Collectie Stadsarchief Amsterdam: handschriften
Item
Country
NL
Name of institution (English)
Amsterdam City Archives
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
dut
Contact information: postal address
Vijzelstraat 32, 1017 HL Amsterdam
Contact information: phone number
0031 202511511
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
stadarchief@amsterdam.nl
Reference number
5059
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Amsterdam City Archives Collection: manuscripts
Title (official language of the state)
Collectie Stadsarchief Amsterdam: handschriften
Language of title
dut
Creator / accumulator
Stadsarchief Amsterdam
Date(s)
1383/1968
Language(s)
dut
Extent
333 storage units
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Satisfactory
Scope and content
The Collectie Stadsarchief Amsterdam: handschriften holds diverse documents and compilations of manuscripts from different provenances. It includes several types of documents such as collections of poems, journals, letters, inventories, wills, and estate records, among others.
Regarding Jewish-related materials, the fonds comprises materials produced by Abraham de Mordechai Vaz Dias (1876-1939), a Jewish historian of Portuguese origin that dedicated his research to the history of the Sephardic community of Amsterdam. These materials include the following:
242: Aantekeningen van Vaz Dias betreffende ondertrouwen van Portugese joden (Notes by Vaz Dias concerning marriages of Portuguese Jews). Two card boxes.
257-269: Collectie Vaz Dias betreffende joden in Amsterdam (Collection Vaz Dias concerning Jews in Amsterdam). Thirteen archival units.
273: Index Vaz Dias; index op namen van Portugese joden in het Notarieel archief in akten uit de 17e eeuw (Index of names of Portuguese Jews mentioned in 17th-century deeds from the Notarial archive).
Besides the Vaz Dias papers, there is information on Sephardic Jews in Amsterdam dispersed throughout this collection. Some examples are the following:
32: Collectie Bontemantel (Bontemantel collection), Civiele en Judicieele Aantekeningen (Civil and Judicial Notes), 1651-1783: includes the protest submitted by Rebecca Naar's guardians to the Commissarissen van de Huwelijkse Zaken (Commissioners of Marriage Affairs), regarding her marriage. Bontemantel was one of the members of the Commissarissen van de Huwelijkse Zaken. See Hagoort (1998).
75: Decree of the Hoge Raad van Holland en Zeeland (High Council of Holland and Zeeland) in 1699 on the trial between Abraham Gonzales and Lia de los Rios concerning two houses in Amsterdam.
Regarding Jewish-related materials, the fonds comprises materials produced by Abraham de Mordechai Vaz Dias (1876-1939), a Jewish historian of Portuguese origin that dedicated his research to the history of the Sephardic community of Amsterdam. These materials include the following:
242: Aantekeningen van Vaz Dias betreffende ondertrouwen van Portugese joden (Notes by Vaz Dias concerning marriages of Portuguese Jews). Two card boxes.
257-269: Collectie Vaz Dias betreffende joden in Amsterdam (Collection Vaz Dias concerning Jews in Amsterdam). Thirteen archival units.
273: Index Vaz Dias; index op namen van Portugese joden in het Notarieel archief in akten uit de 17e eeuw (Index of names of Portuguese Jews mentioned in 17th-century deeds from the Notarial archive).
Besides the Vaz Dias papers, there is information on Sephardic Jews in Amsterdam dispersed throughout this collection. Some examples are the following:
32: Collectie Bontemantel (Bontemantel collection), Civiele en Judicieele Aantekeningen (Civil and Judicial Notes), 1651-1783: includes the protest submitted by Rebecca Naar's guardians to the Commissarissen van de Huwelijkse Zaken (Commissioners of Marriage Affairs), regarding her marriage. Bontemantel was one of the members of the Commissarissen van de Huwelijkse Zaken. See Hagoort (1998).
75: Decree of the Hoge Raad van Holland en Zeeland (High Council of Holland and Zeeland) in 1699 on the trial between Abraham Gonzales and Lia de los Rios concerning two houses in Amsterdam.
Archival history
The Collectie Stadsarchief Amsterdam: handschriften comprises both materials that were part of the original collection of the Amsterdam City Archives and others that were acquired by purchase or donation over the years.
