In old records, you may find the word 9ber or 9bris for the month. This means November or Novembris [Latin]. The names of the months were established when the start of the year was in March and November was the ninth month. Do not confuse 9ber for September, the ninth month of our current calendar. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Oom
6 November 2023 by Leave a Comment
Oom means "uncle." Like in English, the Dutch word oom is used for the brother of a parent, or the husband of the sister of a parent. There is no separate word for paternal or maternal uncle. You may encounter references to ooms in guardianship records, estate inventories, as specification of how witnesses are related to the main parties, and in many other types of records. Records do not usually differentiate between full and half uncles, or between uncles-by-blood or uncles-by-marriage. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Palingvisser
30 October 2023 by Leave a Comment
A palingvisser is a fishermen that specializes in catching eel. Several villages around the Zuidersee (South Sea, now a lake called IJsselmeer), like Volendam, were famous for their eels. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Grafrechten
23 October 2023 by Leave a Comment
Grafrechten are grave duties, the fees that have to be paid for a grave. Some churches or towns kept registers of these payments. They can act as a substitute for missing burial records. In most cemeteries, graves can only be leased, not bought. After the lease expires, the next of kin have to pay grave duties again or the grave will be cleared. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Machinist
16 October 2023 by Leave a Comment
A machinist is a person who operates heavy machines. The occupation started to appear in records in the nineteenth century. Originally, the term was used for all kinds of machines, including in factories. Over time, it became used for machines related to transportation, such as the train driver or the engineer on board of a ship. Hat tip: @Lena via Discord. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Vrijwillige rechtspraak
9 October 2023 by 1 Comment
Vrijwillige rechtspraak means voluntary justice. You may come across the term in finding aids of court records. The series of vrijwillige rechtspraak are cases where the court is involved, but nobody is charging or sueing anyone. Examples of records you may find in the series of voluntary records are prenuptial agreements, guardianship appointments, last wills, or estate divisions. In regions that had notaries, you may encounter those types of records in the archives of the notaries instead. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – 8ber, 8bris
2 October 2023 by Leave a Comment
In old records, you may find the word 8ber or 8bris for the month. This means October or Octobris [Latin]. The names of the months were established when the start of the year was in March and October was the eighth month. Do not confuse 8ber for August, the eighth month of our current calendar. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Patria
25 September 2023 by Leave a Comment
Patria (literally: fatherland) is a Latin term sometimes used in Dutch colonial records to refer to the Netherlands. You could come across the term in government or notarial records, in reference to people about to return home. The word patriot is derived from patria as well. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Tegenwoordig, tegenwoordigheid
18 September 2023 by Leave a Comment
Tegenwoordig means present. Tegenwoordigheid means presence. You may come across the term in official documents. For example, a civil registration marriage record may mention that the bride's parents were hierbij tegenwoordig [hereby present], and consented to the marriage. Or you may find a notarial record that was signed in the tegenwoordigheid of two witnesses. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Domicilie van Onderstand
11 September 2023 by Leave a Comment
The domicilie van onderstand (literally: domicile of support) is the place of settlement with regards to poor relief. The Poor Law of 1818 provided nation-wide legislation for the place of settlement. The place of settlement was the place of birth, until someone lived in another place for at least four years and paid taxes there. The municipality where the person was living provided the relief, to be reimbursed by the municipality of birth if that was determined to be the place of settlement. … [Read more...]
