This is not a “how-to” discussion, as I am a newbie to this technique. Plus, there are so many wonderful how-to videos on this topic, AND the person who created this technique has their own blog page (here). Who better to learn this method from than the person who developed it!
I had read on several genealogical DNA Facebook pages where I am a member, about how helpful Dana Leeds’ technique was for organizing DNA matches. Bonus, it is a color-coding technique and I am a person who finds visual practices very helpful to understand, or to “see” a new concept. Admittedly, I tend not to fortify my mind before I research. Sometimes I like to delve in and see where my research takes me, and learn as I go along.
My first experience was working with my college roommates DNA to answer a genealogical question: who was her birthfather? Like so many people, when the results first came in, I did not know where or how to start. What I was looking at was somewhat over whelming. I clicked on many of the matches and looked at their trees (if they had them). I googled for information on some of the matches, hoping I would discover a clue…or two, that might help. Finally, I turned to YouTube for guidance and learned about mirror trees. Actually not a technique that would be helpful in this case, but I liked the idea of building a tree that would contain the matches. Perhaps that might lead me to this elusive birthfather. I learned as I went along and was eventually able to figure out how my friend fit into this genetic tree.
From experiencing some success, I wanted to have more opportunities to use DNA in genealogical research. A couple of summers back, I took a DNA class (online because of the pandemic) at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), where one of the presenters was none other than Dana Leeds! She lead us through her method step by step, then gave us a homework assignment to try it on our own. Now, not having a lot of DNA in my account to work with, I thought I would use my college roommate’s DNA results, as I already knew what the answers should be. I thought this would be a self-correcting way of using the Leeds Method. If I did not fully understand this technique, then my chart would be wrong, and then I could go back and re-try this method to get it right.
Basically, you consider a small subset of DNA matches, people with whom the test taker shares approximately 400cM to 90cMs with; their second and third cousins. Using a spreadsheet to record your matches, you click on the 1st second cousin in the list who shares about 400cMs with your test taker, then you click on “Shared Matches.” That is the list you record in your spreadsheet, assigning all those in this column a certain color. Arrow out. Then click on the next cousin (who you have not entered into you spreadsheet), then click on “Shared Matches” and record that list assigning them another color. Work you way through the cousin list until you get to your last cousin with whom the test taker shares 90cMs with. You will end up with at least four columns…and sometimes more, but don’t panic. With is information you will discover the surnames of the test takers grandparents. (If this technique intrigues you, I would encourage you to find another site that can explain it better!)
This is an excellent place to start your research. It gives you a snapshot of the test takers family. Basically you know the surnames of the grandparents. The next thing I do is build family trees using the trees the shared matches built and building them out to include siblings and cross referencing them to primary documents. If I am lucky, I will find a marriage of two people with the grandparents surnames…perhaps THE grandparents, but it could be another couple with the same names….so check and double check your research!
I love the Leeds Method and highly encourage people to learn more about it!
Having had several positive outcomes using DNA to solve genealogical questions, I felt empowered, but I knew I needed more experience using it. Enter my friend Tracy. She was adopted. She “met” her birth mother’s family many years earlier, but did not know any thing about her birth father’s family…. and her birth mom was not giving up the information. It was a question she pondered about, but had no burning desire to know more. When I asked her if she was willing to take a DNA test for me so I could figure out this question, she graciously accepted.
I asked Tracy not to give me any information about her birth family. Knowing that many adoptees do not have any information on their birth families, I thought having empty slate, would be an excellent challenge for me. Now, I have known Tracy for approximately twenty years now; our children grew up together. So I remembered a few bits of information, like she had occasional phone visits with a half-sister named Rhoda, who lived in another state…but that was all I basically recalled, and it was not enough information to attempt a Google search.
It took a while for the results to come in, as the first test failed and Tracy had to send another sample. When she received the results, she shared them to my Ancestry account…and I was off and running! I thought I would resolve familial questions quickly, but that was not the case. The very first thing I did was to make a Leeds Chart. This technique should yield the surnames of the grandparents of the test taker, which ultimately it did…but it also created a few questions for me!
Who was Tracy’s birth father? Well seeing as his brother and daughter had taken Ancestry DNA tests, I figured out who he was very quickly. In fact, it was so quick, that I actually second-guessed myself and dug a little deeper. I spent a few more hours on this question, and confirmed the bio-dad’s identity to my satisfaction. Tracy’s birth mom told Tracy stories about him, and the only thing that appeared to be true, was he had served in the military.
OK, now on to the identity of Tracy’s bio-mom. For some reason, I thought this would be the easiest question for me to answer. I don’t know why. Perhaps it was because I had the notion that Tracy already knew the answer. I know that doesn’t make sense, because not knowing, is not knowing, even if some else has the answer. Tracy had a lot of DNA test takers on her maternal side. So I started building a family tree based on the trees these test takers had started to build, carefully linking everyone together. As the tree grew and grew, I did not feel I was getting any closer to figuring out her bio-mom’s identity. It was SO frustrating!
