Aanwas means increase. The term can often be found in reference to increase in land because of river deposits. Laws specified who owned the aanwas. Sometimes neighbors argued about the rights to the newly created land, for example if one property owner lost land because of erosion while his neighbor gained land due to deposits. These conflicts can create civil court records, sometimes including old maps showing the disputed land. … [Read more...]
Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 15 – Barbara Peter Goijaert Pulskens
15 February 2019 by 6 Comments
This is the sixteenth post in a series about my possible line of descent from Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the first post, I explained how I discovered the possible line, and how I am going to verify it one generation at a time. In the last post, I proved that my eleventh great-grandfather Laureijs Denis Colen was the son of Denijs Laureijs Colen and Barbara Peter Goijaert Pulskens. Barbara Peter Goijaert Pulskens, daughter of Claesken Peters die Paep Research into Laureijs' parents already turned … [Read more...]
Yvette Hoitink to speak at MyHeritage Live in Amsterdam, 6-8 September 2019
13 February 2019 by Leave a Comment
Great news! MyHeritage just announced they will hold their annual MyHeritage Live conference in Amsterdam this year! I have been invited to give a presentation about Dutch genealogy (specific topic to be announced). There will also be a DNA track and various other presentations about genealogy and MyHeritage. I heard from several people who went to the Oslo event last year that it was fantastic, and am excited to be part of this year's conference. The conference will be held at the Hilton … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Kaartenbak
11 February 2019 by Leave a Comment
A kaartenbak is a card catalog. Creating card catalogs was the popular way to index genealogical records before the computer age. Not all kaartenbakken have been made available online, so a quick survey of the available catalogs in a reading room is a good first step in a research plan. Archives often use one of three strategies to make this information available online: Using the card catalog for database entry. This creates a digital version of the catalog that is fully searchable. … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for January 2019
8 February 2019 by 1 Comment
Here is an overview of the new sources, projects, and news about archives that were announced last month. Online sources The Digital Charter Bank Netherlands has launched. It contains over 170,000 charters from the Middle Ages through to the 1800s from archives throughout the Netherlands. Summaries are provided for most charters, some have scans as well. The Utrechts Archief published data on almost 100,000 railway workers from the period 1836-1920. The Utrechts Archief has the records … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Was the Index Scanned?
6 February 2019 by Leave a Comment
Long before computer databases were invented, people created indexes. Examples of such "manual" indexes include: A list of names at the end of a book or register An index volume (repertorium) with abstracts of records created by a notary A list of grantors and grantees in the back of a deed register A register with muster roll numbers of soldiers in a regiment A list of incoming and outgoing letters of a government agency, organized by sender or recipient A card catalog … [Read more...]
Sources for researching people in the 1900s
1 February 2019 by 4 Comments
Researching people in the 1900s in the Netherlands can be hard because of privacy regulations. Records of people born less than 100 years ago are usually restricted. Here are some other options for research. Family papers Your family may have papers about recent family members, such as marriage booklets or prayer cards. Newspapers Check the newspaper website Delpher for newspaper articles. Births, marriages, and deaths were always announced by the municipality in the newspaper, though … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Tweeling
28 January 2019 by Leave a Comment
The Dutch word tweeling (literally: two-ling) means twins. Similarly, drieling means triplets, vierling means quadruplets, vijfling means quintuplets, and zesling means sextuplets. The word tweeling is used for the set of twins. There is no singular Dutch word for a twin. You can say "ik heb een tweelingbroer" [I have a twin brother], "ik heb een tweelingzus" [I have a twin sister] or a parent can say "ik heb een tweeling" [I have twins]. You can also say "Ik ben één van een tweeling" [I am … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Patronymics May Not Be Easy to Recognize
23 January 2019 by 1 Comment
Sometimes it's hard to see the difference between a patronymic and a middle name. One of my ancestors, Hendrik Jan Smulders was called "Jan" because his father was named Jan. At that time, people in Tilburg didn't use a genitive form to indicate patronymics so it's difficult to see if "Jan" is a middle name or a patronymic. In other regions and times, the name might have been Jans, Jansen, Janssen, Janse, or Jansse, which more clearly define it as a patronymic. Another situation where a … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Schutterij
21 January 2019 by Leave a Comment
The schutterij is the citizen militia responsible for the defense of the town. In times of war, they could be called up to defend the country. Schutterijen existed throughout the Netherlands from at least the 1500s. Regulations for the schutterijen were standardized in 1814. Male residents between the ages of 18 and 50 (from 1827: between 25 and 34) were elligible to serve. By law, 600 schutters were required per 20,000 residents. Schutterijen existed until 1901. Records for schutters can … [Read more...]
