Public archives
After you've found relevant information about your ancestors in
Genlias, there is plenty more for you to find out. Information
from church records and death
duties files have been entered
into Genlias occasionally, but in general you will have to visit
an archive for those records.
Public archives can be found in the capital cities of the Dutch
provinces. The archives keep the records of the civil registration
and many
other demographic sources. You can find the addresses in the 'Participating
archives' section. Besides the provincial archives, many municipalities
have their own archive or participate in a regional archive together
with other municipalities.
Visiting a Dutch archive
Visiting archives to do your own research is free in the Netherlands.
The study rooms of the archives are open almost every day and often
one
or two week nights as well. You will have to identify yourself
before being admitted, for example by showing your passport. Usually
a pass will be made for you that you can use again on subsequent
visits.
Frequently used sources like the civil registration are available
in self service. Most archives use microfiches or microfilms for
this purpose.
Most employees of the archives probably speak English and will
be happy to answer any questions you might have. However, it is
not
their task to
do the research for you or to translate
entire Dutch documents. If you do not speak Dutch, we advise
you to bring someone along who does speak the language to
help you.
Consulting original documents
The archives also have miles of material that is not available
on film. If the condition of the documents allows it, the original
documents can be consulted. To do this, you need to know how the
documents are stored.
An archive has several collections, also called 'archives' like
'old judicial archive of Bredevoort' or 'notary archive of
Amsterdam'.
Each archive has its own access number and contains different documents.
For most archives, there is an inventory that can be compared to
a table of contents. An inventory lists
all the documents, usually with a short description. Each document
gets its own number, the inventory number. To request a document,
you need both the access number and the inventory number. Most
archives have a dedicated computer in the study room for requesting
original documents.
An employee of the archive will then get the original document
for you from the depot so you can consult it in the study room.
Photocopying original documents is often not allowed. Some archives
do allow you to make your own photographs or order reproductions.
This is often explained in the visitors information or you can
ask the study room attendant about this.
Having research done
Doing research yourself is free, but most archives can also do
research for you. Many archives employ a genealogical correspondent
who will research your genealogy
for you for a fee. For more information about paid research, you
should contact the archive in question. |
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