This week we are looking at a map showing the border between Rijnland, Utrecht, and Amstelland in 1567. It was a copy from The map is oriented with the north toward the left. Most of the map shows the border between Rijnland (in green) and the Sticht Utrecht (in yellow). These areas all had their own water boards, managing the dikes in their respective areas. The map shows the towns along the border, and indicates which polders belonged to which jurisdiction. Maps like this can help … [Read more...]
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Map of the week – Border between Rijnland, Utrecht, Amstelland, 1567
8 September 2025 by Leave a Comment
Map of the Week – Railroad Arnhem-Zwolle, 1857
1 September 2025 by Leave a Comment
This week we are looking at a map planning the railroad from Arnhem to Zwolle in 1857. The map shows the planned trajectory and stations. This map can be found in record group 4.WCA at the National Archives, which holds the records for the Department of Public Works and its predecessors 1814-1940. The record group has maps of public works like roads, railroads, dikes, mines, airports, etc. The arrival of a railroad in a town could have affected our ancestors' lives in different … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for August 2025
29 August 2025 by Leave a Comment
Here is an overview of the new online sources, projects, and other news of the past month. Sources The notarial records of Haarlem and surrounding municipalities 1570-1810 are now full-text searchable. The records have been transcribed using handwritten text recognition, a type of artificial intelligence trained to read Dutch manuscripts. The Westfries Archief is now offering their building plans in their region in an interactive viewer. You have to zoom in to see the markers for houses … [Read more...]
Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 28 – Marie of France
20 August 2025 by 9 Comments
This is the twenty-ninth 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 twenty-fourth great-grandmother Marie of Champagne, countess of Flanders, was the daughter of Marie of France, countess of Champagne. Biography Marie of France was born in March or April 1145, the daughter of Louis VII of France and … [Read more...]
Ask Yvette – Difference between Huguenot and Walloon
13 August 2025 by 2 Comments
Several people have asked me what the difference is between a Huguenot and Walloon. Huguenots Huguenots were protestants from France in the 1500s and 1600s. Protestants were persecuted in France from the start of the Reformation in the early 1500s to 1598, when the Edict of Nantes promised them religious freedom, and again after 1685, when the Edict of Nantes was revoked, until 1789, when the French Revolution reintroduced freedom of religion. Many Huguenots went to the northern … [Read more...]
New Netherland (generated) Transcriptions
8 August 2025 by Leave a Comment
I have used handwritten text recognition to automatically transcribe a series of legal records of New Amsterdam, the former name of New York City while under Dutch rule. The records are now full-text searchable via New Netherland Sources. The following records are available: Burgomasters & Schepens, Volume 1: Powers of attorney, acknowledgements, indentures, inventories, deeds and conveyances, March 1653-November 1655 Burgomasters & Schepens, Volume 2: Register of mortgages, … [Read more...]
Upcoming Talk – Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor?
1 August 2025 by 3 Comments
I will be giving a presentation for Legacy Family Tree Webinars on 20 August 2025: "Was Eleanor of Aquitaine My Ancestor? Applying the GPS across 30 Generations." When I found a line to Eleanor of Aquitaine (1124-1204), Queen of France and England, in online trees, I quickly realized the existing research did not meet standards. I set about verifying the line one generation at a time, to meet the Genealogical Proof Standard. In this presentation, I will take you on my journey, sharing the … [Read more...]
Map of the Week – Local Militias, 1887
28 July 2025 by Leave a Comment
This 1887 map shows the local militias ("schutterijen") for each municipality. Local militias were responsible for the defense of the municipality in case of trouble. Larger municipalities, marked with diagonal red hatching, had active local militias. The men serving in these militias would get regular training and exercises and could be called up at any time to help keep order. Other municipalities had inactive or resting militias. These men were reserves. They could be called up in … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for July 2025
25 July 2025 by Leave a Comment
Here is an overview of the latest sources, projects, and other news about Dutch genealogy. Sources All notarial records from the city of Utrecht 1560-1811 are now available via the Utrechts Archief. The records have been scanned and indexed. An index of baptisms of Gouda (1719-1736, 1756-1798) is now available via Genealogie Rijnland. An index of orphan chamber records from Woerden 1623-1653 is now available via Genealogie Rijnland. Various transcriptions of tax records from … [Read more...]
Map of the Week – Utrecht, 1659
21 July 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 province of Utrecht. The map shows that its largest city was the same-named Utrecht. The map shows a great difference in geography in the east and west of the province. The east is higher, with more woods. The lower land in the west has been drained and turned into … [Read more...]
