The Netherlands Genealogy

Getting started with research in the Netherlands
Welcome to the Dutch page!

FamilySearch Wiki is a community website dedicated to helping people throughout the world learn how to find their ancestors.

When you have Dutch ancestors you are one lucky person as many records have been put on web-sites which are available to all without cost. For more information please look below in: Research Tools

Join the Netherlands Facebook or Skype Genealogy Research Community!

Did you know?
Willem I, Prince of Orange (April 24, 1533—July 10, 1584), also widely known as 'Willem de Zwijger ' (William the Silent), or simply Willem van Oranje (William of Orange), as well as 'Vader des Vaderlands ' (Father of the Fatherland), was born in the House of Nassau as a count of Nassau-Dillenburg . He became Prince of Orange in 1544 and is thereby the founder of the branch House of Orange-Nassau. He was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was assassinated by Balthasar Gérard (also written as 'Gerardts ') in his own home,   de Prinsenhof in Delft.

The Dutch fought an Eighty Years long war, from 1568—1648, to gain independence and religious freedom and so became one of the countries where people of all religions and cultures could find refuge.

Michiel de Ruyter was one of the great admirals at that time. A Dutch fleet, with De Ruyter as third in command, beat back a Spanish-Dunkirker fleet in an action of Cape St Vincent 4 November 1641. Did you know that there were Dutch Garrison Cities in Prussia during and after the Eighty Years' War? Perhaps your relatives lived in Prussia during those years. For more information, see the wiki article Dutch Garrisons in Prussia.



Did you know that in the Netherlands they have yearly "4-day-bike-tours" in different parts of the country? For more information see: Fietsvierdaagse And here some pictures: Fietsvierdaagse International Four Day Marches around Nijmegen, Gelderland, have taken place since 1916. The very first Four Day March was held in 1909. This is very much an international event. Depending on age group and category, walkers have to walk 30, 40 or 50 kilometers (respectively 18.6, 24.8 or 31.0 miles) each day for 4 days. For more information see: Four Days Marches

A Memorial Service along the route of the Four Days Marches: Memorial Service Groesbeek

Jurisdictions


The capital city of the Netherlands is Amsterdam, but the goverment buildings are located in Den Haag (The Hague) where the Noordeinde Palace, from where reigning King Willem-Alexander performs his duties.

Provinces

The Netherlands consists of twelve provinces, the last one - Flevoland - was created from part of the former Zuider Zee/IJsselmeer on 1 January 1986.


 * Drenthe
 * Flevoland
 * Fryslân or Friesland
 * Gelderland
 * Groningen
 * Limburg
 * Noord-Brabant
 * Noord-Holland
 * Overijssel
 * Utrecht
 * Zeeland
 * Zuid-Holland

Origins of names: Drenthe: Germanic þrija: three, hantja: countries Friesland: Land of the Frisii, from ethnic name Groningen: Germanic Groningja, from groni: green Gelderland: Germanic gelwa: yellow, haru: mountain Limburg: Germanic lindo: linden, burg: fort. Noord-Brabant: Dutch Noord: north, Old High German bracha: new country, bant: region Noord-Holland: Dutch Noord: north + Old Dutch, either holt: woods or hol: hollow, land: land Overijssel: Dutch over: beyond, since the province was beyond the IJssel River from Utrecht Utrecht: corruption of Latin Trajectum: ford (ad Rhenum: on the Rhine) Zeeland: Dutch zee: sea (land in the sea) Zuid-Holland: Dutch Zuid: south + Holland

Research Tools
Some sources in determining place of origin

Trace Your Dutch Roots

BYU Research Guide for The Netherlands

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:


 * Netherlands Army Service Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands Births and Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Gelderland Province Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Limburg Province Certificates of Nationality (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Noord-Brabant Province Population Registers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Passenger Lists of the Holland-American Steamship Line (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Netherlands, Zuid-Holland Province Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Other Websites


 * Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie

Research at the CBG We can help you to search for information about your ancestors in the Netherlands. For advice please contact us. You may find some specific information in the following downloadable brochures:

Searching for Your Ancestors in the Netherlands. CBG brochure When you find an ancestor from 'Holland' or ' The Netherlands' you would be curious if additional information existed in Dutch sources. The Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie can help you to search for that information about your ancestors in the Netherlands.

