Thanks for the warm welcome! I joined earlier today to learn more about the history of my last name. It seems to have traveled from the Netherlands to their former colony, South Africa, as early as the mid 1600s. Also, from the Netherlands, many people emigrated to New England in the late 1600s. This morning, I also learned that someone in Alberta, Canada, also has the exact same first and last name as myself. I believe that he or his ancestors traveled to Canada from New England, giving him the same last name as myself.
Ryan, it sounds like you’ve made some GREAT discoveries already. Good for you! If you start entering your ancestors, starting with your parents, you can make connections to ancestors and other relatives in our tree.
If you have any questions about WikiTree, just click the option to reply to this message and let me know how I can help.
Pippin Sheppard ~ WikiTree Greeter
Thanks again, Ryan Verwey
Pip