Netherlands Population Registers
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Finding Population Registers[edit | edit source]
Online[edit | edit source]
- 1574-1940 the FamilySearch collection, Netherlands Census and Population Registers, 1574-1940 at FamilySearch - The coverage is predominantly for Friesland, Gelderland, Limburg, Utrecht, Zeeland and Zuid-Holland; Many towns have surname indexes "klappers"
- 1720-1944 Netherlands, Population Registers Index, 1720-1944
- OpenArch has 32.1 million indexed BR records. Some of their records are also found in the FamilySearch collection Netherlands, Archival Indexes, Population Registers
- WieWasWie has 26.7 million indexed BR records.
- Geneaknowhow links to many population register records, many of which are indexed.
- The websites of regional archives will often contain indexes and, at the very least, images.
Offline[edit | edit source]
Population registration records are kept either in the municipal archives [gemeentearchieven] or in the municipal hall [gemeentesecretarie]. If they are in the archive they are open to the public, usually until 1900 or 1920, depending on the archive. Records in the town hall are, by rule, not open to the public, but population registers are generally available for inspection to about 1900. If the population registers you are seeking are not public, you may obtain an extract for a small fee. Write to the municipal administration as outlined below:
Gemeentesecretarie
[Town]
THE NETHERLANDS
Many of the population registers to about 1920 have been filmed by the FamilySearch Library. Check the Place search of the catalog under:
NETHERLANDS, [PROVINCE], [TOWN] – POPULATION
Post-1940[edit | edit source]
The records are only public if the person has been deceased for about two years. You must contact the Central Bureau for Genealogy, fill in an application form and pay the fee as explained on their website. Email it to pkpl@cbg.nlor post to
- CBG | Center for Family History
- Section Personcart and Personlist
- PO Box 11755
- 2502 AT, The Hague
- The Netherlands
- CBG | Center for Family History
If the record is found, it will also contain details about the main person's parents, spouse and children. For those who died recently, some information will be redacted.
Population Registers - Introduction[edit | edit source]
Population registers [bevolkingsregisters], abbreviated BR in the Netherlands are an important source of genealogical information. They track the movement of people from one residence to another. Officially, population registers began for each municipality on 1 January 1850 and were based on the 3rd National Census, taken 19 November 1849. Some places started using these kind of records earlier (for example, the province of Zuid-Holland in 1845, or part of Gelderland in 1811). Population registers should not be confused with the Census, which records the population at a point in time. Rather Population Registers record the population over a period as it changes.
The following details of the inhabitants may be found:
- first and last names and gender
- dates and places of birth
- relation to the main occupant of the address (spouse, child or servant)
- marital status
- occupation (s)
- religion (sometimes missing)
- address
- date of arrival in the municipality and the previous residence
- if the family moves, when and whither
Changes (births, deaths, marriages, departures, arrivals) in a household in the course of the ten years covered by the register were added or the changed information struck out. The striking out can sometimes make it difficult to read the information struck out.
Formats[edit | edit source]
1850-1920: Information from 1850 to about 1920 is kept in a book or register. The records list each member of the household and his or her birth date and place, relationship to the head of the household, marital status, occupation, religion, arrival date and where he or she moved from, removal date and where he or she moved to, and death date. The records also include notes, which contain emigration information. Earlier books are organized by neighborhood, street, and house number. Later books are alphabetical by the surname of the head of the household. Frequently the books are fully indexed by surname.
1920-1939: gezinskaarten Most municipalities started using cards instead of books in 1920. Called family cards [gezinskaarten], these were used until 1939. Each page only contained one household, and the records are arranged by surname rather than street address.
1940-1994: persoonskaarten The size and movement of the population from 1940 was recorded using person cards [persoonskaarten]. These exist from 1940 to 1 October 1994. Some cards exist for 1938 and 1939. Information about each person was entered onto an individual card instead of being listed as part of a family group. The cards were maintained by the municipal administration. When someone moved, the card was forwarded to the new municipality. When the person died, the card was sent to the Central Office for Statistics [Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek], then forwarded onto the Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie (CBG) for safekeeping.
