Divorce Notice : Ida B. Hancock v. Samuel J. Hancock, Monroe County, Indiana (1894)

Bloomington World
Bloomington, Indiana
April 26, 1894, page 3

Located this notice of the filing of the divorce of Ida B. (Davis) Hancock (1874-1900), my maternal 2nd great-grandmother.  This is the first time I've seen her name with a middle initial of "B".

New Suits Filed :  The following suits have been filed since the last term of court:.....Ida B. Hancock vs. Samuel J. Hancock, Divorce.  

I've not been able to locate a copy of the divorce record yet. Several years ago I wrote requesting a copy of it, but was unsuccessful.  I may need to pay a courthouse visit.  Now that I have a better date of the filing, I might have better luck in finding the record.

A letter in my files on Ida states they filed for divorce May 1894, were married August 27, 1892 and lived together until February 3, 1893, when he abandoned her. For past two years she was a resident of Bean Blossom Township.

Will continue my search for more on Ida's short life.

Admixture - Eurogenes - Eileen

Used the free tools at Gedmatch.com to compute the admixture of Eileen's DNA using the Eurogenes K13 project.  Admixture is when two or more previously separated populations interbreed.  The Eurogenes project is for those with primarily European ancestry, and more detail can be found at the Eurogenes Genetic Ancestry Project blog.

Population  

North_Atlantic 44.69%

Baltic                 24.31%

West_Med         17.01%

West_Asian        6.64%

East_Med           4.91%

Red_Sea             0.25%

South_Asian       1.52%

East_Asian -    

Siberian -    

Amerindian         0.22%

Oceanian            0.44%

Northeast_African -    

Sub-Saharan -    

This gives an interesting picture of Eileen's deep ancestry, with slight traces of Native American not picked up by 23andMe.

Admixture : Eurogenes - Travis

I took advantage of the free tools at Gedmatch.com to compute the admixture of my DNA using the Eurogenes K13 project.  Admixture is when two or more previously separated populations interbreed.  The Eurogenes project is for those with primarily European ancestry, and more detail can be found at the Eurogenes Genetic Ancestry Project blog.

Population  

North_Atlantic 44.47%

Baltic                 26.11%

West_Med           12.66%

West_Asian          6.16%

East_Med              5.55%

Red_Sea               0.15%

South_Asian          1.98%

East_Asian -    

Siberian -    

Amerindian           1.29%

Oceanian -    

Northeast_African  1.52%

Sub-Saharan          0.10%

This paints an interesting picture of my deep ancestry with only slight variation from 23andMe, showing traces of Native American.

Tracking my atDNA matches

I've been spending a lot of time lately maintaining a spreadsheet of my autosomal DNA matches as suggested by Jim Bartlett and detailed at Kitty Cooper's blog.  In the meantime I've been reading and trying to learn as much as I can about how autosomal DNA works.

I've added the matching detail and the chromosone mapping from the first set of 23andMe matches as well as those from Gedmatch.  I have over 1000 matches at 23andMe alone - it will take me some time to get this all down.

I'm lucky that both of my parents have tested now at 23andme. Mom's results are ready, dad's are just about ready.  Because they've been tested, I can easily tell which of my matches come from which side of the family. 

Using the spreadsheet, I will triangulate among the matches to identify relatives that match me at the same chromosone segments.  This should help identify that we are descended from a common ancestor.  Then, hopefully, we can use the family tree information to determine which ancestor.

Right now, I've clearly identified the common ancestors of two matches on my paternal side and one match on the maternal.  There is so much more to discover!

DNA : Eileen's Ancestry Composition

Eileen's results processed from the DNA test she took at 23andMe and her results were not quite what she expected.

Here is the "Conservative" estimate of her genetic make-up : 97.9% European, 2.1% unassigned.

There was no trace of any Native American, or any other ancestry for that matter, than European found.  A full 51.1% of non-specific northern European and 43.6% of non-specific European.

Here is the "Standard" estimate of her genetic make-up : 99.6% European, .4% unassigned.

This is a better break-down, showing 18.7% British & Irish, only 58.3% non-specific northern European and 21.7% non-specific European.  The .8% eastern European is interesting, as this is an unknown aspect of her family history.

