MANUAL SEARCH
SEARCH THE REGISTRATION AND GENEOLOGICAL REGISTERS
By Wil SchackmannThe bad news is that there is no single register that contains all categories of colony inhabitants, there are only registers per category. So if you don't know on behalf of what circumstances the person you are looking for came to the colonies, you will have to go through all the possibilities below. Some categories can be excluded and to make it easier for you, I have listed them on this help page.
The good news is that the geneological registers of almost all residents categories have been scanned and can be browsed through the internet. Click on one of the categories below and you will get to the part of this page that explains how to proceed.
Upon arrival in the colony someone could belong to the:
- free settlers families
- classified
- staff members
- working-class families
- beggars
- orphans in Veenhuizen
- veterans
There was social mobility within the colonies, so at a certain point, someone could start to belong to a different category of residents, for example, a workers family became a free settler. So then you have to look further there. Moreover, during their stay, some of the colony inhabitants could become part of the:
ONote-1: All links on this page will open in a new window, so to return here you will have to close that window
Note-2: Unless otherwise stated, all mentioned inventory numbers (inventory nr) belong to the Drents Archives access 0186 (archive of the Society of Benevolence). If you want to look up something yourself this link will take you to the inventory of that archive).
ONote-3: I would like to learn user experiences about this page, find my email address here.
Note-4: Make sure that the person you are looking for is mentioned in the incoming mail of the Society of Benevolence from 1818 till 1847. Enter the name at 'Home' and you will be taken to the extensive search screen. Click away at the top of the other sources so that only 'Letters' remains and then you can continue your search.
Note-5: If you are done with your research here and want to continue your search at the Drents Archives in documents that have not yet been digitised (disability registers, dismissal requests, etc.), you can use this search guide.
FREE SETTLER FAMILIES
Free settler families inhabited small farms with pieces of land in one of the three free colonies, Frederiksoord (colony 1), Wilhelminaoord (colony 2) or Willemsoord (colony 3). Free settlers were either placed in the colony 'out of contribution' (a town had collected 1700 guilders and was allowed to send a family) or 'on contract' (an authority or person entered into a contract with the Society of Benevolence and was allowed to send a family against payment of an annual sum). If they were placed on contract - this is always mentioned in the geneological registers - they can also be found from 1829 to 1859 in inventory nrs 1389-1390-1391, see below under the heading ‘Free colonists 1829-1859 placed on contract’
FREE SETTLERS IN THE SETTLERS DATABASE
Most data of free settlers from the geneological registers are included in the settlers database. Type the name on the search screen under 'Home' and you will be taken to the extensive search screen. You can then continue your search in the ‘settlers database' mentioned above.
FREE SETTLER GENEALOGICAL REGISTERS 1818-1859
First, find the name of the person in the alphabetical registers, make a note of the colony and the farmhouse number and then find them in the geneological registers of the free colonies which are - usually - arranged in order of farmhouse numbers. The last column of the geneological registers always shows whether a family has moved and where to.
| Alphabetical registers on the geneological registers | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1820-1835 | 1364 | |
| 1835-1860 | 1365 | |
| 1850-1855 | 1366 | Period 1855-1859 ontbreekt |
| Stamboeken vrije koloniën 1818-1859 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| ±1826-1828 | 1346 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1828-1830 | 1347 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1830-1835 | 1348 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1835-1841 | 1349 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1841-1848 | 1350 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1848-1859 | 1351 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| ±1826-1828 | 1352 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1828-1829 | 1353 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1830-1835 | 1354 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1836-1840 | 1355 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1841-1848 | 1356 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1848-1859 | 1357 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| ±1821-±1823 | 1407 | Willemsoord helaas nog niet gedigitaliseerd |
| ±1826-1828 | 1358 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1828-1830 | 1359 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1830-1834 | 1360 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1835-1840 | 1361 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1841-1847 | 1362 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1848-1859 | 1363 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
Free settlers 1829-1859 on contract
First, find the name of the family in the alphabetical folder inventory nr 1390 and write down the so-called B-number. The 'B' stands for 'special contract'. In the geneological register inventory nr 1389, they are listed in order of B-number. The data in inventory nr 1391 are in the same order but they are not fully complete.
