Kolonie is the Dutch word for colony. As a result of the commercial activities of companies like the Dutch East India Company and West India Company, the Dutch had colonies and trade posts all over the world, including: New Netherland in North America, which covered large parts of the current states of New York and New Jersey, where the Dutch obtained furs. El Mina in Ghana, center of the Dutch slave trade in Africa. Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, important stopping point for … [Read more...]
Quick Tip – The Pull of the Dutch East and West India Companies
14 October 2015 by Leave a Comment
The Dutch East India Company and West India Company attracted workers from all over Europe. Many came from the German states or the Baltic. So if your ancestor was employed by one of these companies and settled in the West Indies, South Africa, New Netherland or the East Indies, it is possible that they were not Dutch at all. … [Read more...]
Dutch Genealogy Webinar – Questions about Immigrant Ancestors
2 October 2015 by 1 Comment
This is my second post answering the questions asked by viewers of my "Researching Your Dutch Ancestors" webinar. In this post, I will answer questions about finding immigrant ancestors. A good general strategy for finding immigrant ancestors is outlined in my article How to find my immigrant ancestor in the Netherlands? How do you trace your Dutch ancestor if you don't know when and were they arrived? This viewer had ancestors who arrived in the colonies in the 1700s. For these early … [Read more...]
Quick tip: Free images of Dutch colonial past
24 June 2014 by 1 Comment
The National Archives and Royal Library of the Netherlands have just donated thousands of images of the colonial past of the Netherlands and its trade partners to the public domain. These images have been uploaded to Wikimedia and are free for everybody to use, without restrictions. Here are a few gems: View images from the Atlas of Mutual Heritage on Wikimedia … [Read more...]
New Netherland research guide
1 February 2014 by 5 Comments
In the 17th century, the Dutch had a colony in the New World that they called Nieuw Nederland (New Netherland). The colonists came from the Netherlands and many other places throughout Europe. Many people with early American roots have New Netherland ancestors. This guide will give you references to resources to help you trace your New Netherland roots. This is a living document with resources that I use in my own research, so the focus is on making the connection based to the old country. … [Read more...]
