Effects of Corona on Dutch Genealogy

The Dutch government has implemented several measures to contain the spread of the corona-virus. This affects people researching their ancestors from the Netherlands in different ways:

• Archives are closed. On-site research is not possible.
• Scanning-on-demand may not be possible. Many archives sent their staff home. Even if you can still order scans, orders may not be fulfilled but will be in the queue until people get back to work.  Some archives do still offer this service but this could be disrupted if they decide to close completely.
• Traveling to the Netherlands to see where your ancestors lived will have to be postponed. The EU borders are closed. Restaurants and bars are closed. Several countries including the US stopped all non-essential travel to Europe.

At this point, it is uncertain how long these measures will remain in effect. It might be weeks, months, or even longer.

New measures are announced almost every day. The Dutch government provides information about COVID-19 measures via Government.nl so check there for the latest news. I will only post about corona if it changes the way we can research our Dutch ancestors or the services I provide.

Patients treated by the Red Cross. Credits: Koos Raucamp, Nationaal Archief (CC-0)

Things that we can still do to help us learn more about our ancestors from the Netherlands:

• Online research. Websites of archives are available. They can be managed from home so the expectation is that they will remain available for the duration of the crisis.
• Online chat. Several archives in the Netherlands allow you to chat with an archivist who’s working from home about your research questions. The chat function is available on their website.
• Online education. FamilyTreeWebinars provides several webinars about Dutch genealogy (subscription or pay-per-view).
  Note: these are affiliate links; if you use these links to watch the webinars I receive a small commission.
  • Researching Your Dutch Ancestors, by Yvette Hoitink, CG
  • Help, They Are Dutch! Tracing Your Ancestors in the Netherlands, by John Boeren
  • Using MyHeritage to find Ancestors from the Netherlands, by Yvette Hoitink, CG
  • Researching Dutch Family History Around the World, by Maarten Fornerod and Denie Kasan
  • Lesser Used Sources for Research in the Netherlands, by Yvette Hoitink, CG

And of course, I’ve got 1,000+ blog posts to keep you busy!

I do not yet know if I will be able to keep up the current schedule of two blog posts and one newsletter per week. I do not know if I or a family member will get sick, and I am now home schooling my son. Between that and client work, I won’t have much time for blogging. I already have several articles scheduled so it won’t come to a complete stop but the frequency of blog posts and newsletters may be reduced. My Eleanor of Aquitaine series is on hiatus since the next generations require research in Belgium and France.

Be safe everyone!