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.

Newsletter will be sent out soon!

The July issue of the newsletter is almost ready for sending. Subscribers can expect a copy in their mailbox later this week. If you are not a subscriber yet, there is still time to do so.

Of course we will dwell on Henry Hudson, English captain of the Dutch ship Halve Maen. Four hundred years ago he had just failed to find a route to the East Indies through the northern passage, and he was about to fail to find a passage through the Americas. He may have failed to find what he was looking for, but his discoveries did sow the seeds for the New Netherland colony and had far-reaching consequences.

The newsletter will also make a tour of the twelve Dutch provinces and highlight the main online resources of each province.

All this and more in the upcoming edition of the Trace your Dutch roots newsletter. Stay tuned!

Follow the Schaghen letter on Twitter

In 1626, Dutch settlers bought the island Manhattan for goods worth 60 guilders. We know that from a letter from Pieter Schaghen. This letter, the Schaghenbrief (Schaghen letter) will soon fly to New York for an exhibition.

The Schaghenbrief now has its own Twitter page, where you can follow its trip from an exhibition in Amsterdam, via its home in the National Archive in The Hague, to New York.

Image: Brief over de aankoop van Manhattan, 1626, Nationaal Archief (Letter about the sale of Manhattan, 1626, Dutch National Archive).

Dutch archive news May 2009

• The Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Royal Dutch Library, our national library) announced the project Dutch Prints Online. In cooperation with several Dutch university libraries, they will scan and publish 1.3 million pages from rare 18th century Dutch books. The scans should be available online in 2010.
• Genlias added birth and death records from Groningen, and updated death records from Overijssel.
• The Zeeland archive announced several events to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Hudson voyage, including the website Zeeland herontdekt Amerika (Zeeland rediscovers America, in Dutch).
• The Amsterdam City Archive highlights a few documents related to New York from their collection, like the 1639 testament of Peter Stuyvesant, a 1794 city map, or a sales contract between the Holland Land Company and Seneca representatives.

Photo: Royal Dutch Library The Hague / Foto: Koninklijke Bibliotheek Den Haag

Dutch archive news roundup: April 2009

• Genlias added birth and marriage acts from Friesland, and birth, marriage and death acts from Utrecht.
• The Dutch National Archive published new images on flickr The Commons, including a set of images related to New York.
• The archives in Groningen opened a new image database: Beeldbank Groningen.
• Drenlias, the database of BMD acts from Drenthe, added scans of death acts of the period 1943-1952. This includes the death act of the concentration camp in Westerbork, but also many death acts of Jews who died in e.g. Auschwitz or Sobibor. Death acts for these people were usually made up after the war in their last place of residence. These death acts often have supplements, scans of these documents are also online.
• Last year, I wrote about the Archiefbank (Archives Database) of the Amsterdam City Archive. The Archiefbank recently became available in English. The Archiefbank was one of the winners of Best Archives Website, awarded by ArchivesNext.

Photo: Queen Wilhelmina visits New York and is welcomed by Mayor La Guardia. Dutch National Archive, on flickr The Commons.

Archive news roundup: February-March 2009

News from the Dutch archives

• Genlias added new birth acts from Gelderland and Limburg, marriage acts from Limburg, and death acts from Gelderland, Utrecht and Limburg.
• The Dutch National Archive created an exhibition to commemorate Hudson's voyage, exactly 400 years ago. The exhibition is now in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and will move to the South Street Seaport Museum in New York in September. See my earlier blog post.
• Several archives from Friesland participate in the new website Alle Friezen (All Frysians). The website aims to bring scans of BMD acts of the Frysian civil register online.
• The Brabant archives revamped their online database. There is no English interface, though.

