Tag: Genealogy

James Patterson Hill Sr. 1888-1962

James Patterson Hill was born to Alexander N. Hill and Mary M. Young in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1888. He had had three older sisters, (Leah, Ida, and Mitzi) a younger sister, (Edith) and a younger brother, (Michael). His parents had two more daughters, (Alexis and Beatrice) who died prior to the age of one.

Death of Father

In 1902, James was fourteen years old when his father, Alexander Hill, died. The cause of Alexander’s death is unknown but two of his brothers died prematurely. His brother Adam died at age 42 and his brother William died at 52, from tuberculosis.

Alexander N. Hill

The Public Ledger, Obituary Philadelphia, Pennsylvania August 30, 1902
“Hill- On the 28th, Alexander Hill, aged 40 years. The relatives and friends of the family are respectfully invited to attend the funeral on Saturday afternoon at 1 o’clock, from his late residence, the rear of No. 1519 South seventh street. To proceed to Mount Moriah Cemetery.”

U.S. Navy

Five months after the death of his father, Mr. Hill joined the Navy. He enlisted on January 21, 1903, at the young age of fifteen. He began as an apprentice seaman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was later assigned to the U.S.S. Indiana (BB-1).

U.S.S. Indiana BB-1

The U.S.S. Indiana was the Navy’s first battleship. She was commissioned in 1895 and was one of many ships, in the Battle of Santiago Bay during the Spanish American War in 1898.

The U.S.S. Indiana was decommissioned from December 29, 1903, through January 9, 1906, for repairs. She was drydocked in the U.S. Naval Yard in New York City for a thorough overhaul.

After the necessary repairs, President Theodore Roosevelt sent the U.S.S. Indiana to Havana, Cuba in 1906 to protect U. S. interests. This second occupation of Cuba was also known as the Cuban Pacification and lasted three years, ending with the establishment of a legitimate government. The U.S.S. Indiana had returned to the League Island Navy Yard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by September 1907. She traveled between Philadelphia and New York naval yard, often during the remainder of Mr. Hill’s service.

The Washington Times, September 26, 1906

U.S. Navy Part II

Mr. Hill enlisted in the Navy for the second time in Chicago, Illinois on May 21, 1918. He attended the U.S. Naval Acadamy in Hampton, Virginia from May to November. In November, Mr. Hill began serving on the torpedo destroyer, U.S.S. Gamble (D-123).

The U.S.S. Gamble (D-123), February 24, 1919

U.S.S. Gamble Service history
After shakedown training out of the Virginia Capes, Gamble sailed from New York City on 13 January 1919 to take part in maneuvers off Cuba; Key West, Florida; and New England seaboard until June 1919. Following overhaul at Norfolk, she joined the Pacific Fleet at Sandiego 7 August 1919 and operated along the Pacific coast until placed in reserve status in the Mare Island Navy Yard, 1 December 1919. She was decommissioned in San Diego on 17 June 1922. “

New York City

June 2, 1917

Death of Mother

Mary Young

Mr. Hill’s mother, Mary Young died in October of 1924.

The Public Ledger Obituary, Philadelphia Pennsylvania. “Hill-Oct. 29 MARY, widow of Alexander Hill. Relatives and friends are invited to attend funeral services, Sat. 2 P.M. late residence, 2510 Gross St. Int. private. Friends may call Fri., 8 to 10 P.M.”

By 1926, Mr. Hill was living in West Palm Beach, Florida. He worked as a Taxi Cab driver and was in a relationship with a woman named Susan Lloyd.

Susan Lloyd

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.

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

 

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

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.

Reaching Out To Others

Inevitably, while tracking down DNA matches, you will find a match that sends you reeling.  Reeling because suddenly there is a new name in your tree.  You found that match through the curiosity of a DNA match which shows you related to someone or some family with a completely different name than those you have been using from either family records or oral tradition.

While this is extremely exciting for you, and may actually be met with disbelief or awe in your family; before reaching out to the others – REMEMBER that the information you are asking them to share with you (or that you want to share with them) may actually be hidden behind a deeply held belief of “we never talk about that”.  Your inquiry may actually cause another DNA enthusiast pain and grief.  Be cautious and considerate.

Tell the other person your story, about how you have seen these DNA matches and that you are curious as to how the connection might be possible.  Ask them if they are willing to share.  If they are willing to share, go slowly and be gentle.

Consider their level of activity on the DNA site, if they are always logging in and spending time building and researching ( you can find this in the member’s site or their postings) they may be more open to your outreach.

If your DNA research is true and valid, you have your truth.  The other person’s  matches to your DNA may not yet be their truth.

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.

Research Dead End Tips Part 2

This is a giant jigsaw puzzle, in which some of the pieces are hidden.  You may know an ancestor and their parents and then reach a dead end.  It is helpful to focus on the parents, their siblings, the children of their siblings and track the migration.  By researching these other “pieces” you may discover additional documents which assist in putting together a better picture of the exact piece you are missing.  The best example I have for this is in researching a tree where there is little information on the family due to a divorce which occurred, and subsequent remarriages.  In focusing on the parent’s and their siblings, building out their lines a discovery was made.  That discovery was a male child who took the last name of the second step father after reaching the age of 18.  Up until that discovery the “assumption” had been that he had died without children.  This discovery opened the door and allowed the sharing of information with the DNA connections who had a completely different last name than the family member I was researching.  Subsequent discussions, identified that this male child changed his name again after his second marriage; he married again and had at least one child with a different surname than that of his grandparents.

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