Trace your Dutch roots

Online genealogy in Noord-Brabant

2009-12-18T05:41:00.000+01:00

The main resource for genealogy in Noord-Brabant is BHIC, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum.
A few regions and towns have their own online records: Land van Heusden en Altena, West-Brabant, Eindhoven, Tilburg.
Find images of the past at BHIC or at the Film- en Fotobank Noord-Brabant (Film and Photo database Noord-Brabant).
There are also local image sites, e.g. for Eindhoven, Tilburg or Roosendaal.
BHIC is present on Flickr and YouTube. The Tilburg regional archive is present on Flickr and YouTube.
For historical maps, visit Beelddatabank Historische Kaarten Brabant (Image database Historical Maps Brabant).
For indexes of cemeteries and photos of tombstones visit Graftombe (Tomb), Online Begraafplaatsen Land van Heusden en Altena (Online cemeteries, Land van Heusden en Altena region) or Online Begraafplaatsen Noord-Brabant overig (Online cemeteries rest of Noord-Brabant province).
You can discuss your Noord-Brabant roots on the Ancestry message board Noord-Brabant or the Yahoo mailing list Noord-Brabant Genealogy.

For more information see Genealogy in Noord-Brabant.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-16T06:58:00.001+01:00

Vroolijk kerstfeest (Merry Christmas), Dutch Christmas card sent in 1928.

Online genealogy in Zuid-Holland

2009-12-11T05:50:00.000+01:00

For most towns in Zuid-Holland, the best place to find BMD records is Genlias.
There are, however, many places in Zuid-Holland that are not in Genlias. Places that are not represented in Genlias include major cities like Rotterdam, The Hague, Leiden, and Delft. There are regional and local databases you can use for these places: Rotterdam, Den Haag, Leiden, Delft, Vlaardingen, Schiedam, and Groene Hart.
There is no provincial image database for Zuid-Holland. For images of the past, check out local and regional sites, like Rotterdam, Delft, Leiden, or Schiedam.
The Schiedam city archive is present on flickr.
For indexes of cemeteries and photos of tombstones visit Graftombe (Tomb). The website Online Begraafplaatsen (Online Cemeteries) has pages for the regions Alblasserwaard, Delfland, Eiland van Dordrecht, Eiland van IJsselmonde, Goeree-Overflakkee, Krimpenerwaard, Rotterdam, Schieland, Vijfheerenlanden, and rest of Zuid-Holland.
Discuss your Zuid-Holland roots at the Ancestry message board Zuid-Holland or the Yahoo mailing list Zuid Holland Genealogy.

For more information see Genealogy in Zuid-Holland.

Postcard from De Bildt

2009-12-09T06:15:00.001+01:00

The KNMI, Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute) in De Bilt (spelled De Bildt on the postcard).

The institute, founded in 1854, moved to De Bilt in 1897. The postcard was sent in 1906, so the observatory was still relatively new then. The KNMI is still in De Bilt. They research climate change and seismology, but in The Netherlands they are best known for their weather forecasts.

Dutch archive news November 2009

2009-12-04T06:49:00.001+01:00

Many archives announced limited opening hours and service around the holidays.
Genlias added new birth records from Utrecht, new marriage records from Friesland, and new death records from Friesland and Utrecht.
The National Archive opened an e-depot. Nowadays many government records are only created electronically. These records need to be remain accessible for interested parties and have to be archived and kept for future generations, just like the paper records of the past. Though currently a pilot with just a few records, the e-depot of the national archive will eventually electronically store and archive these records.
The first selection of audiovisual material for Open Images is now available online. The subjects of the 469 items that can now be found on Open Images are very diverse, such as an item about a caravan that can also be used as a boat, a video about the Tour de France in the Netherlands and about the first residents of Almere city.
Drenlias is adding tax registers from the 17th and 18th century. The Groningen archive is publishing estate inventories online. So if your ancestors lived in Groningen or Drenthe you can soon find out if they prospered.
The Amsterdam city archive published pre-1811 burial registers on their website, available here.

