An erfgenaam is an heir. Most people in the Netherlands did not have wills, in which case you need to understand the local laws to know who the heirs would be.
Most regions did not allow a person to disinherit the children completely, they would always receive their legitimate portion. Understanding the inheritance laws can help you figure out genealogical relations. Finding someone as an heir usually implies there is a family relationship.
Family portrait, 1627. Anonymous artist, collection Rijksmuseum (public domain)
About Yvette Hoitink
