THE GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH

The research concerning the family tree and the history of the family Van de Vorst started in 1996. Many enquiries as to the past of the family were made in the local archives of Eindhoven. I searched through the records of baptisms, weddings and funerals. For the period after 1811 I traced my ancestors in official acts; and, as concerns removals, I consulted the population registers.

It became rapidly obvious that other people already did (and still doing) research about the "Van de Vorst" homonyms. But a few of them only have made publications. Some of those investigators were interested in a special family branch, others collected all the homonyms. But all the homonyms do not deal with the same family. There are several Van de(r) Vorst branches which, for the moment, do not seem to have any link with the family. Thanks to exchanges and data conjugating, I saw my research enlarged.
I am planning to publish a book about the family history. This book will contain precise facts. Pictures and other documents will take a large part in it. But I still have to carry on my research beforehand!

The aim of this website is to inform people about the current research and also a way to complete it: someone might be able to give me some more data and therefore contribute to make my work progress.

FROM WOUTERS and JOOSTEN TO VAN DE(R) VORST The starting point of my research has been the marriage certificate of my parents Francis JANSEN and Diny VAN DE VORST, daughter of Walter Van de Vorst, a blacksmith. My "own" research finally led me to Wilhelmus Van de Vorst, born in 1705 in Nuenen. Later I found the trace of other descendents and by means of different sources I am trying to get on to the present generation. Thanks to complementary research led by other people, I have been able to get further back in time and untill now I have a general view on 15 generations of the Van de Vorst family.
The "definite" surname has been established after a family WOUTERS or JOOSTEN and sometimes called CLAASSEN, in the 18th century, moved from the Vorsterdijk (streetname) in Nuenen to a place called Gerwen. At that time it was not compulsory to have a surname. That surname - Van de Vorst - was probably first used to indicate where the family lived.

SURNAMES OF 9 VAN DE VORST GENERATIONS
You can consult the names of 9 VAN DE VORST GENERATIONS on separate pages. It is a selection of the total data, including important data per person. The classification is done according to each generation.

You may be related to the Van de(r) Vorst family or wish to know some more about the family ? Do you have complementary information concerning the family history ? Please put a message in the GUESTBOOK. I'll answer you as soon as possible.