A koper is a buyer. You can find the term in land records, such as deeds to purchase a house or in notarial or court records for estate sales. The term is also used in occupations, such as wijnkoper (wine buyer; wine merchant) or houtkoper (wood buyer; wood trader). As an adjective, koper means copper. You may encounter it in some estate inventories that include copper items in the house. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Tandarts
11 October 2021 by Leave a Comment
A tandarts is a dentist. Dentists used to travel around for services at regional fairs. It did not become a regular medical profession until the twentieth century. By the 1930s, dentists started coming into schools to make sure the children's teeth were in good health. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Nettenboetster
20 September 2021 by Leave a Comment
A nettenboetster was a female worker who made or repaired fishing nets. It was typically a job for young girls in fishing villages to supplement the family's income. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Mangelhoudster
17 May 2021 by Leave a Comment
A reader asked me about the term mangelhoudster. It literally means "keeper of a mangle." The mangle would be a dvice to put laundry through to dry and flatten it. The occupation is mainly found in and around Amsterdam. It could be that the mangelhoudster owned a mangle that others could use for a fee, or that she was a laundress herself. I have tried to find more documentation about the occupation but did not find much. An entry in the J.B. Glasbergen's Beroepsnamenboek [occupation's book], … [Read more...]
Level 3 Checklist – Occupations, residence, children, spouses
26 March 2021 by Leave a Comment
Two 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. To reach level 3, we also have to know their occupations, places of residence, and their children and spouses. In this blog post, I will explain which sources I feel I need to have found or searched for in order to say I have reached level 3. Occupation I want to find at least one source … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Hollandgänger
24 February 2020 by 6 Comments
This week's term isn't Dutch at all, it's German. Hollandgänger literally means Holland-goer. It's a German term to describe seasonal workers who would come to the Netherlands to work. They'd walk to the Netherlands in spring, work here all summer, and then return to their families in Germany in the autumn. Most of these people were poor farm laborers from Westphalia, Münsterland, Osnabrück, or East-Friesland. Some of these workers met their partners in the Netherlands and stayed here. … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Opzichter
10 February 2020 by Leave a Comment
An opzichter is an overseer. If you find that your ancestor was an opzichter, that can be a clue to find more records about him. Opzichters were hired by various organizations like hospitals or prisons. In former Dutch colonies, you can find overseers on plantations or managing enslaved people. The organizations the overseers worked for may have created records that shed more life on your ancestors' lives, or for the people they oversaw. If you are looking at a death record and the … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Baljuw
2 December 2019 by Leave a Comment
A baljuw [bailiff] was an official who represented the ruler of the region and had the highest jurisdiction. They usually received a fixed salary and a share of the fines. Other terms for this function are drost or drossaard. Baljuws were appointed by the ruler. You can sometimes find these appointments in the records created by the ruler, such as the lord of a domain or the count or duke of the province. … [Read more...]
English translations of French occupations
13 September 2019 by 1 Comment
During the French occupation in the Netherlands (1795-1813), many of the official records were written in French. Here are some of the occupations you can find in the records, with their English translations. Accoucheur > Obstetrician Adjoint > Aldermen Adjoint-Maire > Interim mayor Advocat > Lawyer Agriculteur > Farmer Aide > Aide Amurier > Weapon smith Apoticaire > Apothecary Apprentif > Apprentice Armurier > Weapon … [Read more...]
