Colonial Collections Consortium
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Civil servants

Description

Civil servants were appointed to govern the Dutch colonies. Especially in the former Dutch East Indies and Suriname there were many civil servants, who were managed from the Netherlands. Among them were not only officials for the administration, but also for education, justice, tax administration, police, agriculture and other government services, for example, the Kantoor voor Inlandse Zaken (the Office for Domestic Affairs), the meteorological service, and the archaeological service.

The administrative structure differed from colony to colony, with the position of "gouverneur" being a commonality. The administrative structure of a colony can be found in the research guide on that particular colony. It is important to note that during the French domination of the European Netherlands, most of the Dutch colonial territory came under English administration. Therefore, you may come across English names relating to civil servants in archives from the period between, say, 1795 and 1820. An example is Thomas Stamford Raffles, who was governor of the former Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816.

A significant part of the objects in Dutch collections came from government officials and other persons who were in government service. Starting in 1862, government officials in the Dutch East Indies were encouraged to build collections and send them to the Royal Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences. This society distributed the collected objects between its own museum and the museums in the Netherlands. In practice, civil servants decided themselves what to do with the objects in their possession."

Provenance research

Many Dutch nationals, as well as colonial subjects, were employed in public service in the colonies. It is therefore recommended to check whether a person associated with the provenance of an object appears in the personnel files. The National Archives offers various research guides to guide you through their archives.

Colonial officials frequently changed positions and places of employment. The position listed in the object documentation may be different from the position at the time of acquisition. Staff books in the National Archives and almanacs issued by the government are reliable sources for finding out the position at the time of acquisition. Through the digitized newspapers on Delpher.nl, information about the work of the civil servant in question can be retrieved.

The research guide The Colonial State 1854-1942 contains detailed explanations of the archives relating to the Dutch East Indies and the various civil service departments.

The archives of the Dutch colonial government can largely be found in the National Archives in The Hague. There also remain archives in the former colonies.

Personal archives of some Dutch nationals in government service have been preserved, containing, for example, diaries, memoirs, correspondence and reports. Such private archives can be found at numerous records offices in the Netherlands. It is therefore recommended to begin the search at www.archieven.nl. However, not all archive services can be found here, so it is often necessary to continue the search outside this website. Many personal archives of officials in colonial service can be found at the Leiden University Libraries (KITLV archive) and the National Archives. Sometimes there are still archives in private possession.

Through the National Archives, personnel files (stamboeken) of civil servants in colonial service are digitally searchable. There are research guides for the Dutch East Indies, Suriname and the (former) Netherlands Antilles. The files contain information about when an official was stationed where and brief personal information. A glossary explains abbreviations in the studbooks.

Each year the Dutch government issued an almanac listing all officials in the colonies. For the former Dutch East Indies, there was the "Almanak en naamregister van Nederlandsch-Indië" (1817-1864) and "Regeeringsalmanak voor Nederlandsch-Indië" (1865-1939). For Suriname and the other former West Indian colonies, there was the "Surinaamsche Almanak", published by the Paramaribo Department of the "Maatschappij tot Nut van 't Algemeen" (1820-1913), and "De vraagbaak: almanak voor Suriname" (1912-1955).

Starting in 1848, the Dutch government reported every year on the state of affairs in the various colonies through the Colonial Report. This contained important events as well as a variety of statistical data. It is a useful source for mapping the context around the acquisition of objects. The report appeared until 1931 as an Appendix to the Acts of the States General, from 1869/70 as a permanent Appendix C, and under various names: Mededeelingen betreffende de Koloniën (over 1848); Verslag van het beheer en den staat der Koloniën (1849-1865); Koloniaal Verslag (1866-1923); Verslag van bestuur en staat van Nederlandsch-Indië, Suriname en Curaçao (1924-1930). As separate publications: Indisch Verslag (1931-1939) and Report of Administration and State of Suriname, Curaçao and the Netherlands Antilles (1931-after 1940), respectively.

Resources

Related items

Koninklijk Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen
Trade
Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV)
Sources
Wereldmuseum Leiden
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Military and navy
Wereldmuseum Rotterdam
Select and delineate
Science
C.G.C. Reinwardt
Wereldmuseum Amsterdam
Royal Cabinet of Curiosities

Keywords

Districts Commissary
Commies
Resident
Controleur
Bestuursambtenaar
Gouverneur-Generaal
Gouverneur
Assistant Resident

Geographical

Indonesia
Netherlands Antilles
Republic of Suriname