Dutch Ancestors Research Plan – 19th century

In my Level-Up Challenge, I defined six levels of ancestral profiles. In this post, I will give you a basic research plan for an ancestor living in the 19th century for levels 1-4.

Level 1: Names only

I usually find the name of the person in records of somebody else I am researching. No specific research plan needed.

Level 2: Vital statistics

The civil registration was introduced in 1811 in most parts of the Netherlands (around 1795 for some parts of Limburg and Zeeland). I try to find all these records for vital events after this date.

• Birth record. Birth records are public after 100 years.
• Marriage record. Marriage records are public after 75 years.
• Death record. Death records are public after 50 years.

See the  level 2 checklist for more ideas.

Birth record of Johannes Marijnissen, 1864

Level 3: Occupations, residence, children, spouses

The vital records will already have given me the names of their spouses and occupations and place of residence at the time of marriage and death.

• Census records for 1830 and 1840, where available.
• Population registers, which were introduced nation-wide in 1850 though they started earlier in some towns
• Address books. Often available via Delpher or the local or regional archives.
• Birth, marriage, and death records of the children and spouses (see level 2). I research all the children and spouses at least at level 2 but that is a personal preference.

See the level 3 checklist for more ideas.

Level 4: Property ownership, military service, religion, criminal activity

The population register should already have given me the religion.

• Death duties files to find out if they owned any property when they died.
• Notarial records, to find land records.
• Cadastral records, for ancestors who were alive in 1832 when the cadastre was introduced. These are available via the Kadaster website but it requires a subscription. Also available in reading rooms of many archives in the Netherlands.
• Marriage supplements for people who married after the introduction of the civil registration. I usually look those up as part of the research into the marriage and births, but at level 4 I use the declaration of the groom’s military service.
• Military service records.
• Prison records. Not indexed for most prisons.
• Criminal court records. Not indexed for most courts.
• Newspapers and magazines (including trade journals).
• Prayer cards.

See the level 4 checklist for more ideas.

Level 5

At level 5, I consult records that will give me a deeper understanding of my ancestors’ lives. These are often triggered by discoveries during the level 1-4 research and differ greatly from one ancestor to the next, so there is no generic research plan I follow.

Some examples:

• I research the history of the towns where they lived to get an understanding of what life would be like. If possible, I try to find old photos, videos, and maps.
• I would research the houses where they lived, trying to find contemporary photos or maps.
• I would try to find employment records and pension records. These can be available for civil servants, railroad employees, sometimes for teachers, etc.
• If they owned a business, I would look for ads in newspapers and magazines, mentions in address books, business records that may survive in archives, bankruptcy records in the archives of courts, etc.
• I would research their employers, trying to find photos or a history of the firm.
• If they were in the army or navy, I would research their unit and/or ship.
• I would check for school records if these have been preserved.
• Sometimes, the marriage record will indicate that the couple had dispensation to marry, as in the case of my great-grandparents’ marriage. Or I may find a reference to a royal decree in a newspaper or personnel file. In that case, I will obtain the royal decree from the National Archives.
• I would find court records for guardianship appointments of people who lost their parents before they were adults.
• If research in other records shows the ancestor was poor, I would try to find poor relief records.
• I may try to find church membership records.

Examples

Examples of 19th century research:

• Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my ancestor? Generation 5 – Gerardus van den Heuvel. Includes criminal records.
• Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my ancestor? Generation 6 – Dorothea Smulders. Includes population registers and notarial records.
• Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my ancestor? Generation 7 – Laurens Smulders. Includes census records, cadastral records, and death duties files.