People don't always realize how many Dutch records are already available online. I do most of the research for my own family and for clients online. Even before most archives closed because of corona, I only had to go to the archives a couple of times per year despite being a full-time researcher. Here is an overview of the record types and their typical online availability. The links lead to articles that give more information about the records. Can usually be found online Civil … [Read more...]
About this website
Creating a website like this is a fun activity. There are so many options, so many choices. What do visitors want? What do I want? In this blog I will describe some of the things I encounter in developing and maintaining this website.
Dutch Genealogy News for May 2020
5 June 2020 by Leave a Comment
Here is an overview of the new sources, projects, and news about archives that were announced last month. Sources The Drents Archief finished digitizing the notarial records from Drenthe in the 1800s. Some of them are already indexed and can be searched at AlleDrenten. The scans of the unindexed records can be consulted via the finding aids at the Drents Archief website. Detailed city plans from the 1950s have been added to the image bank of the Cultural Heritage Service. The images may … [Read more...]
Top 10 Dutch genealogy websites
27 May 2020 by 16 Comments
There are thousands of sites that are helpful for researching your ancestors from the Netherlands. This list contains my 10 favorites. I have limited this list to websites that would be useful for people who don't speak Dutch, which means they are either available in English or self-explanatory. … [Read more...]
Quick Tip – Living People are not Easy to Find
27 May 2020 by 2 Comments
Because of strict privacy rules in the Netherlands, living people are not easy to find. In general, records of people born less than 100 years ago are not public. Here are some sources for researching people in the 1900s that may help you to find living relatives. Another option is to take a DNA test. Because Dutch people are careful of their privacy and most already have pretty complete trees, DNA testing is not that popular. See the Dutch DNA testing strategy for tips on maximizing your … [Read more...]
What Dutch DNA Looks Like – 2020 Edition
22 May 2020 by 37 Comments
Ethnicity estimates can vary between companies. They have different algorithms, different reference populations, and define different regions. To show you what Dutch DNA could look like with the various companies, here are my own results. Based on my tree, I should be >99% Dutch, with a bit of German and French. I have some medieval lines from other countries in the 1200s and before, but the chances of me having inherited any of their DNA is minimal. My father's side is from Gelderland, … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Check Both Archives For Civil Registration Records
20 May 2020 by 1 Comment
When civil registration records are created, two original copies are made. They are duplicate originals and both have the same legal standing. One is kept at the local level, and can now often be found in municipal or regional archives. The other is kept at the provincial level, originally in court houses but now in the archives in the provincial capital. It is worthwhile to check both archives for the records: One archive may have indexed the records while the other did not One … [Read more...]
Archives preparing to re-open
13 May 2020 by 2 Comments
Most archives in the country have closed their doors during the corona crisis. Archives are now preparing to re-open, often with restrictions on the number of visitors in the reading room and new seating plans and routes that allow patrons to keep their distance. I expect all archives to be open again by June 1st. Archives who offer scanning-on-demand will also restart that service (if they haven't already) though they may have to work through their backlog first and it may take longer … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for April 2020
8 May 2020 by 2 Comments
Here is an overview of the new sources, projects, and news about archives that were announced last month. Sources The Gelders Archief finished creating a finding aid for the Counts and Dukes of Gelre and Zutphen (1107-1543). The finding aid can be found at the Gelders Archief website and contains scans of many of the records. The charters of the city of Veere (1349-1784) have been transcribed. Check the news article (Dutch) for the links to the transcriptions on Google Drive and for the … [Read more...]
Virtual Pilgrim Event Leiden400 on 16 May
6 May 2020 by Leave a Comment
On Saturday May 16, the online opening of the Pilgrim Year Leiden400 will take place! The Pilgrims lived in Leiden from 1609 to 1620, when they left for America. Get to know Leiden during the virtual event, which will be in English. Take a city walk through the historic center, and meet people who will tell you about Leiden in the time of the Pilgrims. The tour will take you to: Museum of Ethnology Museum De Lakenhal, about the textile industry Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk, the Walloon … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Website War Lives
29 April 2020 by Leave a Comment
The website War Lives documents the lives of people during World War II using original records from the period. The website shows a time line for each person, and links to the sources that were used to compile the information. Sources include war graves, databases of prisoners in camps in the Netherlands and the East Indies, documentation about resistance groups, cards of people in Japanese internment camps in the Dutch East Indies, and lists of victims killed in concentration camps in … [Read more...]
