Dutch archive news, December 2009

Last month's news and announcements from the Dutch archives

• Several archives announced changes in opening hours for the new year.
• Genlias added death acts from Noord-Brabant and marriage acts from Amsterdam.
• The Dutch National Archive and the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation NIOD, launched the website Wegwijzer Archieven WO2 (Guide to WW2 Archives), an online guide to the (usually offline) war archives that are scattered throughout the country. The website is available in Dutch only.
• The Central Bureau for Genealogy presented Asal Oesoel, a research guide for people with roots in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). It is the last book (for now) in the series Voorouders van verre (Ancestors from far away). The books are only available in Dutch.

Dutch archive news - October 2009

• Genlias added the first 120,000 marriage records from Amsterdam. This covers the period 1916-1932. There are also new birth and death acts from Limburg, and death acts from Noord-Holland.
• The Central Bureau for Genealogy (CBG) in The Hague presented the next book in the series Voorouders van verre (Ancestors from far away): Sranan famiri, a research guide for people with Suriname roots.
• The CBG started indexing their collection Familieadvertenties (newspaper ads announcing births, deaths, marriages or other family events). Currently these are only indexed on primary surname, and you may have to browse through many scans (paying for them as you go along) before you find what you are looking for. In the future you can also see which persons are on which scan (first and last name, year, place) so that you can go directly to the scan you need.
• The CBG received a grant for their project StamboomNederland (Family Tree The Netherlands). In the future people can upload their genealogical research to share it with others and make it available to future generations. The CBG has archived printed and handwritten family trees for many years, and they plan to do the same for digital trees. StamboomNederland will launch late 2010.
• Educational broadcasting corporation Teleac has bought the Dutch rights of the famous BBC television series Who do you think you are? They will create a Dutch series together with Central Bureau for Genealogy.
• The Dutch National Archive announced that 800 meters Suriname archive, kept in The Netherlands because of better archiving conditions, will return to Suriname. Next year the Suriname national archive will open a new, modern archive building. Together with improved regulations and staff training this will guarantee proper conservation of these documents.
• The Friesland archive Tresoar and the Groningen university are indexing the registers of the Sound Toll from the Danish national archive. The Sound Toll Registers contain information on about 1.8 million passages. From ca. 1580 onward, the biggest part of the passing ships came from The Netherlands. During the 18th century more ships came from Friesland than from any other Dutch province. The project's website is The Sound Toll Registers Online.
• The city archive of The Hague have published part of the population register online. Not as part of their clumsy virtual study room, but (like many cities in Zuid-Holland) in Digitale Stamboom (Digital Family Tree). You can find the records from The Hague here. Scans are available free of charge.

Dutch archive news, September 2009

• Genlias added birth records from Limburg and death records from Gelderland and Limburg.
• As part of Images for the Future, the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision and Knowledgeland launched Open Images. Open Images is an open media platform that offers online access to a selection of audiovisual archive material to stimulate creative reuse. Access to the content will be based on the Creative Commons model.
• The Central Bureau for Genealogy in The Hague presented Roots Karibense, a research guide for people with Netherlands Antillean roots. It is the fourth book in the series Voorouders van verre (Ancestors from far away). The books are only available in Dutch.
• Over 60 documents from the Dutch National Archive, including the famous Schaghen letter, are on display in the South Street Seaport Museum in New York, where the exhibition New Amsterdam. The Island at the Center of the World opened on 12 September.
• Several documents from the Amsterdam city archive are on display in the Museum of American Finance in New York, where the exhibition Actiën Handel: Early Dutch Finance and the Founding of America opened on 8 September. One of the highlights of the exhibition is the testament of Peter Stuyvesant.
• The Rotterdam city archive started the blog Dochters van Kaat Mossel (Daughters of Kaat Mossel), a genealogy blog about the female descendants of famous Rotterdam inhabitant Kaat Mossel (1723-1798). The blog aims to show what is available on their Digitale Stamboom (Digital Family Tree) website. Unfortunately the blog is only available in Dutch.
• Anne Frank now has her own channel on YouTube, with, among others, the only existing film images of Anne. The channel is created and maintained by the Anne Frank museum.

News from the Dutch archives, August 2009

• We all know by now that in 1609 Hudson stumbled upon Manhattan and claimed it for the Dutch Republic (which eventually led to the foundation of New Netherland and its capital New Amsterdam). But did you also know that in the same year the Japanese Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu signed a trading pass, giving the Dutch East Indies Company permission to trade with Japan? For well over 200 years (from 1639 to 1858), The Netherlands was the only country in the world that was allowed to trade with Japan. The Dutch National Library and the National Archive opened an exhibition, From here to Tokyo - 400 years of trade with Japan, to celebrate, well, 400 years of trade with Japan. One of the documents on display is the famous trading pass (see image).
• Het Geheugen van Nederland (Memory of The Netherlands), in cooperation with the national libraries of The Netherlands and Japan, opened a new collection The Netherlands – Japan to commemorate 400 years of trade with Japan.
• A surprising addition to Genlias: Baptisms (1639-1800) and marriages (1639-1801) from the Dutch Reformed Church in New Amsterdam and New York.
• The Dutch National Archive evaluated its flickr pilot and declared it a success (a million page views, 2000 comments, 6800 tags). The flickr activities are promoted from "pilot" to "regular activity".
• The National Archive also announced the website Mapit1418, a collection of photos from the great war, often taken on an unknown location. The public is asked to geo-tag the photos (i.e. put them on a map) and add their own (modern) photos of the same location. Technical information: mapit1418 is a mashup of flickr's open API and OpenStreetMap (OSM). The website is part of the Beelden voor de Toekomst (Images for the Future) project.
• The Gelderland Archive is now on Twitter.

