Trace your Dutch roots online

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How to find your Dutch ancestors on the internet

If you have Dutch ancestors and want to find out more about them, you will be pleasantly surprised about the wealth of information that is freely available on the internet.

In this lens, I will guide you to the best places to find your Dutch ancestors online.

Genlias 

National database of BMD records

If you want to research your Dutch ancestors via the internet, your starting point should be the Genlias website.


Genlias is a joint product of the regional history centres and state archives in the Netherlands. Genlias contains records from the civil register (birth, marriage and death records maintained by local governments), and sometimes the church books. It is a work in progress, and currently far from complete, but already contains over 11 million records.


Genlias has an English interface (click "English" in the top right), but all information it contains is in Dutch. To search, click "Searching in Genlias", then "Searching in Genlias database" (or go directly to the search page). It may be a good idea to read the Search instructions and Explanation of the results first.


Read my Genlias article for more information on how to use Genlias.

Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague 

Local BMD databases

Not all places have data in Genlias. Notable omissions are the two largest Dutch cities, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and there are only a few records from The Hague, the third-largest city. Rotterdam does not participate in Genlias, but Amsterdam is expected to be included in the near future. All three cities have their own online database.


Some Amsterdam records can be found on the website of the Amsterdam city archive. The most important are the baptisms (1564-1811). Their website is only available in Dutch.


Rotterdam has the excellent Rotterdam Municipal Archives' Digital Family Tree. A large part of the website is also available in English. The website contains most of the church books (covering the period 1573-1811) and a large part of the civil register (1811-1950).


The Hague has created a virtual study center, that should eventually have the same information available as their study center in the The Hague city archive. It currently has scans of most of their civil registry records. The website is hard to navigate, there is no searchable index, and it does not have an English interface.

Zuid-Holland 

Trace your roots online in Zuid-Holland

Genlias records are usually added by the provincial archives. Zuid-Holland, however, does not have a provincial archive (provincial records are maintained by the National Archives in The Hague). It is up to the local and regional archives to decide wether to take part in Genlias or not.

Places that are not represented in Genlias include major cities like Rotterdam, The Hague, Leiden, and Delft. Places that do not take part in Genlias and do not have their own online database will eventually be added to Genlias by the National Archives. For the latest information on Zuid-Holland records in Genlias, check out Archives in Zuid-Holland and Genlias and Actual content (both on the Genlias website).

Genealogy in Zuid-Holland contains a list of all municipalities in Zuid-Holland, and in which online database (if any) their records are kept.

Your Dutch roots 

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Henk wrote...

in reply to Scott Hi Scott,
Marriage acts from that time are not online, for privacy reasons. There are some things you can try, though. I answered your question on my blog: http://blog.traceyourdutchroots.com/2009/04/readers-question-from-holland-to.html

ReplyPosted April 15, 2009

Lensmaster

Scott wrote

Hi Henk

Could you suggest other on-line sources that can aid me in searching for my Partners grandparents whom migrated to Australia in the 1960's, as Genlis doesn't have them listed I just need their parents and I could go from there.

Cheers

Scott

Reply Posted April 07, 2009

LadySquid wrote...

Great info! My husband has Dutch roots, so it's always appreciated to find new resources to use to research his ancestors. Thanks!

Stephanie at the Research Your Family Tree lens-stop by and see us!

ReplyPosted April 06, 2009

familyhistorysearcher wrote...

Great international family history search lens!

ReplyPosted June 21, 2008

Henk wrote...

Genlias lists the marriage of Johannes Molenaar and Adriaantje Marijtje de Haan (1870 in Pernis) and the birth of two children: Jan (1870) and Cornelis (1871). Genlias also has the marriages of three children: Willem Kornelis Molenaar and Jacoba Groenendijk (1887), Jan Molenaar and Napoline Verginia Kassels (1893), and Cornelis Molenaar and Niesje Hendrika Samsom (1894).

There may have been more children.

ReplyPosted March 17, 2008

Lensmaster

Molenaar,Cornelis wrote

I am looking for family of Cornelis,Molenaar, born in1871, in Poortugal,Netherlands, Moved to Pernis, Zuid Holland and sailed on the Ryndam, in 1907. Fathers name was Johannes Molenaar and mother names was Adriane Marutje. I am wondering if there were more children in the family of Johannes Molenaar.

Reply Posted March 16, 2008

Henk wrote...

Hi Jessica,
There are four Tieltjes in Dinxperlo in the Dutch phone book, and probably some more in the surrounding area. Maybe you should write them to find out if they are related. The Dutch phone book is online at http://www.detelefoongids.nl/

ReplyPosted September 03, 2007

Lensmaster

Jessica Tildes wrote

My ancestors were known as Tieltjes and lived in Dinxperlo. I can find some info from the early 1900's but I really would like to know if I have any living relatives in the Netherlands now. Do you have any suggestions on how to find them?

Reply Posted September 02, 2007

Henk wrote...

Thanks for the compliment, Historyman.

ReplyPosted September 01, 2007

historyman wrote...

A valuable lens for anyone needing to explore their Dutch ancestry

ReplyPosted August 28, 2007

Henk wrote...

Hi Katy,
Did you try the Genlias database? They have hundreds of Jimminks.

ReplyPosted August 17, 2007

Lensmaster

katy jimmink wrote

please can you trace the jimmink family they lived in bergen

Reply Posted August 10, 2007

Lensmaster

Wanham wrote

Reply Posted August 02, 2007