The Netherlands
Capital Amsterdam
Language Dutch
Currency Euro
Almost 50% of the Netherlands is at, or below, sea level with the threat that the North Sea will increase this proportion. Famous for its windmills and traditional clogs, the Netherlands also exports flowers. Amsterdam, the capital city, is renowned for being free thinking and forward in its approach to modern day living.
Links
- Archivenet *Archiefforum / Archive Forum (in Dutch)
- Graftombe Memorial Inscriptions Project (click on flag at top of page to change language to English)
- Image Database of the National Archives of the Netherlands (click on "Zoek" to search)
- North Netherlands Photo Album old photographs from the provinces of Drenthe, Friesland, Groningen and Overijssel
- Researching Your Dutch Ancestors article providing a good introduction to Dutch genealogy
- Stamboom Forum Dutch family tree forum
- Trace Your Dutch Roots very informative site providing a good explanation/introduction to Dutch genealogy, as well as numerous links
- ZOOOF: The Family Network genealogy networking and tree sharing site
Specific Town and Village Interest
(see also Searchable BMD Records below)
- Amsterdam City Archives (in Dutch)
- Berkel en Rodenrijs Historical Society (in Dutch)
- Zutphen Regional Archive (in Dutch)
Searchable BMD Records
Public access to the registers of municipal registry offices in the Netherlands is restricted by law:
- Birth certificates become public after 100 years
- Marriage certificates become public after 75 years
- Death certificates become public after 50 years
Normally it is not possible to obtain certificates for living people. It is possible to obtain your own birth certificate, but only with valid proof of identity. For copies of non-public marriage or death records, you need to know the names and the exact date. Any such non-public records have to be obtained directly from the registry office of the municipality where the event was registered
- Genlias - Research your Dutch genealogy (click on English at top right to change language)
This is a big collection of BMD records for the Netherlands and also the Netherlands Antilles.
Please read the information under "Searching in Genlias" first, as it explains how to search, what you can expect to find, etc.
To see what records are currently available in Genlias, go to the Genlias website, click on “Searching in Genlias” and then on “Actual content”.
includes records for Alkmaar, Anna Paulowna, Bergen, Castricum, Den Helder, Graft-De Rijp, Harenkarspel, Heerhugowaard, Heiloo, Langedijk, Niedorp, Schagen, Schermer, Wieringen, Wieringermeer, Zijpe
- Digital Family Tree of the Brabant Historical Information Centre (click on “Voorouders binnen Noord-Brabant” and then on “English”)
includes records for Aalst, Aarle-Rixtel, Alem, Maren en Kessel, Almkerk, Alphen, Andel, Asten, Baarle-Nassau, Baardwijk, Bakel en Milheeze, Beek en Donk, Beers, Bergeijk, Bergen op Zoom, Berghem, Berkel-Enschot, Berlicum, Besoijen, Best, Beugen, Bladel en Netersel, Boekel, Bokhoven, Borkel en Schaft, Boxmeer, Boxtel, Breda, Budel, Capelle, Chaam, Cromvoirt, Cuijk, De Werken, Den Dungen, Deurne, Deursen, Dieden, Diessen, Dinteloord, Dinther, Dommelen, Dongen, Drongelen, Drunen, Duizel, Dussen, Eersel, Eethen, Eindhoven, Emmikhoven, Empel, Engelen, Erp, Esch, Escharen, Etten-Leur, Fijnaart en Heijningen, Gassel, Gastel, Geertruidenberg, Geffen, Geldrop, Gemert, Gestel en Blaarthem, Giessen, Gilze, Ginneken en Bavel, Goirle, Grave, 's Gravenmoer, Haaren, Halsteren, Haps, Haren & Macharen, Hedikhuizen, Heesch, Heeswijk, Heeze, Helmond, Helvoirt, Herpen, Herpt en Bern, ’s-Hertogenbosch, Heusden, Hilvarenbeek, Hoeven, Hooge en Lage Mierde, Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe, Hoogeloon, Huibergen, Huisseling, Kessel, Klundert, Leende, Liempde, Lierop, Lieshout, Linden, Lith, Lithoijen, Loon op Zand, Luijksgestel, Maarheeze, Maashees, Made, Maren, Meeuwen, Megen, Mierlo, Mill en Sint Hubert, Moergestel, Nederwetten, Nieuw Vossemeer, Nieuwkuijk, Nistelrode, Nuenen, Nuland, Oeffelt, Oerle, Oijen en Teefelen, Oirschot, Oisterwijk, Oost-, West- en Middelbeers, Oosterhout, Oploo, Oss, Ossendrecht, Oud en Nieuw Gastel, Oudenbosch, Oudheusden, Princenhage, Putte, Raamsdonk, Ravenstein, Reek, Reusel, Riethoven, Rijsbergen, Rijswijk, Roosendaal, Rosmalen, Rucphen, Sambeek, Schaijk, Schijndel, Sint-Michielsgestel, Sint-Oedenrode, Soerendonk, Someren, Son en Breugel, Sprang-Capelle, Standdaarbuiten, Steenbergen, Stiphout, Stratum, Strijp, Terheijden, Teteringen, Tilburg, Tongelre, Uden, Udenhout, Valkenswaard, Veen, Veghel, Veldhoven, Velp, Vessem, Vierlingsbeek, Vlierden, Vlijmen, Vrijhoeven-Capelle, Vught, Waalre, Waalwijk, Wanroij, Waspik, Werkendam, Westerhoven, Wijk en Aalburg, Willemstad, Woensdrecht, Woensel, Woudrichem, Wouw, Zeeland, Zeelst, Zesgehuchten, Zevenbergen, Zundert
- Digital Family Tree of the Municipal Records Office of Delft (click on flag top right to change to English)
includes records for Delft, Abtsregt, Ackersdijk en Vrouwenregt, Biesland, Groeneveld, Hof van Delft, Hoog en Woud Harnasch, Pijnacker, Vrijenban, ’t Woudt. (Records for Hodenpijl, Hoogeveen, Maasland, Nieuweveen, Nootdorp, Rijswijk, Ruiven, Schipluiden and Sint Maartensregt are not currently searchable online, but will be added in the future.)
