| Workshop on Dutch Family History Research
Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch and the Canadiana Department of North York Central Library present
Dutch Family History
A summer workshop on genealogy sources and research techniques
Saturday, August 11, 2007
North York Central Library Auditorium
5120 Yonge Street, Toronto
(North York Centre subway station)
Whether you're a seasoned family history researcher or just starting to investigate your ancestors from the Netherlands, you'll enjoy this informal, late-summer day of new insights into Dutch research, and the opportunity to meet others who share your interests.
PROGRAM
9:15–10:00 am Registration
10:00-11:15 Opening remarks and plenary session
Session A: The Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie in a Changing Genealogical Landscape
The Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie (CBG) in The Hague was founded in 1945 as a national documentation and information centre for family history and heraldry, and has continued to add state and private papers to its important collections. The genealogical landscape of the Netherlands is changing rapidly, due to the development of the Internet as a research tool and the digitization of sources. What resources, tools and facilities are available at the moment, what developments can be expected the next couple of years and how does the CBG fit in to the genealogical landscape?
Speaker: Rob van Drie (The Hague) is deputy director of the Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie. He is author of several how-to books (in Dutch) and articles on genealogical and heraldic topics in the Netherlands. He takes a special interest in methodology and the history of genealogy and heraldry. In December 2007, his new book 'Dutch roots' will be published, aimed at researchers outside the Netherlands with Dutch ancestors. Rob holds a master's degree in history from the University of Utrecht.
11:30-12:30
Session B: First Steps for Dutch Research
If you are new to genealogy—or just new to Dutch research—this session will get you started on the right foot with some family history basics and a detailed look at some of the unique sources available for researching ancestors from the Netherlands. It will also help you to understand where to find original and published records, and alert you to the importance of Dutch naming practices, calendar styles, and handwriting.
Speaker: Anthony Hofstee (St. Thomas) is a retired high school teacher and an avid genealogist. Originally from Berkel en Rodenrijs, Zuid-Holland, he has spoken on Dutch genealogy for several OGS branches and other groups, and at OGS Seminar 1998 in London. He is the author of a genealogy column for “The Windmill Herald”, a Canadian bi-weekly Dutch-English newspaper.
Session C: A Midwest Migration Case Study: How studying neighbours can help explain family relationships and migration patterns
Using the example of two dozen Dutch families who settled among East Frisians in 19th century Illinois, and later migrated westward to Iowa with them, this lecture shows how looking at the larger picture of cultural, social, religious, and linguistic similarities and differences can help you understand your ancestor’s reasons for migration and settlement.
Speaker: Jay Fonkert (Saint Paul, Minnesota) is a Certified Genealogist specializing in Midwest U.S. and Dutch genealogy. He is a director of the Minnesota Genealogical Society and a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. He has studied advanced genealogy research methods at the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research at Samford University and completed the National Genealogical Society’s home study course.
12:30-1:30 Lunch
Session D: Tour of the Canadiana Department of North York Central Library (limited to 20 people)
1:30-2:00
Session E: Question and Answer Panel
2:15-3:15
Session F: The GEO in Dutch Genealogy: Enriching your family history with Nederlandse geography
Family history is inextricably tied to place. This lecture explores the use of maps and other geographical resources in genealogy, with an emphasis on the geography of the Netherlands, with an eye toward helping genealogists with Dutch heritage to better understand how Dutch geography affected their ancestors.
Speaker: Jay Fonkert (Saint Paul, Minnesota) is a Certified Genealogist specializing in Midwest U.S. and Dutch genealogy. He is a director of the Minnesota Genealogical Society and a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. He has studied advanced genealogy research methods at the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research at Samford University and completed the National Genealogical Society’s home study course.
Session G: Reconstructing WP
This session will highlight the importance of using a wide variety of sources to tell the story of an individual, illustrated with examples from the presenter’s research on his great grandfather, W(ytze) P(etrus) de Vries, school principal, author and translator of children's books. The sources discussed are largely Internet based, including www.genlias.nl (the main database for registrations of births, marriages and deaths since 1811), www.tresoar.nl (a comparable database for the province of Friesland which also includes earlier records), population registers ("bevolkingsregister", continuous records of the population, providing information about household composition and intermunicipal moves of household members), the Leeuwarder Courant (the oldest still publishing newspaper in the Netherlands), and judicial records.
Speaker: Dr. John de Vries (Ottawa) is a Professor Emeritus (Sociology) at Carleton University. Originally from Eindhoven, the Netherlands, he immigrated to Canada in 1961. John is a recent convert to genealogy after teaching at Carleton for nearly 35 years.