| Invnr | Remarks |
| 1389 | Stamboek van op contract geplaatste kolonisten en ingedeelden |
| 1390 | alfabetische klapper op invnr 1389 |
| 1391 | stam- en designatielijsten van op contract geplaatsten |
Free settlers from 1859 to circa 1929
Unfortunately, there are no alphabetical entries in the geneological registers during this period. So the only way to find a free settler family is to browse a lot in the geneological registers of that period. Once you have found them, the last column contains remarks about movements to and from other farmhouses, so they can be followed from then on.
| Geneological registers free colonies 1859 till about 1829 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1859 - 1862 | 2999 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1862 - 1869 | 3000 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1866 - 1872 | 3001 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1872 - 1880 | 3002 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1880 - 1884 | 3003 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1877 - 1890 | 3004 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1890 - c. 1929 | 3005 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1859 - 1862 | 3006 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1862 - 1869 | 3007 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1866 - 1873 | 3008 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1872 - 1880 | 3009 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1880 - 1884 | 3010 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1877 - 1890 | 3011 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1890 - c. 1928 | 3012 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1859 - 1862 | 3013 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1860 - 1863 | 3014 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1862 - 1869 | 3015 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1866 - 1872 | 3016 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1872 - 1882 | 3017 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1877 - 1890 | 3018 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 890 - c. 1931 | 3019 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
Free settlers: where they lived
If you want to know where a free settler family lived and if the original house is still there, go to http://www.drentsarchief.nl/onderzoeken/koloniehuizen. Choose 'Persons' instead of 'Buildings' at the top and fill in the name of the settler. By clicking on a location, you will get more information about that place. If the house is alongside a road, you can use the doll to view the place on Google Earth.
Separate information about free settlers
On the site that accompanies my book 'De proefkolonie', there is information about the first 52 settlers. Elsewhere on that site, there is a bit information about their first successors. On my home page, there's an unstructured and rather messy list of settlers. Furthermore, there are a lot of genealogies made by descendants of settlers on the internet, but that's too much to mention.
Classified people
Classified people lived with a free settler family in one of the three free colonies, Frederiksoord (colony 1), Wilhelminaoord (colony 2) or Willemsoord (colony 3). They were also called 'outsourced' because they were always 'outsourced' by an authority or person. Such an authority or person then entered into a contract with the Society of Benevolence stating that the latter would take care of the classified person in the colony for an annual amount.
Classified people in the settlers database
Most of the data of classified people in the genealogical registers are included in the settlers database. Type the name on the search screen under 'Home' and you will be taken to the extensive search screen. You can then continue your search in the source 'Settler database' mentioned above.
Classified people in genealogical registers 1818 to 1859
Classified people are NOT listed in the alphabetical charts of the genealogical registers of the free colonies. That's why the search can best start in the genealogical register of the persons placed on contract in the colony from 1829 till 1859. First, find the name of the person in the alphabetical index inventory no. 1390 and write down the so-called B-number. The 'B' stands for 'Special contract'. In the genealogical register inventory nr 1389, they are listed in order of B-number. The data in inventory nr 1391 are in the same order but are not fully complete.
| Invnr | Remarks |
| 1389 | Stamboek van op contract geplaatste kolonisten en ingedeelden |
| 1390 | alfabetische klapper op invnr 1389 |
| 1391 | stam- en designatielijsten van op contract geplaatsten |
If, for example, after the name of the classified person 2/13 is mentioned, he is housed in farm number 13 of colony 2. He can then be looked up in the genealogical registers of free colonies 1818-1859. In the last column, there are always remarks about transfers to other farms, so he can be followed from one entry.
| Genealogical registers free colonies 1818-1859 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| ±1826-1828 | 1346 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1828-1830 | 1347 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1830-1835 | 1348 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1835-1841 | 1349 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1841-1848 | 1350 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1848-1859 | 1351 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| ±1826-1828 | 1352 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1828-1829 | 1353 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1830-1835 | 1354 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1836-1840 | 1355 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1841-1848 | 1356 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1848-1859 | 1357 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| ±1821-±1823 | 1407 | Willemsoord helaas nog niet gedigitaliseerd |
| ±1826-1828 | 1358 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1828-1830 | 1359 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1830-1834 | 1360 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1835-1840 | 1361 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1841-1847 | 1362 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1848-1859 | 1363 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
Classified people from 1859 to approximately 1929
Unfortunately, there are no alphabetical indexes on the genealogical registers during this period. So the only way to find a classified person is to browse a lot in the genealogical registers of that period. Once you have found him, the last column contains remarks about movements to and from other farms, so that he can be followed from then on.