Here is the "Speculative" estimate of her genetic make-up : 43.2% British & Irish, 9.8% French & German, .7% Scandinavian and 38.8% non-specific northern European.

The 2.4% non-specific southern European and 1.2% eastern European will be the most interesting to see if we can discover during this DNA research.  There is no known history of this ethnicity in her family.

Eileen was surprised that no Native American showed up on the test, and I was surprised that we weren't related to each other.  We have Swiss Mennonite families in the same area, I thought for sure we would be distantly related.

The good news is that we are hopeful that her mom and brother will test with 23andMe as well.

Death Certificate : Adam Holzhauer (1845-1910), Erie County, Ohio

"Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X88V-NHL : accessed 30 Mar 2014), Adam Holzhauer, 07 Oct 1910; citing Huron, Erie, Ohio, reference cn 54608; FHL microfilm 1952609.

Located the death certificate of Adam Holzhauer (1845-1910), husband of Mary Elizabeth (Haley) Holzhauer, at FamilySearch.  A couple of things stand out about this death certficate.

First of all, the cause of death - strangulation due to hanging himself - suicide.  Such a sad ending.  

Next, the date of death is not filled out, only the date of burial.  Did they not know when exactly he died?  Was he not found for some time?  Perhaps a newspaper search will yield some clues.

The informants name given as Frank A. Holzhauer of Buckingham, Illinois. This was his son, now I have another location to research.

Adam is buried at the Scotts (now Scott Union) Cemetery in Huron, Erie County, Ohio with his wife.  They both have memorial pages at FindAGrave.com

Obituary : Mrs. Adam Holzhauer (1848-1908)

Sandusky Star-Journal
Sandusky, Ohio
February 10, 1908, page 10

DEATH Claimed Well-Known Huron Woman in a Cleveland Hospital

Special to the Star-Journal

HURON, O.  Feb. 10. - Mrs. Adam Holzhauer, a well known resident of this place, died Sunday morning at a hospital in Cleveland, where she had been taken last Tuesday to undergo and operation.  An examination of Mrs. Holzhauer's condition shortly after her arrival disclosed the fact that she was suffering with a cancer in the pit of her stomach, making an operation impossible.

Mrs. Holzhauer was 57 years of age.  She leaves a husband, one son, Frank, and one daughter, Emma.  The remains will be brought here this evening and the funeral will occur Tuesday afternoon at 1 o'clock from the Evangelical church.

----

Another obituary located at Ancestry.com for Mary Elizabeth (Haley) Holzhauer, daughter of George J. and Rachel (Gary) Haley, my paternal 2x-great grandaunt.  This one gives the names of two surviving children that I previously did not know.

The earlier obit from the Evangelical Messenger did not give the place of death.  

Her memorial page at FindAGrave is located here.  The names of her deceased children are there as well : Jennie and John.

I've done some preliminary research at Ancestry family trees and it appears that daughter Jennie may have died from suicide.  More mysteries.

Obituary : Mary Elizabeth (Haley) Holzhauer (1848-1908)

Evangelical Messenger
February 26, 1908, page 24

HOLZHAUER - Elizabeth Holzhauer, a daughter of the sainted Rev. George Haley, was born October 24, 1848, in Fairfield County, Ohio, and died February 9, 1908.  In the spring of 1863 she came with her parents to Huron, Ohio.  Soon afterwards she gave her heart to God and united with our Church at Huron, Ohio, of which she was a very faithful member.  In 1869 she was united in marriage with Adam Holzhauer; the union was blessed with 2 sons and 2 daughters; one son and 1 daughter preceded her in death.  The cause of her death was cancer of the stomach.  She was a good wife and a loving mother, a noble and devout Christian, a regular attendant at the church services, and ever ready to assist in every worthy enterprise of the church.  She leaves husband, 1 son, 1 daughter, 4 brothers, 3 sisters and a large circle of other relatives and friends.    C.H. BUNDT

----

This obituary for Mary Elizabeth (Haley) Holzhauer helps connect her to the family of George J. and Rachel (Gary) Haley.  Prior to this find, I had only tracked her through the 1860 census, when she was 11, and she was not with the family in the 1870.  As her obituary indicates, she married in 1869 to Adam Holzhauer.  This now gives me another line to track down to the present, as she had 2 sons and 2 daughters for me to research.