3:30-4:30
Session H: Tools for Doing Dutch Research from a Distance
This lecture will provide information and tools that can be found close to home for researching Dutch ancestors. Included in the discussion will be sources available from the Family History Library, public or university libraries and the Internet, as well as how to obtain documents in a cost effective manner. The information discussed is especially helpful to those with little or no knowledge of the Dutch language.
Speaker: Susanna de Groot, PLCGS, (Toronto) is a professional genealogist specializing in Dutch and Ontario research (Windmill Genealogy Services), and a member of the Ontario Genealogical Society. She is treasurer of the Ontario Chapter, Association of Professional Genealogists, and an instructor with the National Institute for Genealogical Studies (partners with the University of Toronto) for the online course Researching: Dutch Ancestors in the Netherlands.
Session I: 17th and 18th Century Records
Going back in time, the genealogical researcher encounters a clear institutional border to cross around the year 1800. In the period 1795-1813, the ‘Batavian-French era’ in Dutch history, a uniformly shaped state emerged, with institutions often modelled after French examples. Civil registration, and centralised legal and tax systems were important attainments of this period. The result of these developments for genealogists is that, after 1800, sources are rather consistent, no matter where in the Netherlands ancestors lived. Before 1795, in the Dutch Republic, institutions differed widely on provincial and even local levels, and there is a wide geographical variety of sources. This presentation will give an overview of the different types of sources, where they can be found and how far they go back in time, including church registers, court records, notarial records and tax records.
Speaker: Rob van Drie (The Hague) is deputy director of the Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie. He is author of several how-to books (in Dutch) and articles on genealogical and heraldic topics in the Netherlands. He takes a special interest in methodology and the history of genealogy and heraldry. In December 2007, his new book 'Dutch roots' will be published, aimed at researchers outside the Netherlands with Dutch ancestors. Rob holds a master's degree in history from the University of Utrecht.
SPONSORS
| We are grateful for financial support from: |
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| DUCA Financial Services Credit Union Ltd. |
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Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
HOW TO GET TO THE WORKSHOP:
By public transit: North York Central Library is connected directly to the North York Centre subway station, on the Yonge line. Inter-city trains and buses link with the subway at Union, Dundas, or York Mills stations. Allow at least 35 minutes from Union or Dundas, or 15 minutes from York Mills, to get to North York Centre.
By car: North York Central Library is at 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto M2N 5N9, on the west side at Park Home Avenue (about halfway between Sheppard and Finch). From Highway 401, exit northbound at Yonge Street; proceed north to Park Home Avenue (6th or 7th traffic light) and turn left. The most convenient parking ($3 per day on Saturdays) is under the building—enter from Novotel on Park Home, or from Beecroft Road (parallel and west of Yonge Street).
Accommodation: The Novotel North York is part of the North York Centre complex. For more information, visit: www.novotel.com.
HOW TO REGISTER
REGISTER EARLY!
FEE: $30 (postmarked before July 16, 2007)
$35 (after July 16, IF SPACE ALLOWS)
Ontarians and Dutch Ancestry
Ontarians are very aware of the post-WWII wave of some 185,000 Dutch immigrants to Canada, but less so of the approximately 200,000 who came to the western provinces from the 1890s to WWI, and of the 15,000 who settled mostly in southern Ontario in the 1920s and 30s. Many Canadians now have a link to these families.
But Ontario has had a Dutch presence for much longer. Many of us with roots in early Upper Canada can trace ancestry south of the border to New Netherlands in the 1600s.
Still others may be descended from Dutch travellers, traders, or colonizers in Africa, South America, Indonesia, and many other parts of the world.
Read more about Dutch migration and settlement.
Here are some web sites to help with your Dutch research:
Central Bureau for Genealogy (Dutch and English)
http://www.cbg.nl/
National Archives (Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish)
http://www.en.nationaalarchief.nl/
Genlias (Dutch and English)
http://www.genlias.nl/en/page0.jsp
DutchGenealogy.com (English)
http://www.dutchgenealogy.com/index.html
The Holland Ring (Dutch and English)
http://www.thehollandring.com/
History of the Netherlands (Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish)
http://www.minbuza.nl/history/en/home
Batavia Werf - Information about the United East Indies Company (The VOC) (Dutch and English)
http://www.bataviawerf.nl/en/voc_route.html
The New Netherland Project (English)
http://www.nnp.org/ |