Administrative / Biographical history
The history of the Amsterdam City Archives dates back to the 19th century. On April 7, 1848, Pieter Scheltema (1812-1885) was appointed archivist of the city of Amsterdam. At the time of his appointment, Scheltema had already been occupied for a number of years with the organisation and description of Amsterdam archives. Under his care were the documents produced until 1795. Over the years, the archives under Scheltema's management grew, particularly with the incorporation of the documentation produced by the Wisselbank (1863) and with the transfer of some Gildearchieven (guild archives). Moreover, Scheltema bought up as many stray documents as possible and went to great lengths to acquire private archives via donation or loan. The management of the municipal archives had meanwhile been extended. Then, the archivist became responsible for managing documentation produced before 1812.
As a result of the increase in its collection, the Amsterdam archive was lacking space. Therefore, collections and items were disposed of throughout the second half of the 19th century. For instance, books that were duplicated or not specifically related to the history of Amsterdam were donated to the City Library and later to the University Library. The last collection that was disposed of was the city's collection of “stedelijke historiepenningen” (urban history tokens) and “noodmunten” (coins) that went to the Stedelijk Museum in 1909.
On March 21, 1888, it was decided to make the former St. Anthoniswaag on the Nieuwmarkt, also known as the Waag, the headquarters of the Oudarchief der gemeente (old archives of the municipality). Then, the documentation produced before 1812 was moved to the Waag. Later records were left in the attics of the Town Hall. The municipal archivist had to divide his attention between these two archives.
Soon, the Waag proved to be too small and to have numerous technical flaws: it was damp and smelled because the walls of the building were used as a public urinal. In 1900, an internal renovation was necessary to accommodate the transferred archives of the hospital and orphanages. When the archives of the Hoofd Provoost of the Aalmoesseniers-Weeshuis were transferred in 1901, the archive repository was full.
On April 28, 1909, the City Council of Amsterdam accepted the proposal to use the former Town Hall of Nieuwer-Amstel on Amsteldijk as an archive building. The construction of a new archive depot and the renovation of the Town Hall were completed in 1912. The transfer of documentation lasted until August 1914. The extra space obtained by the move was already largely filled in 1915 with the incorporation of the notarial archives.
The entry into force of the 1918 Archives Act on September 16, 1919, had far-reaching consequences for the City Archives. Management was entrusted to the municipal archivist, who became the head of a separate municipal service. In effect, in the council meeting of November 5, 1919, the Amsterdam municipal archivist was reappointed, and a new ordinance on the archive was established.
The new building of the Amsterdam City Archives had to contend with a lack of space from the start. On September 26, 1926, the City Council accepted a plan to expand the building. However, when municipal archivist Joh. C. Breen died unexpectedly in early 1927, it was decided to postpone the plan until the appointment of a new archivist. The successor was A. le Cosquino de Bussy, who rejected the plan.
In the course of the 1930s, damages caused by the excessive load of both archives became apparent. Also, the fire protection of the building on Herenmarkt did not meet the minimum requirements. On February 16, 1938, the City Council approved a new plan to expand the archive, this time including the two adjacent schools. Before the construction started, World War II broke out, and the plans were shelved. Extensive documentation was then dispersed in multiple buildings for safekeeping and security reasons.
When a new municipal archivist, W. F. H. Oldewelt, took office in 1950, the city archives were spread over four locations: the documents up to 1827 were in the old archive at Amsteldijk 67; documents from 1827 to 1928 were in a new archive divided between a building in Herenmarkt 10-12 and the Centrale Markthallen (Central Market); and 1928-1946 items were located in the Bank van Lening in Oudezijds Voorburgwal 300.
Oldewelt called in the provincial inspector in North Holland who, after a visit to these locations in December 1950, wrote a report warning about the poor condition of the Amsterdam archives. An ad hoc committee advised the implementation of short-term measures to prevent the loss of documentation and a definitive solution for housing the archive in the longer term. In the final report of June 3, 1953 (adopted by the City Council on 8 July), the committee advocated for the construction of a new archive on the Amsteldijk. In spite of the City Council's approbation of the plan for a new building on the Amsteldijk in 1955, other priorities emerged, and the plan was postponed. Finally, the construction was approved in December 1960, which lasted until 1985.