Exploratory Data Analysis : Gincy _____ Cromeans / Cummings (c1814-aft1880)

Gincy ______ Cromeans / Cummings (c1814-aft1880) was Eileen's paternal 2-great grandmother.  What follows is an exploratory analysis of the biographical data I have discovered about her.

1. Vital Records

     1.1. Birth Certificate

          Gincy was born circa 1814 in South Carolina¹ or circa 1816 in South Carolina², according to census records.

          1.1.1. Birth Notice in Newspaper

               Without an exact data and a surname, finding any mention of Gincy's birth in an newspaper will be impossible at this time.

          1.1.2. Bible Record

               I am not aware of any surviving Bible record of the Cummings family.  Will continue to reach out to extended family in hopes that one is discovered.

          1.1.3. Baptismal Record

               I am not aware of any baptismal record for Gincy, and without and a surname, finding one will be impossible at this time.

          1.1.4. Adoption Record

               There is no indication that Gincy is adopted.

     1.2. Marriage License

          Gincy and Spencer Cromeans/Cummings were married before 1832, probably in the Walker County, Alabama area.  To date I have been unsuccessful in discovering a record of their marriage.  Their first child, Patrick was born in September 1832 in Walker County, Alabama.

          1.2.1 Marriage Notice in Newspaper

               Without an exact date to search, finding a mention of Gincy and Spencer's nuptials will be impossible for now.

          1.2.2. Anniversary Notice

                As with a wedding notice, without an exact date to search, finding any mention of anniversary celebrations will be difficult.

          1.2.3. Divorce Decree

               There is no indication that Gincy and Spencer were ever divorced, but a thorough search of court records in Winston County, Alabama will need to be completed.

     1.3. Death Certificate

          Gincy's exact date of death remains unknown at this time.  She was living as of June 17, 1880, when the census of Wayne County, Tennessee was completed.

          1.3.1. Obituary in Newspaper

               As with other newspaper items, without an exact date of death, it will be nearly impossible to find an obituary record for Gincy.

          1.3.2. Funeral Home Records

               Funeral home records in Wayne County, Tennessee will need to be searched to see if a record could be turned up for Gincy.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items.

          1.3.3. Tombstone Photograph

               Gincy's final resting place has not been discovered, though it is assumed that it is in Wayne County, Tennessee.  Will continue to search for it and add it to my "to-do" list.

2. Census Records

     2.1. Federal Census Records

          2.1.1. 1880 Federal Census

               On June 17, 1880, Gincy was enumerated as the head of household in District 9, Wayne County, Tennessee¹, as Gincy Cummings, white, age 66, housekeeper.  She was born in South Carolina as were both of her parents.

          2.1.2. 1870 Federal Census

               As of yet, I have not been able to locate Gincy in the 1870 census.  I believe she should be in Alabama or Wayne County, Tennessee.  Son Patrick was in Winston County, Alabama and son Wyatt was in Colbert County, Alabama in the 1870 census.

          2.1.3. 1860 Federal Census

               As of yet, I have not been able to locate Gincy in the 1860 census.  I believe that she should be found in Winston County, Alabama.

          2.1.4. 1850 Federal Census

               On October 25, 1850, Gincy was enumerated in the Spencer Cromeans household in Northern District 38, Hancock County, Alabama², as Gincy Cromeans, age 34, female, born in South Carolina.

     2.2. State Census Records

          Gincy was located in the 1866 state census of Alabama, living in Winston County, Alabama³.

     2.3. Agricultural Census Records

          I have not yet examined these types of census records to see what light they might shed on the Cummings families.

3. Military Records

     3.1. Draft Registration

          Not applicable, as Gincy was female.

     3.2. Pension Records

          I am not aware of any military service by her husband or father that would have made Gincy eligible to receive these types of benefits.

     3.3. Service Records

          Not applicable, as Gincy was female.

