Dutch term – Strafzaak

Strafzaak means "criminal case." You may see the plural, strafzaken, in the archival descriptions of court records. The finding aids often have separate series for criminal records. These may include the case files or verdicts. The severity of the crime determined where the case was tried. For each place where my ancestors lived, I try to find out which court had lower jurisdiction and which had higher jurisdiction. Major crimes, like murder, arson, or grand larceny, would be tried by … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Gardenier

The word gardenier can have different meanings, depending on the location: In Friesland, it typically meant a small farmer, usually someone who grew crops like potatoes or other vegetables. In other places it typically meant gardener. Another Dutch word for gardener is tuinman. If you are unsure which is meant, check other records. If several neighbors were also gardeniers, chances are they were farmers. The same goes if the ancestor owned farm land, which you can find in cadastral, … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Jachtrecht

Jachtrecht means the right to hunt. Until 1923, the right to hunt was a noble right. In many areas, the landlord was entitled to hunt across other people's lands. Well into the nineteenth century, you can see hunting rights being auctioned off to the highest bidder. Today, hunting is strictly regulated and mostly done as part of estate management. Hunters need a license that has several requirements, including permission from the owner of the land.   … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Duim, voet, roede

These are three measures of length that were in use until the implementation of the metric system during the French occupation (1795-1813). Duim (thumb): about 2.5 cm/1" Voet (foot): about 30 cm, about 11.8" Roede (rod): around 3.6-4 meters (11'10"-13'1.5"). The exact size depended on the time and place. In general there were 12 duimen in a voet and 12 voeten in a roede, but a roede could have as many as 20 voeten. … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Strand

The strand is the beach. At the start of the twentieth century, tourism began to flourish. The beach became a popular destination for richer people. … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Kaapvaart

Kaapvaart means privateering. Kaapvaart was a form of legal piracy in war time. The government would recruit private ships as part of the war effort by giving the captain a license to attack the enemy and steal from them. The proceeds were shared between the privateer and the government. … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Imker

An imker is a beekeeper. It is rare to find imker as an occupation in Dutch records since few people kept bees as their main income stream. I have found beehives (bijenkorven) tallied in estate inventories of some of my ancestors who owned farms, which told me they kept bees. The number of hives suggested they were not just for personal use, so they probably sold honey on local markets. You can find estate inventories in notarial records. … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Marine

The marine is the navy. The Royal Navy of the Netherlands has been involved with protecting and expanding Dutch interests around the globe. In the 1800s and 1900s, the navy played an important role in maintaining order in the Dutch colonies, including the Dutch East Indies, the Netherlands Antilles, and Suriname. Navy records have partially been destroyed. The surviving records can be found at the National Archives. … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Huisnummer

A huisnummer is a house number. Modern Dutch addresses are composed of a street name, house number, postal code, and place name. The house number follows the street name, e.g. "Dorpsstraat 15." House numbers could change over time. Such addresses with street names and house numbers are a relatively modern invention. In the 1800s and in some places into the 1900s, houses were not numbered per street but by ward. Before 1800, there is a great regional variation. Some places numbered houses, … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Scannen op verzoek

Scannen op verzoek means scanning on demand. It generally means you can order scans from the finding aid or catalog directly. In many cases, this is a free service. Check the list of archives that provide free scanning on demand. … [Read more...]