As a result of the increase in its collection, the Amsterdam archive was lacking space. Therefore, collections and items were disposed of throughout the second half of the 19th century. For instance, books that were duplicated or not specifically related to the history of Amsterdam were donated to the City Library and later to the University Library. The last collection that was disposed of was the city's collection of “stedelijke historiepenningen” (urban history tokens) and “noodmunten” (coins) that went to the Stedelijk Museum in 1909.
On March 21, 1888, it was decided to make the former St. Anthoniswaag on the Nieuwmarkt, also known as the Waag, the headquarters of the Oudarchief der gemeente (old archives of the municipality). Then, the documentation produced before 1812 was moved to the Waag. Later records were left in the attics of the Town Hall. The municipal archivist had to divide his attention between these two archives.
Soon, the Waag proved to be too small and to have numerous technical flaws: it was damp and smelled because the walls of the building were used as a public urinal. In 1900, an internal renovation was necessary to accommodate the transferred archives of the hospital and orphanages. When the archives of the Hoofd Provoost of the Aalmoesseniers-Weeshuis were transferred in 1901, the archive repository was full.
On April 28, 1909, the City Council of Amsterdam accepted the proposal to use the former Town Hall of Nieuwer-Amstel on Amsteldijk as an archive building. The construction of a new archive depot and the renovation of the Town Hall were completed in 1912. The transfer of documentation lasted until August 1914. The extra space obtained by the move was already largely filled in 1915 with the incorporation of the notarial archives.
The entry into force of the 1918 Archives Act on September 16, 1919, had far-reaching consequences for the City Archives. Management was entrusted to the municipal archivist, who became the head of a separate municipal service. In effect, in the council meeting of November 5, 1919, the Amsterdam municipal archivist was reappointed, and a new ordinance on the archive was established.
The new building of the Amsterdam City Archives had to contend with a lack of space from the start. On September 26, 1926, the City Council accepted a plan to expand the building. However, when municipal archivist Joh. C. Breen died unexpectedly in early 1927, it was decided to postpone the plan until the appointment of a new archivist. The successor was A. le Cosquino de Bussy, who rejected the plan.
In the course of the 1930s, damages caused by the excessive load of both archives became apparent. Also, the fire protection of the building on Herenmarkt did not meet the minimum requirements. On February 16, 1938, the City Council approved a new plan to expand the archive, this time including the two adjacent schools. Before the construction started, World War II broke out, and the plans were shelved. Extensive documentation was then dispersed in multiple buildings for safekeeping and security reasons.
When a new municipal archivist, W. F. H. Oldewelt, took office in 1950, the city archives were spread over four locations: the documents up to 1827 were in the old archive at Amsteldijk 67; documents from 1827 to 1928 were in a new archive divided between a building in Herenmarkt 10-12 and the Centrale Markthallen (Central Market); and 1928-1946 items were located in the Bank van Lening in Oudezijds Voorburgwal 300.
Oldewelt called in the provincial inspector in North Holland who, after a visit to these locations in December 1950, wrote a report warning about the poor condition of the Amsterdam archives. An ad hoc committee advised the implementation of short-term measures to prevent the loss of documentation and a definitive solution for housing the archive in the longer term. In the final report of June 3, 1953 (adopted by the City Council on 8 July), the committee advocated for the construction of a new archive on the Amsteldijk. In spite of the City Council's approbation of the plan for a new building on the Amsteldijk in 1955, other priorities emerged, and the plan was postponed. Finally, the construction was approved in December 1960, which lasted until 1985.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The collection is organized by archive creators, both in terms of institutions, or officials. Internally, series are organized chronologically.
Access, restrictions
Digital copies of an extensive part of this collection are available online:
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Joana Rodrigues and Kevin Soares, 2022
Bibliography
Linked resources
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| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Stadsarchief Amsterdam | Collections (official language of the state) |