If you are researching an ancestor who was born in the 1800s, you might assume that all their records are public because they were born more than 100 years ago. But that may not be the case. If your ancestor married after 1942, their marriage record is not public yet. Similarly, court records, notarial records, prison records, and many other records have a 75-year limit before they become public. If your ancestor died after 1967, their death record is not public yet. An example is my … [Read more...]
Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my ancestor? Generation 6 – Dorothea Smulders
18 May 2018 by 2 Comments
This is the seventh 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 second great-grandfather Gerardus van den Heuvel was the son of Dorothea Smulders and Gerardus van den Heuvel. Dorothea Smulders, daughter of Laurens Smulders The birth, marriage, and death records of Gerardus van den Heuvel (generation 5) … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Gracht
14 May 2018 by 3 Comments
A gracht is a canal, usually in a city. Merchants liked living on the grachten since it made it easy to get their supplies delivered to them. The grachten were often the wealthiest parts of town, and also attracted other well-to-do families. Grachten also drained the water from the surrounding area. The Amsterdam grachtengordel [canal belt] is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for April 2018
11 May 2018 by 2 Comments
Here is an overview of the new sources, projects, and news about archives that were announced last month. Online records The Rotterdam City Archives have made the information about 1.2 million people in the population registers for 1850-1930 available via Archieven.nl. The information was entered by volunteers at Vele Handen. The Amsterdam City Archives published an index and scans of the population registers of municipalities that have been annexed by Amsterdam for the period … [Read more...]
Quick tip – NGS Recordings Now Available for Purchase
10 May 2018 by Leave a Comment
Last week, I attended the National Genealogical Society Family History Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I gave three presentations. These recordings and those of many other speakers are now available for puchase via PlayBackNGS. My recordings: "Dutch Genealogy 101: Finding Your Ancestor From the Netherlands" "For Family, Faith, and Fortune: Emigration from the Netherlands in the 1800s" "Dear Me: Writing Research Reports to Yourself" Other topics relevant to Dutch … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Boekhandelaar
7 May 2018 by Leave a Comment
A boekhandelaar is a book trader or bookstore owner. Until recent times, a large part of the population was illiterate and book traders could only be found in larger cities. Many book traders were also publishers. Estate inventories in notarial records can show us if our ancestors owned any books, sometimes including the titles. … [Read more...]
Commemorating the Dead
4 May 2018 by 9 Comments
On 5 May 1945, the Germans capitulated and World War II was over for the people of the Netherlands. Every year on the fifth of May, we celebrate our freedom. But before we can celebrate, we need to commemorate. Because our freedom came at a price. About 200,000 Dutch men, women, and children lost their lives during World War II. More than 100,000 Dutch Jews were murdered in the death camps in Eastern Europe. Other victims include Roma, Sinti, and people persecuted for their sexual … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Donderdag
3 May 2018 by Leave a Comment
Donderdag is the Dutch term for Thursday. … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Don’t Confuse Cousins, Nieces, and Nephews
30 April 2018 by 6 Comments
In Dutch, the word neef can mean either nephew or male cousin, while the word nicht can mean either niece or female cousin. Automatic translators sometimes translate the terms with nephew and niece only, which can lead you to the wrong conclusion about family relationships. … [Read more...]
Five Places to Find Dutch Trees
27 April 2018 by 2 Comments
When you're researching a new family, finding out what has already been published is a good first step. This includes finding online trees. Websites with Dutch trees FamilyTreeSeeker. Search engine that searches many Dutch online trees, including those published on people's own websites. GenealogieOnline. Most popular place for Dutch people to publish their trees. MyHeritage. MyHeritage is growing in popularity in the Netherlands, thanks to their free FamilyTreeBuilder software that … [Read more...]
