Quick tip – Many people were convicted of crimes

In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, you may be surprised to find how many of your ancestors were convicted of a crime or misdemeanor by the courts, and how many had to serve a prison sentence. Many things for which the police would just give a ticket today were brought before the court. Poor people often received a (short) prison sentence instead of a fine, or would be sent to prison if they did not pay a fine.

Some examples of crimes my poor ancestors were convicted of:

  • Public intoxication
  • Public urination
  • Not leaving an inn when asked
  • Disturbance of the peace
  • Turning a plow in the road
  • Not cleaning the road in front of their house
  • Putting out the garbage at the wrong time
  • Gathering fallen leaves or branches from a forest
  • Cutting grass
  • Having a cow graze in someone else’s meadow.

Drunk men in the street, 1685. Credits: Cornelis Dusart, collection Rijksmuseum (public domain)

About Yvette Hoitink

Yvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist, writer, and lecturer in the Netherlands. She has a Master of Letters in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee, and holds the Certification of Genealogist and Qualified Genealogist credentials. Yvette served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists and won excellence awards for her articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly. Yvette has been doing genealogy for over 30 years. She helps people from across the world find their ancestors from the Netherlands and its former colonies, including New Netherland. Read about Yvette's professional genealogy services.

Comments

  1. Onder de voorouders van mijn grootvader van moeder’s heb ik diverse (kleine) criminelen, maar wellicht komt dat omdat de Brabantse criminele bronnen al vrij lang (oorspr. via transcr. bij het snoermanfonds) goed ontsloten. Een echtpaar De Haan werd opgehangen wegens betrokkenheid bij de bende van de Witte Veer en een voorouderpaar in rechte mannelijke lijn van mijn moeder belandde in de kerker wegens heling van spullen van die bende maar is kennelijk vrij gekomen, want ze overleden veel later. En mijn overgrootvader werd als tiener veroordeeld vanwege een heterdaadje “centje steken” (zoals wijlen mijn oom dat omschreef). Dat zeer interessant en geeft de verhalen kleur. Mijn vermoeden is dat de voorouders van mijn moeder’s moeder ook niet zulke braverikken waren, maar daar moeten kennelijk nog bronnen van beschikbaar komen (als ze er zijn).

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