The paper trail was not leading me to a bio-trail. I posted questions on a Facebook genealogical DNA site I belong to, hoping for guidance. I was certainly given feedback, which I took to heart. Taking these suggestions, I worked the tree, referring back to the DNA results, but I was not getting any closer to an answer. Finally, I had to call “uncle” and ask Tracy for the answer. She told me the name of her bio-mom. Turns out I had her in the tree, but I was nowhere near discovering she was the bio-mom.
This is where Tracy’s DNA branches get all twisty (hence my confusion). Turns out, Tracy’s bio-maternal grandfather was illegitimate and was raised by his grandparents. So he carried his mother’s maiden name. She went on to marry and have more nine children, and both her maiden name and her married name were in my Leeds Chart. I should be note that discovering “just” the four surnames of grandparent is the Leeds Chart is not a given…. usually you end up with several more surnames, but if you look carefully for commonalities, your results can be narrowed down to four surnames. In this case, many descendants of bio-grandpa’s half-siblings, as well as his aunts & uncles had taken DNA tests, but by looking carefully at the family tree, I saw how I got confused as these families all twisted together!
So the lesson I learned here was to look more closely at the documents. In the 1920 census, bio-grandpa was just a year old and living with his grandparents. This is the only time he is listed as their “grandson” in other censuses; he is listed as their son. These grandparents also raised another grandson as their “son,” after his mother (their daughter) died. Interestingly, this grandson’s known father appears to be (possibly) the brother of bio-grandpa’s dad…just to add further confusion to this family! As I dug deeper into bio-grandpa’s records, I found an image of his birth certificate online, and the name of his mother is listed…but not the dad.
This gave me a new DNA question of answer! Who was bio-grandpa’s birthfather? I knew who his family was, but candidates of the appropriate age were not indicating they were the father. Many descendants of these possible candidates had taken DNA tests. I expected to see a close-ish match…. like a first or second cousin (possibly or actually once removed). But the DNA numbers were showing a slightly more distant relationship. Rats! Once again, I turn for some guidance on a Facebook genealogical DNA page. There some one suggested I try WATO…. what? Turns out this is a new feature on the DNA Painter site, where you can build a scaled back tree to see if your familial hypothesis is correct. WATO, or What Are The Odds, is an interesting tool. After I gave it a try, it was clear I needed to learn more about how to use this tool.
So Tracy graciously allowed me to use her DNA as a learning experience. And boy did I learn a few things! And now I have more to learn!!! Tracy’s gift is definitely a gift that keeps on giving!!
I’ve been dabbling in DNA to solve genealogical questions for a couple of years now. About 5 years ago, a fellow genie friend began using DNA in her searches, and she thought it was a wonderful tool. I remained skeptical and was unsure if I wanted to invest time and energy into learning how to use DNA to solve genealogical questions. Then in 2018, I attended an educational conference sponsored by the Massachusetts Genealogical Council, where Jennifer Zinck gave a wonderful presentation on using DNA. OK, now I’m intrigued.
I reached out to a dear friend from college who had always wanted to know the identity of her birthfather…. (Last name “Smith”…. oh, please!). I asked her if she would be willing to take a DNA test so that I could learn a new technique. She agreed and my education began. I read what I could find online and watched several “how-to” videos, and when the results were finally in I began creating a giant family tree of her matches…. well, its more like a blob because she comes from a relatively insular community where families intermarried. Eventually I had had this giant blobby family tree and still could not figure out where her birthfather fit in. Then I found a video by the Barefoot Genealogist (Christa Cowan) on making a simple chart to visually see how your genetic matches fit in (video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP8rUlZbmeA&t=1011s). Once I did this…. I solved my first DNA mystery. Boy did I feel empowered!
My Grammy, Hope at 6 years old….and her birth mother, Hilda.
Next, I used my son and mother’s DNA to begin solving a family mystery…. my grandmother (Hope) was adopted and as luck would have it, after good old fashioned sleuthing I believe I found her birth family…. a DNA test proved I found a ½ second Cousin! This cousin informed me that my grandmother’s birthmother (Hilda) was also adopted (oh boy). After a free weekend on AkivDigital, Sweden’s Archives, I found that the birth grandmother mother (Elda), who was born out of wedlock (on no!), but DNA helped me figure out who her birthfather was. However, as you can see there is still a lot to figure out in this line!
Cross section of a Leeds Chart
Then attended and week long (online…because, you know, pandemic) class on DNA led by Blaine Bettinger, with guest presenters Dana Leeds, Karen Stanbary and Paula Williams. By the end of the week, I knew I needed to “play” with more DNA, do a lot more studying and circle back for another class. I asked another friend if she would take a DNA test. She was adopted and had long ago met her birthmother and knew the name of her birthfather. She didn’t actually have any questions she wanted answered, but agreed to let me learn from her DNA. I knew quite a bit about her birth mom, so I asked my friend not to divulge any information on her birth dad to see if I could figure out who he was. When the DNA results rolled in, I first made a Leeds Chart…. a wonderful technique! If done correctly, you should discover the surnames of all four grandparents. I googled for the birth moms obituary, hoping that might lead to the names of her parents…. it did. Then I began building a family tree with this information and DNA matches. As my friend’s tree grew, possible birth father candidates emerged (three brothers). They grew up many states away from where my friend’s birth parents met. I needed to connect one of the brothers to a far away state from their home state. With the help of Google, and some primary documentation found on Ancestry, I was able to nail down the birth father. Because my friend knew his name, she was able to confirm I was correct! Woohoo!
