Births of British subjects in the Netherlands

Paul W

I am researching a SUMMERS family and found (from census records) a "John Summers" was born in Breskens, Zeeland around 1853.

I have searched the relating records at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939D-RXJ9-R?owc=MQYC-CZ9%3A342913201%3Fcc%3D2026206&wc=MQYZ-3WL%3A342913201%2C342933601&cc=2026206 but I could find no Summers / Zomers (or variant) birth registered.

Can anyone advise if (assuming he / his father was one) British subjects would have registered their births with the Dutch authorities at this time?

I am also interested as to how / why someone from England would have been at Breskens at this time. John was in England by the time of the 1871 census (aged 18), with no other family members in the household.

Thank you for any advice, even if general rather than specific.

Paul W

I do not have any subscriptions to commercial websites, but found the John Summers, born 1853 in the Find My Past index and have just found a John Summers born 1818 Holland in the Ancestry index - both of the 1871 census. The residence place for them is Surrey / Middlesex.

Paul W

I think I have now solved my query! The two John Summers individuals appear to have originally been Dutch, after all. One was named Adriaan SOMMA and his son Adriaan Johannis SOMMA.

I was having doubts about my discovery having enough evidence - then discovered another individual had posted the exact same conclusions to an Ancestry Tree. Okay, we both could be wrong, but having come to our conclusions completely independently, I think we are probably correct in our assumptions.

Both appear to have come to England sometime between 1855 and 1871, but - after the 1871 census - Adriaan senior (aka John) completely disappears, whereas I can trace the son's family through till the present time.

Still interested in why they came from Bresken to the Middlesex / Surrey area of England - both appear to have been unskilled workers. Anglicising their names is hardly unusual, though. I encounter this all the time in researching Jewish families who came to England from Europe.

A van Helsdingen

To find when they left Breskens, have a look at the Population Registers (Bevolkingregisters). This was a "live" census that was updated whenever people were born, died or moved. You can find it in the FS Catalog (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/194358?availability=Family%20History%20Library) and it may be indexed at the website of OpenArch and/or the Zeeland archives (Zeeuws Archief)

I found these records, showing that in 1853 an Adrianus Sama from Breskens was imprisoned. https://www.zeeuwsarchief.nl/onderzoek-het-zelf/archief/?mivast=239&miadt=239&mizig=862&miview=tbl&mizk_alle=Sama

Rural Zeeland was historically less developed than the rest of the Netherlands. During the 19th century it had terribly high death rates. It was prone to flooding (1800 died in the infamous 1953 floods: today the population is 380,000). It was also an area of religious unrest, with Catholics, moderate Protestants and conservative Protestants in close proximity to each other. So it is not surprising that some people emigrated.

Paul W

@A van Helsdingen

Thank you for that response. I've only looked at Dutch records occasionally in the past, as none of my blood relatives have any connections. This is a line of an "uncle in law" who died not long ago and I've found looking somewhere "new" to be quite refreshing - even if I've had to keep "Google Translate" open! I particularly like the links from the FamilySearch website to the images at https://www.openarch.nl/.

I was just about to close down for the night (it's 1200 BST as I write) when I saw your comments. I will look further tomorrow - especially in checking out the links. My late uncle never knew the identity of his father, but I would think he would have been almost as interested in his descent through his maternal grandfather's line. I image he thought he came from a long line of Londoners, like that of several of those "in laws" (whose ancestry I am currently researching) who married into my late mother's family!

Adrien Kintziger

@Paul W

Breskens is about 30 min driving from my location.The only way people made a living in the days of your ancestor was the fishing industry and vivid fishing trade with England existed via the North sea/Theems;and in fact the Middlesex Surrey area is also home to the Theems , so the connection with Breskens could be via this path.Today Breskens is well known for its second home owners(mostly Germans and Belgians) and is a very populair destination for tourist seeking the best beaches in the area, like Groede/Cadzand, Nummer Een,and Hoofdplaat.It is very quit and tranquil.Magnificent cycling roads.Fishing industry is dead and gone.

The birthcertificate for Johannis (1852) is here=>https://www.zeeuwsarchief.nl/onderzoek-het-zelf/archief/?mivast=239&miadt=239&mizig=862&miview=tbl&mizk_alle=adriaan%20somma%20breskens

Paul W

@Adrien Kintziger

Thank you very much for your message and the link to the birth certificates.

I hope to continue my research and discover more of the family through census and other sources.

Best wishes - Paul

Adrien Kintziger

@Paul W

Yw , The parents of....are here in their marriage certificate and seem to have Flemish/Belgian/French roots given their names. The father was a painter in the sense of decoration.Do you like to have a translation of the

doc?

=>https://www.archieven.nl/nl/zoeken?mivast=0&miadt=239&miaet=54&micode=25.BRE-H-1845&minr=3880362&miview=ldt&utm_source=OpenArchieven&utm_medium=browser&utm_campaign=OpenData

Paul W

@Adrien Kintziger

If not too much trouble, yes please. Thank you again.

I still need to check of what I believe to be his 1871 census record. However - possibly coincidence - the (assumed) son is found as a decorator in the census.

Adrien Kintziger

@Paul W

No problem, but as the document is very large, i will frame the variables partly without the legal formulae, adding some clarifications for locations etc .

Present time the 30 th of the month April in the year 1845 appeared before us, mayor civil desk at Breskens..Adriaan Somma aged 24 born in Breskens profession 'worker', residing at Breskens, the unmarried and of legal age son of Cornelius Somma Breskens , deceased,and of Jozina Pape, 'Klein landbouwster'(small farmster) residing in Breskens.For one side , and Amelia Du Bois aged 29 born at Ramscapelle (old spelling /today written as Ramskapelle/Belgium under Nieuwpoort.) worker , residing at Breskens and daughter of legal age of Jan Du Bois and Maria Catharina De Clerck for the other side which requested from us etc,....to be married , ...legal mandatory declarations saying the birthcertificates where shown upon request, etc, no objections etc,..i read it,but it contains nothing anymore to serve your case.

Amelia signs as 'Dubois', as where the scribe notes Du Bois for her father,both spellings are common here, so in your case , i would suggest to use them both.So the brides parents were West-Flemish.Hope this helps.

Adrie

Paul W

@Adrien Kintziger

Thank you so much for spending your time on this, Adrie.

I will update you on any progress I make with records for the family once in England.

Paul

Adrien Kintziger

Thanks , keep up the good work.

Paul W

@A van Helsdingen

@Adrien Kintziger

I thought I would provide an update on this, in view of the time you both spent in providing helpful information.

I took out a short-term subscription to Ancestry and this provided the confirmations I had been seeking. I also found that not only did John Summers junior and senior (both formerly named Adriaan Somma) come to England, but their children Mary Ann (formerly Maria) and Sarah (formerly Josina) settled here, too.

On this occasion, Ancestry Trees did prove to be a useful and reliable source. There were several on this family, one or two of which provided excellent back-up, with links to documentation - census, vitals, etc. - so there was little need for speculation ("Is this really the right family?", etc.).

Although I am not a particularly emotional person, I did find it sad that one of the daughters ended her days in the workhouse. A taste of "The Grapes of Wrath"? A family travels many miles in a hope of improving their material situation, and end-up no better off (perhaps) than had they stayed at home. (Also, reminders of Bob Dylan's "I Pity the Poor Immigrant" - "...who wishes he would have stayed home"!)

I spent most of yesterday "plagiarising" details from the Ancestry trees and copying them into Family Tree! I've still got a bit of work to do in confirming the finer detail, though.

So, many thanks again for your pointers / advice, which I I feel I have put to good use.

Best wishes - Paul