Direct male and direct female lines

What do Franciscus Timmermans (+ Gooik 1692) and Joanna Maria Renneboog (Aaigem 1705 - Denderhoutem 1775) have in common ? They are the furthest ancestors I found in the direct male line and in the direct female line (the oldest forefather of my father ; the oldest "foremother" of my mother).

And the difference ? Without a major stroke of luck, Franciscus may be the furthest Timmermans I will ever link to - the church registers for Gooik are a mess for the early 17th century, and, given the high frequency of my family name in Gooik and the surrounding region, it will be difficult to find a sure link. I have not yet looked at other sources, but the same remark applies to any source at all.

Joanna Maria Renneboog is the furthest "foremother", not because I have "ran aground", but because I haven't looked at her ascendancy yet. She is one of the - up to now not so many - forebears who do not find their roots in the southeastern part of the province Oost-Vlaanderen or in West Brabant, regions on which my research has focused.

More about Joanna Maria Renneboog tomorrow.