Leo van de Pas

{{infobox person

| name = Leo van de Pas

| image = Leovandepas.jpg

| caption = Pas in front of his genealogical collection

| birth_place = De Bilt, Netherlands

| birth_date = {{birth date|1942|10|28|df=y}}

| death_place = Canberra, Australia

| death_date = {{death date and age|2016|08|17|1942|10|28|df=y}}

| parents = {{ubl|Willem van de Pas|Johanna Jacoba Cox}}

| occupation = Genealogist

| notable_works = {{url|www.genealogics.org}} website

}}

Leonardus Franciscus Maria van de Pas (28 October 1942 ‒ 17 August 2016), known as Leo van de Pas, was a Dutch and Australian historian and genealogist.{{cite web |title=Leo van de Pas (autobiography and biography at Genealogics)|url=https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00071584&tree=LEO |date=24 Nov 1996 |accessdate=30 Apr 2020}} {{Self-published source|date=July 2021}}

Early life

Pas was born on 28 October 1942 in De Bilt, Netherlands to Wilhelmus Martinus (Willem) van de Pas (1901–1960) and Johanna Jacoba Cox (1909–1987).{{cite web |title=Ancestors of Leo van de Pas (at Genealogics) |url=https://www.genealogics.org/pedigree.php?personID=I00071584&tree=LEO |author=Leo van de Pas |date=2016 |accessdate=12 June 2020}} {{Self-published source|date=July 2021}} His father was a religious author and Pas grew up in a particularly religious household. After his father's death in 1960, he served in various religious and clerical positions, as well as undertaking his national service in New Guinea (1962). To explore a new life abroad, he immigrated to Australia in 1968, where he took a position as an administrative assistant to the Dutch-Australian author G. M. Glaskin in Perth, Western Australia. He later became a naturalized Australian citizen. As an additional source of income, he also worked for Ansett Airlines until his early retirement in 1994, which enabled him to devote more of his time to his abiding interest in genealogy. After Glaskin's death in 2000, he moved from Perth to Canberra to be closer to van de Pas family members.{{fact|date=July 2021}}

Genealogy

Once settled in Australia, Pas wrote, co-authored and contributed to numerous genealogy books and, later on, web articles. He wrote the forewords to other books. His knowledge of genealogy and international reputation enabled him to review and revise the draft work of Princess Michael of Kent,{{cite book |title=Genealogical collection of L.F.M. Van de Pas |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/866812058 |publisher=Genealogical Society of Salt Lake City, Utah |oclc=866812058 |date=1982–89 |accessdate=30 May 2020}} and Michel Roger Lafosse, the self-styled Prince Michael James Alexander Stewart, 7th Count of Albany. He also joined the internet newsgroup "soc.genealogy.medieval" (Gen. Med.) where he interacted with like-minded researchers and helped newcomers from his extensive home library.{{CN|date=May 2024}}

Genealogics

{{Infobox website

| name = Genealogics

| logo =

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| url = {{URL|www.genealogics.org}}

| commercial = Free to use

| type = Genealogical reference website

| registration = Not required

| language = English

| num_users =

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| programming_language = TNG

| owner =

| author = {{ubl|Leo van de Pas|Ian Fettes}}

| editor = {{ubl|Ian Fettes|Leslie Mahler}}

| launch_date = 2003

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| current_status = Online

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Pas's interest in genealogy was matched by his early involvement in computer genealogy. He commissioned a bespoke DOS data entry program from Gary Louth, which turbo-charged his data entry rates. Collaborations with Colin and Rosie Bevan enabled him to extend his electronic holdings. A later collaboration with Brigitte Gastel Lloyd enabled him to start moving his data onto the World Wide Web. Later, in 2003, his collaboration with Ian Fettes enabled him to develop and launch Genealogics, a substantial online reference website and database for medieval and other genealogy.{{cite web |title=Probability of descending from Edward III |url=https://community.dur.ac.uk/a.r.millard/genealogy/EdwardIIIDescent.php |publisher=Durham University |date=14 Aug 2010 |accessdate=12 May 2020 |author=Andrew Millard}} This website is based on TNG software.

Death and legacy

On 17 August 2016, Pas died in Canberra, Australia following a short convalescence.{{CN|date=May 2024}}

While he never did establish an ancestral link between his own family history and any notable medieval family, he assisted numerous other people in achieving such connections. His Genealogics website continues to be one of the few free online reference databases covering the medieval and other periods, and is nowadays administered by Ian Fettes and Leslie Mahler. His correspondence with actress Audrey Hepburn provided first-hand public clarification of her early family history.{{cite web |title=Letter from Audrey Hepburn to Leo van de Pas |url=https://www.genealogics.org/showmedia.php?mediaID=3750&medialinkID=3948 |author=Audrey Hepburn |date=2 Jan 1990 |accessdate=1 May 2020 |quote="2 Jan 1990. Dear Mr van de Pas, Thankyou for sending me my 'family tree' - fascinating - how kind of you to go to so much effort for us. Just for your information - my name was never Edda van Heemstra - it was a name _assumed_ in school - my mother thought it wiser during the German Occupation as mine sounded too English. I was born Audrey Kathleen Ruston until my father added Hepburn-Ruston after the last of the Hepburns died on his grandmother's side. Again many thanks and best wishes, Audrey Hepburn"}} {{Self-published source|date=July 2021}}

