Author: Kathleen Hill

Why Are My Y-DNA Surnames Different Than Mine?

When my father submitted his DNA, he submitted an Autosomal test to Ancestry.com and a Y-DNA test to FamilytreeDNA.com.  The Autosomal testing would help us identify more recent relatives (within the past 5-8 generations), and Y-DNA would help us identify the origin of our surname.  When the Y-DNA results came in, my father’s matches were men with the surname O’Byrne, Byrne, Burns, etc.

The results were confusing to us so we joined the O’Byrne  Surname Project on FTDNA.  The project researchers study the male DNA to determine the origin.  Here is what we learned:

Thank you for notifying me of Jerry’s Z255  pack result.  His confirmed Haplogroup as you said is A5411. I did mention that I thought he might be Z16950. He is positive for it as it is above A5411. Looking at his matches at 67 a few of his closer matches were Z16950 which is why I predicted this one. Great to see that he is A5411. On our SNP chart I will now move Jerry from the Z255 group and into Lineage 1e.  You can see from the chart that that A5411 is the ancestor a large group of six lineages 1e to 1j and is dated as 1250 AD. I think this confirms Jerry’s O’Byrne Clan of Leinster ancestry.

Fortunately, the project managers are very skilled researchers.  We gained much infomation about our origin from them.  We descend from the O’Byrne Clan out of Leinster, Ireland dating back to 1250 AD.

Our Autosomal results were interesting.  We had matches to cousins on many sides, but none to the Cubbison lineage.  I looked for O’Byrne cousins and was not able to find any.   This became the beginning of a two year research project. I had to trace my father’s genetic past from the DNA results instead of the family tree paper trail.  I discovered a non-paternal event in the 1870’s in my father’s line.  My great-grandfather descended from a male neighbor.  My research timeline.

 

 

 

 

 

William McCurdy Cubbison: Two Families

William McCurdy Cubbison was born in Indiana in 1872.  He married Nellie Hadley, a Quaker, in 1893.  They lived together in Burr Oak Kansas and had three boys; John Franklin Cubbison “Frank”, Albert Jennings Cubbison “Matt”, and James Funston Cubbison.  According to the Census, they were living together in 1900 in Burr Oak, Kansas.  By 1907, the following article appeared in a Nebraska newspaper.  And thus, my search began….

In order to find additional information, I had to look for court records.  I reached out to Platte Valley Kinseekers, in Columbus, Nebraska and asked them for assistance.  Carol Jacobs agreed to assist me.  She went to the court house, copied the records and mailed them to me.

My great-grandmother, Nellie, was an incredibly strong woman.  She was notified of the circumstances with her husband on June 27, 1906.

Mrs. Wm. Cubbison,

Dear Madam,  Mr. W. Cubbison is keeping company with a lady friend of mine.  He claims that you left him and I have heard that he left you in destitute circumstances with three children to suffer and is not divorced.  You would do a great favor to this lady and also myself as her friend if you would write me giving the true state of affairs.

Respectfully, J. A. Canfield

At some point, Nellie Hadlie sent her brother-in-law, Arthur Garmon (married to her sister, Flora E. Hadley), to Nebraska to see if what she was hearing was true.

The witnesses in the case against Mr. Cubbison were, Nellie Hadley, John Regan, Mrs. John Regan, and Nellie Regan.  William McCurdy Cubbison left his wife and children and went to Nebraska.  He married another woman, Nellie Regan, in St. Joseph’s Church on Oct. 14, 1904.   Mr. Cubbison and his wife Nellie Regan had a daughter named Maureen Irene Regan who was born in 1907.  My family shares DNA with descendants of Maurine Regan.  She is my grandfather’s half-sister.

Nellie Hadley was a witness and provided many letters written to her from her husband.  In those letters he wrote,

September 11, 1901

Dear wife I thought I would write you a few lines to let you know how we are getting along.  We are about 101 miles from Burr Oak at this writing.  Talk about their not being any corn in the country.  We have traveled ever since yesterday at 3 o’clock in corn.  That will make from 25 to 50 bushels.  And wheat made from 30 to 40.  I tell you wife this is a nice country.  We have traveled since yesterday noon.   You can see for 25 miles where we are at now if it was not for the timber planted around the farm house, you could see that much further….

