Here is a list of abbreviations you may come across during your research in the Netherlands. Abbreviation Full version English translation A.R.A. algemeen rijksarchief national archives (outdated term) aktenr. aktenummer record number B.R. Bevolkingsregister Population register B.S. burgerlijke stand civil registration B.S. Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten Domestic Armed Forces (resistance organization in World War … [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 – Unusual Name or Transcription Error?
8 July 2020 by 1 Comment
In my tree, I had one set of triplets: Gemma, Aeltjen, and Stijntjen, daughter of Jan Mengers. They were baptized in the Dutch Reformed Church of Winterswijk on 14 March 1702. I first learned about them in the transcribed records that I bought as a teenager and was excited about the special find. I descend from Aeltjen. I haven't been researching this line for a while, but the other day there was a social media post about twins, triplets, and other multiple births, and I shared my triplet … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for June 2020
3 July 2020 by Leave a Comment
Here is an overview of the new sources, projects, and news about archives that were announced last month. Sources The National Archives launched a beta version of their new presentation of archives, which includes millions of new scans. See the blog post for more information and instructions on how to participate. The Rotterdam City Archives added almost 400,000 scans and indexes of birth, marriage, and death records from the 1800s and early 1900s from Rotterdam and the surrounding … [Read more...]
National Archive Launched New Presentation (Beta)
1 July 2020 by Leave a Comment
The National Archives just launched the beta version of its new catalog to search and view their records. This happens to be a project I have been working on myself, in the one day per week I do IT projects for archives. I have been managing the migration of 14 million scans from the new system to the old, and consulting on building the new presentation which will have 30 million scans by the official launch. The beta already provides access to millions of new scans. Try the new … [Read more...]
Quick tip – It’s All About the Dash
24 June 2020 by Leave a Comment
When we research our ancestors, it's easy to focus on the vital events. When was a person born, when did they marry, when did they die? If we're not careful, this reduces our ancestors to names and dates. Take my ancestor Johannes Marijnissen (1806–1844), for example. That dash between his birth and death date represents a full, though short, life. A life in which he went to school long enough to be able to write, married, lost his mother, had children, lost a child, lost his wife, married … [Read more...]
Accessing Records that are Not Public Yet
19 June 2020 by Leave a Comment
Dutch privacy laws are strict and restrict access to recent records. Sometimes, it may be necessary to consult these records because you are researching a person who was born less than 100 years ago, or because you need your own or your families' records for legal purposes. I have written an article on how to obtain certified copies of birth, marriage, and death records. This article will focus on accessing non-public records in a reading room. Why are records restricted? There can be … [Read more...]
Dutch Research that Can (and Can’t) be done Online
12 June 2020 by 3 Comments
People don't always realize how many Dutch records are already available online. I do most of the research for my own family and for clients online. Even before most archives closed because of corona, I only had to go to the archives a couple of times per year despite being a full-time researcher. Here is an overview of the record types and their typical online availability. The links lead to articles that give more information about the records. Can usually be found online Civil … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for May 2020
5 June 2020 by Leave a Comment
Here is an overview of the new sources, projects, and news about archives that were announced last month. Sources The Drents Archief finished digitizing the notarial records from Drenthe in the 1800s. Some of them are already indexed and can be searched at AlleDrenten. The scans of the unindexed records can be consulted via the finding aids at the Drents Archief website. Detailed city plans from the 1950s have been added to the image bank of the Cultural Heritage Service. The images may … [Read more...]
Top 10 Dutch genealogy websites
27 May 2020 by 16 Comments
There are thousands of sites that are helpful for researching your ancestors from the Netherlands. This list contains my 10 favorites. I have limited this list to websites that would be useful for people who don't speak Dutch, which means they are either available in English or self-explanatory. … [Read more...]
Quick Tip – Living People are not Easy to Find
27 May 2020 by 2 Comments
Because of strict privacy rules in the Netherlands, living people are not easy to find. In general, records of people born less than 100 years ago are not public. Here are some sources for researching people in the 1900s that may help you to find living relatives. Another option is to take a DNA test. Because Dutch people are careful of their privacy and most already have pretty complete trees, DNA testing is not that popular. See the Dutch DNA testing strategy for tips on maximizing your … [Read more...]
