Dutch archive news roundup: March 2008

News from the Dutch archives:

• Genlias added and updated records from Groningen.
• All pre-1811 funeral church books from Drenthe are now available in Drenlias. Drenlias now contains 27,000 funeral records, listing 36,000 names.
• The Utrecht Archive opened their new website. The English interface seems unfinished.
• The National Archive published its library catalogue online.

Online records: Emigrants from Drenthe

The website

A database of genealogical information on emigrants from Drenthe, compiled by Arend Everts. The database is on the Drenlias website that we looked at yesterday, but it's completely separate from the rest of the website, there is not even a link to it on the Drenlias homepage.

What do they have?

Emigrants from Drenthe, between 1840 and 1930. The database is compiled from Dutch population registers and archives from Pella, Iowa, and Holland and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Records list the date of emigration and the destination, and some biographical information, like name, date of birth, names of parents, spouse and children, and occupations.

Is there an English interface?

Yes, the search interface and all of the information pages are available in English, except for a page with a biography of the researcher and a short motivation for his quest. Click on English on the top right of the page.

How do I use it?

You can browse the list of surnames or the list of destinations, or you can search the database, by choosing the appropriate options at the top of the page. When you browse you can click through to the individual emigrants. The search interface is simple, fill in the fields and press the search button.

How much does it cost?

It's free.

Future plans

There is no public statement about future plans, but I expect the project is completed.

Conclusion

If your ancestors emigrated from Drenthe between 1840 and 1930, Emigrants from Drenthe is a useful site. The database has information on emigrants and their families, and nothing else, so if emigrants from Drenthe is what you're looking for, this website is where you should go.

Online records: Drenlias

The website

Drenlias is the database of the provincial archive of Drenthe.

What do they have?

BMD records (from 1811), church books (until 1811, funeral books are missing for most places), notarial archives (from 1810), inheritance tax registrations (from 1806).

Is there an English interface?

There is currently no English interface.

How do I use it?

In the navigation menu at the top, choose Zoeken 1600-1811 (Search between 1600 and 1811) to search the church books, or Zoeken na 1811 (Search after 1811) for the other databases. Select a database to search: Burgerlijke Stand (civil register), Notariële akten (notarial deeds), Successiememories (inheritance tax registers), Alle bestanden (all databases), or Kerkregisters (church registers). Fill in achternaam (surname) and voornaam (first name) and press zoeken (search).

If searching by name gives too many results, you can narrow it down by clicking Meer zoekmogelijkheden (more search options). You can search on two names, on place (gemeente), or on date range (van, tot is from, until), among others.

How much does it cost?

There is no charge for searching and browsing the information in the database.

Future plans

Indexing the funeral books (before 1811), the inheritance tax registrations, and the notarial archives is still in progress, these will be added to Drenlias on a future date.

Conclusion

The church books and notarial archives are not available on Genlias (yet), so Drenlias is a useful resource if your ancestors lived in Drenthe. They do have less information then the other provincial databases we looked at so far, though. It's a pity the website is not available in English.

Dutch archives news roundup - June 2007

News from the Dutch archives.

• Several Dutch archives have limited opening hours during July and August. Check their websites for details.
• The Drenthe Archive presented the book In de versnelling, about cars in Drenthe in the last 100 years. There is also an exposition on the same topic in the Drenthe Archive (until August).
• The Gelderland Archive announced a major overhaul of their website. The new website will launch in July. The archive also announced that one million Gelderland death acts are now indexed in Genlias.
• The National Archive announced a new website about Zuid-Holland history: www.geschiedenisvanzuidholland.nl, a cooperation of several institutions in Zuid-Holland. The new website seems to be available in Dutch only.
• It was already possible to search for gezinskaarten on the website of the Amsterdam Archive, but you can now also see the scans online. A great service if you have relatives in late-19th or early-20th century Amsterdam. This is a paid service: Searching the index is still free, but you have to pay to see scans.

Graafschap church saves its heritage in museum

From the Grand Rapids Press:

Graafschap church saves its heritage in museum:

"The center represents a virtual timeline of how the CRC and Graafschap have grown up together since the community's founding and the 1857 secession. About 100 settlers from the provinces of Drenthe and Bentheim, the latter now part of Germany, settled here in 1847.

Numerous artifacts depict the early days of the church and community, and murals show the role of such prominent early leaders as the Rev. Albertus Van Raalte, Holland's founder, and the Rev. Douwe VanderWerp, Graafschap's first pastor and the founder of the publication that would become know as The Banner."