U.S. Soldier’s German Child (The Update)

More than 100,000 babies were born to unwed German mothers in the ten years following World War II. Their fathers, from Allied forces, left Germany without ever meeting them.

The children conceived during this time are nearing retirement and are still seeking answers.  With the increased popularity of DNA testing, they have an avenue to explore their biological heritage.  After all these years, many will learn who their fathers were.

The War Babes Act

According to gitrace.org, “War Babes” was a British-based organization established in the 1980s.  They assisted adults born to American service members during World War II (or other relevant periods.)  In 1989, they took out a class-action suit against the American Defense Department for refusing to release information about GI fathers.  On November 16, 1990, the War Babes organization settled its lawsuit against the U.S. government, allowing them to access military records.

Many children were born to U.S. service members who knew nothing about their fathers. With the advancement of DNA technology and the popularity of DNA testing sites, these individuals will soon identify their fathers. GI Trace has made it possible for those children to obtain military records on their suspected fathers to see if the files match their history.

My Friend, Susanne, A War Babe

Susanne was one of these “war babes.” She was born in Germany in the 1960s. Her biological father was in the Army, and her birth mother was a German woman. The couple had a two-year affair, and Susanne was their second daughter.

Susanne’s biological mother was German, so finding her would be more challenging, so we began with her paternal (American) side.  We started researching her DNA on Ancestry, looking for information about her father.  Her closest matches lived in the United States and appeared to be Americans; thus, her paternal side. There was a strong presence in Bradley, Tennessee, and somehow she was connected to the Epperson family, which became a possible surname.

As the weeks progressed, I narrowed her tree down quite a bit.  I created a family tree and added in her DNA matches (according to their trees), and pieced the family tree puzzle together, one person at a time.  Eventually, I confirmed that her paternal grandparents were Alvin Edgar Epperson (1905-1987) and Eva Claire Cook (1907-1994).  Her biological father had to be one of their sons. I began researching each of these children and discovered only one had been in the military during the 1960s, Thomas E. Epperson (1926-2003).

Sgt. Thomas Epperson was born in Tennessee in 1926.  He was the middle child of three boys, born to Alvin and Eva Epperson. He enlisted in the Army in 1946 and served out of Fort Benning Army Base.  Mr. Epperson married Helen Hook and had William “Randy” Epperson (1953-2013), Richard Epperson, born in 1954, and Donna Epperson.  Mr. Epperson served in Korea and Vietnam as a Staff sergeant.  Mr. Epperson appears to be Susanne’s biological father.  Unfortunately, he died in 2003. What was the connection? Was he stationed with Mr. Hall (who adopted Susanne?) Were they buddies?

Coincidences Between Biological and Adoptive Father

  • Both men were in the Army.
  • Both men served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
  • Both men were out of Ft. Benning, Georgia.
  • Both men were serving in Vietnam and stationed in Berlin, Germany

The Adoptive Family

Theodore Crossman Hall (1920-1969) and his wife, Helen “Toni” Carrier (1026-2009), adopted Susanne.

Mr. Hall was one of two sons born to Raymond Hall (`1893-1936) and Mary Loletta Cramer (1895-1978.)  He was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, in 1920.  He had enlisted in the United States Army and served during the Vietnam War. His tour began on August 11, 1968. Hall had the rank of Sergeant First Class. His military occupation or specialty was Light Weapons Infantry. His service number assignment was 16177855. He was attached to MACV, Advisory Team 100. During his service in the Vietnam War, Army Sergeant First Class Hall experienced a traumatic event that ultimately resulted in losing his life on March 6, 1969. The recorded circumstances attributed to Dying through non-hostile action. Theodore is honored on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 30w, Line 55.

COMMENDATIONS

Theodore Crossman Hall
★ Combat Infantryman Badge
★ Marksmanship Badge
★ National Defense Service Medal
★ Vietnam Campaign Medal
★ Vietnam Service Medal
★ Army Presidential Unit Citation
★ Vietnam Gallantry Cross
★ Army Good Conduct Medal

Helen “Toni” Carrier was one of ten children (six girls and four boys) born to

Helen “Toni” Carrier

Robert Smith Carrier (1902-1983) and Rosa Ellen Benedict (1900-1964.)  She was born in Kentucky, where she later met her husband, Theodore Hall.  The two lived in Germany during Vietnam and adopted Susanne in January 1961.  Mr. Crossman died in a military accident just eight years later, leaving Helen as her only parent.

 

 

 

 

 

Susanne’s German Mother

Brigitte Lange (1939-2016)

Susanne’s birth mother, Brigitte Lange, was a beautiful, slender, petit German woman. Brigitte fell in love with a U. S. Soldier stationed in Germany and had a multi-year relationship with him.  Their relationship yielded a daughter born in 1960 (Martina) and another in 1961 (Susanne.) Brigitte became pregnant with Susanne, and the relationship ended, leaving her to care for both girls alone. According to the story, the German authorities would not allow a single mother to have two children and receive financial assistance, so Ms. Lange placed Susanne for adoption.

