Month: July 2018

5,300 Year Old Ice Man, Our Ancestor

How cool is this?!  My husband and I have done DNA testing with multiple providers.  This is copied from his 23andme profile.

Maternal Haplogroup

You descend from a long line of women that can be traced back to eastern Africa over 150,000 years ago. These are the women of your maternal line, and your maternal haplogroup sheds light on their story.

Your maternal haplogroup is K1b1a1.

As our ancestors ventured out of eastern Africa, they branched off in diverse groups that crossed and recrossed the globe over tens of thousands of years. Some of their migrations can be traced through haplogroups, families of lineages that descend from a common ancestor. Your maternal haplogroup can reveal the path followed by the women of your maternal line.

Migrations of Your Maternal Line

Haplogroup L

180,000 Years Ago

If every person living today could trace his or her maternal line back over thousands of generations, all of our lines would meet at a single woman who lived in eastern Africa between 150,000 and 200,000 years ago. Though she was one of perhaps thousands of women alive at the time, only the diverse branches of her haplogroup have survived to today. The story of your maternal line begins with her.

K1
22,000
Years Ago

Origin and Migrations of Haplogroup K1

Haplogroup K1 is a relatively old branch of haplogroup K that traces back to a woman who lived approximately 22,000 years ago. She and her early descendants likely lived in the Middle East, where the K haplogroup traces its origins and continues to have a strong presence. Then, about 12,000 to 15,000 years ago, some women carrying K1 likely joined early migrations that moved west into Europe. The Ice Age was ending and temperate forests spread over the previously frigid continent. Human populations that had been blocked by massive ice sheets now expanded into the interior. Others came later, entering Europe with the spread of agriculture from the Middle East about 8,000 years ago.

Today, members of K1 can be found throughout Europe, the Middle East, and even in Central Asia.

K1b1a1

8,000 Years Ago

Your maternal haplogroup, K1b1a1, traces back to a woman who lived approximately 8,000 years ago.

That’s nearly 320 generations ago! What happened between then and now? As researchers and citizen scientists discover more about your haplogroup, new details may be added to the story of your maternal line.
 K1b1a1 TodayK1b1a1 is relatively uncommon among 23andMe customers.
Today, you share your haplogroup with all the maternal-line descendants of the common ancestor of K1b1a1, including other 23andMe customers.
1 in 1,200
23andMe customers share your haplogroup assignment.
See references 

Ötzi the Ice Man also belonged to haplogroup K

Ötzi was named for the Ötztal Mountains

Ötzi the Iceman was discovered in 1991, protruding from a snow-bank high in the Alps near the Austrian-Italian border. His 5,300-year-old remains turned out to be so well preserved that researchers were able to construct a detailed account of his life and death. Chemical analysis of Ötzi’s teeth indicates he came from the Italian side of the Alps. He had suffered during the year before his death with whipworm, a stomach parasite that was found in his digestive tract. Yet he was fit enough to climb 6,500 feet in elevation during the day or two before he met his end in a rocky alpine hollow. Ötzi apparently was murdered, struck by a stone arrow point that was found lodged in his left shoulder. The twisted position of his body indicates that the murderer, or one of his accomplices, pulled the arrow’s shaft out of Ötzi’s prone body.

Yet whoever killed Ötzi did not take the valuable and finely wrought copper axe that he carried with him — an indicator that at the age of 45, the Ice Man may have been a figure of some importance in his community. Recently, scientists who were able to extract DNA from Ötzi’s remains discovered that he belonged to haplogroup K, which reaches levels of 20 to 30% in present-day populations in the region. But Ötzi’s maternal line, which fell into the K1 family of haplogroup K, did not match any of the branches that are known today. His maternal line must have died out in the 5,300 years since Ötzi’s death.

