In December 2016, I wrote a case study "Griete Smit's Parentage: Proof in the Absence of Vital Records" that appeared in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. The case study showed how I researched Griete Smit’s family and neighbors to prove who her parents were. Griete Smit lived in the Dutch town of Bredevoort in the early 1600s, during the Eighty Years’ War. The case study teaches about the types of records that are available for that time and place, and about using local traditions … [Read more...]
Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 3: Johannes Marijnissen
16 February 2018 by 3 Comments
This is the fourth 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 mother was the daughter of Johannes Marijnissen and Catharina Flooren. Johannes Marijnissen, son of Cornelia Francisca van den Heuvel Researching my mother showed her father was Johannes Marijnissen, born in Breda on 11 November 1918. She … [Read more...]
Advice Association of Municipalities: Take Family Cards Offline
10 February 2018 by 2 Comments
Last week, I recommended downloading population registers from the 1900s while you can. This week, the Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeentes [Society of Municipalities in the Netherlands] issued an official recommendation to archives and municipalities to take the family cards for the period 1921-1940 offline, followed by the advice of the archives association BRAIN to limit the public availability of these records to 110 years, so my advice is even more urgent now. These cards are part of the … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Register for the NGS conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan now
7 February 2018 by Leave a Comment
The National Genealogical Society Family History Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan (2-5 May 2018) will feature several Dutch topics. Dutch Genealogy's Yvette Hoitink will be there as a speaker. Register now for a chance to meet other people with Dutch roots and to learn more about tracing your Dutch ancestors, and many other topics. For the full program and registration, see the NGS conference website. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Gezin
5 February 2018 by 4 Comments
A gezin is a nuclear family, consisting of a couple and their children. Other family members who lived in the same household can be considered part of the gezin too. … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for January 2018
2 February 2018 by Leave a Comment
Here is an overview of the new sources, projects, and news about archives that were announced last month. Sources Notarial records of Tilburg from 1926-1935 (except wills) and all the public notarial records of Oosterhout from 1612 to 1935 are now available at the Regional Archives Tilburg website. Church records of various municipalities in Limburg and the neighboring German area were published on GenBronnen. The municipality of Deventer has published 4,000 photos of the department … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Download Population Registers from the 1900s While You Can
31 January 2018 by 9 Comments
In May 2018, a new data protection law (AVG) will go into effect in the Netherlands. This is causing many archives to reconsider their privacy policies. Some archives have published population registers from the period 1918-1939 online, and are now taking them offline again since these may contain information about living people. The Apeldoorn CODA archives have already done so. Unfortunately, that will also limit access to the information about people who are deceased, which is the majority … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Emigrants in the 1800s came from poor areas
24 January 2018 by 8 Comments
If your ancestors left the Netherlands in the 1800s, chances are that they came from poor areas of the Netherlands such as East-Groningen, Friesland, Gelderland, Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, Limburg, or East-Brabant. These agricultural communities were hit hardest when the potato famine struck in the 1840s, and later when cheap American grain flooded the market. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Vrij
22 January 2018 by Leave a Comment
Vrij means "free," as in freedom. You may encounter the word vrij in different contexts in genealogical records: A vrije persoon [free person] was someone who was not enslaved and who was not a serf. A vrij goed [free property] was a property (typically a farm) that did not have feudal obligations. Vrij van belasting [free of taxes] means that no taxes were levied on the goods. … [Read more...]
Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 2: Els Marijnissen
19 January 2018 by 4 Comments
This is the third 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 I am indeed the daughter of my mother, Els Marijnissen. Els Marijnissen, daughter of Johannes Marijnissen My grandfather Johannes Marijnissen, called Jan, is the earliest generation I knew personally. My grandparents lived just a few blocks from … [Read more...]
