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Genealogy

Sample Chart

Sample of Tables

Family History

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1.  A unique way to look at the various family groups is by means of the cgarts. There are more than thirty diagrams that show how the ancestors and descendants inter-relate. Have a look at the sample chart with its legend to see how this works.

2.  The data is also presented in Excel tables. This provides more details about dates, places and marriages. The information starts with the first person known and follows with descendants, spouses and children. This is where the J-Code comes in handy. (See below). Details come from a variety of sources listed in the section below.

3.  Many surnames are the same, yet they have different J-Codes. There are a couple reasons for this

a.  The direct relationship does not exist, or has not yet been established. Persons with the same name who lived in the same town or area are likely to have been descended from the same branch. But . .?

b.  The name refers to a common location or town. In Norway, for example, there are several "surnames" that are also the place where the person was born. Thus "Berge", meaning hill or mountain, was very common.

c.  The name was often used but there is no prior relationship. The name could be an occupation or means "son-of" such as Smith, Johnson, etc.

4.  When the first three letters of the J-Code are the same but the surname is not, it means that there was a change in the family name. For example, Teekenburg was changed to Eeuwoudts, and eventually became Westdorp.  All have the J-Code BAA.

5.  Some names used different spellings. The variations are included with parentheses or as separate names. Thus: Ba(c)k could be Bak or Back

1. van ____ meaning "from" or sometimes "of"
2. van de __ meaning "from the" or "of the"
3. van den _ meaning "of the" with a possessive implication
4. van der _ meaning "of the" with a masculine implication
5. de _____ meaning "the"
6. den ____ meaning "the" with a possessive implication
7. in _____ meaning "in"
8. van ‘t __ meaning "from the" with an abbreviated "the"
9. ‘t _____ meaning "the" abbreviated
10. op ‘t ___meaning "on the" with an abbreviated "the"
11. de la ___French meaning "from the" or "of the"
12. d’ _____ Dutch or French for "the" abbreviate

1. When genealogical data becomes quite extensive, it is often difficult to locate a particular surname within a large group of family names. It is even more difficult to identify individuals within a large database and to determine their position within the family tree. The Ahnentafel is one technique that has been used for many years to identify persons with a direct lineage to the principal or main person in the chart. However, it does not readily accommodate siblings, their spouses and children, and others related through second marriages, etc.

2. The J-Code can accommodate all these features. It offers a method to identify every surname and individual within the family tree. It is flexible, can be easily modified so new names and family members can be added any time and, since it is computer based, can be copied and used by others as necessary.

How does it work?

1. A unique letter/number combination has been assigned to every person in the data bank. First a three-letter prefix is used for every surname. The letters could be selected almost at random, however, it is best to arrange the surnames first in a format that facilitates finding their locations. Select the person who will be the principal and prepare a pedigree chart listing the first four generations. This would result in eight surnames. Assign the letters A through H for these primary names. This becomes the first letter of the three-letter code. The letters J through Z can be used for other names that can be added later, such as the family tree of a sibling or a spouse who has as yet not been identified. The letter "I" is not used in order not to confuse this with the digit 1 (one). Thus there are 25 possibilities.

2. More surnames can be added with the second letter of the three-letter code. For example, for ancestors of the primary person (such as the spouses of the fourth and fifth generation) the code letters AA_ through AZ_ could be assigned. This provides 25 letters for any group of surnames directly related to the primary surname. This can be extended by assigning the third letters A through Z. Thus it is possible to have a total of 625 names, usually enough for most family trees. However, if it should be necessary to add more names, a new group can start with letters J through Z. The actual letter assignment is left up to the individual preparing the data. It is suggested that some sort of order is maintained so that names can easily be traced. For example, if a lot of data is immediately available for the ancestors of siblings or families related to a remarriage, a special group of letters can be set aside. However, the first letter would still relate the group to the primary surname.

3. In addition to the letter code, each individual in the family tree is assigned a number. The oldest known individual is assigned the letter code. Thus the oldest known male who is a direct descendant of the primary person is AAA. The children of this person are assigned the letter code plus a digit in order of birth, or AAA1, AAA2, etc. The next generation would have two digits, and so on. Thus children of AAA12 would become AAA121, AAA122, etc. If there are more than nine children, do not use the 10 or higher numbers. Instead use lower case "a" for the tenth child; for 11, use "b"; etc.

4. This method provides an easy way to identify where a person belongs in the family tree. For example, the person with the code BAA1346 is the sixth child of that family and the fifth known generation (with the primary’s maternal grandmother’s surname). The father of that individual would be BAA134. BAA144 would be an aunt or uncle and AAA1341 would be the firstborn sibling. Notice that the code makes no distinction between male and female.

5. I should apologize to those families that may have a three letter word that is not appropriate, such as APE. I did  not mean to be derogatory or create a pun. It just turned out that way.

Where is the data stored?