4. Land Records

     4.1. Deed Records

          Deed records need to be thoroughly researched in Winston County, Alabama and Wayne County, Tennessee to see what records might mention Gincy.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

     4.2. Plat map / county map

          Plat maps in Winston County, Alabama and Wayne County, Tennessee will need to be researched to see what might be relevant to my search for Gincy.

5. Supplemental Records

     Supplemental records available for research on Gincy include city/county directories, court records and will and probate records. Will add these to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

Sources :

1. Gincy Cummings household, 1880 U.S. census, population schedule, District 9, Wayne County, Tennessee, ED 169, SD 4, page 14B, dwelling 87, family 87; National Archives micropublication T9, roll 1284, page 87.
2. Spencer Cromeans household, 1850 U.S. census, population schedule, Northern District 38, Hancock County, Alabama, dwelling 5, family 5; National Archives micropublication M432, roll 6, page 357.
3. "Alabama, State Census, 1866," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V6PL-4JM : accessed 30 Mar 2014), Jency Commins, Winston, Alabama; citing Department of Archives and History, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 1492023.

This post was developed as part of the series relating to Building My 2011 Research Template, an attempt to systematically document and source the details of my ancestors' lives. Comments regarding this template and the conclusions drawn in this article are welcomed.

Throwback Thursday : Dad Addressing the School Board

The Alexandrian, Alexandria, Indiana
July 8, 1996, page 1

Back in the summer of 1986, my dad addressed the Alexandria-Monroe School Board regarding concerns regarding staffing issues in the schools.  He made the front page, and this was the start of his political career on the board. 

Bloomington Evening World, June 17, 1916 page 3

Bloomington Evening World
June 17, 1916, page 3

ELLETTSVILLE items

Robert Gilliland is confined to his home on account of heart trouble.

----

Robert Farrell Gilliland (1849-1916) was my maternal 3x-step-great grandfather.  He married my 3x-great grandmother, Mary Ellen (Swafford) Davis on November 15, 1884.  They had 2 children together, and raised the 2 children of Mary's daughter, Ida Davis.

Robert died August 4, 1916 at Whitehall, Clay Township, Owen County, Indiana.  He is buried in the M.E. Cemetery in Ellettsville, Monroe County, Indiana.

Obituary : Barbara Helen (Haley) Easterday (1835-1908)

Evangelical Messenger
April 15, 1908, page 23

EASTERDAY - Barbara Helen Easterday, nee Haley, daughter of Rev. Geo. Haley, was born at Goshen, Hardin Co., O., Nov. 20, 1835, and died at her home at Portland, Ind., March 28, 1908.  In 1853 she was united in marriage with Christian Easterday.  This union was blessed with 3 sons and 3 daughters.  The youngest preceded her in death.  Mother Easterday was converted when only ten years of age.  She united with our Church and remained faithful.  Her daily life was a living testimony to the saving and keeping power of the grace of God.  She was a true Christian, blessed with a kind, sympathetic and humble disposition, and was esteemed by all who knew her.  She leaves husband, 3 sons, 2 daughters, 19 grandchildren, 4 brothers, 2 sisters and a host of other relatives and friends.  Franklin S. Erne

---
Barbara Helen (Haley) Easterday was my paternal 2x-great grandaunt, our common ancestors are George J. and Rachel (Gary) Haley.  Her children were William B., John G., Philemon, Rachel and Mary Abbie.  The family lived in Fulton County, Ohio for a time before moving to Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana.

DNA : Wardlaw Connection

Researcher Amanda contacted me because she saw my Gedcom file at Gedmatch.com contained a set of common ancestors with her - William Wardlaw and Jane Harper.  They happen to be my maternal 7th-great grandparents.

William born circa 1700 in Scotland or Ireland immigrated to America and ended up in Augusta County, Virginia.  Jane Harper's birth and death dates are unknown to me.  I show they were the parents of seven children : James, John,  Hugh, Joseph, Robert, William and Margaret.  They were the generation that fought in the Revolutionary War.

My line comes through Robert born circa 1745 Augusta County, Virginia who settled in Brown County, Ohio. He married circa 1768 to Janet Downey.  Amanda's line comes through Hugh Wardlaw born circa 1740 who settled in Abbeville District, South Carolina.  He married Elizabeth Coulter.