The Genetics of Maternal Haplogroups

  • Mitochondrial DNA
  • Maternal Inheritance
  • Maternal Haplogroup Tree
  • Tracing Female Migrations
  • Mitochondrial DNA

    Maternal haplogroups are determined by sets of genetic variants in a tiny, unusual loop of DNA called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). As the name suggests, mtDNA is found in the mitochondria, small but mighty structures inside our cells that turn fuel from the food we eat into energy.

    Mitochondria evolved over billions of years from an independent bacterial cell that was engulfed by another cell. Instead of becoming lunch, the bacterium helped its new host use oxygen to produce energy. Over time it completely lost its independence and became an integrated part of the larger cell.

Y-DNA: Understanding Genetic Distance

When you receive your Y-DNA results from Family Tree DNA, you will see this on your main screen.  Click on “Matches” and you will see a list of men who share Y-DNA with you.

When you click on “Matches”, a screen like this comes up with a large list of men who share your Y-DNA.  On the left is the “Genetic Distance”, followed by the name of the person who tested.  Earliest known ancestor is based on the tester’s research on their male line.  Keep in mind, our trees are based on paper and our DNA is based on genetics.  It is very common to see a mixture of names here.  Different names could be due to name changes many hundreds of years ago, or a non-paternal event.   Why are my Y-DNA Surnames Different? 

The orange “Tip” box will give you an idea of how many generations ago you shared a common ancestor with this person.  For example, a person with a genetic distance of 2 has a 100% probability that you shared a common ancestor 24 years ago and a 99% probability that ancestor was within the past 12 years.  Obviously, the smaller the number, the closer the common ancestor was.

With genetic distance, I think in terms of steps on a ladder.  My father tested at the 67 level.  Currently, Family Tree DNA offers this test at 37, 67, 111, and 500 levels.  The cost varies from $169- $649.  So what do these levels mean?  If your DNA were steps on a ladder and the ladder had 500 steps, you would only have them sequence the first 37, 67, 111, etc. steps.  By looking at the image above, my father’s closest match is at a genetic distance of 2.  If we test at a higher level, this person will still be a genetic distance of 2.  If the person was a 0 genetic distance, I would be interested to see if this held true at a higher level of testing.   The only motivation for me to test my father at a higher level would be to determine information I have obtained from the projects I have joined.  I have touched on these “projects” in two previous posts and it is a topic requiring further discussion another time.  Family Tree DNA, Why are my Y-DNA Surnames Different?

Below is an illustration to help with understanding genetic distance.

For example, if the red line indicated 67 DNA markers and the steps above go up to 111 markers, because I only tested to the 67th step, I only know how closely our 67 steps match.  In this case they are exactly the same which would indicate a genetic distance of 0.  However, our DNA does not match higher up.  I would only know this if I tested at a higher level.  Although I have a genetic distance of 0 at 67 levels, I might have a genetic distance of 2 at 111 level of testing.

Samuel Curtis The Son of Eunice Flagg and Capt. Samuel Curtis: Documentation Errors

One of the first written histories about Henry Curtis of Sudbury was The Family of Henry Curtis of Sudbury, Ma., written by Henry Earnest Woods in 1907.

My focus is Samuel Curtis III, b. 1792 (the son of Capt. Samuel Curtis), as noted below.

17. Capt. Samuel Curtis {Samuel,^ Ephraim,'^ Ephraim,^ Joseph,"^
Henry^) was baptized in Worcester, Mass., 11 Oct., 1761, and died
there, 29 Jan., 1811. He was a Capt. of Militia.
He married first, in Worcester, 20 Aug., 1785, Eunice, born in
Worcester, 16 July, 1762, died there, 22 Aug., 1802, daughter of
Col. Benjamin and Abigail (Chadwick) Flagg, of Worcester; and
married second, about 1806, Eunice, daughter of Taft and
widow of David Stowell, of Uxbridge, Mass.
Children by first wife, all born in Worcester :
i. Sally,' b. 25 Nov., 1785.
ii. Abigail, b. 23 Feb., 1788.
iii. Aaron, b. 5 May, 1790.
iv. Samuel, b. 17 Apr., 1792. (Subject of this article/Samuel Curtis III)
V. Ephraim, b. 8 Apr., 1794.
vi. Lydia, b. 22 May, 1796.
vii. John B., b. 29 Apr., 1798; d. 29 July, 1823.
viii. Benjamin Franklin, b. 7 Sept., 1800; ra. in Auburn, Mass., 4 Apr.,
1731, Hannah S. Wakefield.
Children by second wife, all born in Worcester :
ix. Albert, bapt. 13 July, 1807.
X. William.
xi. Eunice, bapt. 21 Oct., 1810.

