Explantions of Old Dutch Expressions
Yesterday I asked the professionals of the Groningen Archives what the Frisian description "married in a "hok" while the mother holds a baby on her arm" meant? Probably, they replied to me, it must mean that this Heeringa couple were marrying in "the baptizing side-piece of the church, the so-called "doophok" (=the baptizing part)"; maybe because that baby could be baptized at the same time! Seems reasonable to me. The Frisian marriage description "not having a factory": the professionals guess that "the appearer must be an employed person, without their own shop, farm, ship or factory for their income". To say "a laborer". Seems also reasonable. About the old Dutch length measures an "El", "Strepen" or "Duimen": next time I'll ask the Groningen professionals what it really means. An "El" means the length of a normal "under-arm", a "streep" (I guess) about "1,5 centimeter of just 0,5 cm", but I'm not sure about it. (And my underarm is also different to from one of yours!). Later more about this matter. I tried to find more about "a possible public auction about 1809 in Meedhuizen of the properties of Stijntje Cornelis (of her deceased parents?), the last female survivor (I guess) of the Cornelis Jans Family of Meedhuizen. Alas, I couldn't find one! The professionals explained to me that if her/their properties and/or farm was sold by the Meedhuizen church, that church maybe was the owner of it, while Stijntje was (probably) the last female survivor of this family. Maybe even the last one of the Cornelis Jans family donated their/her properties to the church, on which the church deacons sold this property by public auction? (But why not donate then to her Pelmulder cousins?) There were no Dutch laws, ordering the church to make a notarial certifcate of an auction; maybe this auction is listed or published in the local newspaper of those days? I'll take a look, just as the auction of the Pelmulder mill in 1819, I have to search too. Return Home Graphics by Lynn Waterman, ©2004 |