Onbekend means "unknown." Niet bekend means "not known." You may encounter these terms when informants are asked for information they do not possess. For example, in death records, you may see a reference that the names of the parents are not known to the informants. Informants for death registers were often neighbors, who may not have known the deceased's parents. Other records may mention "vader onbekend" [father unknown] if the child is born out of wedlock. For tips on researching those … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Ab Intestato
11 December 2023 by Leave a Comment
Ab intestato means "without a will." The ab intestato heirs of a person are the people who would inherit by law if the person did not have a will. It is a Latin term you may find in Dutch documents regarding someone's estate, for example in a will or estate division. If a person writes a will, sometimes they may refer to the ab intestato heirs to indicate what (if anything) was left to them. It is just a shorthand for saying "to the people who would have inherited had I not made a will." If … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Xber or Xbris
4 December 2023 by Leave a Comment
In old records, you may find the word Xber or Xbris for the month. This means December or Decembris [Latin]. The names of the months were established when the start of the year was in March and December was the tenth month. Do not confuse Xber for October, the tenth month of our current calendar. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Vakblad
27 November 2023 by Leave a Comment
A vakblad is a trade journal. Trade journals became popular in the early 1900s, though some go back further. Trade journals can have interesting information about your ancestors, such as: information about completed education or achieved diplomas membership of unions, committees, organizations publications by our ancestors information about their employers images of the trade they were in. You can find trade journals by searching the Tijdschriften [magazines] section at … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Zolder
20 November 2023 by Leave a Comment
A zolder is an attic. You may come across the term in estate inventories, that describe the items per room. People often used zolders for storage. In some cases, the zolder would be used to sleep. Attics were often poorly insulated, so this could be cold unless you slept next to the chimney. I heard a story of a Frisian family where the older boys had to sleep in the attic over a cow shed, which was very cold in winter. The house was not big enough for all the children so only the younger … [Read more...]
Dutch term – 9ber or 9bris
13 November 2023 by 1 Comment
In old records, you may find the word 9ber or 9bris for the month. This means November or Novembris [Latin]. The names of the months were established when the start of the year was in March and November was the ninth month. Do not confuse 9ber for September, the ninth month of our current calendar. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Oom
6 November 2023 by Leave a Comment
Oom means "uncle." Like in English, the Dutch word oom is used for the brother of a parent, or the husband of the sister of a parent. There is no separate word for paternal or maternal uncle. You may encounter references to ooms in guardianship records, estate inventories, as specification of how witnesses are related to the main parties, and in many other types of records. Records do not usually differentiate between full and half uncles, or between uncles-by-blood or uncles-by-marriage. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Palingvisser
30 October 2023 by Leave a Comment
A palingvisser is a fishermen that specializes in catching eel. Several villages around the Zuidersee (South Sea, now a lake called IJsselmeer), like Volendam, were famous for their eels. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Grafrechten
23 October 2023 by Leave a Comment
Grafrechten are grave duties, the fees that have to be paid for a grave. Some churches or towns kept registers of these payments. They can act as a substitute for missing burial records. In most cemeteries, graves can only be leased, not bought. After the lease expires, the next of kin have to pay grave duties again or the grave will be cleared. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Machinist
16 October 2023 by Leave a Comment
A machinist is a person who operates heavy machines. The occupation started to appear in records in the nineteenth century. Originally, the term was used for all kinds of machines, including in factories. Over time, it became used for machines related to transportation, such as the train driver or the engineer on board of a ship. Hat tip: @Lena via Discord. … [Read more...]
