Newspapers sometimes announced important events in our ancestors' lives. Knowing that an event took place can lead you to other records. Examples: A family announcement may lead you to birth, marriage, or death records. An announcement of a public auction of real or personal goods may alert you to possible notarial records. A call for creditors to come forward may alert you to a bankruptcy. A notice by a company that someone is no longer their agent may alert you to company … [Read more...]
About this website
Creating a website like this is a fun activity. There are so many options, so many choices. What do visitors want? What do I want? In this blog I will describe some of the things I encounter in developing and maintaining this website.
Dutch Genealogy News for December 2023
8 December 2023 by Leave a Comment
Here is an overview of all the new sources, websites, and other news of the past month. Sources The Red Cross Archives about Forced Laborers in World War II have been scanned and indexed. The records can be searched via the Nationaal Archief. Unfortunately, not all records survived so the index does not include all Dutch persons who were forced to work in Germany during the war. 6000 photos of the water board De Dommel can now be viewed at the website of the Brabants Historisch … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Follow up on unusual death places
29 November 2023 by Leave a Comment
If your ancestors died in a place where they did not live, there could be a story there. Perhaps they were committed to a mental hospital, like Thomas Cammenga or Gerrit Jan van Nijkerken. Perhaps they met with an accident, like Adriaan Marijnissen. Perhaps they were in jail, or visiting relatives. You can check the links articles for examples of how you can approach such research. … [Read more...]
New Dutch Evidence for the Missing Princes in the Tower
24 November 2023 by 3 Comments
In 2012, Philippa Langley stunned the world by leading the successful search for the body of King Richard III of England. One mystery remained to be solved: the fate of Richard's nephews, Edward and Richard; the sons of his older brother King Edward IV, and pretenders to the throne. They were last reported in the Tower of London in 1483, aged 12 and 9. Some argued the boys were killed by their uncle, while others argued they escaped or died of natural causes. Centuries of biased reporting from … [Read more...]
The 10 Most Important Record Groups for Dutch Research
17 November 2023 by Leave a Comment
Here are the ten record groups I use for virtually any research project where I want to know more than just names, dates, and places. When you find an ancestor in a new-to-you place, try finding out where all of these records are kept. See the post on Which archive keeps the records of your Dutch ancestor to learn how to find the archives for a particular place. Many of these records have been scanned and indexed and can be consulted on the websites of the archives where they are kept, at … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for October 2023
10 November 2023 by Leave a Comment
This is an overview of the new sources, projects, and other news that was announced last month. Sources Regionaal Archief Zutphen is indexing the church membership records of Brummen, Hall, Gorssel, Laren, Lochem, Warnsveld and Zutphen. Each Thursday, the newly entered entries are added to their ancestor database. The society Veluwse Geslachten has made 37 publications, mostly transcriptions of church records of various places in north-west Gelderland, available for free to their … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Spelling variations
1 November 2023 by Leave a Comment
In the past, there was no concept of official spelling. Do not rule out that a record is for your person just because their name is not spelled the way you think it should have been. In the Netherlands, spelling of surnames should have been fixed since 1811, but errors occurred even later. We tend to think of the written word as the canonical version, but in the past it was the spoken word. The written version was just a derivative. And don't forget that many of our ancestors were illiterate … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Find Notarial Records in the Netherlands
27 October 2023 by 1 Comment
Notarial records are some of the richest sources of information about our ancestors' lives. They may contain wills, estate inventories, contracts, sales, and a range of other voluntary legal transactions. They are an important source for researching emigrants from the Netherlands. Many people went by a notary before leaving, for example to enter into a work contract or give a power of attorney to handle their affairs. Emigrants can still appear in notarial records after departure, if they owned … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Burials under name of husband or father
18 October 2023 by Leave a Comment
Many burial registers and related registers like burial fees registers recorded entries under the name of the head of household. Entries might be for the wife of Jan Claesz, or the child of Pieter Willems. If you cannot find a married woman in a burial register, check under her husband's name. If you cannot find an unmarried person, such as a minor child, in a burial register, check under their father's name. … [Read more...]
The Genealogical Unproof Standard for Brick Walls
13 October 2023 by 4 Comments
I think the term "brick wall" is used too easily for any ancestor where you don't know the parents. I think you shouldn't call someone a brick wall ancestor unless you gave it your best shot. Many genealogists are familiar with the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS), as formulated by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. The GPS as has five components: Reasonably exhaustive research Complete and accurate source citations Careful analysis and correlation of evidence … [Read more...]
