This is my third post answering the questions asked by viewers of my "Researching Your Dutch Ancestors" webinar. In this post, I will answer questions about Dutch names. What are patronymics? Patronymics are names that are derived from the father's name, like Jansen = son of Jan. In some parts of the Netherlands, people did not have a hereditary surname before the introduction of the civil registration in 1811. Read more about patronymics. What were the naming patterns? Most Dutch children … [Read more...]
Was your ancestor born in Reusel-De Mierden, Noord-Brabant? Guess again!
22 November 2013 by 66 Comments
When I look at online trees, especially on Ancestry.com, I often see "Reusel, Reusel-de Mierden, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands" listed as the place of birth. At first I was puzzled how all these people with names that are typical for Friesland, Groningen or Gelderland would have children in a village on the other side of the country. There was obviously something wrong there. But then I started using FamilyTreeMaker and tried to resolve some place names. Guess what? "Holland" resolves to "Reusel, … [Read more...]
