Complicated relations

I sometimes think that future genealogists will have serious problems to decode the multiple possible relationships - and the potential confusion about family names - which have developed recently or are developping still. But that is nothing new. Even with the single form of religious marriage (plus births out of wedlock) things could get complicated too.

The following comes from "Gezinsreconstructie gemeente Pamel 1622 - 1796" by Rita Van Isveldt, who, by the way, has contributed a very significant part to my ancestry chart.

I shall give the year of marriage and of death only. The information is complicated enough as it is.

My ancestor Cornelius Sterckx married three times :
-- in 1694 : Elisabeth Van der Beeren : they had two children (one still born). Elisabeth died in 1708 ;
-- in 1708 : Maria Huylenbroeck : they had one child. Maria died in 1713 ;
-- in 1713 : my ancestor Catharina Van Cauwelaert : they had four children.
Cornelius died in 1719.

In 1720, Catharina Van Cauwelaert remarried Joannes Van den Bossche with whom she had four children.

After Catharina died in 1751, Joannes married Joanna Maria De Vidts : they had six children. Joannes died in 1763.

And the show went on : Joanna Maria De Vidts married Bernardus Smet, probably in the mid- or late sixties. Maria Anna had another six children and died in 1779.

Bernardus Smet married two more times :
in 1780 he married Elisabeth Kestens and they had one child. Elisabeth died in 1784 ;
in 1784 he married another Elisabeth, family name Van Linthoudt : they had seven kids. Elisabeth died in 1804 and Bernardus followed in 1812.

I repeat :

Cornelius Sterckx had seven children out of three marriages ;
Catharina Van Cauwelaert had eight children out of two marriages ;
Joannes Van den Bossche had ten children out of two marriages ;
Joanna Maria De Vidts had twelve children out of two marriages ;
Bernardus Smet had fourteen kids out of three marriages.

My ancestor Nicolaes Sterckx (Pamel 1714 - 1803) - a son of Cornelius Sterckx and Catharina Van Cauwelaert, thus had three types of siblings on his father's side, and two on his mother's side. But then his stepfather had two types of children too ... and the story continues ...

By the way, I hope I got all that right !