Susanne’s Sister

Susanne knew she had an older sister named Martina.  Toni told Susanne that Martina was at the adoption hearing with her mother.  She said Brigitte met a soldier, and she wanted to get married and move to the United States.   I continued researching and discovered this public record.  Could this be Susanne’s sister Marina?  Did she leave Stuttgart, Germany, and move to Tennessee?   Initially, Susanne’s DNA offered few clues about Brigitte and Martina.

As the weeks passed, there was finally a new DNA match. It listed a woman named Martina Lange as her sister!  Did Martina know about Susanne?  Did she realize the closeness of the DNA placed her as biological sister to Susanne, sharing the same mother and father?

Imagine having a sister that you didn’t know about.  Imagine discovering this by accident on a DNA website.  My role changed from researcher to mediator.  I had to help Susanne connect with her sister and understand how difficult this new information might be for Martina.  I began email conversations with Martina, and ultimately Susanne and Martina connected.

Martina and Susanne 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sister

Susanne discovered a rich family history that she had never imagined.  Brigitte married that U.S. Soldier, Dickie J. Malott, on January 24, 1963, in Berlin, Germany.  The couple moved to the United States and had five more children. Dickie died in September of 2000, and Brigitte died in November of 2016.  Susanne retired in 2019 and is getting to know her new family.

“I hope u realize how u changed both of our lives!!!! 🤗😘🤗“

Thank you both, Martina and Susanne, for allowing me the privilege of being part of your lives.  It has been an honor.  Kathleen Hill, LCSW

Link to the first article: https://www.dnaenthusiast.com/u-s-soldiers-german-child/

Hart Island: Stopping the Anonymity Clock by Revealing Lives Lost

National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/04/unclaimed-coronavirus-victims-being-buried-on-hart-island-long-history-as-potters-field/  (Hart Island, 131 Acres)

Hart Island is an island in the Bronx, at the western end of Long Island Sound in New York. During the Civil War, the Union Army used the island as a camp for prisoners. Later, a sanitarium was built on the island to treat and house tuberculosis patients. The island has housed numerous institutions including, a psychiatric hospital, a reform school for boys, and a substance abuse center. The island now serves as a “Potters Field,” a place where the disadvantaged and disconnected end up when they die.

New York City purchased the island from a private party in 1868 and set aside 45 acres as a burial site. There are at least one million people buried on Hart Island. Recently, the average number of burials increased from 25 per week to 25 per day.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/04/unclaimed-coronavirus-victims-being-buried-on-hart-island-long-history-as-potters-field/

Prisoners from Rikers Island have been responsible for burying the deceased in mass graves. Each grave can hold 1000 infants or 150 adults.  Burials during the COVID 19 pandemic, are being done by hired contractors with hazardous material suits. Presently, 150 people each week are buried due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

Over one million people buried in these communal graves on this island, some of which died of various epidemics over the years including, yellow fever, the white plague, AIDS, tuberculosis, Spanish Flu, and now, COVID 19.

The Hart Island Project created a searchable database, allowing families to search for their lost loved ones.   The burial information on each individual includes a clock, which tracks the amount of time the person has been buried in anonymity.  The clock stops when someone (a family member or volunteer) adds information about the person, thus ending their anonymity.

Leroy Clayton, One in a Million (1895-1986) Plot 172

When Leroy Clayton was born on August 22, 1895, in Finleyville, Pennsylvania, his father, Joseph, was 36 and his mother, Frances, was 33. He married Mabel E Spencer on December 22, 1915, in Brooke, West Virginia. He died on August 29, 1986, in New York at the age of 91, and was buried in Bronx County, New York.

Leroy Clayton enlisted in the Army in 1917 when he was 22 years old.  He served in Company A of the 317 Engineering Division.

The 317th Engineers was first constituted on 24 October 1917 and organized at Camp Sherman, Ohio, as the 317th Engineer Regiment, 92nd Division. Like the rest of the 92nd Division, the 317th Engineers was an all-black, or “Negro troops” unit, with many of the NCOs coming from the 9th and 10th Cavalry. The 317th Engineers sailed for France in June 1918, and it was the first unit of the 92nd Division to enter the line, completing the relief of the 7th Engineers on 23 August 1918. The unit earned campaign streamers for the Meusse-Argonne and Lorraine campaigns supporting the 92nd Division and the 1st Army Corps. After the war, the 317th was demobilized on 31 March 1919.

Leroy Clayton died on August 29, 1986, at New York, Presbyterian Hospital.

Rest in Peace-Kathleen

Ronald Barbeire, One in a Million (1939-1980) Plot 120
Ronald Barbeire was born on June 9, 1939, in New York City, New York.  He married Josephine Davila in Manhattan, New York in 1968. Rest in Peace-Kathleen

The Social Security Administration has the following information, which would allow the family to request information about his parents:

Name: Ronald Barbeire Social Security Number: 109-32-8682
Birth Date: 9 Jun 1939 Issue year: 1957-1959 Issue State: New York
Last Residence: 10302, Staten Island, Richmond, New York, USA Death Date: Jul 1980

Forrest Blake, One in a Million (1937-2004) Plot 319
Forrest Blake was born in Maryland in 1937.  He was one of six children born to Russell Blake and Margaret Forrest.  Forrest’s grandparents came from St. Inigoes, Maryland.  It was a small fishing, farming, and crabbing community.  Forrest’s youngest surviving brother died in 2013 and is buried in Garrison Forest Veteran’s Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. Rest in Peace- Lisa & Kathleen