| Genealogical registers free colonies 1859 until circa 1829 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1859 - 1862 | 2999 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1862 - 1869 | 3000 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1866 - 1872 | 3001 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1872 - 1880 | 3002 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1880 - 1884 | 3003 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1877 - 1890 | 3004 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1890 - c. 1929 | 3005 | Frederiksoord (kolonie 1) |
| 1859 - 1862 | 3006 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1862 - 1869 | 3007 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1866 - 1873 | 3008 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1872 - 1880 | 3009 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1880 - 1884 | 3010 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1877 - 1890 | 3011 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1890 - c. 1928 | 3012 | Wilhelminaoord (kolonie 2) |
| 1859 - 1862 | 3013 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1860 - 1863 | 3014 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1862 - 1869 | 3015 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1866 - 1872 | 3016 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1872 - 1882 | 3017 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 1877 - 1890 | 3018 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
| 890 - c. 1931 | 3019 | Willemsoord (kolonie 3) |
Classified people: where they lived
If you want to know where a classified person lived and whether the original house is still there, go to http://www.drentsarchief.nl/onderzoeken/koloniehuizen. At the top, choose 'Persons' instead of 'Buildings' and fill in the name of the classified person. Clicking on a location will give you more information about that place. If the house is alongside a road, you can view the place with the doll.
Classified people placed on 'the second half of the contract with the government of 16/19 June 1826'
From 1829 onwards, there were also individuals appointed by the Ministry of the Interior. Officially they were placed on the 'second half of the contract with the government of 16/19 June 1826'. They were often referred to as 'needy single persons'. In the administration, they had a bis-number, 22bis, 23bis, and so on.
The books and registers about them have not yet been digitized and can therefore only be consulted at the Drents Archives.
| Classified on the second half of the contract 1826 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1829-1859 | 1395 | Designatie- of plaatsingsregister |
| 1829-1859 | 1397 | Persoonsgegevens |
| 1835-1859 | 1399 | Bevolkingsregister |
| 1832-1848 | 1398 | Mate van invaliditeit |
Staff members
Staff members of the Society of Benevolence were called 'civil servants' or 'employees'. But unfortunately the inventory nrs in which they are mentioned, 997 and 998, have not yet been digitized. The only possibility is to search in the settlers database, because Mrs Kloosterhuis, who collected those data, did record those two inventory nrs completely. Type the name of a staff member in the search screen under 'Home' and you will be taken to the extensive search screen. You can then continue your search in the settlers database.
Some information about staff members who have worked on the Ommerschans can be found on the website about my book ‘De bedelaarskolonie’ (The beggar's colony) and several of them can also be found on the site www.bonmama.nl: either the civil servants in 1840 or the civil servants in 1850 or via the general search screen.
Some civil servants in Veenhuizen who continued to work there after the state took over those asylums are listed in some genealogical registers with other inhabitants of Veenhuizen as well:
| Civil servants after 1859 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1860-1869 | 595 | ambtenaren in het tweede gesticht Veenhuizen |
| 1860-1877 | 596 | ambtenaren in het tweede gesticht Veenhuizen |
| 1860-1884 | 654 | ambtenaren in het derde gesticht Veenhuizen |
| 1860-1894 | 655 | ambtenaren in het derde gesticht Veenhuizen |
Working-class families
Working-class families occupied houses on the outside of the asylums in Veenhuizen from the end of 1823 onwards. After a few years, some lived near the Ommerschans (OS), some were located in Wateren. They are sometimes simply referred to as labourers. The Society of Benevolence appointed cities that were allowed to send one or more working-class families. Usually, these were cities that had done their best to recruit contributing members for the Society of Benevolence.