The cards contain a person’s name, birth date and place, nationality, occupation, parents’ names, parents’ birth date and place, marriage date and place, spouse’s name, spouse’s birth date and place, spouse’s death date and place, address of each residence and date moved, and death date and place. The cards also give the children’s names, birth dates and places, spouses, and marriage dates. Earlier cards give religion and cause of death.
1994-present persoonslijsten Person lists [persoonslijsten] replaced the person cards on 1 October 1994. As of that date the information is now kept in electronic form. When a person dies, a printout is made and sent to the Central Office for Statistics and then on to the CBG.
For additional information about population registers and family cards, see International Institute Netherlands - Dutch Population Records - International Institute. For more information about person cards as well as information about person lists and censuses, see International Institute Netherlands - More Dutch Population Records - International Institute.
Population Register Headings with English Translation[edit | edit source]
The content of the headings found in population registers in the Netherlands remains relatively constant since this record type's official, national beginning in 1850 until 1920 (when registration shifted from listing people by address to the keeping of family cards). Below are translations of headings of a few population registers for reference.
1850-1860 Population Register Headings (Achtkarspelen, Friesland, the Netherlands)
| Column | Dutch Heading | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volgnummer | Serial number |
| 2 | Naam | Name [surname] |
| 3 | Voornamen | Given names |
| 4 | Dagteekening en jaar der geboorte | Date and year of birth |
| 5 | Geboorteplaats (met aanwijzing der Provincie voor inboorlingen of van het land voor vreemdelingen) | Birth place (including province for natives, or country for foreigners) |
| 6 | Burgerlijke staat (ongehuwd, gehuwd, weduwenstaat) | Marital status (unmarried, married, widowed) |
| 7 | Godsdienst (iedere Secte bepaald op te geven) | Religion (list each sect) |
| 8 | Beroep of middelen van bestaan (iedeere soort bepaald aan te duiden) | Occupation or means of subsistence (specify each kind) |
| 9 | Dagteekening der vestiging in de Gemeente | Date of arrival to the municipality |
| 10 | Dagteekening van het overlijden | Date of death |
| 11 | Dagteekening van het verlaten der Gemeente | Date of departure from the municipality |
| 12-13 | Aanduiding of de persoon in de Gemeente is ingeschreven, als hebbende hare woonplats (gewoon verblijf) of enkel als tijdelijk verblijvende | Whether the person is registered as residing in the municipality (primary residence) or is only a temporary resident |
| 12 | W (Woonplaats) | W (primary residence) |
| 13 | V (Verblijf) | V (temporary residence) |
| 14 | Aanduiding der laatste woonplats | Last residence |
| 15 | Aanduiding der plaats, waar de bewoner zich gaat vestigen, bij verandering van woonplaats | Where the resident will move to, in the event of a change of residence |
| 16 | Aanduiding der veranderingen in den burgerlijken staat der personen met aanwijzing der dagteekening | Change in the marital status, including the date |
| 17 | Aanmerkingen over tijdelijke afwezigheid (als b. v. krijgslieden, gevangenen, leerlingen of kweekelingen, studenten enz.) | Comments on temporary absences (e.g., soldiers, prisoners, apprentices or trainees, students, etc.) |
1860-1880 and 1890-1910 Population Register Headings (Achtkarspelen, Friesland, the Netherlands)
| Column | Dutch Heading | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volgnummer | Serial number |
| 2 | Dagteekening en jaar der inschrijving | Date and year of registration |
| 3 | Familienaam (familienaam der vrouw) | Surname (maiden name of the wife) |
| 4 | Voornamen (voluit geschreven) | Given names (fully written out) |
| 5 | Geslacht (M. mannelijk, V. vrouwelijk) | Gender (m. for male, v. for female) |