Irwin Gerstner, One in a Million (1934-1980) Plot 120
Irwin Gerstner was born Sept. 21, 1934, in New York City.  He was the youngest child born to David Gerstner and Lina Grosin, immigrants from Russia and Romania.  His older brother, Bernard, died at the age of 45 while serving in the United States Army Air Forces in WWII.  Bernard was a 1st Lt. whose team was shot down during a mission near Yokohama, Japan.  The middle child, Murray, died in 1929 at the age of 9.  Bernard is buried at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in Missouri.  Irwin’s parents and brother, Murray, are buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Queens, New York.  Irwin died on July 21, 1980. Rest in peace, Irwin -Kathleen Hill 

Abraham Loorstein, One in a Million (1908-1980) Plot 120
Abraham was born in Poland and was living in New York in 1940.  He was living with his cousin and aunt while working as an operator in a suit factory.  Rest in Peace, Abraham -Kathleen Hill

Michael Siomkin, Jr., One in a Million (1937-1980) Plot 120
Michael John Siomkin, Jr. was born on October 21st, 1937, in Long Island, New York.  He was the first child born to Michael John Siomkin Sr. and Sonia Conshick.  Michael’s younger brother was named John Michael Siomkin.  John’s grandparents, John, and Mary (Bobb) were immigrants from Russia.  John enlisted and served in the Army from 1954 to 1955.  Michael died on June 1, 1980. Michael is no longer an anonymous person buried on Hart Island. Rest in Peace, Michael- Kathleen Hill

In December 2019, the New York City Council signed legislation allowing the property to transfer from the Department of Corrections to the Parks and Recreation Department.  The full transition is expected by July 2020.  Plans are being made to memorialize the island and build a public park for family members and visitors to pay their respects.

The Spanish Flu and Lucy’s DNA

As COVID 19 spreads across the world, self-isolation allows us to research our history, seeking knowledge.  The “Spanish flu” pandemic that spread across the United States in the early 1900s seems pertinent now.

Why was it called the Spanish Flu?
“Spain was one of only a few major European countries to remain neutral during World War I. Unlike in the Allied and Central Powers nations, where wartime censors suppressed news of the flu to avoid affecting morale, the Spanish media was free to report on it in gory detail. News of the sickness first made headlines in Madrid in late-May 1918, and coverage only increased after the Spanish King Alfonso XIII came down with a nasty case a week later. Since nations undergoing a media blackout could only read in-depth accounts from Spanish news sources, they naturally assumed that the country was the pandemic’s ground zero. The Spanish, meanwhile, believed the virus had spread to them from France, so they took to calling it the “French Flu.”1
When was it first seen in the United States?
In April of 1918, a weekly public health report notified officials of influenza in a military camp located in Haskell, Kansas. This would be the first documentation of the “Spanish flu” in our history. There were eighteen soldiers afflicted with severe influenza symptoms and three deceased.2
Why is the Spanish flu suspected of originating in China?
Although the first documented case of “Spanish flu” was in the United States, Mark Humphries of Canada’s Memorial University of Newfoundland believes the “Spanish flu” originated in China. Humphries is the author of, “The Last Plague: Spanish Influenza and the Politics of Public Health in Canada.“ Humphries’s research revealed a severe respiratory illness in Northern China in November of 1918. Physicians in China described a highly contagious, respiratory infection, causing headaches, fevers, pneumonia, and shortness of breath. The disease seemed more deadly to middle-age, otherwise healthy, individuals. Chinese authorities never issued travel restrictions or quarantines and referred to it as a “winter sickness.” The disease caused dozens of deaths in China, each day and spread 300 miles in six weeks.
How did the Spanish Flu move from China to the United States?
During World War I the British Government formed the Chinese Labor Corps to assist France with the war effort. Beginning in April of 1917, men from Northern China, of “perfect physique” were recruited and shipped to France.  The ships arrived with laborers who were subsequently shipped via railcar to various locations.  There were 94,000 men shipped from China to Southern England and France.
Shipping the laborers around Africa was too time-consuming and tied up too much shipping, so British officials turned to shipping the laborers to Vancouver on the Canadian West Coast and sending them by train to Halifax on the East Coast, from which they could be sent to Europe. So desperate was the need for labor that on March 2, 1918, a ship loaded with 1,899 Chinese Labor Corps men left the Chinese port of Wehaiwei for Vancouver despite “plague” stopping the recruiting for workers there. In reaction to anti-Chinese feelings rife in western Canada at the time, the trains that carried the workers from Vancouver were sealed, Humphries says. Special Railway Service Guards watched the laborers, who were kept in camps surrounded by barbed wire. Newspapers were banned from reporting on their movement.3 Dan Vergano
Who was Lucy?
In November of 1918 the Spanish flu reached Brevig mission, a tiny outpost in Alaska.  It was brought into the village by the weekly mail carrier.  Within five days 72 of their 80 residents were dead, leaving only eight children and teenagers. August 23, 1997 Lucy was discovered.
In August 1997, a scientist named Johan Hultin from San Francisco traveled to Brevig Mission and, with permission of the town’s elders, excavated the local cemetery to try and unearth a victim of the outbreak buried deep within the frozen tundra. He hoped to extract a sample of human tissue that contained a hibernating specimen of the 1918 flu virus. On August 23, Hultin found a female body seven feet down that was remarkably well preserved. “I sat on a pail—turned upside down—and looked at her,” Hultin recalled in Gina Kolata’s 2001 book Flu. She was an obese woman; she had fat in her skin and around her organs and that served as a protection from the occasional short-term thawing of permafrost. Those on the other side of her were not obese and they had decayed. I sat on the pail and saw this woman in a state of good preservation. And I knew that this was where the virus [sample] has got to come from, shedding light on the mysteries of 1918. With an autopsy knife, Hultin sliced out most of her lungs and immersed the sections in a chemical solution. Then he and his crew carefully reburied the woman he’d named Lucy. Once he returned to San Francisco, Hultin sent the samples to Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C. Taubenberger was able to decode the virus’ entire genetic sequence, a historic achievement in itself. Later, Taubenberger and his team reconstructed the Spanish flu’s complete gene sequence and in 2005 successfully re-grew the virus, a feat never before accomplished with an extinct disease. That raised obvious ethical and security issues, since the virus—which is 25 times more deadly than the regular seasonal flu—could conceivably be used as a biological weapon or accidentally released. But Taubenberger believed the benefits of studying the live virus outweighed the dangers. “It’s clear that the 1918 virus remains particularly lethal,” Taubenberger said after bringing about its Lazarus-like resurrection, “and determining whether pandemic influenza virus strains can emerge via different pathways will affect the scope and focus of surveillance and prevention efforts.” Deciphering how a particular virus operates opens up insights into other viral strains and reveals how they grow, mutate, jump from animal to animal, and attack their hosts. Research based on Lucy’s lung tissue has already led to improved flu vaccines that have prevented larger epidemics, and, ideally, someday scientists will build on Hultin and Taubenberger’s work to uncover a genetic Achilles heel in one strain that makes it possible to wipe out all of them. As for Hultin, he left something behind for the residents of Brevig Mission in 1997. Two white wooden crosses that once marked the cemetery’s perimeter had rotted away to almost nothing. Before rushing back to San Francisco, the 72-year-old scientist constructed two new crosses, which he mounted where the originals had stood. They were his tribute to the dead and his thank-you to the community that had shown him such hospitality—and given so much to medical science.4 Andrew Carroll