There is no general alphabetical register of the workers, but that doesn't matter because there are not many and in several genealogical registers, there is an alphabetical index of that genealogical register at the beginning or end of the register. The first genealogical registers only list the working-class families in the first (VH1) and third (VH3) asylum in Veenhuizen, after that, all the working-class families are listed:
| Genealogical register of working-class families | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1823-1828 | 1571 | Boek met ook weeskinderen, alleen VH1 |
| 1824-1828 | 1572 | Boek met ook weeskinderen, alleen VH3 |
| 1824-1834 | 1573 | VH1, VH2 en VH3, register achterin |
| 1832-1835 | 1584 | Alleen OS, helaas nog niet gedigitaliseerd |
| 1834-1847 | 1574 | VH1, VH2 en VH3, register voorin |
| 1836-1847 | 1585 | Alleen OS, helaas nog niet gedigitaliseerd |
| 1848-1859 | 1575 | VH1, VH2, VH3 en OS, register voorin |
Working-class families placed on ‘the second half of the contract with the Government of 16/19 June 1826'
From 1829 there were also working-class families designated by the Ministry of the Interior. Officially they were placed on the 'second half of the contract with the government of 16/19 June 1826'. They were often referred to as 'needy families'. In the administration, they had a bis-number, 22bis, 23bis, and so on.
The books and registers about them have not yet been digitized and can therefore only be consulted at the Drents Archives.
| Working-class families on second half contract 1826 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1829-1859 | 1395 | Designatie- of plaatsingsregister |
| 1829-1859 | 1397 | Persoonsgegevens |
| 1835-1859 | 1399 | Bevolkingsregister |
| 1832-1848 | 1398 | Mate van invaliditeit |
The last working-class families
When, in 1859, the State took over the asylums at Ommerschans and Veenhuizen from the ‘Society of Benevolence’, all the working-class families had to disappear. Those who had originally started as free colonist families, but had been relegated to working-class families over time, returned to the free colonies. Some remained in Veenhuizen. The last working-class families there are listed in the following registers:
| Laatste arbeidershuisgezinnen 1860-1877 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1859-1861 | 1369 | helaas nog niet gedigitaliseerd |
| 1860-1869 | 595 | toegang 0137.01. Veenhuizen-2 |
| 1860-1877 | 596 | toegang 0137.01. Veenhuizen-2 |
Beggars
Beggars lived in dormitories in the asylum on the Ommerschans, from 1825 onwards in the second asylum in Veenhuizen, from 1842 also in the third asylum in Veenhuizen and after 1859 also in the first asylum there. Beggars either came to the asylum voluntarily or (until 1843) on the authority of local government or (from 1843) after a verdict.
Beggar’s number
Each beggar is given a beggar's number on entry, also called 'main number' or 'root number'. If he is caught again, he gets another number. To be able to search properly, it is necessary to have those numbers, preferably with an estimate of the period that he had that number. The numbers can be found in one of the indexes on the beggars made at the time. The indexes below are quite a hodgepodge, but that doesn't matter because we are only looking for (a) number(s).
| Alphabetical register beggars 1822-1882 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1822-1825 | 1455 | Pas op! Na de 'z' begint men weer opnieuw |
| 1822(?)-1866 | 443 | toegang 0137.01, namen A-E |
| 1822(?)-1866 | 444 | toegang 0137.01, namen F-K |
| 1822(?)-1866 | 445 | toegang 0137.01, namen L-S |
| 1822(?)-1866 | 446 | toegang 0137.01, namen S-Z |
| tot 1830 | 1456 | |
| tot 1831 | 1457 | |
| tot 1832 | 1458 | |
| tot 1832 | 1459 | Aanvulling op invnr 1458 |
| tot 1833 | 1460 | |
| tot 1834 | 1461 | |
| 1834-1860 | 289 | toegang 0137.01 |
| tot 1838 | 1462 | |
| tot 1843 | 1463 | Pas op! Na de 'z' komt nog een stuk 'v'. |
| tot 1851 | 1464 | |
| 1851-1865 | 601 | toegang 0137.01, tweede gesticht Veenhuizen |
| 1858-1878 | 455 | toegang 0137.01 |
| 1860-1878 | 456 | toegang 0137.01 |
| 1860-1878 | 457 | toegang 0137.01 |
| ± 1860 tot ± 1882 | 294 | toegang 0137.01 |
Beggars genealogical registers
If the beggar's number is known, we can start searching in the genealogical registers of beggars because they are all in order of beggar’s number. There are several series of genealogical registers of beggars. If you have found someone in one of those series, it makes sense to search the other series as well, because the series are all different and sometimes add information.
