Map of the Week – Sewers in Tilburg

This week we are looking at an often overlooked part of our ancestors' lives: a sewage map. This map shows the network of sewage pipes in Tilburg in 1870. In the 1800s, many municipalities undertook works to improve public health. The cholera outbreak of the 1860s and the discovery of the role of water contamination by raw sewage led to installation of sewage systems all over the country. The Tilburg map shows that by 1870, sewage pipes ran through large parts of the center, though … [Read more...]

Using Hospital Records for Social History – The Case of Cornelia Platschart

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...]