A prentbriefkaart or ansichtkaart is a postcard. Postcards became popular in the early 1900s. Old postcards can give you a good idea of what the town looked like when your ancestors were living there. It's also worth asking family members if any of them have old postcards. Among the papers I inherited from my grandfather and grandmother were postcards they sent each other when they were engaged and he was serving in the military. Digitized postcards can often be found on websites of … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Rijksmuseum Public Domain Images
If you're looking for images to illustrate your family tree or give you a sense of what life was like for your ancestors, check out the website of the Rijksmuseum. Many paintings, drawings, and etchings from their collection have been scanned and may be downloaded for free and reused for any purpose since they are in the public domain. Try searching for the name of a town where your ancestors lived, or of an occupation they had. Use the Dutch words, since the collection is described in Dutch. … [Read more...]