The most extensive is the first series, the registration registers of Ommerschans (all beggars always went first to Ommerschans and were transferred to Veenhuizen after research, clothing and washes) from the very beginning, 1822, until about 1882.
If someone dies or is fired or deserted, his name is crossed out. If a name is NOT crossed out, the entry goes on in the next genealogical register in which that number appears. So if for example number 2413 in the part marked I is not crossed out, it continues in part L and if it is not crossed out there either in part Q.
The most difficult search is in the sections where numbers are reused because then they are not in order. The order is always from the lowest unused number to the highest unused number, a while later again from the lowest unused number to the highest unused number, and so again and again. That's quite a lot of work to find someone in there.
| Beggars register 1822-1882 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks (HELE SERIE IS TOEGANG 0137.01) |
|
1822 tot ± 1827 1822 tot ± 1827 1822 tot ± 1827 |
422 423 424 |
Deel gemerkt A (nummers 1 tot en met 1200 + hergebruik) Deel gemerkt B (nrs 1265-1436) Delen gemerkt C, D, E (1437-2178 + hergebruik) |
| ± 1827 tot ± 1832 | 425 | Deel gemerkt F (1-1879 + 1951-2475 + hergebruik) |
| ± 1832 tot ± 1836 | 426 | Deel gemerkt G (1-2475 + hergebruik) |
|
± 1836 tot ± 1842 ± 1836 tot ± 1842 |
427 428 |
Deel gemerkt H (1-2040) Deel gemerkt I (2041-4079 + hergebruik) |
|
± 1842 tot ± 1848 ± 1842 tot ± 1848 ± 1842 tot ± 1848 ± 1842 tot ± 1848 ± 1842 tot ± 1848 |
429 430 431 432 433 |
Deel gemerkt K (1-2000) Deel gemerkt L (2001-3774) Deel gemerkt M (4001-6259) Deel gemerkt N (3775-4000 + hergebruik) Deel gemerkt O (hergebruik) |
|
± 1848 tot ± 1856 ± 1848 tot ± 1856 ± 1848 tot ± 1856 ± 1848 tot ± 1856 |
434 435 436 446a |
Deel gemerkt P (nrs 1 -2000) Deel gemerkt Q ( nrs 2001-4000) Deel gemerkt R ( nrs 4001-6259) Transportdeel op de delen P, Q, R (hergebruik) |
|
± 1856 tot ± 1862 ± 1856 tot ± 1862 ± 1856 tot ± 1862 ± 1856 tot ± 1862 |
437 438 439 446b |
Deel gemerkt S (nrs 1-2000) Deel gemerkt T (nrs 2001-4000) Deel gemerkt U (nrs 4001-6259) Transportdeel op de delen S, T, U (hergebruik) |
|
± 1862 tot ± 1866 ± 1862 tot ± 1866 ± 1862 tot ± 1866 |
440 441 442 |
Deel gemerkt V (1-2000 + hergebruik) Deel gemerkt W (2001-4000 + hergebruik) Deel gemerkt X (4001-6259 + hergebruik) |
|
± 1860 tot ± 1882 ± 1860 tot ± 1882 ± 1860 tot ± 1882 |
291 292 293 |
numners 1-2154 nummers 2155-4308 nummers 4309-6259 |
| Serie stamboeken bedelaars 1822-1840 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1822-1825 | 1443 | deze is helaas nog niet gedigitaliseerd |
| 1822-1828 | 1444 | |
| 1825-1828 | 1445 | |
| 1828-1829 | 1446 | |
| 1830 | 1447 | |
| 1831 | 1448 | |
| 1832 | 1449 | |
| 1833 | 1450 | |
| 1834 | 1451 | |
| 1835-1840 | 1452 | nummers 1-1200 |
| 1835-1840 | 1453 | nummers 1201-2575 |
| 1840 | 1454 | nummers 2576-3307 |
| Serie stamboeken bedelaars 1834-1860 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks (HELE SERIE IS TOEGANG 0137.01) |
| 1834-1859 | 286 | nummers 1-1860, met mutaties tot 1869 |
| 1837-1860 | 287 | nummers 1861-3841 en 1-50, met mutaties tot 1869 |
| 1841-1860 | 288 | nummers 3841-6259 en 1841-1860, met mutaties tot 1869 |
| Serie stamboeken bedelaars in tweede gesticht Veenhuizen 1840-1855 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1840-1855 | 1576 | nummers 1601-3222 |
| 1840-1855 | 1577 | nummers 3223-5713 |
| 1840-1855 | 1578 | nummers 5714-6263 |
| Serie stamboeken bedelaars bij het tweede gesticht te Veenhuizen 1851-1865 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks (HELE SERIE IS TOEGANG 0137.01) |
| 1851-1865 | 597 | nummers 1-1605 |
| 1851-1865 | 598 | nummers 1606-3144 |
| 1851-1865 | 599 | nummers 3145-4812 |
| 1851-1865 | 600 | nummers 4813-6259 |
| Serie inschrijfregisters bedelaars en landlopers 1856-1870 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks (HELE SERIE IS TOEGANG 0137.01) |
| 1869-1870 | 489 | nummers 1001-2000, met mutaties tot 1872 |
| 1858-1870 | 490 | nummers 2001-3000, met mutaties tot 1872 |
| 1856-1870 | 491 | nummers 5001-6258, met mutaties tot 1872 |
| Serie inschrijfregisters bedelaars 1858-1878 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks (HELE SERIE IS TOEGANG 0137.01) |
| 1860-1872 | 447 | nummers 1-750, mutaties tot 1875 |
| 1860-1878 | 448 | nummers 751-1500 |
| 1860-1875 | 449 | nummers 1501-2250, mutaties tot 1878 |
| 1860-1877 | 450 | nummers 2251-3999, mutaties tot 1879 |
| 1860, 1862-1878 | 451 | nummers 3001-3750, mutaties tot 1880 |
| 1858-1868 | 452 | nummers 3751-4500, zonder 1860-1864, mutaties tot 1871 |
| 1861-1874 | 453 | nummers 4501-5250, mutaties tot 1877 |
| 1862-1874 | 454 | nummers 5251-6259, mutaties tot 1876 |
Beggars families
From 1826 onwards married beggars who behaved well could live in families on the outside of the asylums in Veenhuizen. One overview of such families has been preserved, which was probably made around 1870, but that overview also contains some families who have been living like that since 1837. Also, they occur between all kinds of other population groups in a genealogical register of VH2. Maybe they are also mentioned elsewhere, but I haven't found that yet.
| Beggars families | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1837-1870 | 290 | |
| 1860-1869 | 595 | bedelaarsgezinnen en wezen in VH2 |
Separate information about beggars
Many beggars can be found at www.bonmama.nl. Click on 'Ommerschans' at the top right and there will be a menu with various possibilities. Or use the general search screen.
Approximately two thousand beggars from the initial period can be found on www.debedelaarskolonie.nl. Many of the beggars sent from Friesland can be found on Anton Musquetier's site (choose 'Beggars' and also look at 'Coincidences'). Some people from northeast Friesland transported to the beggars’ colonies are on the site of Sneuper Dokkum.
BEGGARS AFTER THE COLONY TIME
In 1859 the State took over the asylums in Veenhuizen and the Ommerschans from the Society of Benevolence. In the above I have already crossed that border a few times, although beggars are no longer settlers after 1859 and therefore, strictly speaking, do not belong to all settlers on the site. But I will make a separate page with studbooks from after 1859, because
A) those studbooks are not systematically described anywhere else, and
B) regular customers among the beggars did not care about the year 1859 and also after that date the establishments continued to frequent.
Orphans in Veenhuizen
Orphans in Veenhuizen lived in dormitories in one of the asylums in the unfree colony of Veenhuizen. Most of them came based on a contract between the Society of Benevolence and the government, some of them are based on a contract between an authority or person and the Society of Benevolence.
Orphans in Veenhuizen in the settlers database
The orphans at Veenhuizen are ONLY included in the settlers database if they were also at the Institute for Agricultural Education in Wateren. They are then incorrectly mentioned as 'son of civil servants'. Type the name on the search screen under 'Home' and you'll be taken to the extensive search screen. You can then continue your search in the source 'Settler database' mentioned above.
