Introduction

Genealogy investigation is often a pleasing yet time consuming occupation. The year that reasonably complete family trees can be compiled from in Holland is 1650, because a card registration system began in all Dutch towns in that year. During the hunt for data in the states record office at Leeuwarden my eye was drawn to the name in the christening book of the N H Church at Midlum of Oeds Odolphie in 1732.

This name made me think of Oedse Odolphy the Spar shop keeper who before the second world war used a horse drawn grocers wagon in my home town of Zuidlaren, my curiosity was aroused and after enquiries with the daughter of the grocer in Zuidlaren learnt that the name Odolphy came from Friesland and originally from an Italian tradesman. Enquiries followed with fast results from the card system of family names in the state records of Friesland. For the data of the generations from 1900 I am grateful to R. Laurens- Odolphy of Zuidlaren the daughter of the grocer I remember from before the war.