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Klaas Abma. Eigen foto.

Lecture Genealogical Working Group: “De Voorlanden” by Klaas Abma

On Saturday 25 October 2025, everyone is welcome to attend the meeting of the Genealogical Working Group of the Fryske Akademy. This time, our guest is Klaas Abma, who researched his ancestors in the south-western corner of Fryslân.

Klaas Abma's research into his ancestors revealed that most of them were farmers and that most of their activities took place in the south-western corner of Fryslân. The question was where those farms were located and what remains of them today. Klaas was also curious to find out more: how big were those farms, how many cows did they have, what did the farms look like, etc. “De Voorlanden” is the report of that search.

It is a combination of data from old maps, cadastral registers and other information found at the Land Registry, notarial deeds, tax registers, other archival documents and material preserved in the family. Some farms still exist, others have burned to the ground, in other places there is now a house, and sometimes there is nothing left at all. But in any case, Klaas has succeeded in finding the exact location from 1680 onwards. Perhaps it will also be possible to go further back in time, but that is something for the future.

About Klaas Abma

Klaas Abma (1960) works for the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân as a strategic advisor and at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam as a lecturer in Public Administration. Before joining the municipality, he worked for 24 years at the Land Registry, first as a surveyor/draughtsman and later as a manager.

Since 2017, he has been researching his family history as an amateur genealogist. Over the past two years, he has been researching the places where his ancestors lived. He has now succeeded in tracing his family back to around 1680. The book “De Voorlanden” is about this search.

About the Genealogysk wurkferbân


The Genealogysk Wurkferbân (Genealogical Working Group, since 1946) delves into the paper past of Fryslân. Genealogists are engaged in researching family lines. They focus on the connections between these lines and the circumstances in which they lived. They do this to deepen their own understanding, but also to help others, such as historians, with the results of their research.

Information


Date: Saturday 25 October
Time: 1:30 pm
Location: Tresoar, Boterhoek, Leeuwarden
Admission: free
More information: Invitation (pdf)