Dutch term – Landbouwer

27 October 2014 by 2 Comments
Farmer

The farmer. Print by Jan and Casper Luyken, circa 1690. Credits: Picturing the past

A landbouwer is a farmer. There are several related terms that you may encounter in the records:

  • Boer (farmer)
  • Boerenknecht (farm hand)
  • Landgebruiker (literally: land user, often a tenant farmer)
  • Landman (farmer)
  • Bouwman (farmer)
  • Akkerbouwer (field farmer)
  • Veehouder (cattle holder)
  • Varkenshouder (pig holder)
  • Graanboer (grain farmer)

Most farmers did not own the farms they worked on. Many were tenants. Originally, their rent would have been a percentage of the yield, usually 1/3. Later, this rent in kind was changed to a monetary rent. In most places, that shift took place in the 17th or 18th century. The desire to own their own land is one of the reasons that drove many farmers in the 19th century to emigrate.

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About Yvette Hoitink

Yvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist, writer, and lecturer in the Netherlands. She has a Master of Letters in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee, and holds the Certification of Genealogist and Qualified Genealogist credentials. Yvette served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists and won excellence awards for her articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly. Yvette has been doing genealogy for over 30 years. She helps people from across the world find their ancestors from the Netherlands and its former colonies, including New Netherland. Read about Yvette's professional genealogy services.

Comments

  1. Stuart A Bouwman says
    21 June 2021 at 6:52 pm

    I always thought Bouwman translated into Bowman as in an Archer.

    Reply

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