Bunder, roede, and el were measures of land. You can find them in cadastral records and other land records. These terms have been used for centuries, and reflected different sizes in different areas. A bunder was typically 400 or 450 roede. An el was around 68-70 cm (distance from elbow to end of finger) and an el used for a surface area was a square with the sides of an el. In 1816, the metric system was introduced and these terms were given metric measures: Bunder: 10,000 m2 (100 x 100 … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Dienstmeid
24 February 2021 by Leave a Comment
A dienstmeid is a maid servant. The tasks of a dienstmeid depended on the wealth of the family, the presence of other servants or a housekeeper, and whether she worked on a farm or in the city. Tasks typically included cleaning, laundry, setting the fireplaces, etc. Richer households might hire a separate washing woman or cleaning lady, but in many households, this was all the task of one servant. On a farm, a dienstmeid would also be expected to milk the cows, take care of the other animals, … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Free DNA Upload to MyHeritage
21 February 2021 by 1 Comment
If you are interested in using DNA to find your Dutch ancestors, make sure your DNA is in the MyHeritage genetic database. MyHeritage is the most popular DNA service in the Netherlands, and as a result, it is the place where you are most likely to find Dutch matches. MyHeritage also offers great tools for analyzing your DNA, such as Theories of Relativity, a clustering tool, and chromosome browser. This week, uploads to MyHeritage are free. Normally, there is a fee to unlock the Ethniticy … [Read more...]
Level 2 Checklist – Vital Statistics
19 February 2021 by Leave a Comment
Last month I issued my Level-Up Challenge, challenging you to assess how complete your research is. Level 2 is vital statistics only. In this blog post, I will explain which sources I feel I need to have found or searched for in order to say I have reached level 2. For each vital event, I want to have found at least one of the sources indicated here so I know where and when a person was born, married, and died. Date and place of birth Birth record (civil registration) I want to find … [Read more...]
Quick Tip – Dutch Topics at RootsTech Connect
17 February 2021 by 1 Comment
RootsTech, the largest genealogy show in the world, will be going virtual this year. The event will take place from 25 until 27 February 2021, non-stop. You can watch live, or catch the recordings later on, via RootsTech.org (no special software needed). Registration is free. Dutch topics The following topics should be of interest to people with Dutch ancestors: Dutch Parish Registers from the 17th and 18th century, by John Boeren Dutch Research in the 19th and 20th century: Civil … [Read more...]
Was Eleanor of Aquitaine my Ancestor? Generation 25 – Guy of Dampierre
12 February 2021 by 2 Comments
This is the twenty-sixth post in a series about my possible line of descent from Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the first post, I explained how I discovered the possible line, and how I am going to verify it one generation at a time. In the last post, I proved that my twenty-first great-grandmother Margaret of Flanders, Duchess of Brabant, was the daughter of Guy of Dampierre, Count of Flanders. Biographical information Guy of Dampierre was born in 1226 as the second son William of Dampierre and … [Read more...]
Quick Tip – Find all Population Registers
10 February 2021 by 1 Comment
As part of my Level-Up Challenge, I realized I had not completed the research into the population registers of my second great-grandparents, Hendrik Hoitink and Johanna Piek. I had one register only, showing them with their children, but had not bothered to find all of them from cradle to grave. Based on my assessment, that made my research into them a level 2 (vital statistics only). To level up, I needed to find the missing population registers. One of these registers, from the time they … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for January 2021
5 February 2021 by 1 Comment
Here is an overview of the new sources and projects that were announced last month. Sources Transport lists of Camp Westerbork have become public and are being digitized. The records can be searched via War Lives. Westerbork was the main transit camp in World War II in the Netherlands from where Jewish people, Roma, Sinti, homosexuals, and other persecuted people were transported to the death camps in Eastern Europe. The Stichting voor Surinaamse Genealogie [Foundation for Suriname … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Was your ancestor in prison?
3 February 2021 by 1 Comment
Too often, we think our ancestors were like us. We find it hard to imagine they would break the law and don't even look for prison records. However, lots of people got in trouble with the law; especially if they were poor. In the nineteenth and part of the twentieth century, if people could not pay a fine, they could end up in prison. … [Read more...]
Quick Tip – Genetic Groups at MyHeritage
27 January 2021 by 1 Comment
MyHeritage introduced Genetic Groups, a new way to predict your ethnicity. I manage four Dutch kits from people from four different parts of the Netherlands, and they're all spot on. For my own kit, it predicts three genetic groups with high confidence: Netherlands (Gelderland and Overijssel) Netherlands (North Brabant) and Belgium (Antwerpen) Netherlands (South Holland, North Holland, Gelderland and Utrecht). This is consistent with my tree: my father's ancestors are from … [Read more...]