  1. https://www.history.com/news/why-was-it-called-the-spanish-flu [↩]
  2. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/pandemic-timeline-1918.htm [↩]
  3. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/1/140123-spanish-flu-1918-china-origins-pandemic-science-health/ [↩]
  4. https://www.historynet.com/alaskan-village-holds-key-understanding-1918-spanish-flu.htm [↩]

U.S. Soldier’s German Child (The Research)

More than 100,000 babies were born to unwed German mothers in the ten years following World War II. Their fathers, from Allied forces, left Germany without ever meeting them.

             U.S. and German Flags

The children conceived during this time are nearing retirement and are still seeking answers. With the increased popularity of DNA testing, they have an avenue to explore their biological heritage. After all these years, with DNA detective skills, many will learn who their biological father was.

The War Babes Act

According to gitrace.org, “War Babes” was a British-based organization established in the 1980s.  They assisted adults born to American service members during World War II (or other relevant periods.)  In 1989, they took out a class-action suit against the American Defense Department for refusing to release information about GI fathers.  On November 16, 1990, the War Babes organization settled its lawsuit against the U.S. government.  The settlement included:

Many children were born to U.S. service members who knew nothing about their father. With the advancement of DNA technology and the popularity of DNA testing sites, these individuals will soon identify men who might be their fathers. GI Trace has made it possible for those children to obtain military records on their suspected fathers to see if the files match their history.

My Friend, A War Babe

My friend was one of these “war babes.” She was born in Germany in the 1960s. Her biological father was in the Army, and her birth mother was a German woman. The couple had a two-year affair, and my friend was their second daughter.  Her biological mother could not raise two children alone, so she placed my friend up for adoption.

Her biological mother was German, so it would probably be more challenging to find her.  We started researching her DNA on Ancestry.com, looking for information about her father.  Her closest matches lived in the United States and appeared to be Americans; thus, her paternal side.

There was a strong presence in Bradley, Tennessee, and somehow she was connected to the Epperson family. Although I was not sure this was her paternal surname, it was indeed a possibility.  Many of her DNA matches had links to several generations in the Epperson family.

As the weeks progressed, I narrowed her tree down quite a bit.  I created a family tree and added in her DNA matches (according to their trees), and pieced the family tree puzzle together, one person at a time.  There was one cousin match I couldn’t figure out. His family was from Roane County, Tennessee, and had the surname Cook. I looked at his tree and could not find the connection. I then searched his Cook tree for the name Epperson, and bingo! One of his aunts had married an Epperson.  If he was a Cook and not an Epperson, why did he share DNA with my friend?

