Sometimes, you will encounter the term alhier and elders in a record to indicate a place of origin or residence. These are not place names, but mean "in this location" and "somewhere else," respectively. Hattip to Ellee Brooks who gave the "elders" tip in a comment. … [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 March 2019
5 April 2019 by 1 Comment
Here is an overview of the new sources, projects, and news about archives that were announced last month. Online sources "Time machines" for various towns in Friesland (Leeuwarden, Sneek, Sloten, Balk, Joure) were added to HisGis. This geographical information system allows you to see who owned which properties through time. Zelandia Illustrata, a collection of the Royal Zeeland Society of Science, has been digitized and published online. The collection contains maps, prints and … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Is that an every-name index?
27 March 2019 by Leave a Comment
Not all indexes include everybody in the record. Examples of indexes that miss people are: Indexes of baptisms, that include the child and parents but not the witnesses Indexes of deeds, that only index the grantor but not the grantee, or list both the grantor and grantee, but not the neighbors mentioned in the record Indexes of wills, that only include the first testator, but not the spouse. Why indexes may be incomplete Indexing is time-consuming, and there's far more … [Read more...]
Column – Digital Correspondence
22 March 2019 by 1 Comment
"National Archivist wants to store emails and WhatsApp messages," was the headline of the Volkskrant newspaper on 2 January after an interview with National Archivist Marens Engelhard. The records that became public that day were all made of paper, but going forward, digital correspondence also needs to be preserved. Emails of civil servants working on important files—even the WhatsApp messages about the acquisition of Rembrandt paintings. Article 1 of the Archive Law defines archival records … [Read more...]
Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 16 – Claesken Peters die Paep
15 March 2019 by 6 Comments
This is the seventeenth 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 twelfth great-grandmother Barbara Peter Goijaert Pulskens was the daughter of Peter Goijaert Pulskens and Claesken Peters die Paep. Claesken Peters die Paep, daughter of Barbara Willems Pijlijser Research into Barbara Peter Goijaert … [Read more...]
Quick Tip – Browse the Whole Book
13 March 2019 by Leave a Comment
When you're researching a family, indexes may help you to find the exact record you need. But it can be worthwhile to browse the whole book. Here are some things I learned from browsing the whole book: I've found records of my ancestors that I didn't find in the index, either because the name was spelled differently in the record, or because the indexer made a mistake. My ancestors were mentioned as the owners of neighboring property in many deeds that were only indexed by the buyer … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for February 2019
8 March 2019 by Leave a Comment
Here is an overview of the new sources, projects, and news about archives that were announced last month. Online sources Over 50,000 people from the eastern part of Gelderland have been added to the index of notarial records of the Erfgoedcentrum Achterhoek en Liemers. This includes records from places with high numbers of emigration, such as Aalten, Lichtenvoorde, Neede, and Winterswijk. Abstracts of the charters and records of the St. Pieter chapter in Utrecht (1040-1528) are now … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Transfer your DNA to Other Companies
27 February 2019 by Leave a Comment
If you have recent Dutch ancestors, you may not have a lot of matches when you take a DNA test since DNA testing is not that popular in the Netherlands. To increase your chances of finding Dutch cousins, transfer your DNA results to other websites such as MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, and GedMatch. Testing at Ancestry and 23andMe can also increase your chances of finding matches, since those companies don't accept uploads. See the article Dutch DNA Testing Strategy for more information. … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Were there children of the first marriage?
20 February 2019 by Leave a Comment
If a person wanted to remarry after becoming a widow(er), they first had to come to an arrangement with the children of the prior marriage. These arrangement are often registered in court records, orphan chamber records, or notarial records, often around the time of the publication of the banns of the second marriage. They can provide a wealth of information about family members and the economic circumstances. See the article about the parents of Aleid Laureijs Coolen. A receipt for her … [Read more...]
Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 15 – Barbara Peter Goijaert Pulskens
15 February 2019 by 6 Comments
This is the sixteenth 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 eleventh great-grandfather Laureijs Denis Colen was the son of Denijs Laureijs Colen and Barbara Peter Goijaert Pulskens. Barbara Peter Goijaert Pulskens, daughter of Claesken Peters die Paep Research into Laureijs' parents already turned … [Read more...]
