In World War II, pilots and their crew took cloth maps on missions over enemy territory to be able to find their way back in case they wound up behind enemy lines. Cloth maps don't tear when they get wet or make noise and can be hidden more easily than paper maps. Most of them were made from silk or rayon. … [Read more...]
Call for Papers – Dutch American Stories
16 November 2020 by Leave a Comment
AADAS, the Association for the Advancement of Dutch-American Studies, has issued a call for papers for their virtual conference on 18-19 June 2021. The theme of the conference is Telling, Sharing, and Preserving Dutch-American Stories. Read the Conference Call for details. … [Read more...]
Quick Tip – Launch of Database “Voyages of New Netherland”
11 November 2020 by Leave a Comment
On 17 November, a new online database "Voyages of New Netherland" will be launched. It documents 300 ship voyages to New Netherland between 1609 and 1664. The New Netherland Institute and New York Genealogical and Biographical Society organizes a virtual launch session on 17 November 2020 at 5 PM. See the NYG&BS website for more information and registration. … [Read more...]
New book: Dutch Children of African American Liberators
9 November 2020 by Leave a Comment
A new book was just announced, written by Mieke Kirkels and Chris Dickon: Dutch Children of African American Liberators: Race, Military Policy and Identity in World War II and Beyond. … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for October 2020
6 November 2020 by Leave a Comment
Here are new websites and sources that were announced last month. Sources The Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum added several indexed and scanned notarial records from the east of Noord-Brabant from 1900-1925 to their website. See their announcement for a full list of places and dates. The New York State Archives created a new research guide with links to scans, translations, and published translations of their New Netherland records. The Regionaal Archief Tilburg scanned … [Read more...]
Archives to close again
4 November 2020 by Leave a Comment
Due to new COVID-19 measures, all archives, libraries, and museums in the Netherlands will be closed for a minimum of two weeks from 5 until 19 November 2020. After that, some will reopen by appointment while others will remain closed for the time being. The websites of the archives should remain functional. Check the website of the archives to see what if any other services, like scanning-on-demand, they still provide. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Stemmen
2 November 2020 by Leave a Comment
Stemmen means to vote. In the Netherlands, the right to vote was originally tied to owning property or personal wealth. It took until 1917 for all men to be allowed to vote. Women had to wait until 1919. … [Read more...]
Quick Tip – Spanish Flu in the Netherlands
28 October 2020 by Leave a Comment
The Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 hit the Netherlands hard. Researchers have now used the information from civil registration records to analyze the data, including providing maps that show which areas were most affected. Unlike what you might think, rural and less densely populated areas were hit harder than the big cities. Read the analysis of the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Beleg
26 October 2020 by Leave a Comment
A beleg is a siege. During the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648), many cities were besieged by either Dutch or Spanish troops. In several cases, whole cities were burned to the ground, an in some cases the population was massacred. Read Five Ways the Eighty Years War Affected Your Ancestors for more information. … [Read more...]
Top 10 Websites for Research in the Former Dutch East Indies
23 October 2020 by 1 Comment
Here are my favorite resources for research in the former Dutch East Indies, what is now Indonesia: Nationaal Archief The website of the National Archives of the Netherlands. Items of interest include: VOC: Dutch East India Company finding aid and images KNIL: Muster rolls of soldiers in the Royal Dutch East Indies Army. Finding aid and images. Dutch Sources on South East Asia. Research guide. Afscheid van Indie [goodbye to the Indies] searchable scans of records relating to … [Read more...]