Image: Trading pass. Coll. Nationaal archief (Dutch National Archive). On display at the exhibition From here to Tokyo - 400 years of trade with Japan.

The slave revolt and the long road to freedom

Today in history: The slave revolt of 1795

Slave revolt

The long road to freedom for slaves in the Dutch West Indies started on 17 August 1795. A group of almost 50 slaves, led by a slave named Tula, revolted at the Knip plantation of Caspar Lodewijk van Uytrecht at Bandabou, Curaçao. The slaves went from farm to farm, and many slaves joined the uprising.

The revolt lasted a month. The revolting slaves lost the first battle, but many slaves fled and started a guerrilla-style warfare. The authorities offered a reward for the capture of Tula, and with success: Tula was betrayed, and arrested on 19 September together with other leaders of the revolt. Tula was publicly tortured and beheaded, and the revolt petered out.

August 17 is still celebrated in Curaçao, as the start of the fight for freedom.

End of slavery

None of the revolting slaves would see the abolition of slavery. After a long discussion, The Netherlands finally abolished slavery on 1 July 1863. To compensate, slave owners received 300 guilders per freed slave from the Dutch government. Moreover, freed slaves in Suriname were required to work for their former owner for ten years (so effectively they remained slaves until 1873).

A monument

On 1 July 2002, H.M. Queen Beatrix unveiled a national slavery monument in Amsterdam. It was supposed to be a festive occasion, but for many slave descendants the unveiling was a disappointment. Because of the Queen's presence, security was tight and the general public was kept at a distance, and most could not watch the event. The many people with Suriname, Aruba or Curaçao roots who came to watch the unveiling of (what they considered to be) "their" monument were frustrated they were kept away.

The unveiling may have been a disappointment for many, but at least we do now have a national monument. The monument is the location of the annual slavery commemoration.

Tracing your roots

The Dutch National Archive publishes several important databases on their website. Unfortunately, they are only available in Dutch.

• Vrij in Suriname (Free in Suriname) contains two databases: One of 6,364 slaves freed before 1863, and one of the 34,441 slaves that were freed in 1863 at the slavery abolition.
• Arbeid op contract (contract labour) contains databases of contract labourers from China and the East Indies that were hired in the late 19th and early 20th century.
• Koloniaal Suriname (Colonial Suriname) contains databases of free (mostly European) inhabitants of Suriname before 1863.
• Vrij van slavernij (Free from slavery) contains a database of slaves freed before 1863 (and their owners) on Curaçao.

Links

• National Institute for the Study of Dutch Slavery and its Legacy (English or Dutch)
• Keti Koti festival (Burst Chains festival, annual Amsterdam festival, part of slavery abolition commemoration on 1 July, in Dutch)
• Tula (Wikipedia, in English)
• National Slavery Monument (Wikipedia, in Dutch)
• Dutch Queen unveils slavery memorial (BBC News, in English)

Dutch heritage days

This week, we celebrate several Dutch heritage events. Most of the action will take place here in The Netherlands, but there are books and websites that tie in with these events. Nearly all events and publications will be in Dutch, though.

Landelijke Archievendag

Today (11 October) is the annual Landelijke Archievendag (National Day of the Archives). The theme this year is Verhalen van Nederland (Stories of The Netherlands). The collections in Dutch archives tell many stories, both of the big events that shaped the country and of ordinary people like our ancestors. Many Dutch archives participate, with lectures, guided tours, publications, exhibitions and other events.

See the website of your favorite Dutch archive for more information.

Nacht van de Geschiedenis

The Nacht van de Geschiedenis (History Night), also an annual event, will take place on 18 October, in the Krasnapolsky hotel in Amsterdam, from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. The program includes lectures, films, interviews, and the awarding of the Week van de Geschiedenisprijs (History Week Prize), an award for a heritage institution activity that makes history accessible to a large audience.

Week van de Geschiedenis

The Week van de Geschiedenis (History Week), a week of activities by Dutch museums, archives, and other heritage institutions, starts today with the National Day of the Archives and culminates in History Night. This year's theme is also Verhalen van Nederland, Stories of The Netherlands.

Verleden van Nederland

Verleden van Nederland (Past of The Netherlands) is a campaign that aims to interest the Dutch people in their history. The campaign started yesterday, and will last until 7 December, with a documentary series on TV, books, a website, a web exposition, radio broadcasts, special lessons at many schools, car, bicycle, and walking tours, and many other events.

