Sorting My Dutch Ancestors

I like sorting things. I love to organize items, and my labeller and storage tubs are my friends. My spice cupboard is in alphabetical order, and all labels face out.

I am always saying to my husband "Like things go together" when I discover he has put the cans of black beans in the cupboard with crackers. My canned goods are arranged in groups - all the beans are together, and within that broad category, they are arranged by type of bean. And of course, all labels face outwards!

I suspect that is why I have always loved math. For me math brings order and pattern out of chaos. 

So when I saw a recent post in a Dutch Genealogy group, it immediately appealed to me. One member posed a question to the group "According to your family tree, from which provinces in the Netherlands did your ancestors come from?"

My father's line comes from early 17th century Dutch who came to what is now New York. I have dozens of Dutch ancestors, and while I know the general area or town they were from, it never occurred to me to sort them by provinces in the Netherlands. So I've begun that project.

• Limburg - Van Valkenburg, Vrooman, Gerritsen
• South Holland - Wouters, Post, de Groot
• Utrecht - Van Slyke, Damen,  Van Schaik, Van Reumsthofste,
• North Holland - Ryckman, Van Horn, Shubber, Van der Straaten
• Friesland - Shuart
• Zeeland - Michaelsen
• North Brabant - Clopper 
• Overyssel - Ecker
• Gelderland - Coerten

That's as far as I've gone but there are many more that I need to slot into their correct provinces. I still have to sort DeGraw, Van Alstyne, Snediker (probably German), Vonk, Van Woert, Idens, Van Horn, Vanderburg, Van Rottmer, Moockers,  Leydecker, Walings/Wallich, Van Huyse, and Van der Morsch