Netherlands - Death - 1550-1810

1. Burial Record: Church records Beginning about 1550, churches required their clergy to keep burial records. The burial record may include death dates. Information found in a burial record depends on how detailed the minister made his record.

What you are looking for Before civil registers began, church burial records are the best source for determining when a person died. They include nearly everyone in the community and identify the complete name of the deceased.

Why go to the next record Not all burial records of the Netherlands have been microfilmed, and the beginning date of these records varies from place to place.

2. Civil Death: Public records Death records were kept by the town in which an ancestor lived. The records were not kept with any consistency or regularity until 1806. Information found in a death record depends on how detailed the registrar made his record. Records after 1806 contain ages, which you can use to approximate a year of birth.

What you are looking for When church burial records do not exist, civil death records are the best source for determining when a person died. These records generally cover only the years 1806-1811.

Why go to the next record Not all death records have been microfilmed, and the beginning date of these records varies from place to place.

3. Census: Census Census or population records were not kept with any consistency or regularity before 1850. When an ancestor no longer appears in a census, it means the ancestor either moved or died. After 1850, death dates are given. Census records can help identify all the members of a family and help determine where a family originated.

What you are looking for When civil death records do not exist, census records are the best source for determining when a person died. When the father or mother appears in the census record with a different spouse, it means the former spouse died sometime between that census and the previous one.

Why go to the next record Not all census records have been microfilmed, and the beginning date of these records varies from place to place.

4. Orphans Court Records: Guardianship Orphans' Court records provide information about the birth, marriage, and death of an individual. They can also help identify all the members of a family.

What you are looking for When census records do not exist, Orphans' Court records are the best source for determining when a person died. Orphans' Court records may not give a death date, but the date of the record is usually the year of death.

Why go to the next record Not all Orphans' Court records have been microfilmed, and the beginning date of these records varies from place to place.

5. Probates: Court records Probate records provide information about the birth, marriage, and death of an individual. They can also help identify all the members of a family.

What you are looking for When Orphans' Court records do not exist, probate records are the best source for determining when a person died. Probate records were kept by courts and notaries. A probate record may not give a death date, but the date of the probate is usually the year of death.

Why go to the next record Not all probate records have been microfilmed, and the beginning date of these records varies from place to place.

6. Probates: Notarial records Probate records provide information about the birth, marriage, and death of an individual. They can also help identify all the members of a family.

What you are looking for When probate records created by courts do not exist, probate records created by notaries are the best source for determining when a person died. A probate record may not give a death date, but the date of the probate is usually the year of death.

Why go to the next record Not all probate records have been microfilmed, and the beginning date of these records varies from place to place.

7. Citizenship Record: Naturalization and citizenship Citizenship records were kept by the town in which an ancestor lived. These records provide an ancestor's occupation, age or date of birth, and sometimes names of the parents or spouse.

What you are looking for When probate records created by notaries do not exist, citizenship records are the best source for determining when a person died. Citizenship records may not give a death date, but the year a person ceases to appear in the citizenship records may be the year of death.

Why go to the next record Not all citizenship records have been microfilmed, and the beginning date of these records varies from place to place.

8. Service Record: Military records Military records after 1700 provide the date and place of birth of every male that served in the military. The name of the father and his occupation may also be given.

What you are looking for When citizenship records do not exist, military records are the best source for determining when a male died. Military records may not give an exact death date, but they often provide the year of death.

Why go to the next record Not all military records have been microfilmed, and the beginning date of these records varies from place to place.