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Belgium: A Strategy to Identify your Ancestors: Difference between revisions
Belgium: A Strategy to Identify your Ancestors (view source)
Revision as of 04:37, 5 November 2020
, 5 November 2020→Research for the 17th and 18th century
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== Research for the 17<sup>th</sup> and 18<sup>th</sup> century == | == Research for the 17<sup>th</sup> and 18<sup>th</sup> century == | ||
During this era the civil register did not yet exist. However, the church has similar record, that is records of baptism, marriage and burials. These records are in Latin, this wiki has a quick introduction to [[Latin Genealogical Word List|'Latin words']], for a more elaborate list we you could also check out [https://www.vrijwilligersrab.be/nl/Vocaluarium 'vrijwilligersrab.be'], which might also be more adapt to the use of Latin in (Western)-Flanders. As the church records get older, they contain even fewer information. The records for marriages and burial rarely contain information about the parents. Although, the baptism and marriage records mention the godparents and witnesses, which are often relatives. | During this era the civil register did not yet exist. However, the church has similar record, that is records of baptism, marriage and burials. These records are in Latin, this wiki has a quick introduction to [[Latin Genealogical Word List|''Latin words'']], for a more elaborate list we you could also check out [https://www.vrijwilligersrab.be/nl/Vocaluarium ''vrijwilligersrab.be''], which might also be more adapt to the use of Latin in (Western)-Flanders. As the church records get older, they contain even fewer information. The records for marriages and burial rarely contain information about the parents. Although, the baptism and marriage records mention the godparents and witnesses, which are often relatives. | ||
For this era, it quickly becomes difficult to find the correct baptism record. However, finding siblings can be done quickly and for big households the list of godparents gives a reliable way to check if a match is correct. Hence, for this era you should first collect information about a household: find records of the baptisms of the children, the burials of the parents and if possible the marriage of the parents. From these records you have a full name, an approximate birth year and a list with likely relatives. Next, you should try to match this with the household of each parent. Finding their household can be difficult, but by looking at the index tables, to see if the names of most godparents show up, you can already eliminate some villages. | For this era, it quickly becomes difficult to find the correct baptism record. However, finding siblings can be done quickly and for big households the list of godparents gives a reliable way to check if a match is correct. Hence, for this era you should first collect information about a household: find records of the baptisms of the children, the burials of the parents and if possible the marriage of the parents. From these records you have a full name, an approximate birth year and a list with likely relatives. Next, you should try to match this with the household of each parent. Finding their household can be difficult, but by looking at the index tables, to see if the names of most godparents show up, you can already eliminate some villages. | ||