Vorhies

     If we were to climb the Vorhies family tree, we would probably get to Steven Coerte Van Voorhies born in 1600. Yes, I know the spelling is not the same. The Van Voorhies family spelling varies in a couple of dozen ways. This is addressed on the website www.vanvoorhees.org This website is fun to browse and if you go to the 9th generation list, you will find our own John McLaughlin Vorhies (1850-1939). There is an abundance of information on this family.
     Before me, many Vorhies relatives have worked on this genealogy.  One of those was our grandma, Nina Smith Grisso.  I have found copies of letters, responses, charts, association applications and many other treasures in her papers including a book titled Historical Handbook of the Van Voorhees Family in
 the Netherlands and America.  She must have been really in to it in 1965.  Many envelopes as well as letters show this date.  Her first cousin, Verl L. Vorhies ( I thought it was spelled Verle but since this letter is in his handwriting, I guess I am wrong) supplied her with many names and dates as well.  She has a letter from the Van Voorhees Association telling her how to add additional descendants. I do not know if this was accomplished or not. This will give me something to research on rainy days when I can't go to my garden.       
      The Van Voorhees family is the largest Dutch family in the United States. Bet you didn't know that! Or that we had any Dutch genes at all.
     For now my purpose is storytelling and trying to make our grandparents and their grandparents and on back more real to us all.
     I was thinking that I will climb the Vorhies Tree in the future and that for now, I am just picking up the fruit (research I have already done) from the ground.

    P.S. After you check out www.vanvoorhies.com, if you find something you wish to share or something you think others would find interesting, let me know.  YSAFH (your self-appointed family historian)