Raleigh, Nebraska, Oct. 29

Dear wife, I will write you a few lines to let you know that I am well and hope that these lines will find you well and the baby the same.  How is my baby boy?  I would like to see him. (much more)

Nellie Hadley and Mr. Cubbison reunited after his release from jail and they had a 4th son, Richard “Jack” Cubbison in 1912.  On June 26, 1916, my grandfather was born in Milford , Nebraska.

Nellie Hadley with grandson’s, Lloyd and Jerry.
My grandfather: “Cubby” Charles Chester Cubbison

William McCurdy Cubbison did not settle down.  My grandfather never knew his father.  William McCurdy Cubbison died in Sundance Wyoming, alone, in 1929.  Nellie Hadley is buried with three of her sons in Sundance Wyoming.  She was a wonderful grandmother to my father and left him many wonderful memories.

Interesting Research Discoveries

Researching family history is most enjoyable when you make new discoveries.  I have made many new discoveries, for my self and others.  Some of the discoveries come from researching documents and records, while others come from understanding the genetic trail left behind by our DNA.  Although we never can anticipate what we might find, we might find some family secrets, which were embarrassing at the time.   I have found it helpful to put the information into context.  What year did the event happen and what were the circumstances?  Trying to better understand life at the time and setting aside judgement and emotion, might be necessary to fully enjoy what you might find.  I have many interesting discoveries to share and hope you find them as interesting as I have.   This article refers to my great-grandfather, William McCurdy Cubbison.  It is an interesting read!    William McCurdy Cubbison: Two Families

Border Crossings From Mexico to the U.S.

When researching family members who arrived in the U.S. from Mexico, you might find their name and their information card, online.  Be sure to look at this card very closely.  Click on the right arrow and look at the back of the card.  There is valuable information, especially if you are researching the family.  Often times, they listed who they were going to visit in the U.S., their address, and the relationship of the person.  This can help you find brother’s, sister’s, aunt’s and uncles.  When you add these people to your tree as relatives, it changes your search results.  Then, go in and start searching for their relatives.  You will be amazed at how it increases the information you can gather.  Look at the wealth of information on the front and back of the card below.

From Ancestry.com
From Ancestry.com

The National Archives

The National Archives has a tremendous amount of information.  You can create an account and order online or you can submit an order through the mail.  Create an account and browse the records available at the National Archives.

If you are interested in finding Alien Case Files go to the National Archives Catalog and search for the case you are looking for then follow the instructions on how to request the record.

I am ordering an Alien Case file for a client today.  It should include:

  • Alien Registration number
  • Last Name
  • First Name
  • Alias
  • Date of Birth
  • Sex
  • Date of Entry
  • Country of Birth
  • Father’s Name
  • Mother’s Name
  • Naturalization Date
  • Naturalization Court
  • Naturalization Location

More information on A-Files.

 

 

Research Dead-End Tips

Today I spent a great amount of time working on a family tree.  There were several dead-ends.  When I get to a dead-end (when I can’t seem to find the parents of an individual) I expand my focus.  The way to break through and continue building your tree involves branching out.  Go back to the information you have.  Return to the census images and look at the names.  Look for brothers, sister, neighbors etc.  Often times, if you begin researching the line through another relative, you can break through.  When I could not find the parent of a direct ancestor I looked for the parent of my ancestor’s sibling.  The person I was researching today was listed in one census as the “brother-in-law” as the relation to the head of the household.  This clearly gave me the name of my individual’s sister and her age/birth information.  I added her to the tree and then began looking for her parents….Bingo!

GEDMatch

There are many companies providing DNA autosomal testing services.  Regardless of which company you use, your DNA results on their site are only compared to others who tested with the same company.  Gedmatch allows users to add DNA results from most companies to a central location.  This allows users to compare their DNA to users who have tested with other companies.  Gedmatch has many excellent tools.  Some are free and others are low cost.  If you are looking for DNA matches and want to “fish in a bigger pond,” Gedmatch is for you.  They offer details on how to upload your DNA, specific to the company you tested with.  To learn more go to:  Gedmatch

Building a Family Tree on Ancestry

For me, Ancestry.com has been the best DNA website for researching situations involving an unknown parent.  Each of the DNA testing sites have their own benefits, and I use most of them for various purposes, but for researching an unknown, Ancestry’s features are far superior to the others.

