Surname Saturday - VAN WOERT - Keeping Track - Part 2

Yesterday, in Keeping Track - Part 1, I explained one method used to keep track of my surnames and where they were living during their births, marriages and deaths.  My second method is just a listing of the surnames, as explained and shown below.

This is a way to keep everybody in your direct lines straight, meaning in the correct direct line surname sequence. My list is in alphabetical order with the oldest family line being first.  For example, I have six people by the name of Daniels, my six Stephen Daniels to be exact. How am I going to remember who was married to whom, and the dates.  It was while working on his line that I decided to devise this list.  At that time, I didn't have a laptop to bring to the library, so it was either rely on my memory, print out scads of family group sheets, or bring a one page printout of a Word document.  To print out my entire listing runs 52 pages (done in 2003), so I would simply cut and page, and carry just a few pages.

I thought it appropriate to use the example of my Van Woert line for Surname Saturday, since I just connected with a new cousin this week.  He found me, the day I posted cemetery pictures for our family on Tuesday Tombstone!  Both our lines left Oneonta, New York and settled in Battle Creek, Michigan.

This method is great for when you are looking at books with genealogies (family histories). If you were in the section that that began with "V"  in a library and found a book on Van Woert, check out the index to see if you have any of the names below. (At the bottom, is the copy I gave the students.)

VAN WOERT (all have the surname of Van Woert)
Teunis Jacobsesn (Abt. 1634--) married April 19, 1650 Sara Denys (Abt. 1629--)
Jacob Teunisse (1651-July 18, 1730) married Annatje Lookerman (--July 31, 1742)
Jacob (Bapt. Oct. 30, 1698-1765) married Oct. 17, 1723 Hendrikje Ooothout (Bapt. April 9, 1699-April 21, 1764)
Jacob (Bapt. Jan. 8, 1723/24--) married Elizabeth Fort (Bapt. April 23, 1727-May 30, 1756)
Jacob (July 7, 1754-June 27, 1843) married March 30, 1777 Sarah Van Ness (Bapt. March 15,  1754-April 22, 1832)
John (Dec. 21, 1781-Jan. 5, 1870) married Lany / Magdalane Young (May 31, 1784-March 31, 1849) Also married Nancy Hess Scrambling (1781-April 1873)
Sarah (Aug. 17, 1813-Feb. 18, 1863) married Jacob Scrambling (1810 – April 9, 1886)