If you are dealing with a date between 1582 and 1701, please check the calendar. Different places in the Netherlands changed from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar at different times. The change made the calendar jump forward by 10 or 11 days. Sometimes, you can resolve a conflict in dates by checking the calendar. Someone born in Brabant on 5 December 1699 could be baptized in Gelderland on 1 December 1699, for example, because Gelderland was still using the Julian calendar which was 11 … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Handbook of dates
15 February 2023 by 1 Comment
In the course of my Family and Local History studies at the University of Dundee, I purchased a recommended book: C.R. Cheney, ed., A Handbook of Dates for Students of British History, revised (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004). While the title indicates it is meant for students of British history, most of the content is usable in the Netherlands too. Some of the topics I find especially useful for research in the Netherlands are: French Republican calendar, with the names of … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Heden
27 December 2021 by Leave a Comment
Heden means "on this day." You may encounter this term in birth or death records, in family announcements in newspapers, or in any other document where the date is also found elsewhere. … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Dutch Dates are day-month-year
3 November 2021 by Leave a Comment
In the Netherlands, and many other countries, dates are written day-month-year. So 3-11-2021 is 3 November 2021, not March 11. Many original records spell out the month to avoid confusion, but you may encounter dates with numbers for the month in genealogical publications. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Zomer
22 July 2019 by Leave a Comment
Zomer means summer.Traditionally, summer was the time for harvesting. Even outside the summer holidays, school attendance was lower in the summer in rural areas, because children were kept home to help bring the harvest in. Summer is a nice period to visit the Netherlands, although popular tourist destinations can be overcrowded. Opening hours of museums and tourist attractions are great during the summer, but beware that opening hours of archives may be reduced. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Schrikkeljaar
29 February 2016 by Leave a Comment
A schrikkeljaar is a leap year. Before 1582, the entire region that is now the Netherlands used the Julian calendar, in which every fourth year is a leap year. Between 1582 and 1700, the different provinces switched to the Gregorian calendar, in which centurial years are not leap years except when they are divisible by 400. This corrected the length of the year by 0.002% compared to the Julian calendar. Read more about the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in a tale of two calendars. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Wintermaand
8 December 2014 by Leave a Comment
Wintermaand (literally: Winter month) is the old word for December. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Slachtmaand
3 November 2014 by Leave a Comment
Slachtmaand literally means "slaughter month" and is the old word for November. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Wijnmaand
6 October 2014 by Leave a Comment
Wijnmaand literally means "wine month" and is the old word for October. … [Read more...]
Quick tip: Mind the calendar!
1 October 2014 by Leave a Comment
When you encounter a date in original records that is between 1582 and 1701, it could be in either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, depending on the province where the record was created. This means the date you find could be as much as twelve days "off." Read more about the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in the Netherlands and the introduction dates per province. … [Read more...]