Eight documentaries (and eight chapters in the books) show us eight periods in Dutch history:

• Verloren Verhalen (Lost stories): Prehistory and Roman era.
• Hoe God verscheen in de Lage Landen (How God appeared in the Low Countries): Christianization in the high middle ages.
• Religie, Rebellie, Republiek (Religion, rebellion, republic): Reformation, the Dutch revolt and the origins of the Dutch republic in the 16th century.
• De Gouden Eeuw(The golden age): The Dutch golden age.
• Tussen Verval en Verlichting (Between decline and enlightenment): The decline and fall of the Dutch republic.
• De Beschaafde Natie (The civilized nation): The development of a group of impassable provinces into a civilized nation with a constitution, trains, voting rights and a national identity and history.
• Zuilenland in Oorlog (Pillar country at war): Early and mid 20th century was the time of the verzuiling (pillarisation), the great depression, and the second world war.
• Vervagende Grenzen (Fading borders): National borders faded, first in the Benelux, later in the European Union and its predecessors. The borders between the pillars also faded and then disappeared.

hcc!genealogie-dag

The hcc!genealogie-dag (HCC genealogy day) is on 18 October in the Noord-Holland provincial archive. This event is organized by the genealogy group of the Dutch Hobby Computer Club (HCC) and the provincial archive of Noord-Holland, and features lectures, presentations by experienced genealogists, demonstrations of genealogy computer programs and free consultations.

1811

In 1810, The Netherlands were annexed by the French empire of Napoleon. This did not last long (the French empire collapsed after the failed Russian expedition of 1813), but it did have lasting consequences. French law was introduced in 1810-1811, and generally remained in place after 1813. For genealogists, 1811 is the turning point because of the introduction of the civil register.

Some of the changes relevant for Dutch genealogy research:

• The most important change from a genealogist's point of view is the introduction of the civil register on 1 January 1811. Since that day, all births, deaths and marriages have to be registered by the local government. The civil register is the main source for Dutch genealogy research in the 19th and early 20th century (for privacy reasons, most 20th and 21st century records are not accessible).
• In 1810-1811, church registers were confiscated by the government, to be used in place of the civil register for the years before 1811. These church registers are still government property and readily available in Dutch archives (and on microfilm in many family history centers). They are the main sources for 17th and 18th century research. Post-1811 church registers are usually still church property and often hard to find and access.
• Surnames became required and fixed. Surnames were in use long before 1811, but there was often no fixed spelling, and no requirement to use the father's surname. In the rural areas of the north and east, people often had no fixed surname at all, but used patronyms, nicknames, or the name of the farm they lived and worked on. Since 1811, everyone gets the father's surname (or mother's if she's unmarried), and surnames can only be changed by royal decree or court order.
• Conscription was introduced in 1810 and existed until 1996.

These changes are just the tip of the iceberg. Feel free to discuss these and other 1810/1811 changes in the comments below.

The Dutch roots of New York City

"Wulingren" of The Mandate of Heaven天命 posted an interesting review of Russell Shorto's book The Island at the Center of the World.

Shorto's book tells "the epic story of Dutch Manhattan and the forgotten colony that shaped America", and Wulingren uses the book to compare Manhattan (where he grew up) with Taiwan (where he lives now). The Dutch bought land from indigenous tribes and founded colonies in both places almost at the same time, and Wulingren draws some interesting parallels.

Both Shorto's book and Wulingren's blog post are worth reading if you're interested in 17th century Dutch history and early Dutch settlements, even though there are some factual errors in both - Shorto is more interested in telling a fascinating story than in factual correctness.

A canon of Dutch history

The Dutch government wants to reform the treatment of Dutch history in primary education, and installed a special committee to create a canon of Dutch history. Yesterday the committee presented the finished canon: A list of 50 events and people that represent Dutch history. The list contains all the expected topics, like Erasmus, William of Orange, VOC (Dutch East India Company), and Rembrandt, but also the dark side of Dutch history, like the slave trade or the independence war of the Dutch Indies.

Though the canon is intended mainly for primary (and to a lesser extent secondary) education, it is required reading for anyone interested in his Dutch heritage.

entoen.nu | The Committee: "The report of the Committee can be summarized as follows:
A canon for all Dutch people
as a story of the country we all live in
the Netherlands not as a horizon, but as an observation post
not as a vehicle for national pride, but rather a canon that evokes involvement
not a mausoleum, but a living heritage
a canon that is open rather than closed
no lists, but windows
modern technology not as a threat, but as an ally
familiarisation with the canon as natural baggage
not a final goal, but an inspiring foundation, to be laid in primary education
to be installed first, in order to be able to put into perspective later
not a new school subject, not a complete curriculum, not a new textbook
chart - chest - website
mastery is proven only in limitation
choices, but no straitjacket
with substantial attention for the teachers 'who must bring alive', and how they are trained
give the subject back to the teacher - and give the teacher back to the subject
not static, but dynamic
not a lecture, but a discussion
with invitations to the cultural world, market and society
the canon as a cultural capital with invaluable yields
daring to invest in general education and immaterial infrastructures
a fund for the future
the canon not as a problem, but as an opportunity"

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