- Dordrecht Archives in Dutch
The Dordrecht Archives also hold records for Alblasserdam, Cromstrijen, Graafstroom, 's-Gravendeel, Hardinxveld-Giessendam, Korendijk, Liesveld, Nieuw-Lekkerland, Papendrecht, Sliedrecht, Strijen and Zwijndrecht.
includes records for Amersfoort, Baarn, Eemnes, De Vuursche, De Haar, Duist, Hoogland, Leusden, Renswoude, Stoutenburg, Woudenberg, Zevenhuizen.
includes records for Eindhoven, Aalst, Aarle-Rixtel, Asten, Beek en Donk, Bergeijk, Best, Blaarthem, Bladel, Borkel, Borkel en Schaft, Breukel, Budel, Casteren, Deurne, Dommelen, Duizel, Duizel en Steensel, Eckart, Eersel, Gastel, Geldrop, Gerwen, Gestel, Hapert, Heeze, Helmond, Hooge en Lage Mierde, Hoogeloon, Hoogemierde, Hulsel, Knegsel, Lage Mierde, Leende, Lierop, Lieshout, Luykgestel, Maarheeze, Meerveldhoven, Middelbeers, Mierlo, Nederwetten, Nederwetten en Eckart, Netersel, Neunen, Oerle, Oirschot, Oost- West- en Middelbeers, Oostelbeers, Reusel, Riethoven, Schaft, Soerendonk, Someren, Son, Son en Breugel, Steensel, Sterksel, Stiphout, Stratum, Strijp, Tongelre, Valkenswaard, Veldhoven, Vessen, Vlierden, Waalre, Westelbeers, Westerhoven, Wintelre, Woensel, Zeelst, Zesgehuchten
- Frisian Historical and Literary Centre - TRESOAR click on flag at top right to change language to English
- The Hague virtual study room Online digital versions of the microfiche that can be found in study room at The Hague municipal archives. The Hague municipal archives also holds records for Scheveningen and Loosduinen. This site is searchable in the same way as microfiche. in Dutch
includes records for Aalsmeer, Bennebroek, Berkenrode, Beverwijk, Bloemendaal, Haarlem, Haarlemmerliede, Heemskerk, Heemstede, Houtrijk, Polanen, Schoten, Spaarndam, Spaarnwoude, Thamen, Uitgeest, Uithoorn,Velsen, Wijk aan Zee, Zandvoort, Zuid-Schalkwijk
includes records for Leiden, Leiderdorp, Rijsburg, Warmond, Zoeterwoude
includes records for Rotterdam, Bergschenhoek, Berkel en Rodenrijs, Bleiswijk, Charlois, Cool, Delfshaven, 's Gravenambacht, Hillegersberg, Hoek van Holland, Hoogvliet, IJsselmonde, Katendrecht, Kralingen, Overschie, Pernis, Schiebroek
- Schiedam Municipal Archives (click on “genealogie”; in Dutch)
currently includes only Schiedam, but records for Kethel en Spaland, Oud- en Nieuw-Mathenesse and Nieuwland are expected to be added later this year.
Netherlands Antilles
BMD records for the Netherlands Antilles have recently been added to Genlias. From the Genlias site:
"Almost half the records from the Civil Registration of the period 1828-1950 of the Netherlands Antilles have been added to Genlias. That is good news for the population of the Antilles and for Dutch people with ancestors from the Antilles.
For the past three years, the National Archive of the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba have worked together to prepare for this. The Genlias website has been modified so archives from overseas can participate. Next, 47,000 records from the Civil Registration from the Antilles were added to Genlias. These records have been entered by volunteers of the National Archives in Willemstad. The islands of Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Bonaire are available completely and some records from Aruba and Saba are available as well. The other records, including those from Curaçao, will follow as soon as they will have been entered. We hope you will enjoy this new addition to Genlias.
Information to bear in mind when consulting the civil registration from the Antilles:
- Often the surname of the godfather or godmother was and/or is given to the child, which can lead to long lists of first or last names.
- Many individuals had aliases. The aliases were the names by which the individuals in question were known locally, whereas in the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages they were registered under official names. The aliases can be found in the Comment field.
- A death certificate often also contains the place of birth and sometimes the date of birth of the deceased. These are included in the Comment field.
- Names that are spelled with a "ij" in the Netherlands, are often spelled with a "y" in the Antilles. This obviously makes a difference when formulating a query for the Genlias system.
- In some cases, the clerk seems to have written down the name phonetically. Spanish speaking people pronounce the letter "j" as "g" and the letter "v" as "b"."
For more information about researching Antillean ancestry see Genlias - National Archives of the Netherlands Antilles
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