On 25 October 1988, he was invited by the Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke to have lunch with the visiting Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and her husband Prince Claus.{{cite web |title=Lunch Invitation for Leo van de Pas |url=https://www.genealogics.org/showmedia.php?mediaID=3751&medialinkID=3949 |author=Bob Hawke |date=25 Oct 1988 |accessdate = 30 Apr 2020}} {{Self-published source|date=July 2021}}

Selected bibliography

=Books=

{{cite book |title=Monarchs and their families in the golden era of the western European dynasties : a genealogical collection |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/55706204 |oclc=55706204 |author=L.F.M. van de Pas |publisher=Cottesloe |date=1971 |accessdate=7 Jun 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Vroege vaderen des vaderlands afstammende van prins Willem I, de Zwijger, genaamd vader des vaderlands |trans-title= Early Fathers of the Fatherland descending from Prince William I, the Silent, called Father of the Fatherland |lang=Dutch |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/67038568 |oclc=67038568 |author=L.F.M. van de Pas |publisher=Zeist |date=1973 |accessdate=7 Jun 2020}}
{{cite book |title=H.R.H. Charles, Prince of Wales, his ancestors over seven generations |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/220481855 |oclc=220481855 |author=L.F.M. van de Pas |publisher=Cottesloe |date=1975 |accessdate=7 Jun 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Charles I, King of England and Scotland : his ancestors over seven generations |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/20517804 |oclc=20517804 |author=L.F.M. van de Pas |publisher=Cottesloe |date=1976 |accessdate=7 Jun 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales : his ancestors over six generations |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/21912638 |oclc=21912638 |author=L.F.M. van de Pas |publisher=Cottesloe |date=1976 |accessdate=7 Jun 2020}}
{{cite book |title=An introduction to ancestors of Diana, Princess of Wales |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/43943339 |oclc=43943339 |author=L.F.M. van de Pas |publisher=Mosman Park |date=1988 |accessdate=7 Jun 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Introduction to the House of Londonderry |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/312402653 |oclc=312402653 |author=L.F.M. van de Pas |publisher=Mosman Park |date=1996 |accessdate=7 Jun 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Introduction to descendants of Sir Gervase Clifton 1st Baronet (1587-1666) |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/866770398 |publisher=Mosman Park |author=Leo van de Pas |oclc=866770398 |date=1996 |accessdate=30 May 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Introduction to Ancestors of The Hon. Katharine Fraser, the Hon. Alice Ramsay, and the Hon. Elizabeth Ramsay |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/74811538 |oclc=74811538 |author=L.F.M. van de Pas |publisher=Mosman Park |date=1997 |accessdate=7 Jun 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Ancestor list of Prince William of Wales |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/796839767 |author=Leo van de Pas |publisher=Mosman Park |oclc=796839767 |date=1998 |accessdate=30 May 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Crommelin: an introduction to descendants of a Huguenot family |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/796841089 |author=Leo van de Pas |publisher=Mosman Park |oclc=796841089 |date=1999 |accessdate=30 May 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Royal ancestor: an introduction to eight generations of descendants of King Edward III |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45133531 |author=Leo van de Pas |publisher=Mosman Park |oclc=45133531 |date=1999 |accessdate=30 May 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Father of Europe: Introduction to descendants of William "The Silent", Prince of Orange, 1533-1584 |url=https://www.amazon.com/Father-Europe-Introduction-Descendants-1533-1584/dp/B004AX9UV8 |asin=B004AX9UV8 |oclc=866770326 |author=Brigitte Gastel Lloyd & Leo van de Pas |date=1998 |publisher=L. F. M. Van De Pas |accessdate=12 May 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Introduction to ancestors of Georgiana McCrae |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/866770256 |author=Leo van de Pas |publisher=Mosman Park |oclc=866770256 |date=2000 |accessdate=30 May 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Ancestors (of Valery Giscard d'Estaing) |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/796839769 |author=Leo van de Pas |publisher=Mosman Park |oclc=796839769 |date=2000 |accessdate= 30 May 2020}}
{{cite book |title=A small introduction to ancestors of Prince Charles Edward Stuart |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/796839770 |author=Leo van de Pas |publisher=Mosman Park |oclc=796839770 |date=2000 |accessdate=30 May 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Alba: an Introduction to the Dukes of Alba De Tormes |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45157408 |author=Leo van de Pas |asin=B004AX6QGA |oclc=45157408 |date=2000 |accessdate=12 May 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Sinners and Saints: A Biographical Introduction to the Ancestors of HRH Princess Michael of Kent |url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3513445 |author=Leo van de Pas |isbn=978-0646450070 |oclc=224418513 |date=2005 |publisher=L. van de Pas |accessdate=12 May 2020}}
{{cite book |title=Plantagenet cousins: selected descendants of Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou in Australia, America, Africa, Europe and Asia |url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3885890 |author=Ian Fettes & Leo van de Pas |isbn=9780646470184 |oclc=166313431 |date=2007 |publisher=I. Fettes and L. van de Pas |accessdate=12 May 2020}}
{{cite web |title=Portraits of Ancestors |url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/5432283 |oclc=741501604 |author=Leo van de Pas |date=2011 |accessdate=12 May 2020}}