Distant relations

So I see it has almost been another month since my last post.  As predicted, I got myself off on another rabbit trail (as I figured I would), but for the moment I'm done with it.

Given that my last name (Korstange) isn't very common, it's always intrigued me that there are other Korstange families near me that aren't easily connected to mine.  I actually went to high school with a Korstange who's name was so similar to mine that our accounting teacher used to mix our test grades up.  Upon researching and using a Korstanje genealogy book I have I was able to find that we are half 7th cousins, 1x removed (we have the same 7th great grandfather, back to 1705).  What made it amazing to me is that he lived in the house that my paternal grandfather lived in............just a small world.

So, my last rabbit trail was completing all the Korstanje lines that I could trace in America.  I wonder if my immigrant ancestor Jan Korstanje knew he was related to so many people in west Michigan?  Here are the immigrant ancestors and their connection to me - if you're descended from the Korstanje line and your immigrant ancestor isn't listed fire me a message - I'd love to connect more Dutch-American families.

• Pieter Cornelis Korstange 3/4/1894, Samuel C Korstanje 3/27/1891 and Johannes Hendrik Korstanje 11/28/1901 - 4th cousins, 3x removed (all 3 brothers)

• Hubregt Korstange 1/30/1858 - 7th cousin, 6x removed

• Anthonie Korstanje 8/20/1855 - 1st cousin, 5x removed

• John Korstange 1/12/1845 - 8th cousin, 5x removed

• Janna Korstanje (Daane) 4/21/1854 and brother Jan Korstanje 1/25/1861 - 8th cousins, 5x removed

• Pieter Korstanje 12/9/1809 - 6th cousin, 7x removed (his brother Jan was the father of Hubregt b. 1858)  (His granddaughter Maud DeBok (via daughter Dena) married Matthew De Leeuw, son of a Cornelia Korstanje, unk link at this point)

• Anthony Henry Lemmer  5/21/1925 - 10th cousin, 3x removed (Mayor of Portage MI abt 1967)  (His grandmother Cora Cook was a granddaughter of Pieter) - listed separately as it's amazing to me that (possibly) concurrent mayors of a city were related. 

• Engel Corstange 4/18/1923 - 11th cousin, 2x removed (Mayor of Portage MI 1973-1985)

• William Corstange 6/12/1885 - 9th cousin, 4x removed

• Hubrecht Corstange 11/23/1884 - 7th cousin, 4x removed

• Martha Corstanje Karelse 3/12/1857 - 8th cousin, 5x removed

• Pieter Corstanje 4/21/1851 - 8th cousin, 5x removed

• Adrian Korstange 10/2/1877 - 7th cousin, 4x removed

• Leunis Korstange 4/16/1840 - half 3rd cousin, 5x removed

• Jan Quakkelaar 1/21/1888 - 2nd cousin, 4x removed (son of Gabriel and Neeltje Korstanje Quakkelaar)

• Pieter de Leeuw 10/21/1860 and sister Catharina de Leeuw 3/14/1869 - 7th cousins, 4x removed (children of Willem and Stoffelina Korstanje de Leeuw)

These are families that came to America but didn't settle in Michigan:

• Marinus Korstanje 9/2/1880 and sister Jannetje Korstanje 2/12/1887 (California) and brother Nicolaas Korstanje (Oregon) 6/16/1884 - 2nd cousins, 4x removed

• Bastiaan Korstanje 11/9/1898 - (Ohio & West Virginia), Peter Korstanje 6/29/1896, Marinus Korstanje 8/20.1902 and Mary Korstanje 3/25/1910 (California)- all siblings, 4th cousins, 3x removed.   (Their brother Dignus 7/26/1906 traveled extensively and appears to have settled in Canada)

• Cornelis Rietveld 8/14/1881 - 9th cousin, 4x removed, (son of Leendert and Leuntje Korstanje Rietveld - Janna Korstanje Daane is Leuntje's sister) (Minnesota)

• Gerard Korstanje 12/28/1870 - 8th cousin, 5x removed (Illinois)

• Gerda Postma Witkamp 6/23/1925 - 1/2 5th cousin, 3x removed (daughter of Gerben and Soetje Korstanje Postma) (many states) 

• Marinus Waterman 9/22/1922 - 10th cousin, 3x removed (son of Hubrecht Waterman and Adriana Korstanje) (New Jersey)