1. It is suggested that data is stored in a spreadsheet format such as Microsoft Excel or Lotus 123. A sample is attached to show the headings and the kind of data included. Of course, this could be expanded to include the source of the data, call- or nick names, and special personal information. Note that the first column is the J-Code and that information starts with AAA married to AAB with children AAA1, etc. The descendants are listed again on a new line if they married (and even more than twice if they had multiple marriages). The spouse’s code has been assigned even if nothing is known at this time. I use red to designate direct lineage. You could add other colors for other family trees.

2. Depending on the amount of data available, the spreadsheet could be sub-divided into several sections. The division could be on the same basis as the code; that is, Section 1 would be all information for the Axx group; Section 2 for all the Bxx data; etc. Notes can be included to cross-reference these sections where applicable.

3. Genealogy is a living documentation of people. It can grow and changes may have to be made as more information is gathered. The J-Code of individuals may have to be changed as this process takes place. It is best not to change the letter code; however, the numbers may be modified. For example, if the first name or other information has been located for the father of AAA, an additional digit has to be added not only to AAA1 but also to all his descendants. The Excel program provides an easy way to do this with the "Replace" command. Thus by replacing all AAA with AAA1, the entire spreadsheet has been updated. Of course, it is important to make this change to all copies of the data sheets and to include a date when the change went into effect.

There are two ways you can find details about the surname and its J-Code:

1. In the spreadsheets you can use the find command (Ctrl F) for a specific surname or code. It will go to the first find. Then you can go to the next find or close the command box and scroll around.

2. Look at the charts and see how a person fits into the overall picture. To do this you first have to find the person's code in the index tables A through Z. Copy it and go to the page marked "Charts". Select the two letter code, click and it will take you to the correct chart. Now you can use the search command (binoculars), enter the code and voila! 

The data I present comes via a number of sources. They include:

Personnel Contacts:

1. Interviews with individuals.

2. Research at archives in the Netherlands

3. Responses via regular and email from individuals.

Published Literature:

1. "The Hill Genealogy" by Robert Hill

2. "The Ness Genealogy" by Robert Hill

3. "Genealogie Westdorp/Polderdijk" by Werkgroep Blasijntje Danckaerts, Part 15, 1001

Links:

1. The archives in Zaltbommel, the Netherlands http://www.streekarchiefbommelerwaard.nl/intro1.htm

2. The archives in Middelburg, the Netherlands http://www.zeeuwengezocht.nl/SISIS.DLL/criteria?lang=N

3. The archives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands http://www.gemeentearchief.rotterdam.nl/

4. Residents of Herwijnen, the Netherlands http://www.angelfire.com/mt/hist/index.html

5. Mormon church http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp

6. Individual web sites:

Hoogesteeger: http://www.geocities.com/hoogesteger/kwarthoogesteger/frame3

Littlefield: http://www.littlefieldhistory.com/database/rr01/rr01_110.html#P437

Jochems: http://web.inter.nl.net/users/Joghems/genstartE.htm

Special thanks is hereby extended to the following people who helped me tremendously: Sylvia Du Mont, Marco Schelling, Rein Hoogesteger, Johan Wesdorp.

I should point out that some of the above "sources" need to be used with some reservations. The tremendous amount of data published by the Mormon Church, for example, are mostly contributions by individuals and very often contain errors and incorrect information. I am sure that those who contribute mean well, but when women sixty years old still have children or, visa versa, when six year olds have babies, it is obvious that the data should not be used. There are numerous times when marriages are in dispute or that births occur in the US prior to the arrival of the Pilgrims. Although I have looked at and used the Mormon Church data extensively, I have also eliminated things I consider "dubious or false".

The best information comes from the archives that have the original, hand written documents such as marriages and births. I have seen and made copies of church and civic publications in the Netherlands that date back to the eighteenth century (click here to see three examples). Other reliable information comes from published data that provide the actual document references and some quotations of pertinent facts. Good examples are the websites listed above dealing with citizens of Herwijnen and the Littlefields, and the book about the Westdorp families.

The data of our ancestors is collected and stored in Excel spreadsheets. Because of the large amount of data, there are a total of 26 separate sections. Click on any of the letters of surnames on the Genealogy page and you will see a listing of tables. Click on the table number (eg. 2B) and you will come up with Table 2B.

For a brief example of the tables click here and experiment. If you are familiar with the Excel program, you will quickly note that the tables are arranged by J-Code in the first column followed by the first and surnames. Additional data of birth, death and marriage is included where available. Some notes may also be added. The top of the page starts with the oldest known person for that section. Their descendants follow.

The rows include the male first followed by the spouse and their children in order of birth (if known). If either male or female should remarry, the names are repeated along with the new spouse (and children, if any). Likewise, if the children marry their name is repeated with their spouse, etc.

To search for specific individuals, their lineage up or downwards use the J-Code and the FIND Command in Excel. To do this (when you are in the tables) press Ctrl. plus F. The pop up screen will ask for the information you want to find. Enter the J-Code or surname and enter. The cursor will go to the first encounter of the entry. Press NEXT for the following entry, etc.

Unfortunately I have had to delete a lot of data for persons born after 1900. Many are still alive and I did not want to publish some of their details. Hence, if you were looking for a name and cannot find detailed information in the table, he or she probably falls into that category.