Return to Manhattan: 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage

The Rijksmuseum, our National Museum for Art and History in Amsterdam, opened an exhibition earlier this week to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage:

"Starting on 1 April, Rijksmuseum in collaboration with the Dutch archives service Nationaal Archief will exhibit various documents related to the establishment of the Dutch colony New Netherland and the trading post New Amsterdam – which later became New York City – at the beginning of the 17th century. One of the highlights of the exhibition Return to Manhattan (Weerzien met Manhattan) is undoubtedly Nationaal Archief’s Schaghenbrief letter from 1626. One of the earliest documents to mention the purchase of Manhattan, the island on which New Netherland was established, the Schaghenbrief letter is not only evidence of the agreement concluded between the local population and the Dutch in 1626, but also of the first children born to the pioneers in the Dutch colony. Henry Hudson’s discovery of Manhattan Island 400 years ago, as an explorer working for the Dutch East India Company (VOC), will be celebrated this year."

The exhibition will be in the Rijksmuseum until 1 June. In September, the exhibition will move to the South Street Seaport Museum in New York, under the title The Island at the Center of the World.

Image: View on New Amsterdam, Johannes Vingboons, ca.1665, Dutch National Archive

The Friesland roots of Obama

This story popped up on several places over the last few days, even in Dutch national newspapers. It is a hoax, though (but apparently not all newspapers realized that).

Radio Netherlands Worldwide: "Local skating hero Lieuwe Obbema's grandpa Jelle apparently went to Kenya in 1870, where he established a successful peppermint business.

Friesian genealogists say Jelle Obbema was a ladies' man, with a particular taste for local Kenyan women. He is said to have sired a number of illegitimate children, who used their father's surname. One such child was called Sjoerd-Bark Obbema. Barack Obama's father is possibly a descendant of one of those children.

And that's not all. Back in Friesland, the Obbema family crest features two lilies, with its motto in Frisian, the local language, 'Ja wy kinne.' In English, 'Yes we can'.

Just for the record: As I stated above, the story is a hoax. To the best of my knowledge, Obama does not have roots in Friesland.

Dutch-American heritage day

Today is Dutch-American heritage day:

The Royal Netherlands Embassy - Washington DC: "On November 16th, Dutch-American Heritage Day, 8 million Americans of Dutch descent celebrate their heritage and the contributions they and their ancestors have made to the economic, social, political, and cultural life of the United States.

[..]

A large portion of the eastern U.S., stretching from New Jersey and Delaware through New York and from Connecticut and Long Island to central eastern Pennsylvania, was settled by the Dutch in the early-1600s. The area was once known as New Netherland, and many places--Schuylkill, Catskill, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Harlem, Wall Street, Coney Island, to name but a few---trace their names from this Dutch period. Over the next two centuries, several waves of Dutch emigrants settled in the United States and, today, most Dutch-Americans are concentrated in ten states: New York, Michigan, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Washington, Texas, Ohio and Illinois.

[..]

On Dutch-American Heritage Day we celebrate those ties and pay tribute to the mutual respect and friendship that animates the Dutch-American relationship."

Dutch-American heritage day is celebrated since 1991:

Proclamation by George Bush: "In celebration of the long-standing friendship that exists between the United States and the Netherlands, and in recognition of the many contributions that Dutch-Americans have made to our country, the Congress, by House Joint Resolution 177, has designated November 16, 1991, as "Dutch-American Heritage Day" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this day.

NOW THEREFORE I, GEORGE BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 16, 1991, as Dutch American Heritage Day. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities."

16 November was the date of the first-ever salute by a foreign power to the flag of the U.S.A.: On 16 November 1776, a small American warship sailed into the harbour of the Dutch island of St. Eustatius in the West Indies. Only four months before, the United States had declared its independence from Great Britain. The governor of the island ordered that his fort's cannons be fired in a friendly salute.

Dutch-American heritage day is celebrated in regions with strong Dutch roots. New York City, for example, celebrates with 5 Dutch Days 5 Boroughs, while West Michigan "celebrate[s] the proud history of Dutch-American influence in West Michigan with a wonderful, traditional Dutch dinner, fun and festivities for all" (on 20 November 2008).

5 Dutch Days 5 Boroughs

Today is the first of five Dutch days in the annual 5 Dutch Days 5 Boroughs event:

"5 Dutch Days 5 Boroughs celebrates the continuous influence of Dutch arts and culture in New York City -- from the City's enterprising, multicultural origins as a Dutch colony to the pivotal role of contemporary Dutch artists and designers in today's international cultural scene. The event is anchored by Dutch-American Heritage Day, which is celebrated annually on November 16."