In the 1950s, Harlow D. Curtis compiled research and continued documenting this ancestral line in his book, A Genealogy of the Descendants of Henry Curtis of Sudbury Mass.   He gave the following account of Samuel Curtis III b. 1792, based on a letter written to him by Mrs. George Dean.  “SAMUEL, 132.113.4, b. April 17, 1792, Worcester, Mass., son of Samuel and Eunice (Flagg) Curtis. The following information, in its entirety, has been furnished by Reference [67]. “Reference [67]: (information from Mrs. George Dean, nee Edith Curtis, Gen. no. 132.113.852 to Harlow D. Curtis.)

Samuel migrated to Haldimand township, Northumberland County,
Ontario. He married Sarah Ann ---------' who was born in New York
state in 1800 and died in Fenella, Ontario on Oct. 12, 18?8.
Samuel Curtis died in Haldimand township in 1844.
Children:
132.11).41. Eliza, b. May 27, 1814; m. William George who was born
in 1822 and died on·Feb. 17, 1909. She died Sept.
27, 1872.
132.113.42. Elizabeth, b. ; name appears in the will
of her brother, Ira.
132.11).4). Mary Ann, b. r m. Charles Kelley.
*132.113.44. James, b. __ , 1822.
*132.113.45. Ephraim, b. ______ , 1823, New York state.
1J2.11J.l~6. Ira, b. Jan. 11, 1826; lived on Lot 20, Con. 8, Ha1dimand
township, Northumberland County, Ont.; died
Feb. 4, 1861. Unmarried.
*132.113.4?. John B., b. Sept. 2, 1829.
132.11).48. Nathaniel, b. , 1832; lived near Baltimore L?], Haldimand township; died Sept. 9, 1908. Unmarried.
*132 .llJ. L~9. Samuel, b. Sept. 8, 1833.
*132.113.4(10). Anthony, b. Oct. 12, 1836.
*132.113.4(11). Andrew, b. _, 1837·

Unfortunately, Samuel Curtis III died in 1810 (as evidenced by his gravestone below).  He is one of four children born to Samuel Curtis and Eunice Flagg, who all died at a young age and were buried together in Hope Cemetery in Worchester, Massachusetts.  Therefore, he could not have been the father of the children listed.  The information given to Harlow Curtis was incorrect.  The source of his information was “information from Mrs. George Dean, nee Edith Curtis, Gen. no. 132.113.852 to Harlow D. Curtis.”  Unfortunately, most genealogists researching this line have this misinformation in their records, and perhaps if they read this article, it can be corrected.  DNA evidence suggests this line goes back to Thomas Curtis of Wethersfield, Connecticut, via John (or Samuel John) Curtis and Sarah (Nickerson?).

The death certificates of their children suggest John/Samuel may have gone by either name.  Sarah’s (Ferguson)  grave is in a cemetery in Canada.  Cemetery records reflect she was the wife of Samuel Curtis.  Our research has shown that Sarah married Ira Ferguson after the death of her husband.

Ephraim-Listed Ira as his father(could have been step-father)
James-
John- Listed on Death certificate John and Sarah Nicholson
Samuel-
Nathaniel-Listed John and Sarah Ann Nicholson on his death certificate
Anthony-LIsted John and Sarah Nickerson/Nicholson on the marriage certificate to Mary Ann Williams.
Andrew–Listed John and Sarah Nicholson Death Cert.
Harrison-

My research shows Ira Ferguson’s first marriage was to Catherine Nickerson.  Could Sarah have been her sister?  Andrew listed his mother’s maiden name as Nicholson.

