Publieke vrouw (literally: public woman) is a term for prostitute you may come across in records in the 1800s and 1900s. For most of this period, prostitution was legal. You may find publieke vrouw as the occupation in population registers or other records, though in many cases, the occupation of such women was left blank. In some cases, it can be inferred from other sources, such as witness statements or hospital records. For more information about researching prostitutes see Looking for … [Read more...]
Using Hospital Records for Social History – The Case of Cornelia Platschart
28 June 2024 by 1 Comment
My ancestor Maria Cornelia Platschart was born in Breda in 1861. Her mother, Cornelia Platschart, was unmarried. As described in a previous blogpost, I suspected Cornelia Platschart may have been a prostitute. I have since found more evidence in hospital records. … [Read more...]
Looking for prostitutes
10 January 2014 by 9 Comments
Last week, I went looking for prostitutes. Dead ones. Found them too. Now that I have your attention, let me explain how this came about. … [Read more...]
