Netherlands, Utrecht, Notarial Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
Notarial records in this collection are from several municipalities in Utrecht for the years 1580-1815. Original records are located in the Regionaal Historisch Centrum Rijnstreek en Lopikerwaard, Woerden, Utrecht, Netherlands. These notary records include the following municipalities:


 * Bodegraven
 * Cabauw
 * IJsselstein
 * Kamerik
 * Lopik
 * Montfoort
 * Oudewater
 * Reeuwijk
 * Woerden
 * Zevender

Record Content
 Notarial records may contain the following:

Wills [testamenten]
 * Name of the deceased
 * Death date and/or place
 * Names of heirs and relatives
 * Listing of property

Marriage contracts [huwelijksvoorwaarden] 
 * Date and place of event
 * Name of bride and groom
 * Residence, marital status, age
 * Names of parents
 * Names of witnesses

Divisions of estates [boedelscheidingen or akten van scheiding en deling] 
 * Estate owner
 * Names of relatives
 * Residence

Appointments of guardians [benoemingen van voogden or voogdij] 
 * Names of guardians
 * Names of children needing guardianship
 * Ages
 * Residence
 * Relationships

Land transfers [transporten van onroerend goed, akten van verkoop, vestbrieven or recognitieën]
 * Name of land owner
 * Name person acquiring land
 * Description of land
 * Date of transfer
 * Details of transaction

Mortgages [hypotheken]
 * Names of borrowers
 * Names of lenders
 * Description of property and value

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * Your Ancestor’s name
 * Other identifying information such as their residence, age, names of other family members and relationships.

Search the Collection
To browse the images in this collection: ⇒ Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the 'Province' category ⇒ Select the 'Municipality' category ⇒ Select the 'Record Type and Years' category which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are written in [Dutch]. For help with reading the records, see the following resources:
 * Netherlands Language and Languages
 * Dutch Script Tutorial

Other FamilySearch Historical Records Collections

 * Netherlands Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Drenthe Province, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Friesland Province, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Gelderland Province Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Groningen Province, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Limburg Province, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Noord-Brabant Province, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Noord-Holland, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Overijssel, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Utrecht Province, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Zeeland Province, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Zuid-Holland Province, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands Births and Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the record or write down the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, a spouse’s name, a place of burial, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived nearby.
 * If your ancestor used multiple names throughout their life, look for all their names.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring locality.

Related Websites

 * Netherlands Digital Archive
 * Utrecht Digital Archive
 * Utrecht, Dutch Genealogy

Related Wiki Articles

 * Utrecht Genealogy
 * Netherlands Notarial Records
 * The Netherlands Genealogy
 * Netherlands Websites
 * Netherlands Historical Geography
 * The Netherlands Online Genealogy Records

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation: Image Citation: