A landmeter is a surveyor. Landmeters were not only called in to record new borders, but also when there was a dispute about borders or property ownership. Their records can often be found in town records or in the court records. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Woensdag
6 June 2018 by Leave a Comment
Woensdag is the Dutch term for Wednesday. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Armenjager
4 June 2018 by 1 Comment
An armenjager is a poor hunter, an official charged with driving away beggars. By the end of the 1600s, poor economic conditions caused many people to turn to begging. Churches and towns provided for their own people, but strangers had no choice but to beg. To prevent these strangers from taking charity that could be used by the towns' own folks, some towns hired an armenjager to get rid of them. They were usually put across the border of the municipality or province to make them somebody … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Gracht
14 May 2018 by 3 Comments
A gracht is a canal, usually in a city. Merchants liked living on the grachten since it made it easy to get their supplies delivered to them. The grachten were often the wealthiest parts of town, and also attracted other well-to-do families. Grachten also drained the water from the surrounding area. The Amsterdam grachtengordel [canal belt] is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Boekhandelaar
7 May 2018 by Leave a Comment
A boekhandelaar is a book trader or bookstore owner. Until recent times, a large part of the population was illiterate and book traders could only be found in larger cities. Many book traders were also publishers. Estate inventories in notarial records can show us if our ancestors owned any books, sometimes including the titles. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Donderdag
3 May 2018 by Leave a Comment
Donderdag is the Dutch term for Thursday. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Onderduiker
23 April 2018 by 1 Comment
An onderduiker literally means "under diver" and is somebody who went into hiding. The term was used during World War II to indicate Jews and other people who went into hiding to avoid deportation to the German concentration camps. The most famous onderduiker was Anne Frank, who went into hiding with her family in the annex of the building where her father's office was located. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Turfdrager
9 April 2018 by 1 Comment
A turfdrager was a peat carrier. Peat was an important fuel, both for private homes and for businesses like breweries and bakeries. An abstract of the instructions for the peat carriers in Leeuwarden from 1660 gives an impression of the regulations that a peat carrier was expected to live by. Articles that regulate the peat carriers of this city Nobody will be admitted as peat carrier without the consent and approbation of the magistrate of the city. Peat carriers are required … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Heemkunde
2 April 2018 by Leave a Comment
"Heemkunde" is the study of the home environment. The word "heem" means home or place of origin. "Kunde" is study or science. Many towns or regions have their own heemkundevereniging, historical societies. They will often give lectures, organize excursions, or have a magazine dedicated to the history of the area. Some heemkundeverenigingen have a genealogy section. They are great places to ask to identify or locate old family photos. The Stamboomgids website has a list of … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Vrijdag
30 March 2018 by Leave a Comment
Vrijdag is the Dutch term for Friday. Goede Vrijdag is Good Friday. … [Read more...]