Online genealogy in Noord-Holland

2009-11-27T05:29:00.000+01:00

There is no online provincial database for Noord-Holland, but Genlias has many BMD records from Noord-Holland.
Amsterdam records are not yet on Genlias. There are several Amsterdam databases on the website of the Amsterdam city archive, including the pre-1811 doopregisters (index to baptisms).
There are other local and regional databases: Haarlem and Kennemerland and Alkmaar.
Noordhollandse Huwelijken (Noord-Holland marriages) has marriages and family reconstructions (based on marriage acts and other sources) for many towns in Noord-Holland.
Genealogie in Noord-Holland is a portal site for Noord-Holland genealogy. Unfortunately it is only available in Dutch.
Images of the past are in the Beeldbank Noord-Holland (Image database Noord-Holland).
For images of Amsterdam visit Beeldbank Amsterdam, the image database of the Amsterdam city archive. There are many other local or regional image databases, including Alkmaar, Hilversum and Texel.
For indexes of cemeteries and photos of tombstones visit Graftombe (Tomb), Het Grafstenen project Noord-Holland (The tomb stone project Noord-Holland), or Online Begraafplaatsen (Online Cemeteries, there is a separate page for the island Texel).
Discuss your Noord-Holland roots at the Ancestry message board Noord-Holland, the RootsWeb NL-NOORD-HOLLAND Mailing List, or the Yahoo mailing list Noordholland-Genealogy.

For more information see Genealogy in Noord-Holland.

Online genealogy in Utrecht

2009-11-20T05:35:00.000+01:00

To find BMD records for Utrecht, use Genlias.
The archives of the region Southeastern Utrecht and Eemland have their own online databases, including church books.
The Utrecht provincial archive published an index and scans of the notarial archive of Utrecht city online.
For images of the past, visit the image database of the provincial archive.
Regional and local image collections include Rijnstreek and Lopikerwaard, Amersfoort and Zeist.
For indexes of cemeteries and photos of tombstones visit Graftombe (Tomb) or Online Begraafplaatsen (Online Cemeteries).
Discuss your Utrecht roots at the Ancestry message board Utrecht or the Yahoo mailing list Utrecht Genealogy.

For more information see Genealogy in Utrecht.

Postcard from Wormerveer

2009-11-18T06:42:00.004+01:00

A postcard from the Transvaalstraat in Wormerveer, province Noord-Holland, sent in 1905.

Online genealogy in Gelderland

2009-11-13T05:20:00.001+01:00

There is no online provincial database for Gelderland, but Genlias has many BMD records from Gelderland.
Streekarchief Bommelerwaard (Regional archive Bommelerwaard) has many online resources for the Bommelerwaard region. Click Digitale studiezaal, Genealogische bronnen, and Zoeken op naam in the navigation menu on the left to start searching.
The Noordwest-Veluwe regional archive (Elburg, Ermelo, Harderwijk, Nunspeet and Oldebroek) publishes several indexes on their website. Use Zoek uitgebreid at the top to search, or Genealogie in the navigation menu on the left to browse.
You can find images of the past in the image database Gelderland in beeld, maintained by the Gelderland library.
There are also many local image sites, e.g. for Arnhem, Nijmegen, Apeldoorn, and many others.
The Wageningen city archive has a channel on YouTube.
For indexes of cemeteries and photos of tombstones visit Graftombe (Tomb) or Online Begraafplaatsen (Online Cemeteries).
Discuss your Gelderland roots at the Ancestry message board Gelderland or the Yahoo mailing list Gelderland Genealogy.
UPDATE (thanks, Jane): Genealogie in de Achterhoek has many indexes, transcriptions, and sources for the Achterhoek region. They are also on flickr.

For more information see Genealogy in Gelderland.

