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…
Methodology
Churchwarden accounts as a source for burial details
The decrees of the Council of Trent (1545-1563) were the start of a formal and structural registration of life events in the Roman Catholic Church. Soon after, the Dutch Reformed Church and other denominations started recording births, marriages and deaths too. Other – and sometimes older – documents might also refer to life events, for Read more…
Young men honor St. Bridget
We spent a few days in one of the most southern town of the Netherlands, Noorbeek in the province of Limburg. Every year young men in this town honor Saint Brigida with a special pine tree. Perhaps Simon Deneij was one of them. Transcription and translation 28 7bris bap[tizatus est] Simon fil[ius] leg[itimus] Petri Deneij Read more…