With my objective solved, another by-product of this research emerged. As I was building my friends genetic family tree, a wonderful story about strength and perseverance emerged! Turns out her birth grandmother was widowed at twenty-seven and had two children under ten with one on the way. Within a couple of years she moved her family from a Southern State, clear across the county to the Northwest. She appears to have followed some of her siblings there. She remarried later in life; long after her children had grown. This means she was a single mother of three, working and raising her children during a time when the United States was trying to recover from a World War and from the after effects of the Great Depression. This was a wonderful story to tell my friend about her birth family.
It is interesting to think that by using DNA to answer a genealogical genetic question, you can also discover familial histories and stories!
DNA is a wonderful tool, especially when used to answer genealogical questions. However, it should come with a warning label attached, because the test taker may uncover a long lost family secret, which may blow them and their family out of the water!
A couple of years ago Ancestry.com had an advertising campaign to sell their DNA kits. This advertisement they aired on webpages and in traditional media, had a man who was dressed in lederhosen, who said he was so proud of his German heritage. His DNA results showed he was Scottish and now he was embracing this “new” heritage. The ad ends showing the man wearing a kilt and holding a bagpipe. People were fascinated by the notion of learning more about their ethnic heritage and purchased DNA kits….in fact, for a while they were a very popular gift to give a loved one.
Today Ancestry’s DNA database is one of the largest DNA databases out there. This is really awesome, especially if you are hoping to find birth parents or grandparents of an adopted person. However, it can be a shock to someone who had taken a DNA test a few years back to learn about their ethnic heritage, and now they are getting messages from a stranger saying DNA indicates you are my dad!
I belong to several DNA Facebook pages. Here people can ask for help understanding DNA results, discuss their DNA brick walls and ask how they should proceed with their research, or to find a Search Angel to help them. However, very often these sites are a place for people to share their experiences and surprises. Some are folks who took the test to hopefully discover their birth family, some are folks who just discovered their dad is not their dad, and others share their experiences reaching out and meeting long lost family. So many of these stories are heart wrenching, either because of a wonderful new connection or because of a horrible rejection.
When Ancestry.com began offering DNA test kits as a tool to learn about an ethnic background, or perhaps answer a genealogical question, or break down a brick wall, they may have not realized the possible can of worms they might open for their customers. A recent posting on at least two FaceBook pages that I belong to, was from a test taker who had been told long ago, they were not their father’s child. After dad’s death the test taker took a DNA test with their sibling and discovered they were 100% siblings! Hooray! Her dad WAS her dad! Dad may never know, but at least the family knows! Fast forward a few years and the test taker took an Ancestry DNA test to further their research….and guess what? None of the results showed a familiar paternal line, but listed a bunch of unknown surnames. Indicating that dad was not the birth dad. This meant that neither, the test taker nor their sibling were the children of the man that raised them. The test taker now had an interesting dilemma….tell mom and sib the truth….or keep it a secret, as they felt neither could handle the truth. Respondents on one page recommended they keep the secret, and those on another page felt is was more important to take a few more DNA tests (including other relatives) before they jumped to a possibly wrong conclusion.
If you are a genealogist suggesting a client take a DNA test to help further your research to answer your client’s research question, you should most definitely discuss all the possible implications of this test, as it may lead to surprise information that could be upsetting. If you are someone who wants to take a DNA test to confirm your ethnicity, be warned, you too may find an upsetting surprise. It could be anything from a new genetic relative who is searching for their birth family, to a whole new branch of your tree because a parent or grandparent is not the biological child of one of their parents!
WARNING: So if you are wanting to take a DNA test…..proceed with caution!
So, you think you would like to discover your roots and you don’t know where to start? Well that is easy! Start with yourself, your parents and your grandparents! Jot down birthdates, marriage dates and death dates (if you know them!). Then have a conversation with the older generations in your family. Having all this personal first hand knowledge is a great place to start.
With your notes firmly in hand, you are ready to begin to search in earnest! I recommend starting the FamilySearch.org site. They will want you to sign up for a free account. They do not ask for any payment information (i.e. your credit card), and they do not flood your email account with unwanted emails. FamilySearch is owned and operated by the Latter Day Saints (the Mormons). Part of their belief system is that families are very important in this life as well as in the after life, and by finding (and baptizing them as Mormons) long dead relatives, they all will be reunited in heaven. The nice thing about their website is that they have imaged thousands of original documents (primary sources). It is these primary sources that prove your line, some secondary sources or a story passed down for a few generations may be false! My great-grandmother told my dad and his brothers we were related to Pocahontas. When I was little, I thought that was pretty cool, and indeed it was one of those facts I went searching for when I first started researching my family. It took a while, but I found my great-grandmother’s grandmother maiden name was “Rolfe.” That was clearly where the story came from, but my Rolfes were in no way related to the family into which Pocahontas married.
One of the most important things you can do is to keep accurate records. Notes of your conversations, family group sheets, pedigree charts, when and where you researched (so you do not repeat your searches!). You can keep these records in a binder or invest is some genealogy software. (There is free software out there, but I would research it before you download it!). I often start a new search by opening a Microsoft Word document, and take my notes there before I start making a tree. I can also cut and paste links in this document, so if I go back and revisit this family, I can re-visit the links!
