Sources
Where the facts on this site come from, and where you can dig further yourself.
Every fact on this site — dates, figures, events — can be traced to a source. This page lists the historical documents and official bodies we use, clearly split between what's freely accessible and what is copyrighted literature we only name and link to, never quote.
Which historical sources are public domain?
Two sources we could consult directly, because they are in the public domain:
Middelburgsche Courant, edition of 31 October 1820 (publisher Wed. J. Abrahams & Zoon, Middelburg). This newspaper mentions Yerseke and oysters, proving that oyster trading already existed in the village before 1870 — well before the well-known scale-up of oyster farming. Found on Archive.org, in the “Miscellaneous Newspapers” collection.
Tijdschrift der Nederlandsche Dierkundige Vereeniging, volumes from 1872 onward, via the Biodiversity Heritage Library on Archive.org. Includes the Rapport over den achteruitgang der Zeeuwsche oester (1902) and repeated mentions of two Yerseke-based researchers: Dr. J.G. de Man and Dr. C.A. Pekelharing.
On Archive.org, full-text search for “Yerseke” returns over 3,000 results, and “Yerseke oester” returns 396, of which 148 are from before 1929 and therefore also public domain. Want to dig yourself? Search via archive.org and filter by year before 1929, or consult Delpher, the digital newspaper archive of the Dutch Royal Library, for more Zeeland newspaper material.
Which literature do we recommend without quoting it?
The following titles are copyrighted. We mention them as reading tips and link where possible, but we do not reproduce text from these works on our pages.
- Pieter Korringa, Farming the flat oysters of the genus Ostrea
- W.J. Wolff, Non-indigenous marine and estuarine species in The Netherlands
- Rinus Antonisse, De kroon op het Deltaplan
- Jaap van Rijn, Mosseltijd
- R.A. Koman & J.J.B. Kuipers, Yerseke, Duizendjarige parel aan de Oosterschelde
Which official bodies do we use for current facts?
For population, area and administrative boundaries we use CBS (Statistics Netherlands) data. For nature and management of the Oosterschelde we consult Oosterschelde National Park. For the research institute in the village we point to NIOZ, and for local history to the Oosterscheldemuseum in Yerseke itself.
Spotted a mistake, or know a better source?
Found a fact that isn't right, or do you know a better source? Let us know via our contact page or read on our about-us page how we handle corrections.