Most genealogical information in the Netherlands is available free of charge. Government archives are required to make existing information available free-of-charge. This is why you will not be charged to access online records at the websites of Dutch archives.
Private organizations can charge for access. Some organizations have created databases or transcriptions that are available as a member benefit. Here are some examples.
Please note that the websites of these organizations are usually available in Dutch only. Membership fees are typically modest (€ 12-50 per year). Some have a cheaper digital-only membership if you do not want to receive their magazine. Check the website or contact the organization to understand what is and is not included.
CBG | Centrum voor Familiegeschiedenis
The CBG | Centrum voor Familiegeschiedenis [CBG Center for Family History] is a documentation for family history in The Hague. Becoming a “friend” of the CBG gives access to their online collections, including:
- Death announcements
- Prayer cards
- Various sources for the Dutch East Indies
- Algemeen Politieblad, the Police Journal, which includes information about police officers, descriptions of wanted criminals, etc.
Being a friend of the CBG also gives a discount on their other services, including ordering personal record cards. You can also get a combined rate for a WieWasWie subscription, which gives advanced search options for that website.
Ons Voorgeslacht / HoGenDa + HoFoDa
The Holland genealogical society Ons Voorgeslacht [Our Ancestry] has two websites with information for members:
- HoGenDa, a website with transcribed sources, feudal registers, and family trees. Many of the sources are for South-Holland and North-Holland but several sources are for other areas. You can check the sources (“Bronnen”) before becoming a member.
- HoFoDa, a website with digital photos of original records.
Indische Genealogische Vereniging
The Indische Genealogische Vereniging [Indies Genealogical Society] is the society for research in the former Dutch-East Indies. Its member benefits include access to various Dutch East Indies sources, including church rchurch records, records about civil servants, passenger lists, military records, and heraldic sources.
Stichting voor Surinaamse Genealogie
The Stichting voor Surinaamse genealogie [foundation for Suriname Genealogy] has a members-only section with the following information:
- A database of Suriname birth, marriages, and death records from Suriname newspapers
- Recordings of past online events
- Access to past publications, including Wi Rutu, their magazine.
Veluwse Geslachten
Veluwse Geslachten is the genealogical society of the Veluwe area in Gelderland. Their members-only benefits include:
- Access to a database with genealogical information of people in the area (1.5 million entries)
- Access to the digital library, including past publications and magazines.
Other societies?
Do you know of other societies that provide access to sources or databases as a member benefit? Please leave a comment.
About Yvette Hoitink
Hi Yvette,
Another society is the NGV.
I have been a member of the NGV for many years.
Check ou their new website.
https://www.ngv.nl/hoofd/
I have not been able to access the NGV members-only section since the problems between the IT committee and the board, which is why I did not include them.
The HoGenDa and HoFoDa databases both contain a wealth of information for non-members. As far as I know, ‘Ons Voorgeslacht’ is the only society to maintain a database of which a part is open to the general public. The (members of the) society bear(s) the costs in order to advance the study of ancestry and genealogy by all. (Sjoerd de Ridder, Board member Ons Voorgeslacht).
Thank you for that additional information, Sjoerd!
Hello Yvette and Dutch cousins,
I have found the historic Adriaen Van der Donck who died in 1655 (later Onderdonck) family in my tree. Supposedly he had no children. However my tree goes to the generation following him with the name Adriaen and the available evidence fits that it would be his line.
A Quote from the”History of the City of New York in the Seventeenth Century” 1909 by Mrs. Schuyler Van Rensselaer follows;
“Adriaen Van der Donck died in 1655, two years after he returned from Holland. The well-known family of Onderdonck of New York and New Jersey is descended from his son Andrew and others called Van Dunck or Ver Dunck also trace back to the people’s tribune Adriaen Van Der Donck.”
I have also found that the preponderance of opinions from professional genealogists who have worked on this family, is that it is a probable line and yet there hasn’t been enough solid primary evidence to actually prove it. His wife remarried after Adriaen’s early death and had children with a man named Francis Doughty, and those children are proven. I find it interesting that the original Adriaen Van der Donck and his wife were married for 10 plus years and yet they had no children. She only had children with Doughty? Unlikely. The Van der Donck line I am a part of has been linked to a brother? I would love to have some feedback on this from anyone who is a professional genealogist with experience in this area, or anyone in the know. Perhaps others who have a Van der Donck line and have run into this problem may have some answers. Has any new evidence been found? I read the book The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto. It was an amazing read, very informative and entertaining. I emailed the author and told him I had this line and his response was, “What makes you think you could be a descendant of AVD? The search for evidence was on. Thank you in advance for any help you might provide! C Lewis
OOPS sorry, Adriaen Van Der Donck married Mary Doughty, the daughter of Rev. Francis Doughty and after Adriaen’s early death she remarried to Hugh O’Neale and they moved to Maryland. The O’Neale children are documented.