Comparing Two Methods to Reconstruct the Kin Network Outside the Household With Nineteenth-Century Antwerp Data

Abstract

Kinship studies based on nineteenth-century data are still rare because of a lack of information about family members residing outside the household. The lack of information is great when reconstruction of the exact kinship relations is required. This article evaluates an alternative way to define the extent of the kinship network: the patronymic indicator. The evaluation results in the conclusion that the patronymic indicator is not a good alternative. Two identified explanations are that common surnames misinterpret the patronymic indicator and that an urban environment is too populated, so the patronymic indicator itself generates many mistakes.