If you are researching a person, make sure to check the marriage supplements of any children who married after the introduction of the civil registration. The civil registration was introduced in 1811 in most parts of the Netherlands, and in 1795 in parts of Limburg and Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. Civil registration marriage records have marriage supplements, the records that the bride and groom had to submit to show their identity and eligibility to get married. These records often contain … [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.
Quick tip – Get the birth records of all children
23 November 2022 by 3 Comments
When you are researching a family during the time of the civil registration (after 1811 in most parts of the Netherlands), make sure to gather the birth records of all the children. They are usually easy to find since most of them have been indexed. Some things you can learn when you have the birth records of all the children: It will give you the family composition. I find it interesting to see what place a child had in its family. Was he the oldest son? He may have followed in his … [Read more...]
The Bizarre Borders of Baarle
18 November 2022 by Leave a Comment
If you look at a modern map of Baarle-Nassau in Noord-Brabant, you will see something weird. Lots of areas are marked in red. These areas are not part of Baarle-Nassau, but of Baarle-Hertog, a municipality in Belgium. There are little bits of Belgium in the Netherlands part, and little bits of the Netherlands in the Belgian part. In total, there are 30 enclaves (territory surrounded by another nation's territory), of which 22 belong to Belgium's Baarle-Hertog (H on the map below) and 8 belong to … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Tax for owners or residents?
9 November 2022 by Leave a Comment
There are different types of real estate taxes: those for owners, and those for residents. Some tax registers have one, some the other, and some have both. Understanding which is which can be a vital clue to research your ancestors. If your ancestors owned real estate, that can prompt research into land records. If your ancestors were tenants, you can still check land records in case they owned property at a different time or in a different place. But if you cannot find them, that explains … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for October 2022
4 November 2022 by Leave a Comment
This is an overview of new sources, projects, and websites that were announced last month. Sources The town records of Baarle-Nassau, Chaam, and Diessen before 1811 have been scanned and are availble via the finding aids at the Regional Archives of Tilburg website (see links at bottom). The Regional Archives of Tilburg has made several old movies of the Tilburg region available via their image bank. Two Frisian newspapers are now available via the Súdwest-Fryslân municipal archives: … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Expand the scope
2 November 2022 by 3 Comments
When you get stuck, you can expand the scope of your research to increase the chances of finding relevant evidence. Here are some different ways to expand the scope: Research more people: the children of your brick wall ancestor, known siblings, spouses (if they were married multiple times), neighbors and other associates Research the property they owned or rented, to find out how and when it got into the family and where it went next. Expand your geographic area. People often created … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Many people were convicted of crimes
26 October 2022 by 1 Comment
In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, you may be surprised to find how many of your ancestors were convicted of a crime or misdemeanor by the courts, and how many had to serve a prison sentence. Many things for which the police would just give a ticket today were brought before the court. Poor people often received a (short) prison sentence instead of a fine, or would be sent to prison if they did not pay a fine. Some examples of crimes my poor ancestors were convicted of: … [Read more...]
Webinar: Dutch–Australian Shared Cultural Heritage program
17 October 2022 by Leave a Comment
Tip! The National Archives of Australia is hosting a webinar about Dutch-Australian immigration. With support from the Embassy of The Kingdom of the Netherlands, over 500 records have now been digitised and accessible online. When: Monday 7 November 2022, 10:00 am – 11:00 am AEDT. For more information and registration see Eventbrite. … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Understand the Administrative History
12 October 2022 by 1 Comment
To find records, it helps to understand the administrative history of the record creators involved. A few examples from my own research: If you are researching an ancestor involved in a legal dispute, you have to know which court held jurisdiction over such cases, and where they would go for appeals, plus any changes in these jurisdictions or rights. If your ancestor was a tenant of an abbey in the sixteenth century, knowing that the abbey was dissolved during the Reformation and that … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for September 2022
7 October 2022 by Leave a Comment
Here is an overview of all the new sources, news, and projects announced last month. Sources 60,000 birth records from the Gouda region have been added to the Middle Holland Regional Archives website. The information is also available at Open Archives. Indexes of church records and notarial records for several towns in east North-Brabant have been added to the Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum website. Several records regarding the creation of the province of Flevoland have been … [Read more...]
