Netherlands Cemeteries

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There are valuable transcriptions available of cemetery records in the Netherlands. Those made before World War II mostly deal with the more wealthy classes of people. The records mainly consist of information recorded on gravestones[grafstenen] and monumental inscriptions [gedenkwaardigheden].

Many of the inscriptions on gravestones and monuments (both within the church and in the graveyard) have been transcribed and are found in manuscripts and printed books in libraries. These books also contain coats of arms found in church buildings. The Family History Library has copies of many of these books. Records of the province of Gelderland are mainly found in the following periodical:


 * De Wapenheraut (The Crest Herald), vol. 21–23 (1917–1919). (FHL book 949.2 B2w.)

Several of the inscriptions pertain to Jewish cemeteries.

The society Werkgroep Grafschriftenprojekt Nederland (Workgroup Tombstones Project in the Netherlands) began in the early 1990s to inventory and transcribe all gravestones found at church and non church cemeteries. They have published several books.

The books of gravestones and monumental inscriptions are listed in the Place search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

NETHERLANDS – CEMETERIES

NETHERLANDS, [PROVINCE] – CEMETERIES

NETHERLANDS, [PROVINCE], [TOWN]

Cemetery inscriptions (Begraafplaats inschrijvingen)
Research use: Often death information in early parish registers is very meager. Used to identify adults and surviving children in parish registers.

Record type: Lists of gravestone burial inscriptions and sextons records.

Time Period: 1350-present.

Content: Names, ages, death and burial dates and places, birth dates and places, sometimes relatives.

Location: City and municipal archives.

Population coverage: 20%.

Reliability: Good.

Web Sites

 * Online Begraafplaatsen 3.0 / Dutch Cemeteries Online 3.0 in Dutch or English has a database and photographs of more than 500, 000 tombstones in 1,041 cemeteries recording the details of more than 750, 000 people (as at June 2013).
 * http://www.graftombe.nl/
 * http://www.zerken.nl/
 * http://www.kindredtrails.com/netherlands.html
 * http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/netherlands-vital-records.htm
 * http://www.online-begraafplaatsen.nl

War Graves


 * http://www.srs.ogs.nl/
 * http://www.adoptiegraven.nl/index.php/en/