Strafzaak means "criminal case." You may see the plural, strafzaken, in the archival descriptions of court records. The finding aids often have separate series for criminal records. These may include the case files or verdicts. The severity of the crime determined where the case was tried. For each place where my ancestors lived, I try to find out which court had lower jurisdiction and which had higher jurisdiction. Major crimes, like murder, arson, or grand larceny, would be tried by … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Many people were convicted of crimes
26 October 2022 by 1 Comment
In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, you may be surprised to find how many of your ancestors were convicted of a crime or misdemeanor by the courts, and how many had to serve a prison sentence. Many things for which the police would just give a ticket today were brought before the court. Poor people often received a (short) prison sentence instead of a fine, or would be sent to prison if they did not pay a fine. Some examples of crimes my poor ancestors were convicted of: … [Read more...]
Level 4 Checklist – Property ownership, military service, religion, criminal activity
21 May 2021 by 4 Comments
A few months ago, I issued my Level-Up Challenge, challenging you to assess how complete your research is. By level 2, we know the names of our ancestors and where and when they were born, married and died and by level 3, we also have to know their occupations, places of residence, and their children and spouses. To reach level 4, we also need to know what property they owned, if they served in the military, what religion they were, and if they were involved in any criminal activities. In … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Was your ancestor in prison?
3 February 2021 by 1 Comment
Too often, we think our ancestors were like us. We find it hard to imagine they would break the law and don't even look for prison records. However, lots of people got in trouble with the law; especially if they were poor. In the nineteenth and part of the twentieth century, if people could not pay a fine, they could end up in prison. … [Read more...]
Source – Secret Register of Released Prisoners
9 October 2020 by Leave a Comment
A source with an intriguing name is the "Geheim Register van Ontslagen Gevangen" or the Secret Register of Released Prisoners. This register was kept from 1882 to 1896 and included the photos, personal details, and overview of crimes of the prisoners who would be released in the upcoming month even though they were still considered dangerous. This included people who served multiple sentences, or who served a long sentence for a serious crime. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Gevangene
15 June 2020 by Leave a Comment
A gevangene is a prisoner. Imprisonment as punishment became popular in the 1800s, after corporal punishment was largely abolished. For information about prisoners, see Source - Prison records. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Inbrengregister
4 April 2016 by 1 Comment
An inbrengregister is an admission register. Inbrengregisters can be found in the archives of institutions where people were housed, like prisons, orphanages or mental institutions. Inbrengregisters will usually give you the following information about an inmate: Name Place and date of birth Reason for admission Date of admission Date of departure. Sometimes, information about their time in the institution can be found in a notes column, or the register may include … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Dief
25 January 2016 by 1 Comment
A dief is a thief. You may found out that your ancestor was a thief, or the victim of a thief, in newspapers, court records, prison records or police records. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Gevangenis
29 June 2015 by Leave a Comment
A gevangenis is a prison. The modern prison system was introduced in 1811. Many people went to jail, often for petty crimes. Prison records can tell you if any of your ancestors ever went to jail. Read more about prison records. … [Read more...]
Finding collaborators in World War II
1 May 2015 by 6 Comments
With the 70th anniversary of our liberation coming up next week, I thought I would discuss one of the most important record groups for research into World War II. During World War II, several Dutch citizens collaborated with the German occupation: some joined the National Socialist Movement (NSB), others betrayed Jews or were romantically involved with German soldiers. After the War was over, hundreds of thousands of Dutch citizens were prosecuted for collaboration or treason. If convicted, … [Read more...]