His aunt (Daughter Cook) and her husband (Son Epperson) must have been the direct ancestors of my friend.  She had DNA from the Cook side and the Epperson side. I needed this hint because my friend matched the Cook side of his tree (his relatives) and the Epperson side of the tree (not his relatives.)  This match helped me figure out who my friend’s paternal grandparents were.

After studying her DNA matches and their family trees, she descended from Joseph Thompson and Mary Mercer from the mid-1800s. I was perplexed. On the paternal line, there can only be eight couples who are 2nd great-grandparents. I was confused because this tree already had eight teams who were 2nd great-grandparents. What was I missing?

We have eight couples (16 individuals) who are our 2nd great-grandparents

The next morning I decided to go back to the tree and see what I was missing.

There it was! She had a 2nd great-grandmother named Elizabeth Thompson on the Epperson side, whose parents were unknown. I researched and discovered that Elizabeth Thompson’s brother was Joseph Thompson, who was married to Mary Mercer. His parents must have been Elizabeth Thompson’s parents.

When genealogists reach a dead-end with someone, it can be helpful to research a sibling, especially a brother, because men generally have more historical records available. I studied Joseph and found him in the census as a son of James W. Thompson. James was her 3rd great-grandfather. Not only was this a significant breakthrough for me, but other researchers had gone years without knowing who Elizabeth Thompson’s father was. Adding the Thompson relatives to the existing tree could be done without adding a new branch.

These breakthroughs left me knowing who my friend’s grandparents were. Her biological father had to be one of their sons. I began researching each of these children and discovered only one had been in the military during the 1960s. As I tracked down his information, I learned that he was married at the time and was the father of three children. This gentleman is deceased now (my friend’s father), but his children are living. Their mother is still living, so any “news” could be pretty upsetting to this family.

The man I believe is my friend’s biological father was Mr. Epperson. He was born in Tennessee in the early 1920s and died in Georgia before 2005. He was in the Army (out of Ft. Benning, Georgia) and served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam as a Staff sergeant.  He was married and had three children at home.

My Friend’s Adoptive Parents

An American couple in their mid to late 40s adopted my friend. Her (adoptive) father served in the Army (out of Ft. Benning, Georgia) during World War II, in Korea, and in Vietnam.  During Vietnam, he was in Berlin, Germany. He served on MACV Team 100 and died at 48 in Gia Dinh, the Hồ Chí Minh Municipality.  My friend was only eight years old when her father died.

Her (adoptive) mother was very open and shared many details about her adoption.  She impressed upon my friend that her mother wanted to keep her, but finances prohibited it. My friend’s adoptive mother died in 2009.

Coincidences Between Biological and Adoptive Father

  • Both men were in the Army
  • Both men served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam
  • Both men were out of Ft. Benning, Georgia
  • Both men were serving in Vietnam and stationed in Berlin, Germany

Her German Mother

My friend recounted the stories her adoptive mother shared.  Her birth mother, Brigitte Lange, was German, slender, and petite.  She was in love with a U. S. Soldier stationed in Germany and had a multi-year relationship with him.  Their first daughter was born in 1959, and my friend was born in 1961.  When Brigette became pregnant with their second daughter, the relationship ended, leaving Brigette to care for both girls. According to the story, the German authorities would not allow a single mother to have two children and receive financial assistance. Ms. Lange decided to place her second daughter up for adoption.

My friend described the day her parents took her to court for the final adoption. Ms. Lange and her eldest daughter were present. Ms. Lange spoke about meeting another U. S. serviceman and was hoping to marry and move to the United States.

We had no idea what had become of Brigette or her daughter. I searched through many records but was unable to find them. My friend’s DNA matches yielded few clues. All we could do was wait.  We knew Susanne’s sister’s name was Martina Lange, but what happened to her?  We could only wonder.

My research yielded this interesting document.  This child, Martina Lange was the right age, she came over to the United States from Stuttgart, Germany. Had Martina come to the United States with her mother?  Now, we wait.

 

Evolution of the DNA Enthusiast

My interest in genealogy began when my son was a toddler. Of course, having little time to devote to research, I started my tree and relied heavily upon data obtained from other researchers and trees. After many years of tree construction, my husband and I learned about DNA genealogy and both of us submitted our DNA to a local site. As our matches poured in, our questions grew. How could I be related to these people? Why am I not related to those people? Thus, the beginning of the DNA enthusiast. I began a journey of discovery and learned that our family tree paper trail does not always match our DNA genetic trail.

As I began this journey of discovery, I realized that on both my maternal and paternal sides, the DNA suggested a questionable paper trail.  In fact, I suspected some “non-paternal events” on both sides.  This is a term used by many genetic genealogists describing circumstances where the father or mother of an individual is not biological.  There are many factors which might have contributed to life situations, especially hundreds of years ago.  Moving forward required an open mind and acceptance.  The knowledge I gained, would have implications for my family, especially my mother and father.   In my situation, my parents and sister were as eager to learn as I was.  In fact, the stories and research have spurred hours of discussion and deepened our relationships.  If you are considering research, be sure you are prepared for what you might not know.  Non-paternal events which occurred 100 years ago might trigger less emotion than learning someone more recent is not the child of their perceived parent.

