A frequently heard from people who start with genealogy in the Netherlands is, what were popular naming conventions? In general we can say that the first son was often named after his paternal grandfather, the second son after his maternal grandfather. Likewise, the first daughter was named after her maternal grandmother, the second daughter after Read more…
In the 19th century a large number of Dutch families moved to the United States. We wrote about emigration in previous articles. Often we think of those who left the north or east of the Netherlands. For example, from the provinces of Friesland and Groningen, or Gelderland and Overijssel. However, we should not forget the Read more…
We cannot study our family history well without looking at the context in which things took place. Traditions play an important role in our own life as well as that of our ancestors. Especially in the last weeks of the year traditions are key; whether it is Thanksgiving Day, Sinterklaas or Christmas. Sinterklaas has been Read more…