Story
For yourself and your family
€79
one-off · all digital
- Narrated film
- Family book as a PDF and an online book
- Family tree with sources
- Map of the places your ancestors lived
- Chapter: ‘Where to search next’
A gift for St Nicholas and Christmas
Your Dutch family story, told as a film
We trace your ancestors in old Dutch records and turn what we find into a narrated film, a family book and a family tree. You pay once.
- Free trailer, no account needed
- The record and the archive for every person
- One-off payment, no subscription
Example: the ancestors of Vincent van Gogh, from public records (47 s). Not affiliated with the Van Gogh Museum.
Look inside a sample book
Leaf through a real family book
Turn the pages just like a real book: click a corner, use the arrow keys or swipe with your finger. Choose an example below.
1 / 13
The ancestors of Vincent van Gogh, from public records. Not affiliated with the Van Gogh Museum.
Example (a Polish family): a complete family book from real research, in Polish. Details of living people have been made illegible.
The full story
What's in the full story?
The free trailer is just the beginning. This is what you get when you unlock the full story, shown with real examples.
A narrated film about your family
An excerpt (28 s) from the full film of a Polish family, with a Polish voice-over. A full film lasts 5–8 minutes: every generation, place and record, with period photos and music.
A family book to browse and to keep
Film (70 s): leafing through the sample book of the van Gogh family, with a Dutch voice-over.
The van Gogh family
Five generations
Each chapter tells the story of one generation, with photos from their time and the source record for every fact. You get the book as a PDF and as an online flip book. With the Heirloom package it's also printed, as a hardback with gold foil lettering.
Leaf through the sample bookImage: sample cover (design).
A family tree you can explore
Click on a person for details and the source record. Zoom: buttons, two fingers or Ctrl + scroll.
Where your ancestors lived, generation by generation
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Example: the van Gogh family, 1815–1884.
The original record, with the names highlighted
Amsterdam population register 1874–1893, Groote Kattenburgerstraat 3: ‘Gogh (van), Johannes’ and his nephew ‘Vincent Willem’, born in Zundert in 1853. Source: Stadsarchief Amsterdam (free reuse with credit). Where a scan is available, we show it in your book.
Did you know…?
c. 1758The earliest ancestor found: Clara van Nieropperhout, who died in The Hague in 1827, aged 69.
85 yearsThe longest life: grandfather Vincent van Gogh (1789–1874), a minister in Breda.
34 yearsThe longest marriage: Theodorus and Anna Cornelia, married from 1851 to 1885.
BookbinderOccupations from the records: a bookbinder in The Hague and two ministers, father and son.
2×Two weddings in one city: in 1815 and 1851, both in The Hague.
VincentA name that returns: the painter was named after his grandfather.
In your story, we look for facts like these in all of your family's records.
A family tree poster for the wall
Every generation on one poster, with names and years. In the Gift package as a print file; in the Heirloom package printed at 50 × 70 cm and delivered in a tube.
Share the story with the whole family
Look, our family book! 👀voorouderboek.nl/b/7Q4M
The ancestors of …
The ancestors of …WhatsAppEmailCopy link
With one personal link, brothers, sisters and cousins can view the book online, on their phones too. No account needed, and the link is only for the people you send it to.
As a gift for St Nicholas or Christmas
A gift voucher with a QR code to print yourself. The recipient enters their grandparents and gets the whole story. You can order from 1 December and print straight away, so it's in time for St Nicholas' Eve.
See the gift voucherFree trailer or full story?
| Feature | Free trailer | Full story |
|---|---|---|
| Short film showing what we found | ✓ | ✓ |
| Number of generations and the earliest year | ✓ | ✓ |
| Your ancestors' names | one generation | every generation |
| Full narrated film (5–8 min) | – | ✓ |
| Family book (PDF and online) | – | ✓ |
| Interactive family tree with records | – | ✓ |
| Map of your ancestors | – | ✓ |
| Scans of original records | – | where available |
| ‘Did you know…?’ | a taster | everything |
| Family tree poster | – | Gift and Heirloom |
| Sharing with the family | – | ✓ |
| Price | free | from €79, one-off |
How it works
Your family tree in three steps
You don't need to know any dates or places. We start with what your family still remembers and look up the rest in public Dutch civil records.
