Netherlands, Utrecht, Notarial Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Netherlands Utrecht

What is in the Collection?
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

Collection Contents
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 Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * Your Ancestor’s full name
 * Other identifying information such as their residence, age, names of other family members and relationships

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

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use ages to calculate birth years.
 * Use the birth year, names of parents and residence to search for birth records in church records and civil registration

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.
 * If your ancestor was both the landlord and occupier, they generally owned the land.
 * If the property was an estate, there may be multiple types of notarial records.
 * If it was a business, there may be other commercial records.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, Now What?

 * 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.

Additional Information About These Records
While you will find all kinds of legal documents in notarial records, the most useful for genealogical research include:


 * Wills [testamenten]
 * Marriage contracts [huwelijksvoorwaarden]
 * Divisions of estates [boedelscheidingen or akten van scheiding en deling]
 * Appointments of guardians [benoemingen van voogden or voogdij]
 * Land transfers [transporten van onroerend goed, akten van verkoop, vestbrieven or recognitieën]
 * Mortgages [hypotheken]

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)

Related Websites

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

Related Wiki Articles

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

Citing 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: