Emigrant

An emigrant is someone who leaves his country of birth and settles abroad.

The source Emigrant in the database Zeeland Ancestors (Zeeuwen Gezocht) contains the names of emigrants to North and South America and South Africa in the period 1826-1950. These names are from:

• Lists of emigrants, period 1839-1900, from the archives of the Provincial Government of Zeeland.
• Population registers of municipalities in:
  • Tholen. Destinations: North and South America, South Africa and the Dutch East Indies, period 1826-1939.
  • West Zeeland Flanders, with the exception of Sluis, Heille and Sint Anna ter Muiden. Destination: America, period 1840-1950.
  • Central Zeeland Flanders. Destination: United States, period 1900-1920.
  • Walcheren. Destination: United States, period 1900-1920.
  • Schouwen-Duiveland and North and South Beveland. Destinations: North and South America and South Africa, period 1901-1920.

Editorship

Various people and project groups have been active over the course of time gathering names of emigrants from the population registers. The one did this from a genealogical or local interest, for the other it formed the building blocks for a scientific publication. Whatever the background, the names ended up in Zeeland Ancestors.

Because the entered data can differ per editing operation, a summary of these operations follows. Insofar as the original publication can also be found in the reading room of the Zeeland Archives, the required locations are stated.

Zeeland, 1901-1920

For the period 1901-1920, the names of the emigrants from Zeeland were taken from the population registers. These lists are available in the reading room of the Zeeland Archives, Genealogical Afschrift (Genealogische Afschriften) number 811.

Zeeland, 1900-1950

Also included in Zeeland Ancestors are the names of emigrants from Tholen, West and Central Zeeland Flanders, Schouwen-Duiveland, North and South Beveland and Walcheren. These data sometimes also relate to the period 1900-1950.

Tholen, 1826-1939

In Zeeland Ancestors the names of 1,184 emigrants from Tholen from the years 1826-1939 are included. This concerns data from the population registers of the former municipalities on Tholen. The emigrants moved to North and South America, South Africa and the Dutch East Indies. The data has been made available by the municipal archivist of Tholen and contains details of place and date of birth, marital status, denomination, occupation, date of departure and destination.

West-Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, 1840-1950

Also included in Zeeland Ancestors are names of emigrants from West Zeeland Flanders from the period 1840-1950. The data comes from the population registers of 15 of the total of 18 former municipalities in West Zeeland Flanders. These registers are held by the archive institutions of the current municipalities of Sluis and Terneuzen. Data on emigrants from Sluis, Heille and Sint Anna ter Muiden are missing, the population registers were lost there in 1944. Per person is included: place and date of birth, occupation, church community, marital status, date of departure and destination.

The above information about emigrants from West-Zeeland Flanders was collected and made available by Mr. A. Vergouwe (deceased in 2004). His work was published in 1993 by the then Workgroup Emigration of the Zeeland Department of the Dutch Genealogical Society. An overview of emigrants from West Zeeland Flanders over the period 1840-1970 can be consulted in the reading room of the Zeeland Archives, Genealogical Afschrift (Genealogische Afschriften) number 812.

Taking into account the lost data, Vergouwe estimated that around 15,000 people emigrated from West Zeeland Flanders in the period 1840-1950. In the 19th century, the percentage of emigrants from West Zeeland Flanders was the highest in the Netherlands.

Central-Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, 1900-1920

In Zeeland Ancestors a list is included with names of emigrants who moved from Central-Zeeuws-Vlaanderen to the US in the period 1900-1920. The data is derived from the population registers of the former municipalities of Axel, Hoek, Koewacht, Overslag, Philippine, Sas van Gent, Terneuzen, Westdorpe, Zaamslag and Zuiddorpe. Per emigrant is stated: place and date of birth, marital status, denomination, occupation, date of departure and destination. The data has been collected and made available by Mrs. G.J. Meijerink-Stegeman, as an appendix to her thesis for the Open University in 2001. In this thesis she extensively examines the motives for emigration and the backgrounds of the emigrants.

Schouwen-Duiveland, North en South Beveland, 1901-1920

The database Zeeland Ancestors contains names of emigrants from Schouwen-Duiveland and North and South Beveland who moved to the United States of South Africa in the period 1901-1920. The data comes is derived from the population registers of the former municipalities on Schouwen-Duiveland and North and South Beveland. Per emigrant is stated: place and date of birth, marital status, denomination, occupation, date of departure and destination.

The data was collected and made available in 1997 by a project group of the then Stichting Regionale Geschiedbeoefening Zeeland.

Walcheren, 1900-1920

The names of emigrants who emigrated from Walcheren to the United States of America in the years 1900-1920 are included in Zeeland Ancestors. The data from population registers of former municipalities on Walcheren consist per emigrant of: place and date of birth, marital status, denomination, occupation, date of departure and destination.

The data has been collected and made available by Mrs. J.M. Blaas-Rademaker, as an appendix to her thesis for the Open University in 2001. In this thesis she extensively examines the motives for emigration and the backgrounds of the emigrants.