Dutch archive news - October 2009

2009-11-06T06:43:00.004+01:00

Genlias added the first 120,000 marriage records from Amsterdam. This covers the period 1916-1932. There are also new birth and death acts from Limburg, and death acts from Noord-Holland.
The Central Bureau for Genealogy (CBG) in The Hague presented the next book in the series Voorouders van verre (Ancestors from far away): Sranan famiri, a research guide for people with Suriname roots.
The CBG started indexing their collection Familieadvertenties (newspaper ads announcing births, deaths, marriages or other family events). Currently these are only indexed on primary surname, and you may have to browse through many scans (paying for them as you go along) before you find what you are looking for. In the future you can also see which persons are on which scan (first and last name, year, place) so that you can go directly to the scan you need.
The CBG received a grant for their project StamboomNederland (Family Tree The Netherlands). In the future people can upload their genealogical research to share it with others and make it available to future generations. The CBG has archived printed and handwritten family trees for many years, and they plan to do the same for digital trees. StamboomNederland will launch late 2010.
Educational broadcasting corporation Teleac has bought the Dutch rights of the famous BBC television series Who do you think you are? They will create a Dutch series together with Central Bureau for Genealogy.
The Dutch National Archive announced that 800 meters Suriname archive, kept in The Netherlands because of better archiving conditions, will return to Suriname. Next year the Suriname national archive will open a new, modern archive building. Together with improved regulations and staff training this will guarantee proper conservation of these documents.
The Friesland archive Tresoar and the Groningen university are indexing the registers of the Sound Toll from the Danish national archive. The Sound Toll Registers contain information on about 1.8 million passages. From ca. 1580 onward, the biggest part of the passing ships came from The Netherlands. During the 18th century more ships came from Friesland than from any other Dutch province. The project's website is The Sound Toll Registers Online.
The city archive of The Hague have published part of the population register online. Not as part of their clumsy virtual study room, but (like many cities in Zuid-Holland) in Digitale Stamboom (Digital Family Tree). You can find the records from The Hague here. Scans are available free of charge.

Postcard from Woudrichem

2009-11-04T06:41:00.005+01:00

Woudrichem is an old, fortified city on the border of the provinces Zuid-Holland and Noord-Brabant. This postcard from Woudrichem was sent in 1908.

On the bottom right image we see the skyline of the city, on the bank of the river Meuse. In the middle the 15th century St. Martin's church.

Just across the river is the Loevestein castle (bottom left image). Pedestrians and cyclists can take a small ferry boat from Woudrichem to Loevestein. The castle, long used as a prison, is famous for Hugo Grotius' escape in a book chest.

Woudrichem and Loevestein are well worth a visit, if you happen to be in the neighbourhood.

Online genealogy in Drenthe

2009-10-30T05:43:00.000+01:00

The main resource for Drenthe is Drenlias. Drenlias has indexes of the BMD records of the civil register, indexes of church books, and many other archives. See also my earlier review of Drenlias.
Drentse Emigranten (Emigrants from Drenthe) is a database of people who emigrated between 1840 and 1930. I also reviewed this site.
Genealogie Drenthe is a portal site for Drenthe genealogy. Unfortunately it is only available in Dutch.
Images of Drenthe's past can be found on the Drenthe photo archive, part of the website of the Drenthe provincial archive.
Smaller image sites include Drenthe zoals het was 75 jaar geleden (Drenthe like it was 75 years ago), or local sites for (among others) Assen, Meppel, Coevorden, or Zuidlaren.
For indexes of cemeteries and photos of tombstones visit Graftombe (Tomb) or Online Begraafplaatsen (Online Cemeteries).
Discuss your Drenthe roots at Ancestry message board Drenthe or Yahoo mailing list Stamboom Drenthe.

For more information see Genealogy in Drenthe.

Online genealogy in Groningen

2009-10-16T05:48:00.000+02:00

The most important genealogical database for Groningen is AlleGroningers. The database has indexes and scans of BMD records of the civil register and church books. It's not complete yet, but expects to be so in a few years.
Ledematen provincie Groningen (Church members province Groningen) has transcrips and (links to) scans of (pre-1811) membership books of many Dutch Reformed churches in Groningen.
Genealogie Groningen is a portal site for Groningen genealogy. Unfortunately it is only available in Dutch.
Find images of the past in Beeldbank Groningen (Image database Groningen).
There are also many local image sites, e.g. for Groningen City or Roodeschool.
For indexes of cemeteries and photos of tombstones visit Graftombe (Tomb).
You can discuss your Groningen roots at the Ancestry message board Groningen or the Yahoo mailing list Groningen-genealogy.

