If you search a database and don't find the record you're looking for, try again later. Many databases get periodic updates or corrections, so a record that cannot be found today may be added tomorrow. For example, the people database at Archieven.nl often has new records as a result of indexing projects or because new archives decide to host their digital records there. … [Read more...]
Quick Tip – There’s Nothing Wrong With Speculation
14 June 2017 by 6 Comments
When you are researching your ancestors, there is nothing wrong with speculation. Building and testing hypotheses is a great way to discover new evidence that may help you prove your case. Just don't confuse speculation with proof, and make sure to not spread speculative information without clearly labeling as such (or not at all, to prevent people from jumping to conclusions). For example, if you are trying to find the parents of your brick wall ancestor Cornelis, and you know his oldest son … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Pachter
12 June 2017 by Leave a Comment
A pachter is a tenant. Most farmers in the Netherlands were tenants who did not own their farms or land. You can sometimes find tenancy contracts in court records, notarial records, or family archives. Especially in earlier times, these contracts were often made without having an official record so it may be hard to find proof. See an example of two tenancy contracts from the 1700s. … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Why Did He Die Elsewhere?
17 May 2017 by 4 Comments
Sometimes, you will find a death record that shows your ancestor died in a different place from where he was living all his life. Common reasons are: He was in a hospital receiving care. He was institutionalized in a mental hospital. This sometimes happened to elderly people who suffered from dementia. He was in jail. He was there on business. He may have been living with relatives. He may have been visiting relatives. If you read the death record, it should say whether … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Netherlands featured at Western European Family History Conference
12 May 2017 by 2 Comments
Next week, the Family History Library presents a week-long free conference about Western European Research. Each day focuses on a different country: Monday 15 May: Germany Tuesday 16 May: France Wednesday 17 May: The Low Countries Thursday 18 May: The Netherlands Friday 19 May: Switzerland. You can either attend in person in Salt Lake City or virtually by attending the webinar. Some of these lectures are especially interesting for those of us researching Dutch … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Create a Property List
20 April 2017 by Leave a Comment
When you're researching a family who owned property, try making a list to see how they acquired it and where it went. Properties for which you can't find a purchase record may have been inherited from an older generation. Tracing the ownership of the property can help you identify other family members. This technique is one of the ways I was able to build a case to prove the parents of Griete Smit, as I wrote about in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly in December 2016. … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Watch Dutch Genealogy Webinar for Free
15 April 2017 by Leave a Comment
To celebrate the 500th webinar, Legacy Family Tree Webinars has a free access weekend from Friday 14 until Sunday 16 April 2017. The free webinars include Yvette Hoitink's Researching your Dutch Ancestors, which she presented in September 2015. Did you miss the free weekend? You can sign up for a membership. For $49.95, you can watch any of the 500 webinars and all the new ones for a whole year. Or if you like binge watching, you can get a one month subscription for just $9.95. … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Mind the Chronology of a Population Register
29 March 2017 by Leave a Comment
When using population registers, pay attention to the different dates. A page in a population register shows who lived in a house during a period, usually ten years or so. Just because the people are listed in the same household, does not mean they actually lived in that house at the same time. Population registers have columns for birth, marriage, death, arrival, and departure. It can help to plot all these dates on a time line to see who was living in the house when. For example, you … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Inventories are Usually for Both Spouses
22 March 2017 by 1 Comment
If you find an estate inventory of a deceased married person, beware that the property in the inventory is usually for the couple, not just the property that belonged to the deceased spouse. If there was no prenuptial agreement, the husband and wife jointly owned all their property. The inventory would usually appraise all the property, of which the deceased's share would be half. That half would be divided among the heirs of the deceased, such as his or her children or (in the absence … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Dutch Genealogy Facebook page
8 March 2017 by 1 Comment
Do you follow DutchGenealogy.nl on Facebook already? On the Facebook page, you can read all articles from the blog plus posts from other websites relating to Dutch genealogy and Dutch culture. Other ways to read the articles on DutchGenealogy.nl are the website, e-mail newsletter, Twitter, and RSS using an RSS-reader like Feedly. … [Read more...]
