During the webinar "Researching Your Dutch Ancestors," the viewers had the most interesting questions. I got to address some of them during the webinar, but thought they all deserve a reply so I'm dedicating this post to answer some more. There were so many great questions that I will have inspiration for several follow-up articles, so please stay tuned and follow this blog or newsletter to read them all. In this first article, I will answer the questions about records in the … [Read more...]
Ask Yvette – A research plan for an 18th-century brick wall ancestor
21 August 2015 by 2 Comments
Reader Rob Ton wondered what other sources he might consult to identify the parents of his brick wall ancestor Aert Ton. Aert Ton was married in Heerewaarden, a village in Gelderland, on 19 May 1737 to Hendersken van Neerlangen. Neither his marriage nor his burial record identifies his parents. Since this is a common problem that many of you are facing, I thought I'd share how I create a research plan. I have never done any research in Heerewaarden before, so you can see how I discover what … [Read more...]
Ask Yvette – Am I related to Rembrandt van Rijn?
17 July 2015 by 11 Comments
After I wrote about my "great-aunt" Hendrickje Stoffels, the mistress of Rembrandt van Rijn, several people named Van Rijn have asked me if they could be descended from Rembrandt. The short answer? Sorry, no. Here's why. Rembrandt van Rijn had one lawful wife: Saskia van Uylenburgh. They had only one child who survived childhood: Titus van Rijn. Titus married in 1668 and died the same year, though not before getting his wife pregnant. His posthumously born daughter Titia married, but … [Read more...]
Ask Yvette – Resources for Jewish genealogy in the Netherlands
3 July 2015 by 5 Comments
Several people have asked me how to find their Jewish ancestors in the Netherlands. I have researched several Jewish families, but don't read Hebrew so I cannot access all records. Here are some resources that have been useful in my research. Please share your own tips in the comments. Regular records Since the introduction of the civil registration (in 1811 in most parts of the country), Jews were recorded in the regular administrations of births, marriages and deaths and the population … [Read more...]
Ask Yvette: What happened to Genlias?
22 May 2015 by 12 Comments
Between 1995 and 2012, many archives in the Netherlands published indexes of birth, marriage and death records on Genlias (www.genlias.nl). Genlias was taken offline in 2013 and replaced by WieWasWie. Genlias was the most popular genealogy site in the country, and many people used it for their research. Ancestry.com still links to Genlias, even though all the links are broken now. This is why I still get asked about Genlias, even though the website has been offline for over … [Read more...]
Ask Yvette – Are there any records of people who helped Jews in World War II?
6 March 2015 by 5 Comments
Earlier this week, Kirk Payne wrote the following comment: I have a request that might stump you. My wife’s immediate ancestors immigrated to the US in the early 20th Century. Most of her great- and great-great Aunts and Uncles remained in the Netherlands. She had a cousin ask us if we’d seen any records showing her relatives having helped the Jews in the Netherlands during and preceding WWII. … [Read more...]
Looking for census records in the Netherlands?
13 December 2013 by 4 Comments
In many countries, census records are a popular source for genealogical research. In the Netherlands, we use population registers or civil registration records instead. After the census of 1849, the government decided to keep the information up to date. These records are called population registers and show where a family lived in a certain period. Because the registers cover a longer period (usually 10 years), you can see who moved in or out, or who was born or died, which makes them much … [Read more...]
How to find the cause of death
29 November 2013 by 4 Comments
Several people have asked me how they can find out how their ancestors died. Unfortunately, records that list cause of death are routinely destroyed, so most often it will not be possible to find the cause of death. … [Read more...]
How soon after birth were children baptized?
8 November 2013 by 5 Comments
In response to the article about the word dopen (baptisms), Tore Langholm asked: Has “baptism” always/usually been equivalent to “infant baptism” in the Netherlands? I just found a record of a baptism in the Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk in July of 1698, and wonder if I can assume that this is also the childs’ birth year? … [Read more...]
Ask Yvette: English version of WieWasWie?
18 October 2013 by 1 Comment
Many people have asked me if there is an English version of WieWasWie, the website with the largest index of genealogical records in the Netherlands. WieWasWie is a joint project in which many different archives participate. Volunteers enter the information. In some cases, scans are also available. The website is the successor of the very popular Genlias website, that is no longer available. Unlike Genlias, WieWasWie does not have an English version. I recently attended a presentation about … [Read more...]
