Netherlands, Burial Index, 1540-1967

About the Netherlands, Burial Index, 1540-1967

General collection information

This collection is an index of burial records from the Netherlands dated from 1540 to 1967. The records in the index refer to many cemeteries, some of which may no longer exist. In addition to names and dates, the index includes the archive's name where the original record can be found. Each record also contains a link to the original source website, which may offer more information. In some cases, images of the original record may be available.

All data in this third-party database was obtained from WieWasWie. Ancestry does not support or make corrections or changes to the original data. To learn more about these records, please refer to WieWasWie's website.

Using this collection

Records in this collection may include the following information:

The information in this index can be used to verify when and where your ancestor was buried in the Netherlands. Burial records are some of the best resources you can use in tracing your family roots, as they also may include birth and marriage dates. Some records may include the date of death, but the date of burial will be referenced in most records, not the exact death date. However, the date of burial is often close to the death date as Dutch law requires burial within six days of death.

Collection in context

The index is a secondary historical source created by staff at WieWasWie. The original burial records are primary historical sources that were created by public and church cemetery officials in communities throughout the Netherlands. Burial records held at various archives throughout the Netherlands

Civil registration of deaths started in 1811 when the Netherlands was under the control of Napoleon's French empire. Burial records dated before 1811 may be the only documentation of your ancestor's death.

The Netherlands is a small country, and land shortages require the removal of graves after 20 to 30 years of burial. Gravestones are also destroyed, and indexes like this one offer the only opportunity to discover the details of your ancestor's burial.

Bibliography

Slevin, Heather. "8 weird things about dying in the Netherlands." Dutch Review. Accessed September 1, 2023. https://dutchreview.com/culture/weird-things-dying-netherlands/.

WieWasWie.nl. "Home." Accessed September 1, 2023. https://www.wiewaswie.nl/.