Alien Files Valuable Genealogy Records-Easy Access

A few weeks ago I was researching an immigrant who arrived in the United States from Mexico in 1916.  While searching for the name, the following record was suggested:

U.S., Index to Alien Case Files at the National Archives at Kansas City, 1944-2003

The record included Name, Birth Date, Arrival Date, Country of Origin, and Registration Number.

A-Files are an incredible source of information so I began the process of requesting this record.   Only A-Files with numbers less than 8 million can be requested by genealogists.   In order to request higher record numbers, a request has to be submitted via the USCIS Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Program.   If you are not able locate the A-File number, it can be researched and might be in an immigrant’s personal papers or on court naturalization records index card.  A-numbers above 8 million can be researched by submitting an Index Search Request on form G-1041.

To begin the process of requesting the record (if the A-File number is less than 8 million), go to National Archives Catalog Search and type in the name of the person you are searching.  You might have to try different spelling variations of the name to find the person you want.  When you find them, there will be information about the records they have and the location of the records.  The record I was researching gave me the email address to the Kansas facility and the following information:

National Archives Identifier: 0000000 (redacted)
Local Identifier: A0000000/000-00-0000/Box 8 (redacted)
Creator(s): Department of Justice. Immigration and Naturalization Service. 6/14/1940-3/1/2003  (Most Recent)
From: Series: Alien Case Files, 1944 – 2003
Record Group 566: Records of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, 2003 – 2004

I emailed them at: Afiles.KansasCity@nara.gov and included the name of the person I was researching and the numbers listed above.  The next day I received an email letting me know who the case was assigned to.  Within a week, I received an email indicating the record they had pulled with a few tidbits of information to make sure they had the correct person.  I was instructed to reply to the email if I wanted this record and was told to call the researcher to arrange payment of $40.00.  Approximately two days later, I received a link to 68 pages of detailed information.  All of the information was in PDF format and readily downloadable.  The entire process took less than ten days.

The Power of Understanding our Past

Genealogical research can be very powerful, especially when there are negative feelings associated with a parent or grandparent.  Countless times I am told by clients that their father did not speak about his past and that they have no knowledge of their family line.  In fact, my grandfather did not know his father and when I began my research, my father and uncle were eager to learn what nobody ever spoke about.  Who was their grandfather?  Why hadn’t their father spoken about him?  Why wasn’t he part of the family?  The untold stories were secrets protecting families from shame and embarrassment.

As time goes by, the shame and embarrassment fade leaving us an opportunity to explore the unknown.  Although, what we might find are less than perfect circumstances, it helps us to better understand how our fathers and grandfathers lives were impacted by circumstances beyond their control.

While conducting research it is of utmost importance to put the records into context.  This allows us to fully digest the situation and circumstances and leads us to a deeper understanding.  If we discover a female ancestor who left her child to be raised by someone else, we should explore the circumstances.  Did she become pregnant out of wedlock?  If so, what were to cultural values at the time regarding women who became pregnant?  Was she the oldest child in her family?  Did she help raise her nine brothers and sisters?  If so, was her pregnancy overwhelming to her?  Swift judgement is often easier than taking the time to develop a deeper understanding.  Taking this time may be therapeutic as you step away from judgement and embrace understanding.

Our fathers or grandfathers may have known the stories but they were never discussed because of the negative feelings associated with them.  You have an opportunity to uncover these stories and pass them on to the next generation.  An opportunity to present the facts from another point of view.  An opportunity to identify the strength of character that existed in someone impacted by such negative circumstances.

