Curacao Cemeteries

Curacao Cemeteries

Jeff Maass
Updated: 24 September 2019

Introduction and Statement of Purpose

I am interested in visiting and documenting by photographs the cemeteries on the island of Curacao, an island in the southern Caribbean.

I live in Ohio USA, and have traveled to Curacao on holiday twice a year since 2002. I have been interested in cemeteries for a number of years, not from the vantage of genealogy, but because of the history and art revealed there in the stones and crypts. I have learned much of the history of Ohio and my county by studying and visiting the local cemeteries. I am now doing the same for the cemeteries on Curacao as time allows.

Where possible, I have included a few photos taken by others for those cemeteries that I have not visited as yet. I have captured a satellite image from Google Earth to show the layout of each cemetery.

I keep a spreadsheet with information on each cemetery and burial site. I have noted that many of the cemeteries (or their associated churches) do not have their names indicated. I have attempted to identify each known cemetery with a name that is descriptive. As the correct name is known, I'll make corrections. If you are able to help out with information or images of any of these cemeteries, or of funeral and burial practices on Curacao, please email me, and I will add your information and give you credit.

Cemetery Candidates: Google Earth and Werbata Maps (1906)

In addition to known cemeteries and burial sites, there are a number of cemeteries that I have labeled as "Candidate Cemetery" (c.Cand#). These areas were seen using Google Earth, and appear to have the characteristics of a cemetery from the satellite vantage. There is no guarantee that these are, in fact, cemeteries: they will need to checked out in person.

On the topographical maps published by J.V.D. Werbata in 1906 and 1910, burial sites are marked with a red cross. I have included these sites, approximating their location in my GPS with the abbreviation "c.Werb#". I include a segment of the Werbata map showing those burial sites. The Werbata Maps are available for purchase on CD-ROM from: the "Curassow" web site for $80. CD-ROM 1 contains the topographical maps of Curacao, in two different scales. CD-ROM 2 contains topo maps for the other Dutch Caribbean islands (Aruba, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Sint Maarten, as well as some excellent 1910 topo maps of Willemstad on Curacao. They have helped me to find some new "candidate cemeteries", which existed when the maps were published in 1906, and they have helped me by providing names for some of the cemeteries for which I had locations but no names. Thanks to harrie at the Curassow site for helping to get me these maps!

GPS and the Curacao Cemeteries

I use a Garmin handheld GPS devices to mark and find cemeteries and burial sites. I will provide my file of cemetery waypoints (in .gdb form) on request. I have abbreviated the cemetery names in the form of 'c.Name' for inclusion on my GPS, and those abbreviations are included in the table of cemeteries below.

Researching Genealogy In Curacao?

Many of those who discover this site are looking for the burial sites of their ancestors. While my interests are not in genealogy, I can suggest the services of a Curacao resident who provides research in this area for a fee. They can be contacted at cmassur@hotmail.com. A statement of services is quoted below.

      "I have most of the information concerning the years 1800 to 1900, but I will consider other assignments.
       I register burials of people who were born in the 19th century and until 1910 as a birth year.
       I charge 35 dollars or euro per hour and will give an estimate before I start."