Civil registration record from the Netherlands Antilles have been added to WieWasWie, the largest online genealogy database in the Netherlands. This is great news for people who are researching ancestors in the Antilles. 47,000 records from the Civil Registration from the Antilles were added, almost half of the total number of records. The islands of Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Bonaire are available completely and some records from Aruba and Saba are available as well. The other records, including those from Curaçao, will follow as soon as they will have been entered.
Search instructions
Information to bear in mind when consulting the civil registration from the Netherlands Antilles:
- Often the surname of the godfather or godmother was and/or is given to the child, which can lead to long lists of first or last names.
- Many individuals had aliases. The aliases were the names by which the individuals in question were known locally, whereas in the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages they were registered under official names. The aliases can be found in the Comment field.
- A death certificate often also contains the place of birth and sometimes the date of birth of the deceased. These are included in the Comment field.
- Names that are spelled with a "ij" in the Netherlands, are often spelled with a "y" in the Antilles. This obviously makes a difference when formulating a query for the Genlias system.
- In some cases, the clerk seems to have written down the name phonetically. Spanish speaking people pronounce the letter "j" as "g" and the letter "v" as "b".
Source: WieWasWie
About Yvette Hoitink
Thank you so much. I have ancestors in St Martin on the Dutch and french sides. Also Anguilla and Antigua. They were on the Hope Estate, Grande Case, Marigot and elsewhere. This is the very first breakthrough I have had on my Great Grandmother’s maiden name. Her mother came from France. My father’s name was REY and it has been very difficult to find much information, except for the links with those who married into families on the Dutch side. I am very excited.
Where would a birth have been registered if a child was born in Willemstaad, Curacao, 1930, to a Dutch father and a Surinaamse mother?
Births are always recorded in the municipality where they took place. Birth records from 1930 will become public in 2031.
I should be able to apply for this birth certificate, as it is for my father’s birth certificate.
If this is your father’s birth certificate, only he can apply for a copy. If he’s deceased, you should be able to get a copy with proof of death and relationship.
Where do I apply? The Netherlands Births Deaths and Marriages, or is there another registry office associated with Curacao? My dad is deceased. I’m in Australia so it is not easy to go to a local office and apply.
This is a proper catch 22 situation
How can I find my 2 times great grandmother and grandfather who died in or around early 1900 in curacao?
I have been trying for over a month to get a copy of my marriage certificate and related documents. I was married in Curacao in 2006. How and where do I request this information?
That would not be available online because of privacy laws. See this page for the order instructions (Dutch), which has an email address in the “Afspraak” section at the bottom that you can contact for more information.
Hello!
My great grandmother is Ivy Hassell of British Guiana in 1910. We know for a fact her father was Captain Frank Hassell of Saba Island. We are trying to find her birth certificate, and are not sure where to look. She moved to the United States around 1912. We were told she was disowned. Ancestry.com has provided a great deal of good information but we have reached a dead end. Please help!
Hi Yvette. Where can the records of families born in St. Thomas when the Dutch West India Company had a post there be found? Several of my ancestors from 17th & 18th century from Curazao were born in St. Thomas. I have been able to find some birth dates if they got married in Curazao, but if they didn’t get marry or immigrated to South America, I can’t find the birth info in wiewaswie.
your help is appreciated.
Wednesday, August 14th 2019/18:07
Dear Madam/Sir,
The archives of French former colonies , such as St. Martin ( =French side of the island )
were held in Guadeloupe. I am referring to the year 2015 when my inquiries took place.
They took me trough “”CARBICA”” and from there to A.N.O.M. which is “”Archives Nationales
d”Outre Mer”” 29 Chemin du Moulin de Testas, 13090 Aix-en- Provence, FRANCE
From there I was directed to the online archive
“” http://www.anom.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/caomec“”
Hope this can helpful in finding ancestors from the Caribbean region. I came close but not close enough.
Despite the “”Entente Cordiale”” the communication between the Dutch and the French
was cumbersome. I pray this has been resolved now because of new government on both sides.
Good luck
Hi. I noticed that birth and death documentation in Netherland Antilles are in WieWasWie only from 1831 and on. Is there a place where Netherland Antilles births and deaths prior to 1831 can be found?
Your guidance is appreciated,