Yvette Hoitink was interviewed by Daniel Loftus for the first episode of "Meet who you tweet" at AncestryHour. Daniel is a young genealogist from Ireland and Ambassador for Youth for #AncestryHour, the weekly Twitter meetup for genealogists across the world. Go to the interview. … [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 February 2020
6 March 2020 by Leave a Comment
Here is an overview of the new sources, projects, and news about archives that were announced last month. Online sources Over 24,000 more magazines and 5,000 books from 1940-1960 are now available via Delpher, after the Royal Library came to an agreement with representatives of copyright holders. Scans and indexes of population registers of Terneuzen in Zeeland (1850-1938) have been added to the Zeeuws Archief website. Scans of population registers from the province of Groningen … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Why did they not marry in May?
4 March 2020 by Leave a Comment
If your ancestors were farm workers in the 1800s, and did not marry in May, check the birth date of their oldest child. Most work contracts ran from May to May. Farm workers who planned on getting married, often married in May so they could then move in together and maybe lease their own farm. When there was a baby on the way, it was customary to marry as soon as possible and not to wait until May. So if you find that your farming ancestors married in a different month, check the birth … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Don’t Stop Looking When They’re Dead
26 February 2020 by Leave a Comment
Sometimes, relevant records are produced long after the person of interest is dead. Here are some examples: An estate may remain undivided during the surviving spouse's lifetime. The records of how the estate was divided and who the heirs were might be decades later. A record may have been copied at a later time, for example as part of court proceedings or a chartulary. The original record may not survive, but the later copy might. Land records may include details about the … [Read more...]
24-hour Chat Marathon by Brabant Archives
14 February 2020 by Leave a Comment
Ten years ago, the Brabant Historisch Informatie Centrum and Regionaal Archief Tilburg started a chat service to help their online visitors. The archives have joined forces and now staff the chat service together. The service is very popular and has answered over 30,000 questions about the archival collections, searching for ancestors from Noord-Brabant, and other research questions. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of this wonderful service, the archives are holding a 24-hour chat … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Dutch DNA is often identified as something else
12 February 2020 by 3 Comments
Many Dutch people taking a DNA test are surprised by the ethnicity predictions. Instead of Dutch, they're predicted to be French, German, English, or Scandinavian. When you think about the history of North-Western Europe, this is not surprising. The North Sea was the highway of the Middle Ages, with many people traveling for trade or pillage. During the great migrations, whole populations moved across the continent, leaving descendants in different places. And trade between the Netherlands … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy News for January 2020
7 February 2020 by Leave a Comment
Here is an overview of the new sources, projects, and news about archives that were announced last month. Online sources Almost 30,000 books were added to Delpher. The new addition includes children's books, school books, travel stories, books about female laborers, and a lot more. The majority of these books is in the public domain and can be accessed on the Delpher website. More recent books can be viewed in the Royal Library reading room. See the full list. The Brabants Historisch … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Patronymics are Often Misindexed
5 February 2020 by 2 Comments
Before 1811, in some parts of the Netherlands, people went by patronymics only. These are names derived from the father's name, like Jansen = son of Jan and Pietersen = son of Pieter. Let's say we have a baptismal record mentioning a child named Dirk, son of Jan Pietersen. No last name or patronymic was indicated for Dirk. His father would be indexed as Jan Pietersen, but Dirk himself could be indexed in a genealogical database three different ways: Dirk [no last name] Dirk Jansen … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Did they need dispensation to marry?
29 January 2020 by 1 Comment
If a couple that wanted to get married was related, either by blood or by marriage, they may have needed dispensation. For example, until well into the 1900s, it was illegal to marry your deceased spouse's sibling. My great-grandfather needed royal dispensation for his marriage to his late wife's sister. Marrying your first cousin or other close relative also required dispensation. These dispensations can hold key information about the family relationship. For an example, see My … [Read more...]
Free DNA kits for cousins
24 January 2020 by 4 Comments
[Nederlandse versie hieronder / Dutch version below] I have several brick walls that I hope to solve using DNA, including several fathers of children born out of wedlock. On other lines, I would love to verify my information using DNA. Unfortunately, DNA testing is not that popular in the Netherlands, so I have many lines without any DNA matches. By offering free DNA kits, I hope to encourage the right people to test. If you're a descendant of any of the people listed below or are … [Read more...]
