This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/kFB.2ACE/5660 Message Board Post: Was just evesdropping but deleted the message. Duh! This is in reply to some query about Koopman and their inability to find the name in the Netherlands. 1. Koopman is a very common Dutch name here and there are dozens of people with that surname in western Michigan. 2. The Grand Rapids Public Library has a set of books written in Dutch that list every surname and province that name occured in. 3. Most of the Dutch in western Michigan came from the Northeastern provinces: Drenth, Gronigan, Overeisel, Friesland, and Gelderland. (off the top of my head. Chekc a map) 4. Spelling proves nothing and mis-spellings are predictable. I can predict that someone outside western Michgian will mis-spell my name as Mr. Mark Vander. 5. Foreign names were spelled American. For example American Colebaugh was really German Kohlbach. Learn something about the Dutch language and then you can determine "mis-spellings". Hope this ideas help.