GuidedResearch:Why Can't I Find the Record - Netherlands Births

This page will give you additional guidance and resources to find birth information for your ancestor. Use this page after first completing the birth section of the Netherlands Guided Research page.

Additional Nationwide Databases and Online Resources

 * 1787-1917:  Netherlands, Birth Index, 1787-1917 (in Dutch)  at Ancestry ($)
 * 1811-1900s: Netherlands Vital and Church Records ''' at WieWasWie - contains earlier dates but incomplete

Additional Province Databases and Online Resources
To search these additional databases you need to know the province your ancestor came from. Note: New rights-to-privacy laws may require you to agree to user conditions before you can access records.

Additional Records with Birth Information
Substitute records may contain information about more than one event and are used when records for an event are not available. Records that are used to substitute for birth events may not have been created at the time of the birth. The accuracy of the record is contingent upon when the information was recorded. Search for information in multiple substitute records to confirm the accuracy of these records.

Tips for finding births
Success with finding birth records in online databases depends on a few key points:
 * Your ancestor's name may misspelled. Try the following search tactics:
 * Try different spelling variations of the first and last name of your ancestor.
 * Leave out surname prefixes such as "de", "van", "van der" etc.
 * Try a given name search (leave out the last names)
 * Use wild cards, if possible, to represent phonetic variants, especially for surname endings. Example: "-bach" could also be spelled "bag" or "bagh".
 * Consider phonetic equivalents that may be used interchangeably, such as "F" and "V"; "C", "K", and "G"


 * Expand the date range of the search.
 * Try searching with the province name only instead of by the town.
 * If your ancestor's name is common, try adding more information to narrow the search.

Known Record Gaps
Records Start Records Destroyed
 * Civil registration of birth in the Netherlands began on 1 March 1811. Some civil birth records exist from 1795 on.
 * Church records started around 1550, but most begin after 1700. Actual record availability varies by locality.
 * Floods and wars were the leading cause of destruction for church records. Civil registration records are generally complete, with few exceptions.