Dutch Genealogy Services
Looking for your ancestors from the Netherlands? Yvette Hoitink is a professional genealogist in the Netherlands who does research throughout the country. Read about our services, fees, and example projects or read testimonials by clients like you.
If you want to learn more about researching Dutch ancestors, make sure to read the blog.
Featured article

Using Occam’s Razor in Genealogy
Occam’s Razor is a philosphical tool that helps you zoom in on the most likely explanation. A lot has been written about Occam’s Razor, but it boils down to “the simpler explanation is usually correct.” We can use this in genealogy in different ways: We can use Occam’s Razor to determine the most likely hypothesis. […]
Featured article

Map of the Week – Groningen, 1659
In 1659, the famous mapmaker Joan Blaeu published his world atlas Tooneel des Aardrycks [Display of the Realm of Earth]. The archives in Leiden have made their atlas available online. This week we are looking at Blaeu’s map of the province of Groningen. It shows its largest city as the same-named Groningen (“Gronningen” on the […]

Dutch Genealogy News for January 2025
Here is an overview of all the new sources, projects, and other news annnounced this month. Sources The index to the Central Archives of Special Jurisdiction came online. See this blog post for more information. Birth records of Bathmen (1881-1902), Olst (1884-1891), and Raalte (1846-1855) in Overijssel are now available via Open Archives. The burial […]
Featured article

Map of the Week – World War I map
This week’s map dates from World War I and is part of a larger series showing military activity. This particular map shows the activity until 7 October 1914. The Netherlands was neutral during World War I, as shown by the green color on the map. The map shows how close the activity got, with a […]

Map of the Week – Nautical Chart of the Zeeland and Holland Coast
This week we are looking at a nautical chart made by Pieter Goos from an atlas published between 1666 and 1683. It shows the access routes to the South Holland and Zeeland rivers and cities. The chart was intended for sailors to set their course. It is oriented with the north on the left, as […]
Tip of the week

Quick Tip- The Best Of Times, The Worst Of Times
When researching ancestors we did not know personally, we rarely see them on an average day. We may see them at the best of times: when they get married, when they have a child, or when they receive a medal. Or we may see them at the worst of times: when they lose a child, […]
Term of the week

Dutch term – Herder
A herder usually is a shepherd. The term is also sometimes used for a cowherd, though that is more often called a koeherder. In areas with large moors, you may find this as an occupation for adults. Some farmers who had some some land that was not arable kept a few sheep and hired a young […]