For more information see Genealogy in Groningen.

Dutch archive news, September 2009

2009-10-09T07:00:00.007+02:00

Genlias added birth records from Limburg and death records from Gelderland and Limburg.
As part of Images for the Future, the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision and Knowledgeland launched Open Images. Open Images is an open media platform that offers online access to a selection of audiovisual archive material to stimulate creative reuse. Access to the content will be based on the Creative Commons model.
The Central Bureau for Genealogy in The Hague presented Roots Karibense, a research guide for people with Netherlands Antillean roots. It is the fourth book in the series Voorouders van verre (Ancestors from far away). The books are only available in Dutch.
Over 60 documents from the Dutch National Archive, including the famous Schaghen letter, are on display in the South Street Seaport Museum in New York, where the exhibition New Amsterdam. The Island at the Center of the World opened on 12 September.
Several documents from the Amsterdam city archive are on display in the Museum of American Finance in New York, where the exhibition Actiën Handel: Early Dutch Finance and the Founding of America opened on 8 September. One of the highlights of the exhibition is the testament of Peter Stuyvesant.
The Rotterdam city archive started the blog Dochters van Kaat Mossel (Daughters of Kaat Mossel), a genealogy blog about the female descendants of famous Rotterdam inhabitant Kaat Mossel (1723-1798). The blog aims to show what is available on their Digitale Stamboom (Digital Family Tree) website. Unfortunately the blog is only available in Dutch.
Anne Frank now has her own channel on YouTube, with, among others, the only existing film images of Anne. The channel is created and maintained by the Anne Frank museum.

Postcard from Holland

2009-10-07T06:26:00.001+02:00

Children wearing traditional dress. The postcard does not have a date mark (it was probably sent under cover), but must have been sent in the early 1930s.

Online genealogy in Limburg

2009-09-25T07:00:00.000+02:00

There is no online provincial database for Limburg, but Genlias has many BMD records from Limburg.
For images of the past visit the Beeldbank (image database) of the Limburg provincial archive.
The state mines were once the economic heart of Limburg. Visit the Fotoarchief De Staatsmijnen (photo archive of the state mines).
There are, of course, also local image sites, e.g. for Landgraaf, Roermond, or Sittard and Geleen.
For indexes of cemeteries and photos of tombstones visit Graftombe (Tomb).
Discuss your Limburg roots at the Ancestry message board Limburg or the Yahoo mailing list Genealogy in Limburg.

For more information see Genealogy in Limburg.

Postcard from Rotterdam

2009-09-23T06:25:00.002+02:00

The city hall in downtown Rotterdam, on a postcard sent on 16 July 1927. This area was largely destroyed thirteen years later, during the bombardment of Rotterdam (14 May 1940, see this photo for a view after the debris was cleared). Surprisingly, both the 1914 city hall and the church in the background survived, so the view today still looks pretty much the same (except for the traffic and the clothing of the people on the foreground, of course).

Postcard from Groesbeek

2009-09-16T06:23:00.002+02:00

A postcard from Groesbeek, sent in 1928. Groesbeek was (and to some extent still is) a rural village in the province Gelderland, just southeast of the city Nijmegen and on walking distance from the German border (see map). The area saw fierce fighting during Operation Market Garden, destroying much of the village, but the photo on this card was taken long before that.

Online genealogy in Zeeland

2009-09-11T07:00:00.000+02:00

The main resource for genealogy in Zeeland is Zeeuwen Gezocht, the database of the Zeeland provincial archive. I reviewed this website last year.
There are regional and local databases for Schouwen-Duiveland and Vlissingen.
Genealogie Zeeland is a portal site for Zeeland genealogy. Unfortunately it is only available in Dutch.
There are two provincial image databases: Beeldbank Zeeland (Image database Zeeland), maintained by the provincial libraries, and Zeeland in beeld (Zeeland in pictures), by the provincial archive.
There are also many regional and local image sites, e.g. Schouwen-Duiveland, Vlissingen, or Goes.
For indexes of cemeteries and photos of tombstones visit Graftombe (Tomb). The website Online Begraafplaatsen (Online Cemeteries) has pages for the regions Schouwen-Duiveland, Tholen, and Walcheren.
You can discuss your Zeeland roots at the Ancestry message board Zeeland or at the Yahoo mailing list for Zeeland genealogy list.

