The joys (and frustrations) of online newspapers

It is wonderful that more and more historical newspapers and magazines are coming online, but it also presents some frustrations. My maiden name is Gast, meaning guest in dutch. Try looking for that in the newspapers! Add to that the dutch custom of only using initials in news reports (and sometimes not even that, they only say Mr. or Miss), and you can imagine that determining who is who is not always easy.

Recently I found a magazine article that mentioned the organization of a Dutch Ambulance Corps to assist with the founding of a hospital for the wounded in Russia. The magazine is dated February 1917, and the closest I can come to determine the date of the trip, would be Summer 1916, but it could be a year or two earlier. It describes the difficulties with the trip itself and the conditions they find in Petrograd, and it is fascinating to read. (Reference: Op de Hoogte 14, #2,  (Feb 1917), pg. 46-55)

The reason for this help was the presence of a large Dutch contingent in Petrograd. For generations Dutch merchants (especially Vriezenveen, a small community in Overijssel) had been in Russia, and especially in Petrograd. There was a Dutch Reformed Church there, and so it was logical to extend help when needed.

But from my point of view the most interesting part was the mention of a Sister ten Bruggenkate, who was part of the nursing staff. Without a initial or a place, it will be difficult to place her in my genealogy. She must have been unmarried, and probably in her twenties or thirties. If I go through my database, I come up with five possible unmarried ladies, one of which is later a public health nurse. Two others are later teachers, one is a pharmacist’s assistant, and for the last one I do not have a profession.

Going through these five, I come upon a note, stating that Engelina (Dutch link) moved to Amsterdam on 5 Feb 1917, and that she came from Petrograd as a nurse. The source here is the population registers of Amsterdam. Problem solved. And here is her picture from the article.

Moral of the story: look through all your notes, and you will most likely find the answer, even if the paper or the article does not provide first names or initials.