It is important to understand the basic steps necessary to get the most out of your Ancestry experience.  If you have submitted a DNA test to Ancestry.com and are awaiting the results, there are a few things you can do to prepare.  For those interested in researching, I highly recommend a subscription to Ancestry.  If your family was mainly in the United States (for several generations) you don’t necessarily need access to other countries.  As you get more involved in your research and begin to use Fold 3 for military records, or Ancestry.com account.

Begin constructing your family tree.  You need to have 2-3 people in your tree before you can save it.  Once you have named it, save it.  You can make it a public tree (view-able by others) or a private tree.  Click on trees, create and manage trees, manage tree, and then click privacy settings.  Next, select yourself as the home person in your tree.  To do this, toggle back to tree settings (at the top) and select who you are.  This is very important!  You can use initials or your name.  If using your name, it will be kept private because all information on living people is private.

When researching the people in your tree, be careful using the hints provided by Ancestry.  Take a close look at and verify the information.  Bad habits are hard to break.  Taking someone else’s research as true can be a costly mistake down the road.  Read and verify everything!  Set a goal to have 4-5 generations, well documented, in your tree.  By the time your DNA is complete, you will have a solid foundation for researching.

Linking Your Ancestry DNA to Your Tree

 

Family Tree DNA

Family Tree DNA offers many different DNA testing options.  If you have autosomal DNA from another agency, you can upload your results to FTDNA for free.  After you upload your results, you can access their Family Finder database for only $19.00.  This will give you information on your autosomal matches.  My preference has been to test with Ancestry and then upload results to FTDNA for autosomal DNA.  This allows you to “fish in another pond” while searching for DNA matches for an insignificant fee.

Family Tree DNA is a great site for ordering Y-DNA.  Remember, this gene is passed down from father to son so the donor must be a male.  This tool is very helpful for determining the origin of the surname.  Unfortunately, if you are like me, your surname might not be what you think it is.  This might be due to a name change in the past or, as in my case, a non-paternal event.

If you plan on ordering the Y-DNA test,  you will have to decide what level  you want to test at.  I recommend testing at the 67 level to begin with, unless you want to spend the higher amount to do the “Big-Y” test.  FTDNA allows you to retest at different levels without having to resubmit a saliva sample.

When your results are in, go in and look at the various surnames associated with your DNA.  In my case, O’Byrne was the common name.  I joined the O’Byrne surname project (see below) and confirmed that I descend from the O’Byrne Clan out of Leinster, Ireland.

FTDNA offers many “projects.”  You can submit DNA to one of the projects and your DNA is compared to other members in the project.  Most surname projects track the origin of the surnames.  For instance, there were many men with the last name Curtis who came to America from various places.  By placing DNA in the Curtis Surname Project on FTDNA, it is possible to learn which Curtis a particular person from.  These projects are not limited to surnames.  They have many options to choose from such as: Ashkenazi Jews, inhabitants of various regions at various times, descendants from a particular area, etc.

DNA Testing Information

If you are considering DNA testing and are unsure which company to test with or which test to take, it will be helpful for you to identify the purpose of your testing.

Y-DNA:  If you are male or you wish to know more about your family surname, you might be interested in Y-DNA.  Unfortunately, only a man (father or son) carries the y-chromosome.  If you are woman and are interested, ask a brother or uncle  if they are interested in learning more about their origin.

mtDNA:  This type of DNA is passed down to both male and female children from their mother.  It contains DNA information about the female relatives, above the mother.  (The mother, her mother, her mother’s mother etc.)

Autosomal DNA:  This type of DNA is what most ancestry websites use to help individuals discover cousins.  It includes matches on both the maternal and paternal sides of the family and will show relatives dating back five to eight generations.