For more information see Genealogy in Zeeland.

Postcard from Den Haag

2009-09-09T07:00:00.002+02:00

The Ridderzaal (Hall of Knights) in Den Haag (a.k.a. The Hague or 's-Gravenhage) was built in the middle ages as a palace for the counts of Holland, and is now used for the opening of the parliamentary year and official receptions by the Queen, the government, and parliament. It is an icon of Dutch democracy, and a must-see for visitors of Den Haag.

This venerable hall has not always been so: During the 18th and 19th century it was used for a lot of less-than-venerable purposes, including (from 1726 to 1855) the draw for the national lottery (which, incidentally, still exists). The caption of this postcard is Loterijzaal, Lottery Hall. Apparently it was still known as such when this card was printed.

The card never ran and has no date marks, but I guess it was printed at the beginning of the 20th century.

News from the Dutch archives, August 2009

2009-09-04T07:00:00.003+02:00

We all know by now that in 1609 Hudson stumbled upon Manhattan and claimed it for the Dutch Republic (which eventually led to the foundation of New Netherland and its capital New Amsterdam). But did you also know that in the same year the Japanese Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu signed a trading pass, giving the Dutch East Indies Company permission to trade with Japan? For well over 200 years (from 1639 to 1858), The Netherlands was the only country in the world that was allowed to trade with Japan. The Dutch National Library and the National Archive opened an exhibition, From here to Tokyo - 400 years of trade with Japan, to celebrate, well, 400 years of trade with Japan. One of the documents on display is the famous trading pass (see image).
Het Geheugen van Nederland (Memory of The Netherlands), in cooperation with the national libraries of The Netherlands and Japan, opened a new collection The Netherlands – Japan to commemorate 400 years of trade with Japan.
A surprising addition to Genlias: Baptisms (1639-1800) and marriages (1639-1801) from the Dutch Reformed Church in New Amsterdam and New York.
The Dutch National Archive evaluated its flickr pilot and declared it a success (a million page views, 2000 comments, 6800 tags). The flickr activities are promoted from "pilot" to "regular activity".
The National Archive also announced the website Mapit1418, a collection of photos from the great war, often taken on an unknown location. The public is asked to geo-tag the photos (i.e. put them on a map) and add their own (modern) photos of the same location. Technical information: mapit1418 is a mashup of flickr's open API and OpenStreetMap (OSM). The website is part of the Beelden voor de Toekomst (Images for the Future) project.
The Gelderland Archive is now on Twitter.

Image: Trading pass. Coll. Nationaal archief (Dutch National Archive). On display at the exhibition From here to Tokyo - 400 years of trade with Japan.

Postcard from Amsterdam

2009-09-02T07:00:00.002+02:00

This postcard was sent from Amsterdam in November 1904. It shows the Overtoom, a street near the Vondelpark, in Amsterdam (see how Overtoom looks now in streetview).

Have a look at the people on the card, and their different clothing styles.

The real "star" on this card is of course the beautiful tram. Trams were a major mode of transport at the time, not only in the city but also to connect different towns. The tram is still important for Amterdam and several other major cities, but outside the main cities the tram has disappeared completely.

The tram on the card is an electric tram, getting electricity from the wires overhead (the trams in use today still work the same way). The electric tram was introduced in Amsterdam in 1900, so it was still quite new when this card was sent in 1904 - possibly the recipients of this card never saw one. Other trams in use at the time include steam trams and horse-drawn trams.

Postcard from Zandvoort

2009-08-19T07:00:00.002+02:00

I sent you a postcard from Scheveningen before. Today you receive a card from Zandvoort, another famous beach resort. Scheveningen was the beach resort of society, Zandvoort of the people. This card is more recent than the 1909 Scheveningen card (it was sent in 1927). The beach fashion had changed between 1909 and 1927, but there were also big differences in fashion between the two resorts.

