Ethnicity estimates can vary between companies. They have different algorithms, different reference populations, and define different regions. To show you what Dutch DNA could look like with the various companies, here are my own results. Based on my tree, I should be >99% Dutch, with a bit of German and French. I have some medieval lines from other countries in the 1200s and before, but the chances of me having inherited any of their DNA is minimal. My father's side is from Gelderland, … [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 – Check Both Archives For Civil Registration Records
20 May 2020 by 1 Comment
When civil registration records are created, two original copies are made. They are duplicate originals and both have the same legal standing. One is kept at the local level, and can now often be found in municipal or regional archives. The other is kept at the provincial level, originally in court houses but now in the archives in the provincial capital. It is worthwhile to check both archives for the records: One archive may have indexed the records while the other did not One … [Read more...]
Archives preparing to re-open
13 May 2020 by 2 Comments
Most archives in the country have closed their doors during the corona crisis. Archives are now preparing to re-open, often with restrictions on the number of visitors in the reading room and new seating plans and routes that allow patrons to keep their distance. I expect all archives to be open again by June 1st. Archives who offer scanning-on-demand will also restart that service (if they haven't already) though they may have to work through their backlog first and it may take longer … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for April 2020
8 May 2020 by 2 Comments
Here is an overview of the new sources, projects, and news about archives that were announced last month. Sources The Gelders Archief finished creating a finding aid for the Counts and Dukes of Gelre and Zutphen (1107-1543). The finding aid can be found at the Gelders Archief website and contains scans of many of the records. The charters of the city of Veere (1349-1784) have been transcribed. Check the news article (Dutch) for the links to the transcriptions on Google Drive and for the … [Read more...]
Virtual Pilgrim Event Leiden400 on 16 May
6 May 2020 by Leave a Comment
On Saturday May 16, the online opening of the Pilgrim Year Leiden400 will take place! The Pilgrims lived in Leiden from 1609 to 1620, when they left for America. Get to know Leiden during the virtual event, which will be in English. Take a city walk through the historic center, and meet people who will tell you about Leiden in the time of the Pilgrims. The tour will take you to: Museum of Ethnology Museum De Lakenhal, about the textile industry Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk, the Walloon … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Website War Lives
29 April 2020 by Leave a Comment
The website War Lives documents the lives of people during World War II using original records from the period. The website shows a time line for each person, and links to the sources that were used to compile the information. Sources include war graves, databases of prisoners in camps in the Netherlands and the East Indies, documentation about resistance groups, cards of people in Japanese internment camps in the Dutch East Indies, and lists of victims killed in concentration camps in … [Read more...]
Early Warning Signs: My LEGO Census
24 April 2020 by 6 Comments
I started doing genealogy when I was fifteen years old, but there were early warning signs. From about age 4 to 12, I loved playing with LEGOs. We had an old dining room table in the attic that was exactly 3x5 LEGO street plates large, that I used to build my LEGO city. Originally, I liked building the houses, but pretty soon I was making up whole stories in my LEGO city. I especially liked designing the city, thinking about which facilities would go where and where the houses would … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Achterhoek resources at Genealogiedomein
15 April 2020 by 1 Comment
The website Genealogiedomein has resources for research in the eastern part of Gelderland, the area known as the "Achterhoek." Available resources include: Transcribed church records before 1811 Transcribed civil registration records after 1811 Indexed census records Indexes or transcriptions of court records Indexes or transcriptions of tax records Indexes or transcriptions of notarial records Links to online scans on other websites. The resources are organized by … [Read more...]
Finding Maritime Ancestors from the Netherlands
10 April 2020 by Leave a Comment
People from the Netherlands have always lived with water. Many of our ancestors made a living from the sea: as sailors, marines, fishermen, or traders. Here are some websites and sources that can help you find your maritime ancestors. Websites VOC sailors, database of people who sailed on ships of the Dutch East India Company. West India Company muster rolls no longer survive. Marine personnel records at the National Archives, search indexes that start with "Marine." Note that many … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Blaeu atlas
8 April 2020 by Leave a Comment
I love to use old maps to see where my ancestors lived. One of the highlights in the history of cartography is the world atlas created by Willem Blaeu in 1662. Erfgoed Leiden, the archives in Leiden, have digitized their Blaeu atlas. You can browse the atlas via Bladeren door Blaeu [Browse Blaeu]. Klik the pink button "Start met Bladeren" to browse the atlas. You can filter by: album [volume] werelddeel [continent] land [country] plaats [town] The names of the geographic … [Read more...]