After making new discoveries, reflect and ask if the person your father or grandfather was (and how he was as a father) was influenced by the circumstances in his life that he had no control over.  The more you learn about your father’s life, the deeper your understanding (empathy) of his situation.  Empathy and understanding are important and you might actually find yourself embracing the past because it leads to forgiveness.  -peace

Our Family Secret

 

Double Irish

In researching the family history of the New England Settlers, there are several prominent families in many of our histories.  It gets confusing because the names seem to be repeated, and cousins share names.  Around the time of the Civil War and with the westward expansion of the territories, new names and DNA matches crop up.  In researching the Hadley tree I discovered that there was a new name, which was also quite prominent in early New England records, that of Gregg.   The Greggs and Hadleys were members of the Quaker Communities in Delaware and intermarried.  In researching the Greggs we ultimately end up with William “the Quaker” but their history precedes the colonies.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centimorgan

And this is when I found that Nellie A. Hadley was a distant cousin to Luella Belle Burrus.  These two women were descendants of brothers; sons born to William “the Quaker” Gregg.

This finding is the reason for the Double Irish title on this post.  My father has a DNA match which is so close to someone living in Ireland, it appears that my father was only second or third generation American.  This has been a puzzle, but the DNA only gives a piece of the story.  What the DNA cannot tell us is how the centimorgans seem to get doubled up, giving the results which appear to be less diluted due to whom we descend from.  In some cases, when there are two descendants who share DNA their offspring end up with a “double dose” of DNA characteristics.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centimorgan

Unbeknownst to my father’s parents, they were distant cousins sharing strands of DNA which gave him a “double dose” of the Irish.

The grandmother and great-grandmother came from two different areas of the United States; Luella from Texas who ended up in South Dakota.  Nellie from Iowa who went to Nebraska and then to Wyoming.

Understanding Ethnicity Estimates on Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com

At last, your DNA results are in.  If you are like most people, you will rush to the Ethnicity Estimate section to see where your family is from.  It is important to know what this Ethnicity Estimate represents.  This information is based on an algorithm (designed by a particular company) which determines how to classify your DNA.  The algorithm is unique to the individual company, so you might see differences across companies.  It is important to understand the process behind the development of the algorithm.  How do they determine where you come from based on your DNA?  The algorithm is based on research data they obtained from targeted people in specific regions.  Ancestry.com uses a reference panel, (Reference Panel Information) or database of people who have been classified according to their documented familial occupation in a specific region.  If  you share DNA with a lot of people whose family has been present in Ireland for hundreds of years, it is likely that you have ancestors from Ireland.   Every company has different algorithm data and they choose the populations they believe are most representative of the past populations in a given area.  Additionally, our DNA changes over time and the parts of your DNA that might have indicated a connection to a particular region, may have dropped off.  For more information about this visit: Ancestry Blog-Ethnicity Estimate

Records…Surprising Sources 2

A new found acquaintance of mine, someone who was new to my circle of friends, began discussing hobbies.  I mentioned that mine was in records research to support DNA matches.  I shared that through my research, I had discovered that my family (as are many) was descendants of the Gardner family in New England.  Her eyes lit up.  Her husband, she stated, was a Gardner.  In fact, his great grandmother had provided him with a book about the family history, and highlighted the relatives which he was descended from, and whom he was named after.

Her husband, graciously offered to let me read the book.  A short book, a fascinating read, gave me insight into our Gardner lineage.  The bonus was the genealogical records included in the last few chapters.  I discovered the mystery  behind the Widow Shattuck and was able to sort out the names and dates of birth of the Gardner family for our own tree.