It is very important to Document, Document, Document! Keep track of all your sources. By doing so you can show your proof, you can return to your searches if you need to re-evaluate the accuracy of your source, and it will also prevent you from doing the same searches over and over again. Once on a genealogy Facebook page (consider joining one!), I came across a fellow who posted that he had just started tracing his family tree and had already managed to trace back to Adam and Eve. He most likely copied someone else’s tree, who did not have any sources. Genealogists on the page had to gently explain to him that this was very unlikely.
Evaluate your sources for accuracy. Very often some sources are questionable. I have seen people document a marriage, which occurred in the 1600s between someone in New England and someone in Virginia…although in theory possible, the distance would have made it difficult. In tracking that pesky Rolfe line, I found a Rolfe raised in Massachusetts in the mid 1700s, relocated to New Jersey. I thought this maybe untrue, but the more I looked, the more primary sources I found, and it turned out to be true! So, double and triple the sources, especially if you found the information on someone else’s tree. If it does not make sense, it is probably wrong.
Genealogy is a fun pursuit. I love to untangle a historical question. Sometimes the information comes to you very easily and other times it may take years before you find the next generation, but don’t give up!
So keep this in mind: Gather what you know. Research can begin. Accurate Records must be kept. Document your sources. Evaluate your sources for accuracy.
Over the years I noticed patterns in New Englanders naming their children. Although these patterns may or may not hold true (note: I have not done the research on this idea), I have found this theory to be helpful to me as I search for missing family members. Even today we may choose a first name we love, then very often, we choose a family name for the middle name.
Understanding naming conventions over time can be very helpful in your research, what was a popular name at a certain time, and how and why people selected certain names, can be very assist you as your own family tree. For instance, when we think of Lindas, Donnas and Karens we know they were popular 1950s/1960s names, and Shirleys were from the 1930s, and who recalls the book Beyond Jennifer & Jason from the 1980s? (This Social Security site keeps track of these popular names). Yes, names come in and out of fashion, and knowing these fashionable names may help in pinpointing a relative.
Three hundred years ago, in New England (and perhaps other geographical areas) your first six children’s names had already been decided long before they were even born! They would have been named after parents (2) and grandparents (4), the following children could have been named after a parent’s sibling, or perhaps a nice Biblical name might have been chosen. It should also be noted that if a couple had a child that died, the next child may be given its dead sibling’s name, and if that child died, parents may name a third child with the same name.
Around 1800, people began to choose a popular name for their babies. “George Washington” was a very popular name at that time! Around 1830, giving your child a middle name became popular. Before this time, those children who received a middle name were often named after someone. In my family, Abby Butler Hubbard (1812-1898) was named after her mother Abigail Butler (1773-1862). Abigail Butler and her husband Zadoc Hubbard had ten children between 1795 and 1812, their first four did not have middle names and the other six were named after someone and therefore had middle names.
It is also important to have an understanding of nicknames. Sure we know names like Sue is a nickname for Susan, but so is Suky. Did you know Patty is a nickname for Martha? I bet you didn’t! I bet you thought is was for Patricia!
At one time, it was popular to play a rhyming name game….
William’s nickname was Will…then it was rhymed and became Bill
Robert’s nickname was Rob…then it was rhymed and became Bob
Mary’s nickname was Molly…then it was rhymed and became Polly
Martha’s nickname was Matty…then it was rhymed and became Patty
Hopefully, you can see how this sort of works (of course there are many nicknames that are simply are abbreviations of a longer name…Abigail -> Abby; Susan -> Sue; Etc) but if you are aware of these nicknames name changes, you may be able to locate Cate as Catherine.
And you should also beware that often when people came to the United States from other countries they changed their name to an American sounding one…Franz became Frank.
Keep your Spidey-sense up regarding naming conventions, patterns, nicknames and new American names, as you are building your family tree. It may help you to break down a brick wall!
Many years ago, long before genealogists began blogging, the best way to learn and grow online as a genealogist was to sign up to receive emails from professional genealogists. This is exactly what I did! One email I received intrigued me; it was on how to use Google to find genealogical information. At the time, genealogical databases were still in their infancy; GenWeb seemed to offer the most information, FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com were new, and Find A Grave had not been thought of yet. In fact, most of my research was done via snail mail! A free source of online information was welcome, and to date I use Google regularly to aid in my genealogical research.
The Google logo
Very often you will find scanned books that can be read online, local historical society’s websites that offer blogs on histories or genealogies, posted queries on old message boards, or a descendent family organizations that may offer a well researched genealogy.
I must admit, researching an unusual name is best, but don’t worry, if you have a common name like “John Smith” you will find results. It will take patience and perseverance.
First, using quotes around your research name will help you find information on “John Smith,” versus not using quotes you will get information on every “John” and every “Smith!” Yikes! That’s potentially a lot of useless information. To further narrow down your search answers add the name of his wife or the place(s) he lived: “John Smith” “Experience Jones”…..or “John Smith” Dedham, MA. Mix it up! You know your John Smith, and there might be pertinent information to YOUR John Smith that you could use in your Google searches to narrow down your answers and find the information you are seeking.
