Dutch East India Company Name Books (Naamboek van de wel edele heeren der hoge Indiasche regering….)

These books literally cover anyone involved in the service of the VOC at all of their posts including the Cape. Those listed include officials, the military, burghers, surgeons, church leaders and court officials. In some places there is more detail on officials than others. The books also include the names of people that died and those who had returned or were being sent out to posts. Of particular interest is that ranks (and the date they were achieved) were listed so that one can follow a person’s career even if some books are missing. Searching the books also allows one to follow the career of a person if they were stationed at various places.

The spelling of the books varied and included Naamboek, Naamboekje and Naam-boekje.

The earliest I have found online is from 1729 and the latest 1801. Each contained a very detailed front page of their contents!

The title page in the 1729 book contained the following information:

NAAMBOEKJE
Van de Weled. Heeren der
HOOGE INDISCHE REGEERING,
Gequalificeerde Persoon, ens. Op
BATAVIA
Mitsgaders
De Respective Gouverneurs, Directeurs, Commandeurs en Opperhoofden of de Buyten-Comtoiren van Nederlands India; gelykze in wezen zyn gewest to primo Maart 1729
Als mede alle Gouverneurs Generaal, t’sedert den Jaare 1610
A later one in 1766 was even more explicit about its contents:

NAAMBOEK
Van de Wel-Edele Heeren der
HOOGE INDIASCHE
REGERING,
Zoo tot, als buiten,
BATAVIA
Mitsgaders van de Politique Bedienden, die van de Justitie, de Kerk, Burgery, Zeevaart, Militie, Arthillery, Chirugie, &c., zoo als dezelve onder medio September 1766. Alhier in weezen zyn bevonden;
ITEM
Der Gouverneurs, Directeurs en Commandeurs, mitsgaders verdure Opperhoofden en mindere Bedienden, op de respective Comptoiren van Indie
NEVENS
Een Lyst van de Personen, die repatrieeren zullen, een van die naar de Buiten-comptoiren vertrokke zyn; en een van de overledenen.
A 1798 book explicitly includes the Cape of Good Hope :

NAAMBOEK
VAN DEN
HOOG EDELE GESTRENGEN HEEREN
COMMISSARISSEN GENERAAL
Over geheel Nederlandsch Indie en Kabo de Goede Hoop
ITEM
Van de Wel-Edele Heeren der
HOOGE INDIASCHE
REGERING,
Zoo tot, als buiten,
BATAVIA
Mitsgaders van de Politique Bedienden, die van de Justitie, de Kerk, Burgery, Zeevaart, Militie, Arthillery, Chirugie, &c., zoo als dezelve, onder ultimo December 1798, alhier in weezen zyn bevonden;
VOORTS DIE
Der Gouverneurs, Directeurs en Commandeurs, mitsgaders verdure Opperhoofden en mindere Bediendens, op de respective Comptoiren van Indie.
NEVENS
Een Lyst van de Persoonen, die naar de Buiten-comptoiren vertrokke zyn, en een van de overledenen.
All the name books listed below are online and are downloadable as a pdf. The pdfs are in black and white and sometimes it is easier to read some type on the jpeg versions on the sites.

The following sites have links to the books but not all are to be found on the same sites. Many except for Google Books contain links to the National Library of the Netherlands and most have search engines. They are also a good resource for finding other books, documents, maps and pictures of the VOC, the Cape and South Africa

If you are searching the sites make sure you use the various names for the Naamboek as some are only found by using the variants.

http://www.earlydutchbooksonline.nl/nl/edbo

https://www.europeana.eu/portal

https://www.delpher.nl

http://www.omnia.ie/index.php

https://books.google.com.au

https://books.google.com

The books: