Gepasporteerd (literally: passported) means a passport was issued. You will typically come across the term in military service records in the 1800s. At the end of service, a soldier received a passport to show he fulfilled his military duties. Since these passports were given to the soldiers, they may have survived in private collections but are unlikely to turn up in archives. See the reader question about military passports in the 1800s for an example. … [Read more...]

Inkwartiering means billeting, when soldiers were quartered in civilian houses. This could happen during times of occupation. Town records may have lists of houses where soldiers were billeted, including compensation for expenses. Knowing your ancestors had soldiers billeted at their house can be useful in different ways. Apart from being an interesting piece of biographical information, it places your ancestor in a specific time and place, which can help to determine when they died or moved, … [Read more...]

A vrijstelling is an exemption. You may come across the term in military enlistment registers or marriage supplements, if a person was vrijgesteld [exempted] from military service. Example: Antonie Gommeren's military exemption When Antonie Gommeren married Adriana Timmermans in Etten-Leur on 27 January 1828, he had to prove he had fulfilled his military duties. He submitted a certificate of National Militia that included the text "uit hoofde van ligchaamsgebreken finaal vrijgesteld" [received … [Read more...]

The schutterij is the citizen militia responsible for the defense of the town. In times of war, they could be called up to defend the country. Schutterijen existed throughout the Netherlands from at least the 1500s. Regulations for the schutterijen were standardized in 1814. Male residents between the ages of 18 and 50 (from 1827: between 25 and 34) were elligible to serve. By law, 600 schutters were required per 20,000 residents. Schutterijen existed until 1901. Records for schutters can … [Read more...]

Broederdienst literally means "brother service." It was a reason for exemption of military service. If a family had an even number of sons, half of them had to serve. If they had an uneven number of sons, the lesser half had to serve. The brothers who did not have to serve got an exemption for broederdienst. You will often find these exemptions listed in the marriage supplements. … [Read more...]