Google main page
I think the best piece of Google voodoo is using a minus (-) sign. For years now, I have been researching the Wormwood family of York County, Maine. Early on if I just used the surname “Wormwood” and “Maine”…or “obituary”…or “genealogy,” I found exactly what I was searching. Then about ten years ago, absinthe again became legal to sell in this country. Absinthe is made from the wormwood plant, and yup you guessed it, all of a sudden I got people selling absinthe in Maine! By using the minus sign…”Wormwood” “Maine” “–absinthe”… my Google results are about the Wormwood family of Maine, and zero results on absinthe.
Now as you are reviewing your search results, do not forget to use the pull-down menu labeled “more.” When you click on it, a little drop down menu appears with the words video, books, flights and finance. Click on “books” and that will take you to a list of books your search-person may be in. Google has scanned many books that are out of copyright that you can fully read! But be wary, just because it is written in a book does not necessarily mean it is true or correct. Sometimes authors like to embellish a story to make the genealogy tale more interesting…so check and double check sources.
Google pull down menu
Google also offers Google Maps, which is a useful tool for genealogists. If you know your “John Smith” lived in Dedham, Massachusetts, but you are finding results for him in Needham, Massachusetts, a quick peek at Google Maps and you will see Dedham and Needham are abutting towns, so chances are you found YOUR John Smith. You can also use Google Maps to get directions, and this will also tell you the distance between towns. In my recent search on Abel Prior, I found him in Weathersfield, Vermont; then Augusta, New York; then Chautauqua County (near Charlotte Center), New York; and finally Kirtland, Ohio. Using Google Maps, I could visualize his straight progression from Vermont to Ohio. Then pairing these findings with census records, I was able to verify his twenty-year migration.
Over the years, I have found Google to be very useful genealogical research tool. I would encourage everyone to experiment with it to see what you can find! Who knows, you may find the answer to a long held family secret or even break down one of your brick walls!
Oh boy, Brick walls are frustrating! They often take years to resolve, and once resolved they often lead to another brick wall…or it may completely open up a new long genealogical line. Over the years, I have run headlong into several brick walls, and two took me about twenty years to find the answers.
Abigail (Butler) Hubbard
Abigail (Butler) Hubbard is my 4x’s great-grandmother. She was the wife of Rev. Zaddock Hubbard. They came from Middletown, Connecticut, moved to Lenox, Massachusetts and finally to Moretown, Vermont. Two pieces of paper I found in Zaddock’s autobiography had Abigail’s birth date on them, as well as those of Zaddock and their children. Only problem was one listed Abigail’s birthdate as May 6, 1773 and the other had her birthdate as May 6, 1768. The Barber Collection had the baptism of an Abigail Butler in Middletown, but it listed her birthdate as May 6, 1774! Was this a clue? Was she possibly the daughter of Dorney Houghton Butler and his wife Mindwell Clark? Research on this line did not yield any answers, and I searched for years! There were no Butler friends or family that traveled with the Hubbards as they moved around New England, and there were no clues in the names Zaddock and Abigail chose for their children. Then about five years ago, Ancestry.com added “Connecticut Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999” to their databases. Although Dorney did not leave a will, there was an administration of estate for Mindwell Butler’s, and lo and behold Abigail, wife of Zaddock Hubbard is mentioned in the estate! And just like that my brick wall was knocked down! Solving the mystery of Abigail (Butler) Hubbard ultimately took patience, because the answer was hiding in a document, I just had to wait for it to come online.
Solving the brick wall of another ancestor took perseverance and a lot of research. Mary [?] Simons, is my husband’s 3x’s great grandmother. She was the wife of Charles Rodney Simons, and as a young married couple, they came to Sacramento, California from Ohio in the late 1800s. The family knew very little about Mary and early research on my part did not produce any answers. Then a third cousin put up on his Ancestry family tree two scanned pages from the Simons family Bible. These pages gave me Mary’s maiden name (Bassett), the name of her first husband (James Malonee), and a notation that their daughter, Carrie Malonee, was born in Kirtland, Ohio.
Mary Ellen (Bassett) Malonee-Simons
Although this information did not immediately knock down the brick wall, it did give a place to begin searching – Kirtland Ohio. Looking for Mary Malonee and her baby daughter in the 1870 US federal census, a Mary & Carrie Malong (the “g” zoomed-in, is a “y”), was found in Kirtland. Taking a chance, I searched for a Mary Bassett in the 1850 US federal census, and a Mary “Balseth” (Bassett) was found with her parents, Harmon & Maria and a brother Oliver in Kirtland. Harmon, I love unusual names! Checking to see if another transcription error befell this family, a Google search for “Harmon Bassett” found a marriage record for Oliver Harmon Bassett and Marina Prior. A further Google search for this couple led to an online Bassett family tree listing tons of credible sources. However, this Bassett tree did not know what happened to Mary or her mother Marina.