This has become a joint venture for my sister and I.  Together, in separate places, we explore our genetic history and our family tree.  We have spent countless hours in deep discussion about our findings.   Our history now has meaning and depth.  The “sad” stories we have discovered have shown us our ancestor’s courage and triumph.  For if the circumstances were any different, we might not be here.

Our father, Jerry, Lisa (left) and myself.

This page is dedicated to our family.  Our mother, our father, and our many other relatives, past and present.   This is our way of paying homage to those who have past on before us.  We hope you explore and enjoy our website and blog.

Secrets of the Past Revealed

When researching situations involving unknown parentage, it is important to start with DNA evidence. Look at the DNA and the matches to identify who the grandparents are. Do not concern yourself with their specific offspring who might be the father or mother you are looking for. In order to do this, there must be independent matches on the male side and the female side.

Researching For A Friend

I just finished researching for a friend. Her family has always been curious about her mother, Beverly’s biological father. Her grandmother, Nellie was six months pregnant with Beverly when she married in 1934. Over the years the family speculated that the father of the child was a man born in Italy. After some in the family took DNA tests and discovered no Italian heritage, the speculation continued and evolved to fit several scenarios that might have been possible. I offered to take a look and see what I could find.

Start With The LEEDS Method

The LEEDS method helps researchers group matches and divides them into four separate groups which are likely the four sets of grandparents. I used the LEEDS method to group her matches by the family they descended from. The LEEDS method was developed by Dana Leeds. It helps group DNA matches to determine the four sets of grandparents.

DNA Color Clustering: The Leeds Method for Easily Visualizing Matches

This is the chart I did with my friend’s DNA. She only has (so far) 10 matches who share between 100 and 400 centimorgans (listed here.) Her closest matches (the top two) she shares grandparents with.

Ellis/Marsh was an unknown part of her tree. The Crookshank/Allen part of her tree refers to her great-grandparents on her father’s side.

Research First

My next task was to do as much research on her entire tree. I wanted to build it out as far as I could in every direction. I started with her mother and father and worked back to her grandparents. I filled in the Ellis line as if they were grandparents and researched that line. When I was finished I understood her ethnicity estimate. She had relatives who immigrated from England, Norway, and Germany within the past four generations.

Success

My final step was to try to figure out how Mr. Ellis and Nellie met. I researched every census from 1910 to 1940 for each of them. I couldn’t figure out how they were connected. I looked for yearbook information and census information but could not put the two of them together. Finally, I discovered a 1925 Iowa Census with Mr. Ellis in it. I then began looking for Nellie in the 1925 census. For some reason, I could not find her in the 1925 census in Iowa. I looked more closely at Mr. Ellis’ family and BINGO…he lived next-door to Nellie’s parents. For some reason, Nellie and her bother were not listed but her parents were (they were the last two people on the page.) Perhaps they intended to list the children on the next page and forgot.

I began my research looking at the DNA and narrowed my search down to Mr. Ellis. I ended the journey with the discovery that Mr. Ellis and Nellie were next-door neighbors. Nellie had grown up with the man who fathered her daughter.

Using the 1930 Census to Push Through Immigration Roadblocks

While building a family tree for a friend, her grandmother, Beatrice Elizabeth Robinson was a dead-end for me. She was born in England in the early 1900s. She was living with her in-laws in Marshalltown, Iowa in the 1930s with her husband (Otto Pull) & children. It was easy to establish facts about her life from 1930 and later, but information about her life in England and subsequent immigration was challenging.

  • Born in England
  • Married At Age 19
  • Father Born in England
  • Mother Born in England
  • Immigration Year 1923
  • Naturalization- Alien
Beatrice E. Robinson (Maiden Name)

I was able to establish her maiden name was Robinson when I found her social security information. I then began looking for a woman named Beatrice Elizabeth Robinson, born around 1907 (from the census) who arrived in the United States in 1923 from England and found this…

This Beatrice Robinson had two brothers, John, and George, and a sister-in-law, Martha Robinson. The next of kin information was an aunt named Mrs. Riding in Liverpool, England. The sister-in-law’s father was Samuel Lee in Gloucester, England. On the far right side, the Robinson children were heading to Davenport, Iowa. The sister-in-law was going to Detroit, Michigan. I proceeded to add these individuals to my tree and began researching each of them. I needed more information to determine if this was the correct family.

If this was Beatrice Robinson and her brothers, why was their aunt listed as their contact in Liverpool? Had their parents died? Did they move to the United States with an older brother and his wife? Why were the children going to Davenport, Iowa, while the sister-in-law was going to Michigan?

I began researching George N. Robinson, born around 1913 in Liverpool, living in Davenport, Iowa around 1930. I found this…

This was them! Their parents must have left the children with an aunt while they settled in the United States. There is a transcription error on this census and the mother should read Elizabeth Robinson, not Engla Penninger.

Never give up. When you hit a brick wall, go back to all of the documents you have and look for clues you may have overlooked. If you have an ancestor who immigrated from another country, check the immigration records. If you find someone who might fit, research them until you prove or disprove them.

Mexico: Reynoso via Ennis

A couple of weeks ago, I received a friend invitation on Facebook from a woman in Mission, Texas. I added her and figured she was interested in reading about my research. Five days ago, she messaged me and asked if I was the Kathleen Hill on her matches list. I don’t use my name on my DNA, so I knew she was referring to someone other than me. She explained that she was looking for her biological father. Her mother had passed and could no longer provide information. This woman had spent the past thirty years wondering who her father was.