https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/010027961

Records…Surprising Sources 1

In this computer age, and with the many various research tools on the internet, it is important to remember that past generations took time to write books.  Some of these books can be accessed at local, regional libraries.  One of our early forays was to a library in Canon City, Colorado.  We knew that we had family history from the Wet Valley in Colorado.  A relative who was a Fire Chief in Canon City, as well as family members who are buried there.  In the research section of the library was a written history of the area, around the time of the 1800s.  This was of particular interest to me, because of the oral tradition that Great Grandfather Powell had worked at a farm, as a hired hand.  In reading the book, I discovered his name was included in this document.  This was a fact that I relied upon when beginning the research on the internet.  I did find, that in fact he worked as a hired hand in his later years, but through the internet research I also found that he worked for CF&I.  I happened upon a pictorial history of CF&I at the Sangre De Cristo Arts Center in Pueblo, Colorado.  I was fascinated by the photos but the maps, oh the maps, showing all of the CF&I Company “towns” within Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico.  Suddenly, the pieces came together.  I had discovered records online which showed that Great Grandmother Patterson-Powell had died in a town named Berwind.  Living in Colorado my entire life, I had never heard of Berwind.  Yet, in this pictorial history and in the maps, clearly CF&I had a coal mine in Berwind.  http://scalar.usc.edu/works/mines-of-the-colorado-fuel-and-iron-company/berwind-coal-mine-el-moro-no-2

Great Grandfather Powell worked for CF&I, I went back to my research on the internet, and sure enough found the family at various mines up until his wife’s death.

 

Why Don’t I Recognize My DNA Matches?

It is not unusual for there to be cousins listed as relatives on a genetic family tree website.  Make sure you have your direct descendants completed in your tree for five generations or so.  Look at the distance of the relationship.  If a person is listed as a second cousin, they generally great-grandparents.  That will help you know which generation to look at.  A fourth cousin would share third great-grandparents.  Another consideration is a non-paternal event.  It might not be on your side, it might be on the side of the person you match.  Take a close look at your matches and look for commonalities.  If you see someone you don’t recognize, see who else they match and look for common names.
In my situation, my father’s paternal grandparents were Nellie Hadley & William McCurdy Cubbison.  We had matches on the Hadley side, but not the Cubbison side.  I noticed several 2nd and 3rd cousins with the surname Jordan.  I began building a separate family tree based on our cousins with the surname Jordan.   As I was researching, the surname Harmon appeared frequently.  I started adding cousins with the Harmon surname to the Jordan tree.  The two trees eventually connected with Elizabeth Harmon who married Garret Jordan in 1814.   Bingo! My father had DNA cousins relating to both sides.  Elizabeth and Garret were my direct ancestors.
When you have matches to the paternal and maternal line of a couple, they are direct ancestors. Grandparent, Great-Grandparent etc.
The Cubbison family moved from Wells County Indiana to Jay County Indiana between 1896 and 1870.

At this point, I knew the problem was on the Cubbison side of the tree.  My father had cousins who were Hadley’s so my father’s, father was not a question.  My father’s grandfather, William McCurdy Cubbison was not questionable because my father had DNA matches to cousins who descended from him.  The non-paternal event must have happened before William McCurdy Cubbison was born.   Elizabeth Harmon was born in 1798 and Garrett Jordan was born in 1793.  The non-paternal event (NPE) must have occurred with the children of Garrett and Elizabeth.  I began looking at the location of the Cubbison Family and the Jordan family in the 1800’s.

Jordan’s moved from Ohio to Jay Co. Indiana between 1850 & 1860.

The common denominator; Jay County, Indiana.  I went to the 1870 Census and looked for each family.  Much to my dismay, I found something that had been there the entire time.  I hadn’t looked close enough.  My 3rd great-grandparents (Adam and Louisa) were living right next door to my Jordan family.  William’s father was not Adam.  It was one of these brothers.

Isaac Jordan and Jacob Jordan were living on each side of my Cubbison ancestors. William McCurdy Cubbison was born in 1870. His parents were Adam and Louisa Minerva Cubbison.

In conclusion, my surname should have been Jordan and before that, we were O’Byrne’s.  The Jordan lineage goes back to Leinster, Ireland, so the name changed sometime before our Jordan family reached the U.S.

In time, I will be able to say with certainty, which Jordan was the father of my great-grandfather.  With DNA testing, each relationship is measured in centimorgans.  My next step is to look at the centimorgans so I can determine the exact person I descend from.  Right now, I am content knowing it was one of the brothers.