Following Marina Bassett led to the discovery several remarriages. Her second husband was Leonard Rich. Leonard & Marina Rich’s family are in Kirtland (OH) in the 1860 census, and it indicated a third child, Sarah, from her pervious marriage to Oliver Harmon Bassett. Next marriage for Marina Rich was to Simeon Hall, then Marina Hall married Green Parker, and a Marina Parker’s death record is recorded as August 11, 1891 in Mentor, Ohio. (It should be noted the deaths of all Marina’s husbands can be found online, supporting the timeline of her marriages.) An old family story about a possible relationship to a James Flood, is the lynch pin in proving that Marina Prior is Mary’s mother, because Marina shares a cemetery plot with her daughter, Sarah (Bassett) Flood, and her husband, James Flood.
All of these informational pieces of Mary Ellen (Bassett) Malonee-Simons mother’s life come together to break down this brick wall. So if you are struggling with a brick wall, do not give up. You never know if the answer will be handed to you or through dogged research you find the answer yourself!
Headstone of Huldah (Wormwood) Witham.Find A Grave, database with images, memorial no 94660761, citing Congregational Church Cemetery, Alfred, ME
When I do genealogical research I like to assemble the entire family. Who were all the siblings/children? Where were all the places a family lived? Where did they go to church? Did the family have an important role in their town? Did anyone serve in the military? Asking these questions not only helps to know and understand the family, but also may give research clues when trying to trace a particular family member. This especially is true if you come across two or more people with the same name.
Years ago, I added Huldah Wormwood, daughter of Amos and Lydia (Storer) Wormwood, into my family tree because she was the sister of my direct ancestor. From what I could find, she lived her whole life in the town of Alfred, Maine. However, another online researcher had a Huldah Wormwood in their tree. She was born in Vermont (or New York) and lived her adult life in New York State, but this researcher had her entered in their tree as the Huldah Wormwood born in Alfred, Maine. Trying to figure out which Huldah was actually the daughter of Amos and Lydia (Storer) Wormwood meant careful study of available records.
Headstone of Huldah (Wormwood) Oliver. Find A Grave, database with images, memorial no. 89919566, citing Fairview Cemetery, Brasher Falls, NY
The other researcher theorized that Amos and Lydia (Storer) Wormwood moved briefly to Vermont in 1797, had Huldah, then returned to Alfred, Maine by the time of the 1800 census. Then, she believes Huldah moved to upstate New York by 1820 when she married Alfred Oliver. Although to me, this theory did not seem logical, to the other researcher it made sense. Theories are good. They give one a place to start. Once you have developed a theory, the next thing to do is to see (or to prove) if you are right or wrong. That is when you need to find all available records and to carefully consider each record as it pertains to your research question.
There are most definitely two Huldahs who were alive about the same time and were about the same age. Sometimes, I find it helpful to create a chart of available records. This makes it easier to compare and contrast information.
Huldah Wormwood (wife of Jeremiah Witham)
Huldah Wormwood (wife of Alfred Oliver)
born
25 Dec 1806 (find a grave)
1797/98 (1850 census/ find a grave)
married
24 Aug 1829 (Maine Marriages)
9 Nov 1820 (10,000 VR of eastern NY)
died
22 Jul 1874 (find a grave)
17 May 1854 (find a grave)
1850 census
b. 1807
b. 1797
1860 census
b. 1807
X
1870 census
b. 1807
X
From looking at this chart, one can see the two Huldahs are about ten years apart in age. It should also be noted Huldah (Wormwood) Oliver’s children, in various records, either record her place of birth as Vermont or New York, but most records appear to agree with Huldah in the 1850 census that Vermont was her place of birth. Unfortunately, there are not any other records to add to this chart. So considering records regarding Amos and Lydia (Storer) Wormwood may lead to an answer.
Screen shot of a portion of Amos Wormwood’s will.
Amos and Lydia grew up in Wells, Maine and married there on August 30, 1781. Their first three children were born and baptized in Wells, before the family removed to Sanford, Maine (the part that is now Alfred). Unfortunately, the minister of the Alfred Congregational Church took the records with him when he left the church for another ministry. Amos had his daughter, Huldah baptized on June 18, 1807 by the new minister of the Alfred Church. Amos left a will naming all his children. The will establishes Amos and Lydia were the parents of nine children, their youngest is Huldah, as he wants the monies he left his children to be paid out when his “youngest daughter,” Huldah turns 18.
As for the notion of the other researcher that the family moved to Vermont and back to Maine over a very short time span, documents in York County, Maine illustrate a different story. Amos (then later Lydia) are enumerated in the 1790, 1800, 1810 and 1820 censuses. Amos is listed in the Massachusetts and Maine Direct Tax list in 1798. The town of Alfred records the deaths of three of Amos and Lydia’s children in 1797, 1800 and 1801. Also, land deeds show Amos bought land in 1797 Maine (York County deed book 88; page 256). All these records indicate Amos was living in Alfred, Maine in the late 1790s and early 1800s and did not move temporarily to Vermont. Plus, the Alfred Historical Society and Fred R. Boyle, author of Early Families of Alfred, Maine, believe Amos and Lydia (Storer) Wormwood are the parents of Huldah (Wormwood) Witham, wife of Jeremiah.