The buildings on this card are long gone: All landmark buildings were demolished in the second world war to hamper a potential invasion of allied forces.

The text at the bottom of the card: Groeten uit Zandvoort. Strandgezicht met Badhuis "Zeeduin". (Greetings from Zandvoort. Beach view with beach house "Zeeduin".)

The slave revolt and the long road to freedom

2009-08-17T07:00:00.003+02:00

Today in history: The slave revolt of 1795

Slave revolt

The long road to freedom for slaves in the Dutch West Indies started on 17 August 1795. A group of almost 50 slaves, led by a slave named Tula, revolted at the Knip plantation of Caspar Lodewijk van Uytrecht at Bandabou, Curaçao. The slaves went from farm to farm, and many slaves joined the uprising.

The revolt lasted a month. The revolting slaves lost the first battle, but many slaves fled and started a guerrilla-style warfare. The authorities offered a reward for the capture of Tula, and with success: Tula was betrayed, and arrested on 19 September together with other leaders of the revolt. Tula was publicly tortured and beheaded, and the revolt petered out.

August 17 is still celebrated in Curaçao, as the start of the fight for freedom.

End of slavery

None of the revolting slaves would see the abolition of slavery. After a long discussion, The Netherlands finally abolished slavery on 1 July 1863. To compensate, slave owners received 300 guilders per freed slave from the Dutch government. Moreover, freed slaves in Suriname were required to work for their former owner for ten years (so effectively they remained slaves until 1873).

A monument

On 1 July 2002, H.M. Queen Beatrix unveiled a national slavery monument in Amsterdam. It was supposed to be a festive occasion, but for many slave descendants the unveiling was a disappointment. Because of the Queen's presence, security was tight and the general public was kept at a distance, and most could not watch the event. The many people with Suriname, Aruba or Curaçao roots who came to watch the unveiling of (what they considered to be) "their" monument were frustrated they were kept away.

The unveiling may have been a disappointment for many, but at least we do now have a national monument. The monument is the location of the annual slavery commemoration.

Tracing your roots

The Dutch National Archive publishes several important databases on their website. Unfortunately, they are only available in Dutch.

Vrij in Suriname (Free in Suriname) contains two databases: One of 6,364 slaves freed before 1863, and one of the 34,441 slaves that were freed in 1863 at the slavery abolition.
Arbeid op contract (contract labour) contains databases of contract labourers from China and the East Indies that were hired in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Koloniaal Suriname (Colonial Suriname) contains databases of free (mostly European) inhabitants of Suriname before 1863.
Vrij van slavernij (Free from slavery) contains a database of slaves freed before 1863 (and their owners) on Curaçao.

Online genealogy in Flevoland

2009-08-15T05:55:00.001+02:00

It is odd to talk about the new province Flevoland on a genealogy site. A century ago, nearly all of Flevoland was water part of the Zuiderzee (Southern Sea, a small inland sea). In the early 1930s, the Afsluitdijk (Closure Dike) closed off the Zuiderzee and turned it into a fresh water lake, the IJsselmeer (Lake IJssel). Since then, several large polders were created in the IJsselmeer, where people now live on the bottom of the (former) sea. Since 1986 these polders form the province Flevoland.

Two places were inhabited before the 20th century, though: The former islands Urk and Schokland (the latter was evacuated in 1859 and uninhabited since then). The northeastern part of Flevoland is inhabited since the early 1940s.

The provincial archive, Nieuw Land Museum (New Land Museum), and others participate in the websites Nieuw Land Erfgoed (New Land Heritage), Flevolands Geheugen (Flevoland's Memory), and Flevoland boven water (Flevoland above the water). All websites are in Dutch.
Church books and BMD records of Schokland and Urk are indexed in Genlias.
There are images of the past on Flevoland boven water and on local sites, for example Schokland.
For indexes of cemeteries and photos of tombstones visit Graftombe (Tomb) or Online Begraafplaatsen (Online Cemeteries).
Discuss your Flevoland roots at the Ancestry message board Flevoland.

For more information see Genealogy in Flevoland.

Photo: Construction of the Afsluitdijk, 1931, unknown photographer. From Wikimedia Commons.