An archiefbeschrijving is an archival description. To describe their holdings, archives create archival descriptions. Descriptions can be high-over ("incoming correspondence 1800-1810") or detailed ("accounts of the orphans of Laureijs Smulders, 1606"). Archival descriptions are typically organized per record group and published in the form of finding aids or catalogs. Most archives in the country have published their archival descriptions online. In a growing number of cases, scans are … [Read more...]
10 Tips for Doing On-Site Research in the Netherlands
25 July 2019 by 1 Comment
Are you planning a trip to the Netherlands and want to do some on-site research while you're here? Here are ten tips to make the most of the time you have available. 1: Check if the record is already online There is little research that requires on-site research anymore in the Netherlands. Many of the popular genealogical records have been scanned and are available online for free. Once records have been digitized, the originals are not available anymore. You can check the website Digital … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Selectielijst
10 December 2018 by Leave a Comment
A selectielijst literally means a selection list. Archives publish selectielijsten to announce their retention policies for records created by a specific government agency. For each series on the list, it will indicate whether it will be permantly preserved or after how many years it will be destroyed. The selectielijsten are put up for public review. After any objections have been evaluated, the minister of Education, Culture, and Science will need to formally approve it before it is … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Notulen
12 November 2018 by Leave a Comment
Notulen are minutes. They can be found in the records created by many different types of people and organizations, such as church councils or the municipal government. They can contain a variety of information. Archival descriptions in finding aids often don't index the minutes but simply label the boxes as notulen and their period. You will have to view the original records to learn what their contents are. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Concordans
22 October 2018 by 1 Comment
A concordans is a translation table that gives you a mapping of a former numbering system to a newer numbering system. For example, a concordans may exist to show how old addresses translate to new addresses. I used such a table in my research into my great-grandmother Cornelia Francisca van den Heuvel to show that address C 453 in Breda was the same as Leuvenaarstraat 158. It is rare to find such translation tables for addresses, so I got lucky. Concordansen are sometimes provided in … [Read more...]
Dutch Term – Archief
5 October 2016 by Leave a Comment
October is archive month, so this week's Dutch term is archief (archive). The word archief has two meanings: The repository that holds records A group of records created by a person or organization as a result of their activities. For example, the Nationaal Archief holds the archief (records) of the West India Company. … [Read more...]
Organization of Archives in the Netherlands
15 April 2016 by 2 Comments
To find records about your ancestors, it is useful to know how archives are organized; even if you're looking for online records. Government archives The most important sources for genealogical research are kept in government archives. Churches were required to hand over their baptismal, marriage and burial registers when the civil registration was introduced (in 1811 in most parts of the country), so you can even find those records in government archives. National Archives At the national … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Archivaris
15 February 2016 by Leave a Comment
An archivaris is an archivist. In the Netherlands, archivarissen have a college or university degree in archival science; usually after first completing a related degree in history. Every level of government (municipality, province, nation) is required to transfer their older records to an archive which is headed by an archivist. Smaller municipalities often don't have their own municipal archivist but work together in larger Regional Historical Centers. Here are five things I learned from … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Archiefstuk
10 August 2015 by Leave a Comment
An Archiefstuk is an archival record, a document created or received in the course of a person or organization's activities or tasks. The oldest surviving archiefstuk in the Netherlands is a 950 charter whereby King Otto I granted the right of a market and toll to Cassalum (unidentified location). The charter is kept by the Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Archiefvormer
13 April 2015 by Leave a Comment
An Archiefvormer is the creator of an archive. Examples of archiefvormers are municipalities, churches, societies, foundations and private persons. Thinking about which archiefvormers your ancestor may have been in contact with is a great way to discover unknown records. Read the article Find your ancestors by understanding how records are created for more information. If you check the finding aid (inventaris), you can see who the archiefvormer was. Most online finding aids will allow you … [Read more...]