These documents seem to answer the research question that Huldah (Wormwood) Witham is the daughter of Amos and Lydia (Storer) Wormwood but they do not tell us who the parents of Huldah (Wormwood) Oliver were. She was most likely born in Vermont, she quite possibly is the daughter of Joseph Wormwood (brother of Amos) or one of their nephews Daniel Wormwood or Ezra Wormwood, all three men moved to Vermont in the late 1790s/early 1800s.
Screen shot of an Ancestry.com family tree search showing there are 169 trees with the wrong information!
It should also be noted that 169 online trees erroneously show Huldah (Wormwood) Oliver as the daughter of Amos and Lydia! Next time you run across two people with the same name, study all the information you can find on them. Don’t just click and add the wrong person to your database. Accuracy is key!
So, a few hundred years ago, my ancestors stepped off the boat on the shores of New England and never left. My husband is a fifth generation Californian. He ancestors stepped off the boat at ports up and down the Eastern Seaboard…and moved about all over the United States. They moved at different times and for myriad of reasons; in search of free land, to offer support services the ‘49ers, to get away from the Dust Bowl, to find jobs and to follow Joseph Smith. Studying his family is a study of American History!
This is how I found Abel Prior. My husband’s great-great-great-grandmother was one of my brick-walls. I took years to gather information on her. My big break occurred when a third cousin put up images from the family bible. This answered a lot of questions and filled in a lot of blanks. Bit by bit I was able to argue with primary facts and connect it to family lore, thus proving who her parents were. I even used this study for and assignment in my ProGen group. Then about a year later, I had access to Newspapers.com and found her obituary! I was right! But gee, it would have been nice to have found this obituary about twenty years earlier!!!!
A portion of obituary listing family members!
So, when one brick-wall breaks down, very often you gain a new brick-wall, and this is true for my husband’s great-great-great-great-grandmother, Marina Prior. After her first husband died, she married three more times, and in all those records I have not been able to find any clues as to who her parents were. She consistently indicates she was born in Ohio around 1825. One interesting fact is in 1842 Marina Prior appears in a Later Day Saints Census in Nauvoo, IL, plus her first two husbands were early members of the Later Day Saints, but it appears her next two husbands were not.
Knowing the family lived in Kirtland Ohio, and was associated with the Latter Day Saints (aka Mormons), I began looking for a Prior family who also lived in Kirtland and Nauvoo the years that Marina lived there and were possibly followers of Joseph Smith. Best candidate I found was Abel Prior—now I just needed to connect them.
The Kirtland Temple
Looking for documents on Abel and tracking him through Ohio, Missouri and Illinois all the way back to Vermont where he was born, has been a long and interesting process. But it also highlights some of the early struggles the Saints endured.
First some facts about Abel discovered through a lot of research. In 1839, Abel testified about an incident that occurred in 1833, he stated that at that time he was 63 years old, making his birth year 1770/71. In 1841, he had (at least) two family members baptized, noting his connection to them: Desire Prior, he was her “son” and Ebenezer Prior; he was his “gd. son”. This means he was the son of Jedediah Prior and Desire Cook and was born in Vermont. Census records and local historical books that Abel is mentioned in confirmed where he lived. In 1790 he was in Vermont living in his father’s home. In 1800, he was living in Augusta, NY, next door to his parents. Augusta history says Abel arrived in 1794. In 1810, Abel was living in Pomfret, NY. History of Chautauqua County, New York, note Abel arrived in April of 1809 and that he had come from Oneida County. County deed records show Abel sold his land in Pomfret 1818, and in 1820 he and his family were living in Kirtland, Ohio. They arrived there some ten years before the Saints came to town.
Abel most likely joined the Latter Day Saints soon after they arrived in Kirtland in 1831. Some tine after the Saints arrived in Ohio, Joseph Smith announced that western Missouri was “Zion” where the faithful should “gather” to await the second coming of Christ. Abel was part of a group of pioneers who went to Jackson County, Missouri to settle Zion in the wilderness. The settlement area was an extensive stretch of land around Independence. Abel was part of the Prairie Branch Settlement. Here he had 22 acres of land, a house and “good improvements” (out buildings, fences, etc.), along the Grand River, it was located in the Southern Part of Jackson County (now Cass County) Missouri. The Saints soon established their new community that grew quickly. They started a weekly Newspaper in Independence, the first in the area, which told of wonderful things for the Saints and denounced the “Gentiles” (or “Old-Settlers”). Angered by the frequent criticism, the Old-Settlers broke into the newspaper’s office, took the printing press and threw it into the Missouri River and tarred and feathered the Saint’s bishops. The Saints decided to retaliate for this injustice. In October 1833, just two miles east of Westport, Missouri the Saints attacked Old-Settlers in a violent confrontation, which left two Old-Settlers and one Saint dead, and ultimately driving off the Old-Settlers. The Saints were fortified by this win, decided to drive out the rest of the “wicked” from Independence. On November 2, they put their plan into action, arriving just outside of town at dawn. However, the Old-Settlers, who out numbered them, met them there. The Old-Settlers forced them to surrender and agree to leave Independence by January 1834. However, a few days later on November 8th, Abel and his family were forced out of their home by a mob that threatened Abel’s life. In May of 1839, he testified:
