When you get stuck, ask yourself what other records were created in the time and place your ancestors lived, for example:
- Did the town or village create records? Often, you can find townsfolk in town minutes, tax records, records about the town’s defense, etc.
- Was there a landlord or manor that created records?
- Were there tax records, either at the town or provincial level?
- Were there charities or orphanages that left records?
For my article “Griete Smith’s Parentage: Proof in the Absence of Vital Records” (PDF), which appeared in the December 2016 issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, I used a whole range of unusual records. My favorite was a “bucket list,” a list of people who had buckets to quench fires in 1620.
For suggestions for other types of sources, see the pre 1811 cheat sheet and post 1811 cheat sheet.
Feudal register of Brabant
About Yvette Hoitink
An excellent article on Griete Smith. Congratulations on finding all this information!