| 6 | Betrekking van elken persoon tot het hoofd van het huisgezin (niet in te vullen voor afzonderlik levende personen) | Relationship of each person to the head of household (not to be filled in for individuals living on their own) |
| 7 | Dagteekening en jaar der geboorte | Date and year of birth |
| 8 | Geboorteplaats (met aanwijzing der provincie voor inboorlingen, van het land voor vreemdelingen) | Birth place (including province for natives, or country for foreigners) |
| 9-10 | Burgerlijke staat (H. gehuwd, W. weduwenstaat, S. gescheiden van echt) | Marital status (H. for married, W. for widowed, S. for divorced from spouse) |
| 9 | Tijdens de inschrijving | At the time of registration |
| 10 | Veranderingen in hare dagteekening | Changes and the date |
| 11 | Kerkgenootschap (elk bepaa opgeven) | Religious affiliation (specify for each person) |
| 12 | Ambt, hoofdberoep of beroep, waarvoor men het hoogst is aangeslagen (elke soort bepaald aanduiden, voor gepatenteerden in overeenstemming met het patent) | Office, main occupation or the function for which the person is most highly regarded (indicate each job and its function) |
| 13 | Huizing (straat, gracht, enz., wijk, huisnummer) | Residence (street, canal, etc., district, house number) |
| 14 | Dagteekening en jaar der vestiging in de Gemeente | Date and year of arrival to the municipality |
| 15 | Vorige woonplaats (met aanwijzing der provincie voor inboorlingen, het land voor vreemdelingen) | Former residence (including province for natives, or country for foreigners) |
| 16 | Dagteekening en jaar van het vertrek uit de gemeente | Date and year of departure from the municipality |
| 17 | Waarheen vertrokken (gemeente en provincie voor inboorlingen, het land voor vreemdelingen) | Where moved to (municipality and province for natives, and country for foreigners) |
| 18 | Dagteekening en jaar van het overlijden | Date and year of death |
| 19 | Opgave omtrent het wettig domicilie | Statement about the legal residence |
| 20 | Aanmerkingen | Comments |
1880-1890 Population Register Headings (Achtkarspelen, Friesland, the Netherlands)
| Column | Dutch Heading | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volgnummer | Serial number |
| 2 | Familienaam (van gehuwde vrouwen of weduwen ook de eigen familienaam) | Surname (for married women or widows, also the maiden name) |
| 3 | Voornamen (voluit geschreven) | Given names (fully written out) |
| 4 | Betrekking tot het gezin | Relationhip in the family |
| 5 | Geslacht (M. mannelijk, V. vrouwelijk) | Gender (m. for male, v. for female) |
| 6 | Burgerlijke stand (O. ongehuwd, H. gehuwd, W. in weduwenstaat, S. gescheiden van echt, T. gescheiden van tafel en bed) | Marital status (O. for unmarried, H. for married, W. for widowed, S. for divorced from spouse, T. for separated) |
| 7-9 | Tijdstip van geboorte | Time of birth |
| 7 | Dagteekening der geboorte | Date of birth |
| 8 | Maand der geboorte | Month of birth |
| 9 | Jaar der geboorte | Year of birth |
| 10 | Geboorteplaats (voor geborenen buitenlands den naam van het land; voor geborenen binnenlands den naam der provincie en der gemeente) | Birth place (country for foreigners, or province and municipality for natives) |
| 11 | Kerkgenootschap | Religious affiliation |
| 12 | Maatschappelijke betrekking, ambt, beroep of bedrijf | Social status, office, profession, or company |
| 13 | Huizing (street, gracht, enz., wijk, huisnummer) | Residence (street, canal, etc., district, house number) |
| 14 | Dagteekening en jaar der vestiging in de Gemeente | Date and year of arrival to the municipality |
| 15 | Vorige woonplaats (met aanwijzing der provincie voor inboorlingen, het land voor vreemdelingen) | Former residence (including province for natives, or country for foreigners) |
| 16 | Dagteekening en jaar der het vertrek uit de gemeente | Date and year of departure from the municipality |
| 17 | Waarheen vertrokken (gemeente en provincie voor inboorlingen, het land voor vreemdelingen) | Where moved to (municipality and province for natives, and country for foreigners) |
| 18 | Dagteekening en jaar van het overlijden | Date and year of death |
| 19 | Opgave omtrent het wettig domicilie | Statement about the legal residence |
| 20 | Aanmerkingen | Comments |