2 Dutch Occupations around 1820's

[CV-S]

Hello,

I see in several documents relating to my family in Zeeland, the Netherlands in the 1820's almost all of the women were 'particuliere.' Any ideas what that means as an occupation?

Also, I found an ancestor also in Zeeland who in 1821 is described as a 'St. Jansarbeider.' On other records he is shown to be an innkeeper and coast guard.

Could anyone shed some light for me please?

Thank you & Merry Christmas

[PrueM]

Hi CV-S

Looks like others have had the same question about "particuliere":
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/DUTCH-MIDWEST/2002-02/1012950015

I'm not sure about the other occupation (not that I'm a Dutch speaker) but should "Jans" and "arbeider" be separate words?  "Arbeider" means "labourer" I think.

Cheers
Prue

[CV-S]

Hi Prue,

Thank you. I though "particuliere" might mean independent or something similar, and it seems like others are having the same problem. But I think the conclusion was a female who had means to not need to work.

The whole word is certainly one. I also thought "arbeider" was "labourer," but when I put the whole word in google translate it came up with "St. John worker."

Now in Australia that would be an ambulance volunteer, but back then it must mean something else.

CV-S 

[Billyblue]

Hello CV-S
I talked to a couple of Dutch friends this morning re your query.

"Particuliere" is 'not really Dutch' - it's more French but used in Holland to mean living by oneself. Not an occupation.

"St. Jansarbeider" is as translated -  St. John's worker.  I queried whether St. John's (ambulance) would be around in 1820s and was told 'yes, it is Europe you know, which has been around longer than Australia', but looking at Wiki and others, it seems it might be more like 'a worker in Order of St. John'.   The ambulance St. John's seems to have arisen late 1800s, while the Order of St. John arose from the Knights Hospitalier around 900 years ago.

Dawn M

[CV-S]

Hello Dawn M,

Thank you very much. Next time you see your Dutch friends could you thank them from me please.

I think "St. Jansarbeider" might be connected to his coast guard occupation in some way. Any case I'll keep googling it and finding out more.

[carinthiangirl]

Sint Jan = St.John = St.Johann
like Johanniter in Austria and Germany
Johanniter-Ambulance(Rescue):
http://www.johanniter.at/
http://www.johanniter.de/
in England > St John Ambulance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John_Ambulance
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Saint_John
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_St._John
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johanniterorden
Johanniter Orde in Nederland
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orde_van_Sint-Jan

[carinthiangirl]

particuliere
http://www.woxikon.de/fra/particuli%C3%A8re.php
http://www.woxikon.de/eng/private%20individual.php

[CV-S]

Thank you, those links are very useful.

[Vianne]

Hi!

I live in the Netherlands (Zeeland). You will find that 'particuliere' usually refers to widows, who sold little trinkets. They had no shop, the living room was the shop.