Orphans in Veenhuizen in the orphans database
As part of the research for my book ‘De kinderkolonie’ (The Children's Colony), Luurt Vrijen took over the data in the genealogical registers of the orphans who were placed on contract with the government in Veenhuizen and these were put into a database by the Drents Archives. Type a name on the search screen under 'Home' and you will be taken to the extensive search screen. You can then continue your search in the source 'Orphan database' mentioned above.
Orphans in Veenhuizen on private contract
The orphans who came to Veenhuizen on 'private contract', further abbreviated as PK, are not in the orphans database. They sometimes are and sometimes are not in the genealogical registers. They are however always in the genealogical register of persons placed on contract in the colony from 1829 till 1859. First, find the name of the person in the alphabetical register entry nr 1390 and write down the so-called B-number. The 'B' stands for 'Special contract'. In the genealogical register entry nr 1389, they are listed in order of B-number. The data in entry nr 1391 are in the same order but are not fully complete.
| Invnr | Remarks |
| 1389 | Stamboek van op contract geplaatste kolonisten en ingedeelden |
| 1390 | alfabetische klapper op invnr 1389 |
| 1391 | stam- en designatielijsten van op contract geplaatsten |
Orphans in Veenhuizen 1823-1869
Every orphan who came to Veenhuizen on contract with the government had an orphan's number. That number can be found by looking up the orphan in the alphabetical registers. In the genealogical registers they are listed in order of number. The children who were placed on private contract had both a PK-number (for 'private contract') and a B-number (see above). They are NOT in the alphabetical registers and must, therefore, be found in the way described above or by browsing through those studbooks where the KP's are listed. In the beginning, there are separate genealogical registers for the first asylum in Veenhuizen (VH1) and the third asylum there (VH3).
| Alphabetical registers orphans 1823-1869 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1826-1829 | 1414 | |
| 1826-1829 | 1415 | Aanvulling op 1414. Let op: na de 'z' komt nog wat. |
| 1829-1831 | 1416 | |
| 1831-1834 | 1417 | |
| 1834-1843 | 1418 | |
| 1843-1854 | 1419 | |
| 1840-1869 | 653 | toegang 0137.01 |
| Stamboeken van weeskinderen 1823-1869 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1824-???? | 1408 | VH1, helaas nog niet gedigitaliseerd |
| 1824-1828 | 1571 | VH1, ook PK, ook arbeidersgezinnen |
| 1824-???? | 1409 | VH3, helaas nog niet gedigitaliseerd |
| 1824-1828 | 1572 | VH3, ook arbeidersgezinnen |
| 1829-1830 | 1410 | alle wezen, achterin de PK's |
| 1831-1834 | 1411 | geen PK's |
| 1835-1859 | 1412 | wezen met nummer 1-1200, geen PK's |
| 1835-1859 | 1413 | wezen met nummer 1201 en hoger, geen PK's |
| 1840-1869 | 652 | toegang 0137.01, PK's achterin vanaf folio 375 |
| 1860-1869 | 595 | toegang 0137.01, vanaf folio 49 wezen in VH2 |
| 1869-1877 | 596 | toegang 0137.01, vanaf folio 24 wezen in VH2 |
| 1860-1884 | 654 | toegang 0137.01,één wees in VH3 |
Veterans
Veterans inhabited houses on the outside of the asylums in Veenhuizen and a few in worker’s houses near the Ommerschans. They sometimes appear in the administration as 'military invalids'. They entered the colony based on a contract between the Society of Benevolence and the Ministry of War. In addition to the following genealogical registers, extensive information about the first 48 families of veterans that arrived can be found in the March issue of the monthly magazine Vriend des Vaderlands (Friend of the Fatherland), see Delpher page 253.
| Veterans’ genealogical registers 1826-1859 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1826-1829 | 1588 | alfabetisch register achterin |
| 1828-1842 | 1543 | alleen OS, helaas nog niet gedigitaliseerd |
| 1830-1839 | 1589 | alfabetisch register achterin |
| 1840-1859 | 1590 | alfabetisch register voorin |
Last Veterans
When, in 1859, the State took over the asylums at Ommerschans and Veenhuizen from the Society of Benevolence, the veterans had to disappear. But a number of them remained and appear in the following genealogical registers as 'military families'.