Taking the information from our kits at Gedmatch, I did the one-to-one match comparison.

The results show that we have no matching DNA.  This can mean a number of things:

1. My paper trail genealogy from William Wardlaw and Jane Harper is wrong.
2. Amanda's paper trail genealogy from William Wardlaw and Jane Harper is wrong.
3. Not enough DNA from William Wardlaw and Jane Harper was passed down to me.
4. Not enough DNA from William Wardlaw and Jane Harper was passed down to Amanda.

I've posted at one of the FB groups for DNA genealogy to get opinions of those more seasoned in the DNA genealogy game.  So far, it appears that anyone of the options above could be the case.

How secure am I in the paper trail genealogy?  Not as secure as I should be. The early generation comes from a compiled Wardlaw genealogy.  Robert Wardlaw becomes Wardlow when he gets into Ohio.  There is a 45 year gap between William's supposed birth and Roberts.  Could there be another generation in between?  Very possible.

Either way, more research will need to be done on this line to see if it is valid.

Exploratory Data Analysis : Elizabeth (Schafer) Miller (1837-bef1887)

Elizabeth (Schafer) Miller (1837-bef1887) was Corinne's maternal 3rd-great grandmother. What follows is an exploratory analysis of the biographical data I have discovered about her.


1. Vital Records


      Elizabeth was born circa 1837 in Germany¹, according to the 1860 census, and more specifically, Hesse-Darmstadt², in the 1870 census.  I have not discovered her parents or any record of her birth in Europe.

     1.1. Birth Certificate

          Without her parents names and an exact date, it will be difficult to locate any record of her birth.

          1.1.1. Birth Notice in Newspaper

               Without an exact location or date of birth, it will be impossible to locate mention of her birth in a local newspaper.

          1.1.2. Bible Record

               I am unaware of any surviving family Bible record for the Schafer family.  Will continue to reach out to extended family in hopes that one will be discovered.

          1.1.3. Baptismal Record

               Without an exact location or date of birth, will not be able to locate a baptismal record for Elizabeth.

          1.1.4. Adoption Record

               There is no indication that Elizabeth was adopted.

     1.2. Marriage License

          Elizabeth married William Miller on January 31, 1856 in Posey County, Indiana.  I do not yet have a copy of their marriage license. Familysearch.org has the marriage index showing Elizabeth's surname as Schaver. Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

          1.2.1 Marriage Notice in Newspaper

               I have not yet searched out available newspapers from the time period to see if William and Elizabeth's marriage mentioned.   

          1.2.2. Anniversary Notice

               William and Elizabeth's 25th wedding anniversary was January 31, 1881.  Will need to search contemporary newspaper accounts to see if mention was made of any anniversary celebrations.

          1.2.3. Divorce Decree

               There is no indication that William and Elizabeth were divorced, but a thorough search of court records in Posey and Vanderburgh Counties, Indiana needs to be completed.  Will add this to my "to-do" list for my next research trip.

     1.3. Death Certificate

          I do not have an exact date of death for Elizabeth.  However, husband William remarried May 5, 1887 in Vanderburgh County, Indiana.  Barring an unknown divorce, Elizabeth would have died before May 1887.

          1.3.1. Obituary in Newspaper

               Without an exact date of death, I am unable at this time to obtain a copy of her obituary.  

          1.3.2. Funeral Home Records

               Funeral home records might be available that would help identify when and where Elizabeth died.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

          1.3.3. Tombstone Photograph

               Once I obtain her death information, will attempt to obtain a photograph of her tombstone.  A preliminary search at FindAGrave did not locate a memorial page for Elizabeth.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

2. Census Records

     2.1. Federal Census Records

          2.1.1. 1880 Federal Census

               On June 1, 1880, Elizabeth was enumerated in the William Miller household in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana³, as Elizabeth Miller, age 42, keeping house.  She was born in Germany, and both her parents were born in Germany.

          2.1.2. 1870 Federal Census

              On July 22, 1870, Elizabeth was enumerated in the William Miller household in the 3rd Ward of Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana², as Elizabeth Miller, age 32, keeping house.  She was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, and both her parents were of foreign birth.

