Liz's Surname Table

So I came across a pin on Pinterest about creating a Surname Table.  The article stated this table would be a big help in finding common surnames among DNA matches.  I can see some use in basic genealogy research also, such as seeing the "holes" in your research and trying to remember all the surnames.  As for myself, I get so focused on certain surnames, I forget about some of others!  This helps me see at a glance what surnames are in my tree so hopefully I won't overlook a mention of one of them on my next research trip.

This was a little tricky for me, especially the 4th great-grandparent area.  Maybe it's because there are so many I don't know or that it was hard to find a format in FTM 2017 that made me see the names easily.  Either way, hopefully, it is correct now. 

My great-grandmother, Bessie Alice Carter Ranney was adopted.  So the cells with the * indicates her adopted line so I don't need to research those surnames. 

My father's paternal line and my mother's paternal line overlap.  So the ### in a cell indicates a repeat surname. 

You will see a couple of names mentioned twice.  This is because they are in different lines, and I am not sure yet if they are the same family. 

And of course, empty (blank) cells indicate I have some more research to do!

The article I got the idea from is located here:  our-surname-tables-for-dna-research.  I was confused by her video (because I don't have that cool fan tree she used!), but it gave me the general idea, and I figured it out from there.  The order of the columns are Paternal Father, Paternal Mother, Maternal Father, and Maternal Mother.

Try it out.  Add a tool to your genealogy toolbox.  Let me know if you have questions, and I'll try my best to help.