![Picture of two couples](https://www.dutchgenealogy.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/HWoordesWives-300x233.jpg)
Hendrik Woordes and his wives Hendrika Willemina (left) and Janna Berendina Droppers (right). These women were sisters.
Until 1939, it was forbidden to marry your sister-in-law or brother-in-law. Royal dispensation was required for such a marriage. Many widowed men who wanted to marry their deceased wife’s sister applied for a dispensation. They were routinely granted, as in the case of my great-grandparents. Extracts of the royal dispensations can be found in the marriage supplements.