Personal Record Cards and Personal Record Lists CBG brochure Personal Record Cards were introduced in the Netherlands in 1938 and used to register information on every inhabitant of the Netherlands regardless of nationality. Since October 1, 1994 the population registration in the Netherlands is automized. The personal record card was replaced by so called Personal Record Lists. Since this Central Register of Deceased Persons contains a lot of important information for genealogical and biographical research purposes, the CBG is allowed to provide information on written request.

List of Dutch Genealogical Researchers. CBG brochure Experienced Dutch genealogical researchers can help you to search for additional information in Dutch records.


 * Geneaknowhow.net

DIGITAL RESOURCES NETHERLANDS AND BELGIUM Latest update: 27 March 2014

Our website Van Papier Naar Digitaal (From Paper To Pixels) now has 250.000 images online.. Click at the banner to go to the special page for this occasion, with a lot of new images from Schagen (&gt; 22.000), Schokland and Botland. Click at this banner to go to the special page for this occasion, with a lot of new images from Schagen (&gt; 22.000), Schokland and Botland.


 * FamilyTreeSeeker

FamilyTreeSeeker is an index to (Dutch) family trees on the web. Those are trees on personal sites, and community sites like Genealogie Online (mentioned below).


 * Genealogie Online

Genealogie Online - publish your family tree for free, search for your ancestors


 * Geneanet

Build Your Online Family Tree, Share Your Family History And Learn More About Your Ancestors


 * WieWasWie Dutch Version
 * WieWasWie English Version

WieWasWie (WhoWasWho) is the official website for Dutch civil registration records. It is the most comprehensive genealogical database in the Netherlands. Archives in all the provinces participate in this website to publish indexes and sometimes even scans of their records. More than 87 million names have been indexed as of January 2014. The site is hoping to add Military Registers and Family Notices from Newspapers in the near future.


 * Zoekakten

Zoekakten was created because it is not always easy to find your way in Dutch films on FamilySearch, especially when a couple of books are all contained in one film, with thousands of images. When you select the locality, record type, and time period, the site opens the image viewer at the proper page, saving researchers a lot of time. The site's in Dutch, but it links back to this wiki for help on the Dutch language.


 * Dutch Genealogy

Since 1993, this site has helped people of Dutch descent research their Dutch ancestors.

Many articles explain the research opportunities in the Netherlands, both offline and online. Other articles give background information about Dutch history in general and emigration in particular. Special attention is given to online research, with many links to useful websites.

This website is brought to you by Yvette Hoitink, a professional genealogist in the Netherlands who specializes in researching Dutch ancestors for people around the world.

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries Encyclopedias may provide information on all branches of knowledge or treat specific topics comprehensively, usually in alphabetically arranged articles. They often contain information of great interest for genealogical research, including articles about towns and places, prominent people, minorities, and religions. They can give information about diverse subjects, such as record-keeping practices, laws, customs, commerce, costumes, occupations, and archaic terminology.

The Family History Library has general-knowledge encyclopedias from the Netherlands (in Dutch) along with Dutch-English and English-Dutch dictionaries. The encyclopedias and dictionaries are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under THE NETHERLANDS - ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND DICTIONARIES.

The following is a good Dutch dictionary:

Title Cassell's English-Dutch, Dutch-English dictionary = Engels-Nederlands, Nederlands-Engels woordenboek Kramer, Jacob, 1802-1869. Kramers' Engels Woordenboek Call Number 439.31321 Ca272 Publication London : Cassell, 1982 New York, New York : Macmillan Publishers Limited Physical xiv, 602, vii, 729 p. ; 19 cm. ISBN/ISSN 0025229400 Title Also Known As Cassell's Dutch dictionary Engels-Nederlands, Nederlands-Engels woordenboek English-Dutch, Dutch-English dictionary Kramers' Engels woordenboek

Dutch-English online dictionary

See the 3 FamilySearch Tutorials on "Reading Dutch Written Records" 

Research Strategies

Introduction to the Netherlands Search Strategies

Record Selection Table


 * (helpful tools and resources, gazetteers)
 * (language dictionary, handwriting guide or tutorial, etc.)

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