Coincidence, perhaps, but I have become adept at solving similar mysteries. I asked her if she would like me to help, and she accepted. I reviewed her DNA matches. The closest match on her father’s side was a man with the last name of Reynoso. She shared 1500 centimorgans of DNA with him. My first guess was; he is her half-brother. I questioned her about him and any communication she has had. She messaged him but never received a response.

No Response, Now What?

One of the frustrating things about DNA research is the fact that many people submit their DNA to discover their ethnicity. They are not researching their family tree, nor do they pay a subscription to Ancestry to use all of the resources offered. Mr. Reynoso likely tested and has not logged back into his account for many months.

I sorted her DNA matches and looked at the few people she matched via her father. I believed her father’s last name was Reynoso, but there wasn’t enough evidence to make any additional connections.

90% Northern European and 9% Central American

My client’s mother, Edna was raised in Tennessee and lived in with her husband and children. Edna became pregnant with another man’s child and her husband raised the child as his own. My client was told that her father was of Peurto Rican descent, however, her ethnicity estimate shows otherwise.

The second closest match on my client’s paternal line was a first cousin, or a first cousin, once removed.  Given the closeness of this relationship, I narrowed my focus to the grandparents of this match; Albert Pedin Ennis and Estela Grandison Gastanza. 

Albert Pedin Ennis

Albert Ennis was an Engineer.  He worked for Electric Bond and Share Company in the early 1900’s.  His job required him to travel to Jaimaca, Central & South America, and the West Indies to examine electric properties in various countries.  His wife was Estella Grandison Ennis.  She was born in Oaxico, Mexico.  She and her children traveled with Mr. Ennis for his job.

Stella, Albert, and Thomas Ennis

Two things jumped out at me while researching Mr. Ennis.  His wife, Estella was born in Oaxaca, Mexico (note the mention of Oaxaca, Mexico in my client’s Ethnicity Estimate.)  Mr. Ennis was born in Illinois.   If both great grandparents were from Mexico, my client’s DNA should show 15-20% Central America.  Thus, only one of her great-grandparents was from Mexico.  Mr. Ennis was from Illinois and his wife was from Mexico. 

The next step was to research all of the children of Mr. Ennis and Ms. Grandison Gastanza to see if I could find a connection to the Reynoso line. I found two sons and three daughters. I researched each of these children and their spouses. One daughter, Jean Margareta Elizabeth Ennis y Grandison, “Betty”, married a man named Pedro Reynoso. Pedro’s father was from Vera Cruz, Mexico (another city listed in my client’s DNA Ethnicity results.) Additionally, his grandparents were from the United States; Kentucky, and Wisconsin. Again, supporting my client’s 9% DNA connection to Central America. I believe Betty and Pedro Reynoso are my client’s grandparents. One of their two sons is likely her father.

Mr. Reynoso and Ms. Ennis y Grandison had three girls and two boys. They lived in Browning, Texas where my client’s family lived in when her mother became pregnant.

I have meticulously constructed my client’s family tree on Ancestry.com and have uncovered photographs and documents dating back to the early 1800s. Proudly, I can say she has the most well-established tree on both her Reynoso and Ennis lines. Hopefully, she will be able to establish a relationship with her biological half-siblings and they can discover their rich family history together.

Ba-Da-Bean!

Laurel Geraldine Denmark
1923-2011

Fred Crawford and I became acquainted several weeks ago. He was referred to me by a friend with whom he shared DNA. Fred was trying to determine who his mother’s family was. His mother, Laurel Geraldine Denmark was born in Atlanta in 1923. Mr. Andrew Denmark and his wife, Bessie Fife, adopted her.

Mr. and Mrs. Denmark grew up in Taylor, Florida. They married in 1912 and moved to Atlanta, Georgia where Mr. Denmark worked as a repairman for the railroad. Bessie, his wife, worked as a seamstress at a local laundry. The couple adopted Laurel in 1923. Laurel never had any documentation of her adoption and later in life, when she needed a birth certificate, the Denmarks had to present a sworn statement of birth to the local hospital. Fred had very little information to go on and requested my assistance with determining who Laurel’s biological parents were.
Atlanta in the 1920s
“It was during the ’20s, perhaps, that Atlanta reached its height of reconstruction, though its fate was sealed by the depression of the 1930s.”

I began my research on Ancestry.com and looked closely at Fred’s DNA matches. Three of his five closest DNA matches were on his mother’s side. After some time, I identified a woman of interest, Bessie Gladys Bayne.

Mary Georgia Bayne (Bessie’s Mother)

Bessie was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1900. She was the youngest child of Georgia and Thomas Bayne. Bessie had two older brothers, Macon, and Clarence, and an older sister Mary. Bessie grew up in Atlanta and married Daniel Edgar Morgan on December 29,1919. Bessie and Daniel had a daughter, Jacqueline Morgan, in April of 1921. By September 25th, 1922, Mr. Morgan was serving a 29-month sentence in Futon County, Georgia, for Larceny.
Georgia Central Register of Convicts 1817-1976

Daniel Morgan is listed in the 1930 census in Louisiana at the State Penal Farm at Angola. His marital status is “divorced.” In 1942, Mr. Morgan was back in jail for theft of an automobile, in Fulton County, Georgia. In 1958, he served time for burglary. Unfortunately, Mr. Morgan’s life of crime left his wife and child without a husband and father.