For five days, the five New York boroughs celebrate Dutch arts and culture past and present. If you are in New York, you can explore the Dutch roots of the Austen house, do a gallery tour of the Brooklyn Museum's two Dutch houses (including the Jan Martense Schenck House built in 1675), explore the Met's outstanding Dutch paintings, experience New York City's Dutch beginnings during candlelight tours of its oldest stone farmhouse, join a Dutch Reformed Worship Service in the Old First Reformed Church, or participate in one of the many other events.

5 Dutch Days 5 Boroughs culminates on Dutch-American Heritage Day, which is celebrated annually on November 16.

The Dutch roots of the Alice Austen House

From 12 to 16 November, the Alice Austen House on Staten Island (NY) will go back to its Dutch roots:

"Explore the Dutch roots of the Alice Austen House Museum. During these five days, the Austen House will not be about photography or the Victorian Era but rather about the Dutch farmer that laid its foundation in 1690. Call for reservations: 718.816.4506 x 12"

The Alice Austen House is a museum devoted to the work of the photographer Alice Austen (1866-1952). The building that houses the museum was originally built by a Dutch farmer in 1690, but extensively renovated and expanded later.

The Explore the Dutch roots event is part of the 5 Dutch Days 5 Boroughs event that

"celebrates the continuous influence of Dutch arts and culture in New York City -- from the City's enterprising, multicultural origins as a Dutch colony to the pivotal role of contemporary Dutch artists and designers in today's international cultural scene."

Passenger lists: Where do I find them?

There are passenger lists scattered around the internet. Here are some of my favorite sites. They are all free (but registration is required for some of them), and they all have passenger lists of ships from Holland to the new world.

• Ellis Island. Registration is required to view scanned passenger lists.
• Castle Garden, America's first official immigration centre and Ellis Island's predecessor.
• National Archives of Australia record search. Their database includes passenger lists and immigration papers (only for arrivals in Australia, of course). If there is no scan of the record you want, you can order to have it scanned (for a small fee). Once the scan is available, it is freely accessible for everyone.
• Passenger lists before 1736 and passenger lists after 1736, an index to passenger lists on Digital Resources Netherlands and Belgium. Here, you will find links to many more passenger lists for ships carrying Dutch emigrants.
• Ships Passenger Lists to New Netherland, New York 1624 to 1664, on The Olive Tree Genealogy. While you're there, also check out the Dutch Immigration to USA & Canada section.
• The website of the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild (ISTG), an organisation of volunteers transcribing passenger lists. They were founded in September 1998, so their tenth birthday is this month!
• Ships' Passenger Lists on On the Trail of Our Ancestors. The Dutch Research Corner on the same website seems to be somewhat outdated.
• The many passenger lists in the USGenWeb Archives.
• Immigrant Ships, on Macatawa Bay Area History & Heritage - a website about the history of West Michigan. From browsing this site I get the impression that everyone in this area has Dutch roots!
• There are several passenger lists on the website of Herman de Wit.

31st Rensselaerswijck Seminar

The New Netherland Institute will hold their 31st annual Rensselaerswijck Seminar on Saturday 13 September, in the Huxley Theater of the Cultural Education Center at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY. The theme of the seminar is Neighbors in the New World: New Netherland and New France:

"Sessions throughout the day will illuminate the relationship between the Dutch and France in 17th-century North America. Major attention will focus on interactions of these European powers and their respective Indian allies."

The program:

• José António Brandão, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, An Unreasonable Offer: Iroquois Policy towards their Huron and Mahican Neighbors
• James Bradley, ArchLink, Boston, MA, In Between Worlds: New Netherland and New France at Mid Century
• Conrad Heidenreich, York University, Ontario, Canada, The Skirmish with the Mohawk on Lake Champlain: was Champlain a 'trigger-happy thug' or 'just following orders'?
• Joyce Goodfriend, University of Denver, CO, Introduction and presentation of the Hendricks Manuscript Award
• Willem Frijhoff, Free University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Jesuits, Calvinists, and Natives: Attitudes, Agency, and Encounters in the Early Christian Missions in the North.

