OliveTreeGenealogy.com logo for Olive Tree Genealogy and its free free genealogical resources Your link to the past since February 1996! Search for your ancestors in free Ships' Passenger lists, Naturalization Records, Palatine Genealogy, Canadian Genealogy, American Genealogy, Native American Genealogy, Huguenots, Mennonites, Almshouse Records, Orphan Records, church records, military muster rolls, census records, land records and more. Olive Tree Genealogy Free Genealogy Database marks FREE genealogy records.
Olive Tree Genealogy Blog 1 of Top 25 BlogsOlive Tree Genealogy Blog Don't miss the daily Tips, Announcements & Ideas
Ask Olive Tree! Your genealogy questions answered by Lorine
Olive Tree Genealogy Newsletter Weekly updates of new data

FIRST NAME


LAST NAME


LOCALITY


Find ancestors with a Free Trial to Ancestry.com or Footnote.comicon
  New on Footnote.com! Native American Collection


Footnote.com

First Name

Last Name


Home | Immigration (Ships Passenger Lists, Naturalization, etc) | Palatine Genealogy | New Netherland | Loyalists | Native American | Military | USA Genealogy | Canadian Genealogy | Site Map

What's New | Genealogy Guide for Beginners | Photo Albums | Almshouse | Orphan Records | Huguenots | Mennonites | Quakers | UK Ireland | Family Trees | Genealogy Tips & News | Marketplace
 
Genealogy Tips
Leaf Start your family tree! FREE on Ancestry.com. Share with others or keep it private just for family
Genealogy Ideas
DNA Genealogy
Don't wait to fast track your genealogy with a DNA test. Contact others sharing your ancestry, learn where your ancestors originated.
Genealogy Spotlight
Canadian Passenger Lists 1865-1935 on Ancestry.com
Don't miss UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960 These include ships outbound from Canadian ports of departure! Start your journey with a Free Trial to Ancestry.com

* Search for ancestors in Newspapers 1690-1980 , Historical Books 1801 - 1900, Historical Documents 1789 - 1980, America's Obituaries 1977 to current, and Social Security Death Index 1937 to current
Get Started in Genealogy
Recommended FREE ways to jump start your genealogy
  1. Start your family tree! FREE on Ancestry.com Make it public to share with others or keep it private just for family
  2. Contact other descendants in Ancestry Surname Community Genealogy Forum
  3. Sign up for Ancestry's Weekly JournalGet free family history tips, news and updates
  4. Join Rootsweb Surname mailing lists to find ancestors
  5. Join Olive Tree Genealogy newsletter for updates and announcements of new genealogy added online
  6. Join Olive Tree Genealogy on Facebook! An interactive site where visitors can ask questions, join in discussions or start a topic of interest. Get daily feeds of Blog Posts, articles and discussions. Videos, photos, etc are allowed.
  7. Try the Complimentary Trial on Ancestry.com or Footnote.com Free Trialicon Free trials are a great way to save money on pay-to-view subscriptions.

New Netherland, New York Genealogy

Ships Passenger Lists to New York
500 voyages to and from New Netherland (New York)
Cemetery Records (Cemetery, Obits)
Census Records
Church Records (B, D, M)
City Directories
Land & Mortgage Records
Military Records
Wills & Probate Records
New Netherland History
Ancestor Signatory hand marks
Translation of words in Church records
Understanding Patronymics
Dutch Names & Nicknames
Glossary of Dutch Words
Ancient Dutch Occupations
Dutch Ancestors
17th Century Ancestor Registry
Dutch & English translations for Occupations
Life in 17th Century Amsterdam
Online Books
Research in the Netherlands
Miscellaneous Genealogy
[ Mailing Lists] [Societies & Journals] [Dictionary & Definitions] [Olive Tree Library] [Help] [Links]

Obsolete Occupations of the Netherlands

© Cor Snabel

Gravedigger (doodgraver)

The 17th century gravedigger did not only bury people, he also sold graves. If people had money and did not immediately need a grave, they contacted the church warden and told him they were interested in buying a grave and waited until a suitable grave within the church was available. But if a relative died and he or she had to be buried within a few days, you ended up at the gravedigger. Normally he owned a few graves and took advantage of the grieved family by charging them extravagant amounts of money. Even Rembrandt was the victim of the gravedigger of the Oude Kerk. When Saskia died he bought grave 29 for her within the church in the Weitkopers chapel behind the pulpit. Not being a sharp merchant, he was an easy victim for gravedigger Zeger Fransz. Claeu. Saskia was buried on 19 June 1642 and Rembrandt did not even have any money left to have her name engraved in the stone or to let the bells ring.

This gravedigger was no exception; all his colleagues had this profitable additional income. Graves were bought and sold all the time and if the tombstone was decorated with a copper goblet or a coat of arms, the gravedigger removed those items before he sold the grave to somebody else. According to the church regulations the owner was allowed to do this as long as he did not ruin the tombstone. This is why we hardly find any copper nameplates or metal ornaments on the still existing tombstones, only the ones that were attached too tight. One of the church wardens of the Old Church wrote down all the malpractice of the gravediggers at the end of the 17th century, but it still lasted years before the regulations were changed and the wardens had any control over the embezzlements of the gravediggers.

>Choose from the following ancient occupations

Baker | Beachcomber | Beguine | Candlemaker | Dumpman | Executioner | Fanmaker | Fireman | Gravedigger | Innkeeper | Laundrywoman | Nightwatch | Peddlar | Porter | Seat Caretaker | Ship Shanghai | Soapmaker | Streetpaver | Tolltaker | Pharmacist

Join Olive Tree Genealogy on Facebook! Ask questions, join in discussions or start a topic of interest.

Use the Tutorial on Reading Entries in Early Dutch Church Records

Download free examples of early 16th and 17th Century handwriting

Follow my genealogy updates on Twitter
Your Name in History
Find out if your Surname is part of the Our Name in History Collection! Just type your surname into the search box
 


Google Custom Search
Search Olive Tree Genealogy Family of Websites

Olive Tree Genealogy Picks this genealogy database Passenger Lists to New Netherland (New York) 1624 - 1664 Olive Tree Genealogy free Project
CDs on SaleGenealogy CDs and Books ON SALE including Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s


 
 

Don't leave without searching for your ancestors on Olive Tree Genealogy! Free Ships' Passenger lists, orphan records, almshouse records, JJ Cooke Shipping Lists, Irish Famine immigrants, family surnames, church records, military muster rolls, census records, land records and more are free to help you find your brick-wall ancestor. Build your family tree quickly with Olive Tree Genealogy free records

URL: http://olivetreegenealogy.com/           All rights reserved          Copyright © 1996-present
These pages may be freely linked to but not duplicated in any fashion without my written consent.

Home Philosophy Helping FAQ Link to Olive Tree Make Olive Tree Your Homepage Library Friends Search Published Works About Lorine Awards, Interviews LookUps


Contact Lorine at Contact Lorine of Olive Tree Genealogy    

The Genealogy Register