          2.1.3. 1860 Federal Census

               On June 18, 1860, Elizabeth was enumerated in the William Miller household in Robinson Township, Posey County, Indiana¹, as Elizabeth Miller, age 23, born in Germany.

     2.2. State Census Records

          The State of Indiana conducted state census in 1853, 1857, 1871, 1877, 1883, 1889, 1901, 1913, 1919 and 1931.  These, however, were merely for the purposes of legislative apportionment.

     2.3. Agricultural Census Records

          I have not yet investigated these types of census records to see what light they might shed on the Miller family.

3. Military Records

     3.1. Draft Registration

          Not applicable, as Elizabeth was female.

     3.2. Pension Records

          I am not aware of any military service by Elizabeth's father or husband that would have made her eligible to receive pension benefits.

     3.3. Service Records

          Not applicable, as Elizabeth was female.

4. Land Records

     4.1. Deed Records

          Deed records need to be thoroughly searched in Posey and Vanderburgh Counties, Indiana to see what records might mention Elizabeth.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

     4.2. Plat map / county map

          Plat maps in Posey and Vanderburgh Counties, Indiana will need to be searched to see what might be relevant to my search for Elizabeth.

5. Supplemental Records

     Supplemental records available for research on Elizabeth include city/county directories, court records and will and probate records.  Will add these to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

Sources:

1. William Miller household, 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Robinson Township, Posey County, Indiana, Stewartsville P.O., page 511, dwelling 417, family 362; National Archives micropublication M653, roll 290, page 576.
2. William Miller household, 1870 U.S. census, population schedule, 3rd Ward, Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, Evansville P.O., page 43, dwelling 265, family 263; National Archives micropublication M593, roll 364, page 218.
3. 1880 U.S. census, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, population schedule, enumeration district 83, SD 1, page 2, dwelling 10, family 13; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 January 2014); National Archives, Washington, D.C.

This post was developed as part of the series relating to Building My 2011 Research Template, an attempt to systematically document and source the details of my ancestors' lives. Comments regarding this template and the conclusions drawn in this article are welcomed.

Mrs. Clifford F. Doty, dies of tuberculosis

Goshen Daily Democrat
Goshen, Indiana
September 5, 1917, page 1

DOTY - Mrs. Clifford F. Doty, 20, died at her Elkhart home of tuberculosis.  Surviving are her husband and her parents, Rev. and Mrs. John Metzner

---

Located another mention of the obituary of Fern (Metzner) Doty, daughter of Rev. and Mrs. John Metzner and wife of Clifford Doty in the Goshen Daily Democrat, Goshen, Indiana.  

Obituary : Fern (Metzner) Doty (1897-1917)

Evangelical Messenger, October 17, 1917, page 2

Fern Doty, daughter of Rev. J.W. Metzner, and wife of Clifford F. Doty, fell asleep one day after her 20th birthday and lay in her casket on her second wedding anniversary.  Born Sept. 3, 1897, she departed Sept. 4, 1917.  Nurtured in an Evangelical parsonage she early received the best Christian training and at the age of 9 years was converted to God and united with our church.  Upon moving to Elkhart, she became a member of First church.  For 6 years she served in the capacity of pianist.  One daughter preceded her to the better world 4 months ago.  She was a dutiful, modest and highly respected young woman.  The Revs. Walmer, Roberts, Mygrant, D.D. Spangler assisted the undersigned in the obsequies.     E.W. Praetorius.

---

Fern (Metzner) Doty was my paternal second cousin twice removed, the daughter of John W. Metzner.  Our common ancestors were John Metzner and Catherine Young.

This obituary gave me not only her death and marriage information, but the fact that they lost a young daughter, another fact to be researched.

GEDmatch Comparison : Cousin Judy

Submitted my raw DNA file from 23andMe to the free third party tool, GEDmatch.com for comparison.  GEDmatch allows users from the three main testing sites, 23andMe, FamilyTreeDNA and Ancestry.com upload their raw data files and then the software will compare your autosomal DNA for matches.

While waiting on my file M170652 to be processed for the "one to many" matches, I was able to compare my file using the "one to one" match of my cousin, Judy.  We had corresponded years ago, and recently reconnected on Facebook. Judy and I connect on my maternal side and has her mother's file at GEDmatch.