The seminar will be followed by a cocktail party and the NNI Dinner. The Consul General of the Netherlands in New York City, H. Gajus Schletema, will speak at the dinner. He will talk about the role of the Dutch government in supporting the 2009 Quadricentennial projects of the New Netherland Institute and up and down the Hudson River.

For more information and registration please visit the website of the New Netherland Instititute.

Pilgrim fathers 3

During my holiday I will post some photos from my archive. This week: Pilgrim Father sites in Delfshaven and Leiden.

The William Brewster alley, where Brewster had his printing press, seems to be decaying.

Pilgrim fathers 2

During my holiday I will post some photos from my archive. This week: Pilgrim Father sites in Delfshaven and Leiden.

When I visited Leiden, restoration works were going on in and around the Pieterskerk (St. Peter's Church) in Leiden.

Memorial plaque on the Pieterskerk, commemorating the English puritans who died during their stay in Leiden.

Pilgrim fathers 1

During my holiday I will post some photos from my archive. This week: Pilgrim Father sites in Delfshaven and Leiden.

Memorial plaque on the "Pilgrim Father church" in Delfshaven

The old harbour of Delfshaven. The pilgrim fathers started there journey here, first to England and then on towards the new world. In the background on the right the "Pilgrim Fathers Church".

Tulips

Dutch tulips

Tulips here in Holland are already past their prime (high season is mid to late April), but in the other Holland tulip time starts now: The annual Tulip Time Festival starts tomorrow in Holland, Michigan. With tulips, klompen dances, krakelingen, and parades, Holland celebrates its Dutch roots between tomorrow and 10 May.

Meanwhile, Ottawa's Tulip Festival started today and will last until 19 May. The origins of the festival is a gift of princess Juliana of The Netherlands. In 1945, she presented Canada with a gift of 100,000 tulip bulbs, as a thank-you for providing a safe haven to the Dutch royal family during the war and for the role the Canadian army played in the liberation of The Netherlands. Now, more than three million tulips bloom, and an estimated 600,000 people from all over the world will visit the festival.

Links:

• Tulip Time official website
• Tulip Time brochure [PDF]
• Tulip Festival official website

Symbol of Home stands tall

"Anyone new to Oak Harbor has likely noticed some pretty strange looking names while combing through the phonebook — Beeksma, Zylstra, Nienhuis, VanderHoek, Vanderlinder, Vande Werfhorst, and every Vander in between.

But in Oak Harbor, where Dutch immigrants were among the pioneers making early claim, these surnames are as common as Smith and Jones. That’s why windmills make appearances at pocket parks around town and on postcards sent to friends."

Symbol of home stands tall, an article in the Whidbey News Time, talks about the Dutch community of Oak Harbor (Island County, WA), the history of their Dutch windmill in Windjammer Park, and the annual Holland Happening Festival, a festival celebrating their Dutch roots that took place this weekend:

"Holland Happening, that is when the food of the homeland is enjoyed, tulips are in bloom, klompen are stompin’ and the Oak Harbor windmill stands tall in its glory."

Another article appeared yesterday in the same newspaper: City goes Dutch for Holland Happening. This article has some details about the program.

The Whidbey News Times is a newspaper from Whidbey Island, Island County, WA.

Dutch archive news roundup: January 2008

News from the Dutch archives.

• The provinces Zeeland and Zuid-Holland have added records to Genlias. This includes for the first time records of The Hague.
• The National Archive announced several documents from its collection will be on display in New York next year, in an exhibition celebrating the 400th birthday of Henry Hudson's voyage on what is now the Hudson river. One of the documents on display will be the famous 1626 letter describing the purchase of Manhattan for 60 guilders (24 dollars). This letter is also on permanent display on the website of the National Archive
• The Groningen archive announced a new website with records from the province Groningen: Alle Groningers. We will soon have a look at this website in the series Online records.