A stamboom is a family tree. Dutch genealogists will say that they practice stamboomonderzoek [family tree research] when they are asked about their hobbies. Searching for your family name in combination with the word stamboom in a search engine may lead you to Dutch publications about your family. … [Read more...]
Dutch term: geboorteakte
9 December 2013 by Leave a Comment
A geboorteakte is a birth record. Births have been recorded by the government since 1811 (or 1794-1795 in parts of Limburg and Zeeland). Birth records of people born more than 100 years ago are public. Read more about using birth records to find your Dutch ancestors. … [Read more...]
Dutch term: bidprentje
2 December 2013 by Leave a Comment
A bidprentje is a prayer card. Prayer cards are a Roman-Catholic tradition to commemorate the dead. Read more about finding prayer cards and using them for your research. … [Read more...]
Dutch term: boerderij
25 November 2013 by Leave a Comment
A boerderij is a farm. Sometimes, you will find boerderij doende (doing farm) as an occupation, which means that the person was a farmer. Most farmers were tenants who did not own their farms. Some farms are very old; not necessarily the buildings, but the agricultural business at that location. The buildings got renewed, the property got sold, tenants moved in an out, but a farm may have existed on that location for hundreds of years, perhaps even more than a thousand. Tracing the … [Read more...]
Dutch term: Uitgebreid zoeken
18 November 2013 by Leave a Comment
The words uitgebreid zoeken mean "advanced search" (literally: elaborate search). You will often find the term on websites with genealogical databases where the "uitgebreid zoeken" link will take you to a search form with more options to formulate your query. Beware that most search engines only find exact matches, so don't fill out too much information. … [Read more...]
Dutch term: weduwnaar
11 November 2013 by Leave a Comment
The word weduwnaar means widower. In most marriage records, even the early ones, the fact that groom is a widower will be mentioned. If you're lucky, the name of the previous spouse is mentioned too, but that has only been required since the civil registration (1811 or slightly earlier). … [Read more...]
Dutch term: begraafboek
4 November 2013 by Leave a Comment
A begraafboek is a burial book. Begraafboeken are the primary source of information about deaths before 1811. They can be found at the archives in the capitals of the provinces. Many burial books have been digitized and are available on Familysearch.org. … [Read more...]
Dutch term: Dopen
28 October 2013 by 4 Comments
The Dutch word dopen means baptisms or to baptize. Doopboeken (baptize books) are the main source for birth information prior to the introduction of the civil registration (in 1811 for most of the Netherlands but as early as 1796/1797 for Limburg and Zeeuws-Vlaanderen). … [Read more...]
Dutch term: testament
21 October 2013 by Leave a Comment
A testament is a last will. Most people did not have a last will and died intestate. Usually, only wealthier people had a will drawn up. Wills can be found in notarial records or in court records (before 1811 in areas that did not have notaries). … [Read more...]
Dutch term: Trouwboekje
14 October 2013 by 1 Comment
A trouwboekje is a booklet that the bride and groom were issued at the time of their marriage. It lists their names, date and place of marriage and has room to add all of their children. It was referred to often when people needed to prove their identity. Read more about marriage booklets and the implications for your research. … [Read more...]