This was the comparison that GEDmatch did on the DNA file of Mildred Crane Moore and myself.

 

The prediction was 3.4 generations to the MRCA (most recent common ancestor).

Mary Ellen Swafford (common ancestor)

Ida Davis & unknown                               Mary Florence Gilliland & Thomas Crane  (half sisters)

June Gilliland & Clemon Lambertson            Mildred Louise Crane & Merrill L. Moore (1^st cousins)
Bonnie Lambertson & William Wright           Judy Moore & Troy Hill (2^nd cousins)
Gloria Wright & Ord LeMaster                     

Travis LeMaster

Judy and my mom are 2nd cousins once removed, and Judy and I are 2nd cousins twice removed.  Though we already knew this on paper, it's nice to have the connection confirmed through DNA.

I'm eagerly awaiting GEDmatch fully processing my files, so that I can match with other cousins and begin sharing.  Another feature of the site is the ability to compare GEDCOMs.  I've uploaded a GEDCOM there as well, and the file number is 924805.

DNA : Ancestry Composition - Tweaking the Results

When I wrote about my Ancestry Composition results from 23andMe before, I didn’t realize that the numbers could be ‘tweaked’ just a bit, depending on how conservative or speculative an estimate you wanted to have.

For example, here are my “Conservative” estimates of my genetic make-up : 98.7% European, 1.3% Unassigned.

Note that a full 59.0% is Nonspecific Northern European.  That means that 23andMe found the markers in a wide enough group of places that they couldn’t say that part of my DNA came matched a specific population in, say France, for instance.  When you look at the “Standard” estimate results, you will see that play out.

Here are my “Standard” estimates of my genetic make-up : 99.8% European, .1% Sub-Saharan African, .1% Unassigned.

Notice in the “Standard” estimate, I pick up .1% of Sub-Saharan African.  If I’m reading the results correctly,  I have an ancestor back about 10 generations that was from Africa.  At 10 generations, there are 1024 ancestors to choose from.   Also, in this chart I have .3% Iberian and 1.1% Nonspecific Southern European.

Here are my “Speculative” estimates of my genetic make-up : 99.9% European, .1% Sub-Saharan African, less than .1% unassigned.

Now this is where I find it interesting.  Not only do they speculate that the .1% DNA that is Sub-Saharan African comes from Central & South Africa, but look at the break-out of the Southern European : 1.6% Italian, 1.3% Iberian and 1.3% Nonspecific European.  This is where some of the mystery comes in – I know of no ancestry in my paper trail genealogy that comes from these locales.  I’m speculating that this DNA comes from the ‘unknown’ ancestry of my maternal great-grandmother.  The breakout of 42.3% British & Irish and 14.4% French & German is more in line with what I would expect, based on the paper trail genealogy.

With both of my parents being tested, it will be interesting to see if my results change once they are tied to my account.  I also want to know if my theory about the maternal ancestry hold up.  I would be surprised, for example, if the southern European DNA shows up on my dad’s results.

Looks like the results get even better if you have a parent or child in the database :

DNA : My Maternal Haplogroup T2b

The results of my maternal haplogroup tested at 23andMe is T2b, a subset of T2, which comes from my mitochondrial DNA.  This DNA is passed through my maternal line, so it comes from my mother, her mother, her mother, etc. all the way back.

I find it interesting that the example populations are Northern European and Spanish.  My Ancestry Composition results showed 0.3% Iberian and 1.1% nonspecific Southern European.

DNA : My Paternal Haplogroup I1

The results of my paternal haplogroup tested at 23andMe determined that I was a part of haplogroup I1

I find it interesting that the highest frequency of this haplogroup was found in Scandinavia.  Paternal haplogroup is passed down from father to son, so somewhere way back there I have an ancestor from northern Europe.  With my dad being tested, he should also be in the haplogroup as well.

Only males have the Y-DNA haplogroup, but if females have their brothers or father’s tested they can find the haplogroup associated with their surname.

With my direct male LeMaster genealogy not being a definite connection to Abraham Lemaster of Charles Co., MD, I would be interested in seeing how my DNA compares with others who have a paper trail genealogy back to Abraham.