archives (outdated term) aktenr. aktenummer record number B.R. Bevolkingsregister Population register B.S. burgerlijke stand civil registration B.S. Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten Domestic Armed Forces (resistance organization in World War … [Read more...]
Quick Tip – Unusual Name or Transcription Error?
8 July 2020 by 1 Comment
In my tree, I had one set of triplets: Gemma, Aeltjen, and Stijntjen, daughter of Jan Mengers. They were baptized in the Dutch Reformed Church of Winterswijk on 14 March 1702. I first learned about them in the transcribed records that I bought as a teenager and was excited about the special find. I descend from Aeltjen. I haven't been researching this line for a while, but the other day there was a social media post about twins, triplets, and other multiple births, and I shared my triplet … [Read more...]
