The marine is the navy. The Royal Navy of the Netherlands has been involved with protecting and expanding Dutch interests around the globe. In the 1800s and 1900s, the navy played an important role in maintaining order in the Dutch colonies, including the Dutch East Indies, the Netherlands Antilles, and Suriname. Navy records have partially been destroyed. The surviving records can be found at the National Archives. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Huisnummer
22 May 2023 by Leave a Comment
A huisnummer is a house number. Modern Dutch addresses are composed of a street name, house number, postal code, and place name. The house number follows the street name, e.g. "Dorpsstraat 15." House numbers could change over time. Such addresses with street names and house numbers are a relatively modern invention. In the 1800s and in some places into the 1900s, houses were not numbered per street but by ward. Before 1800, there is a great regional variation. Some places numbered houses, … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Scannen op verzoek
15 May 2023 by Leave a Comment
Scannen op verzoek means scanning on demand. It generally means you can order scans from the finding aid or catalog directly. In many cases, this is a free service. Check the list of archives that provide free scanning on demand. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Oplopend and Aflopend
8 May 2023 by 1 Comment
Oplopend means ascending, aflopend means descending. You may come across the terms in search genealogical search pages, to sort the results. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Schelpenvisser
1 May 2023 by Leave a Comment
A schelpenfisher is a shellfish fisherman. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Erfgoed
17 April 2023 by Leave a Comment
The Dutch term erfgoed means "heritage." You may come across the term in the names of repositories that keep archival records, such as Erfgoed Leiden en Omstreken [Heritage Leiden and surrounding area] or Erfgoedcentrum Achterhoek en Liemers [Heritage Center Achterhoek and Liemers]. These organizations are not just archives, but also centers for other types of heritage in the town or region, which could include archaeology, monuments, and regional dialects and … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Affiche
10 April 2023 by Leave a Comment
An affiche is a poster. Affiches can tell you what was going on in a place where your ancestors lived, and they make great illustrations for your family history. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Verwant
3 April 2023 by Leave a Comment
Verwant can be a noun or an adjective, and means relative or related, respectively. You may come across the term in population registers, where the relation to the head of household might read "niet verwant" [not related], sometimes abbreviated to "niet verw." or "n.v.w." This could indicate the person was a lodger or employee of the head of household. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Ontslagen
27 March 2023 by Leave a Comment
Ontslagen means "discharged." It can mean that someone was fired from a job, but also that they were discharged from a facility like a prison or beggar's colony. For example, there is the Geheim Register van Ontslagen Gevangenen, the Secret Register of Released Prisoners. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Meisjesschool
20 March 2023 by Leave a Comment
A meisjesschool is a school for girls. These schools started to appear in the 1800s to teach the daughters of the upper classes. Besides reading and arithmetic, they would be taught to draw, sew, and make music. Meisjesscholen were typically available in large cities only. … [Read more...]