Enter your grandparents
Names and, if you know it, a place. Two minutes, no account needed.
Watch the free trailer
Within a few minutes you'll see what we found: how many generations, which places and the earliest year.
Unlock the full story
Choose a package and pay once. The film, book and family tree are usually ready the same day.
What's the difference?
Voorouderboek or a genealogist?
A genealogist carries out personal, tailor-made research. Voorouderboek is for people who want a beautifully told family story, quickly, for themselves or as a gift.
| Aspect | Voorouderboek | Genealogist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From €79, one-off | Often €600–1,400, depending on the assignment |
| Waiting time | Trailer within a few minutes, full story usually the same day | Often a few weeks |
| What you get | Narrated film, family book, family tree and poster | Usually a report with a family tree |
| Sources | Public civil records, with the record and archive for every person | Other archives too, such as notarial and church records |
| Contact | By email | Personal conversation possible |
| As a gift | Ready to give, with a printable gift voucher | Hard to keep as a surprise |
Looking for deeper research, for example in notarial archives? Then a genealogist is a good choice. Genealogists' prices are indicative.
Packages
Choose how you want to tell the story
First the free trailer. You only pay once you've seen what we found. One-off, no subscription.
Gift
For St Nicholas, Christmas or a birthday
€149
one-off · digital and printable
- Everything in Story
- Personal dedication in the film and book
- Family tree poster as a print file
- Printable gift voucher with QR code
- An extra family branch, for example on your mother's side
Heirloom
For an anniversary or a milestone birthday
€249
one-off · printed and delivered
- Everything in Gift
- Printed hardback book
- Family tree poster, 50 × 70 cm, in a tube
- All four grandparents
- Online book to share with the family
- An update if you find another record later (3 months)
Gift
A gift for St Nicholas and Christmas
Give your parents or grandparents the story of their own family. You buy a gift voucher, print it at home and put it in an envelope or a card. With the code on the voucher, they discover their ancestors themselves, or you watch it together.
St NicholasSinterklaas gift evening, 5 December
Christmas25 December
Gift vouchers can be ordered from 1 December and printed straight away, so you're on time even at the last minute.
Let me know when it's available
VoorouderboekGift voucherFor Grandma and Grandad
The story of our family
‘So we know where we come from. Love, the grandchildren’
Scan the code or enter it at voorouderboek.nlVB-5D7K-2026
Example gift voucher. Names, text and code are made up.
About us
A family business with a story of its own
Voorouderboek is a Polish family business. It started with the history of our own family. We were amazed at how much you can discover in old records and archives.
Then we made stories like this for friends too, and decided to make it possible for everyone. We do it with joy and a love of history.
Besides Voorouderboek, we run two online shops: lovreno.pl and kalour.pl. Voorouderboek is a service of TOITAMTO Joanna Osienkiewicz (Poland, VAT number PL8733033519).
Honest about what we find
Frequently asked questions
Where does the information come from?
From public Dutch civil records and other archive documents available through Open Archives (openarchieven.nl). For every person we list the record and the archive, so you can check everything yourself.
How long does it take?
The free trailer is ready within a few minutes. The full story is usually ready the same day. A printed book arrives by post a few days later.
What if you find very little?
You'll see that in the free trailer, before you pay anything. If we find too little for a full story, we'll tell you honestly and won't recommend buying. You'll still get free tips on where to search next.
Is it a subscription?
No. You pay once. There's no subscription and nothing renews automatically. The files are yours to keep.
What do you do with information about living people?
We don't publish it. Dutch civil records only become public after a fixed period: birth records after 100 years, marriage records after 75 years and death records after 50 years. Whatever you tell us about your family is used only to find your ancestors. More in our privacy statement.
Does it work for Flanders, or for ancestors from other countries?
It works best for ancestors from the Netherlands. Some Flemish archives are included too. If your ancestors came from another country, the free trailer will show what we were able to find.
Why is Vincent van Gogh used as an example?
Because everyone knows his name and his ancestors appear in public records. The example was made with the same method as a Voorouderboek for your family. We are not affiliated with the Van Gogh Museum.
Who were the people you descend from?
Enter your surname and see how many records mention your family. The trailer is free.
Search your surname