Tenant farmers
Tenant farmers inhabited a large farm on the grounds near one of the unfree colonies of Veenhuizen and Ommerschans. In the administration, they are also referred to as 'arable farmers', 'farmers' or 'free farmers'. Tenant farmers are the success of the colonies. Usually starting as free colonists, sometimes as working-class families, they rised highest thanks to internal social mobility.
Photos of the genealogical registers of tenant farmers near the Ommerschans and their details can be found at www.bonmama.nl. Less pictures of those at Veenhuizen are available and the details have not yet been included.
| Stamboeken waarin hoevenaars voorkomen 1822-1859 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1822-1827 | 1579 | OS |
| 1823-???? | 1571 | VH1 |
| 1823-1827 | 1367 | VH1, helaas nog niet gedigitaliseerd |
| 1824-1827 | 1368 | VH2 en VH3, helaas nog niet gedigitaliseerd |
| 1827-1831 | 1580 | OS |
| 1828-1841 | 1543 | Drie nieuwe OS, helaas nog niet gedigitaliseerd |
| 1830-1835 | 1581 | VH, helaas nog niet gedigitaliseerd |
| 1832-1835 | 1584 | OS |
| 1836-1847 | 1582 | OS, en VH |
| 1848-1859 | 1583 | OS en VH |
Trainees in Wateren
In Wateren, the Society of Benevolence had set up the Institute for Agricultural Education. About seventy boys lived there in two dormitories and received further training from the age of fourteen. They were either orphans from Veenhuizen or classified boys from the free colonies, with a few of them coming from outside the colonies. After the State had taken over the asylums in Ommerschans and Veenhuizen in 1859, the Society of Benevolence had to reconsider its financial situation and found that the Institute costed too much. As a result, the Institute was closed in 1860 and the buildings and land were sold
Trainees in the settlers database
DThe genealogical registers of trainees with entries 1610 and 1611 are included in the settlers database. Orphans from Veenhuizen and some others are mistakenly referred to as 'children of civil servants'. Type the name in the search screen at 'Home' and you'll enter the extensive search screen. Then you can continue your search in the above-mentioned source 'Settler's Database'.
Genealogical registers of trainees
All these studbooks have not yet been digitized and can therefore only be viewed in the Drents Archives.
| Trainees’ genealogical registers | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1828-1831 | 1610 | met alfabetisch register |
| 1832-1835 | 1584 | achterin het boek |
| 1836-1847 | 1582 | |
| 1841-1859 | 1611 | met alfabetisch register |
| 1849 | 1611 | los vel met kwekelingen per 01-06-1849 |
| 1848-1859 | 1583 | |
| 1860 | 3021 | De laatste kwekelingen |
| 1860 | 2174 | De allerlaatste kwekelingen |
Penal Settlers
Penal settlers were (mainly) people from the free colonies and (sometimes) orphans or working-families from Veenhuizen who were, as a punishment, temporarily housed in a small building on the south wall of the Ommerschans. In the documents they were also referred to as 'wall settlers', abbreviated to WK, or 'ban settlers'. From 1842 there was also a (small) penal colony in Veenhuizen.
Very first penal settlers
VOf the first ones to be exiled to the penal colony in 1820-1822, there are no genealogical registers. But later on deputy director Fenner made some overviews which he added to letters protesting against his dismissal; you can find this at the incoming mail and then scan 333 and beyond. And in the monthly De Star in August 1822 there is an overview of the first exiles who returned from the penal colony, see Delpher and then page 616-618.
Genealogical registers of penal settlers
As part of the research for my book De strafkolonie (The penal colony), all data of penal settlers have been included by Luurt Vrijen. Until now these data are only available on www.bonmama.nl but can soon also be found on this website:
| Genealogical registers of penal settlers 1822-1860 | ||
| Period | Invnr | Remarks |
| 1822-1827 | 1442 | |
| 1828-1832 | 1580 | |
| 1832-1835 | 1584 | |
| 1836-1847 | 1585 | |
| 1848-1860 | 1586 | |