After being abandoned by Mr. Morgan, Bessie and Jacqueline remained in Atlanta until 1930. Sometime in 1922, Bessie became pregnant with Laurel Denmark and placed her for adoption. By 1949, Bessie and her daughter Jaqueline had moved to Chicago, Illinois.

Fred shares 248 cm of DNA with Jacqueline’s grand-daughter and 134 cm of DNA with Bessie’s sister (Mary’s) grand-daughter.

Fred shares DNA with multiple people on both Bessie’s maternal and paternal side, thus making them direct ancestors (his great-grandparents.) Through a process of looking at the shared centimorgans to determine relationships, the DNA supports Bessie being the mother versus her sister or one of her brothers.

Fred had several matches to another family on both the maternal and paternal sides (indicating a direct ancestral connection.) William R. Bean and Alice Buchanan married on November 5th, 1889, in Atlanta Georgia. They had two children, Theodore and Lucille. Fred had DNA matches to both the Buchanan side and the Bean side (above William and Alice.) Thus, William and Alice are Fred’ great-grandparents and his mother’s grandparents.

After determining that William and Alice were likely Laurel’s grandparents, I looked at their two children as possible parents for Laurelle. Lucille (their daughter) was married and had two daughters. Her daughter, Anne was born in 1920, and another daughter, Jean was born about 1924. I thought it unlikely that Lucille would have been Laurel’s mother, given the circumstances. Although it is feasible that Lucille was the mother of Laurel, Fred shared higher centimorgans with the children of Theodore. Fred’s DNA fit with him being a half 1st cousin once removed to Theo’s grandson. If Theo had been an uncle (and Lucille was Laurel’s mother), the DNA centimorgans would have been less. Thus, Theodore Bean was likely Laurel’s biological father.

Theodore Bean 1890-1950

Theodore Bean was born in Georgia in 1890 and was the son of William Riley Bean and Alice Buchanan. His father, William Bean moved to Atlanta around the 1880s to be closer to his brother. He worked as a mason before he became a partner in a printing business. When his partner died, he started W.R. Bean and Son Printing Company.

W. R. Bean and Son Printing
https://exhibits.library.gsu.edu/current/items/show/925

Another mystery solved! Laurel Geraldine Denmark was the child of Theodore Bean and Bessie Bayne. She was born in 1923, and circumstances at the time led her mother to place her for adoption. Theodore Bean may not have known he had a child. In the 1930 census, Theodore indicates his age was 33 when he married his wife, Clara Bell Cook. That would have been about 1924, suggesting that Theodore was single when Bessie Bayne became pregnant.

I would not have been able to solve his puzzle without the cooperation and active participation of Robert H. Bean. He was Fred’s highest DNA match and it was his DNA which helped us solve this puzzle. Fred and his siblings now have the answer they have been searching for over the years. Ba-Da-Bean!

The Emissary

Dictionary: 1620s, from French émissaire (17c.) or directly from Latin emissarius, literally “that is sent out,” from emissus, past participle of emittere “send forth”

I have been sent forth to search, support, investigate, and connect. As a researcher for adoptees, the journey can be quite an emotional rollercoaster. Two weeks ago, my client had an “immediate family” DNA match. The closer I looked, I realized this was her biological sister (same mother and father.) The two of them shared almost 3000 centimorgans of DNA. A half-sister would have shared about 1500 centimorgans. My client was the second child born to a U.S. Soldier a German woman. She knew her mother’s name and her sister’s name but was never able to find them. I had already determined who her father was but hadn’t had much luck with her German side. I was elated that we had finally found her sister. I reached out and waited, finally a happy reunion in the making.

Imagine the shock with learning you have a “possible” biological sibling and nobody told you. The feelings experienced by children when they learn that their parent(s) did not tell them the whole truth can be complicated. Suddenly, they experience a rush of emotion, negotiating, trying to disprove/prove the possibility, managing their feelings while working to accept/deny the truth. This process can be more complicated when the biological parent is deceased.

As the emissary, my role is not only to go forth and discover, but to support, negotiate, and provide information to both sides. A mediator of sorts to help one party communicate information (without emotion) to the other party. I find myself going back and forth between each party, attempting to support them, provide information, and gain/share information without being pushy.

Several times a day, I check my email, waiting, and hoping for further communication. I am humbled and honored to be part of this journey for my client and her sister. I salute the adoptee as she supports her sister from afar, admitting that she has had more time to accept the facts. I salute the adoptive mother who provided detailed information which is helping the newfound sister with understanding the circumstances that led to her sister’s adoption. I salute the biological mother who made the best decision she could for each of her daughters. She did what she had to to survive. I support the new found sister who is willing to communicate at her pace, as she experiences abundant feelings.

Thank you for allowing me to share these very personal moments with all of you.

First Story: U.S. Soldier’s German Child