“A memorandom of the Damage Done to me in Jackson County and else where Able Prior. November t[h]e 8 1833 A mob Came to my house headed by Stephen Cantril two by the name of Patterson the others not known by me they cocked a pistol at me and told me if I opend my mouth they would blow me through the same Day between fifty and sixty Came and gave the same order headed by Elder MC Coye A Baptist Pries[t] here I had 22 Acres of land with a house thereon and a good improvement of which I had to leave imediately or lose my life and fled into the wilderness not seeing a house until about Chrismas having my rist partly cut off at the time allso being about 63 years old the suferings were indiscribeable having Counted up my losses and Damages [——] I make out my bill against the mauraurders of Jackson county-$2000: Dollars”
The governor of Missouri believed that Mormons and non-Mormons could not live side by side in peace. He carved out a new county, Caldwell County, in the Northwest corner of the state for Saints to settle. However, as the Saint population grew and grew, they began settling in neighboring counties. Violence continued to break out between the two groups. In 1838, anger on both sides turned to violence; this time is referred to as “The Mormon War,” which came to a head in the fall of 1838. On October 24th The Missouri State Militia and a Mormon militia engaged in the Battle of Crooked River. The Mormon militia had marched some twelve miles during the night and met up with the state militia who was camping on the banks of the Crooked River. A brief firefight ensued, leaving four dead. This encounter lead to the Missouri Governor issuing Missouri Executive Order 44, referred to as the “Mormon Extermination Order,” which called for all Mormons to leave the state. Governor Boggs said “The Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the state, if necessary for the public good.” The worst violence occurred a few days later, on October 30th when the Mormon village of Haun’s Mill was attacked by an angry mob of about 200 non-Mormons that killed eighteen men and boys. This violence reached Abel Prior and his family a few days later on November 8th.
Abel Prior’s name as it appears in the Mormon Redress Petition
In February of 1834 Abel Prior was part of a group of 10 to 15 Mormon families who relocated to Clay County under the leadership of Sandford Porter. His 1836 marriage to widow Sabra (Mount) Voorhees is recorded here. The Saints were driven from this area, relocating to Daviess County, were Abel established a new farm. Again, he was forced to leave then settling in Caldwell County. However, soon after this move, in 1838 Missouri’s Governor Boggs issued the Extermination Order to expel all Mormons from the state of Missouri. Over the next year approximately 8,000 Saints left Missouri, often loosing everything, and settled in Illinois. Abel and his family settled in Nauvoo, where he appears in the 1840 census.
In 1840 Able Prior testified again stating:
I do hereby Certify that I removed with my family into Jackson County Missouri, in the year 1831, and owned a tract of land on which I made an improvement, and while peaseably employed at my own business I was assailed by a lawless Mob and driven from my home and compelled to leave the county, and then went into Clay Co. and after a short time was driven from that county, and then went to Davis County (sic) and made animprovement there and built me a house and in 1838 was driven from that county by a mob, who rose up against us as a people, Called Mormons, and then I went to Far West in Caldwell Co. and did not get to stay there long till I was compelled to leave the State by the Exterminating Order of Govener Boggs, and was obliged to suffer all this abuse and loss without any cause, not having offended in any way against the laws of that State, and for which I have never recieved any remuneration, and now appeal to your honorable boddy for redress” Abel Prior
[Sworn to before C. M. Woods, C.C.C., Adams Co., IL, 8 Jan 1840.]
It is not known when Abel died. He testified in 1839 and 1840 about his experience in Missouri. He appears in the 1840 census in Nauvoo, and in 1841 he had his mother and grandfather baptized. Then on May 13, 1842 he received an Elder’s license in the church, this is the last time Abel appears in any record. His wife (and possible daughter) both appear in a June 1842 the Nauvoo list of members in the Relief Society Minutes Book.
By digging deeper then just what census and vital records have to say, I discovered a possible ancestor of my husband lived an amazing life. Googling for information is fantastic! Abel started life in Vermont. He moved with his parents (and possible siblings) from New York to Ohio to Missouri and finally to Illinois. Along the way he became part of history at a time when the United States was young and growing.
Some day I hope to prove that we are related to Abel Prior.
Sources:
Ashcroft, John R. Missouri Secretary of State. The Missouri Mormon War. Jefferson City, MO: Missouri State Archives, n.d.
Downs, John. P. The History of Chautauqua County, New York, and Its People. Vol 1. New York: The American Historical Society, 1921.
Hartley, William G. “The Saints Forced Exodus from Missouri.” Joseph Smith, the Profit and the Seer. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson (ed). Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Desert Book, 2010, 347-90
The History of Oneida County, New York, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches. Philadelphia: The Press of J.B. Lippincott, 1878.
Johnson, Clark V. Mormon Redress Petitions: Documents of the 1833-1838 Missouri Conflict. Salt Lake City: Religious Study Center, Brigham Young University, 1992.
North, F.A. (Ed.), The History of Johnson County Missouri: Including Reliable History of the Townships, Cities and Towns. Kansas City: The Kansas City Historical Society, 1881
Porter, Larry C. and Ronald E. Romig. The Prairie Branch Jackson County, Missouri: Emergence, Flourishing and Demise, 1831-1834. Salt Lake City: The Ensign Peak Foundation, 2007.
When one is researching genealogy, it is not uncommon to find many ancestors with a prefix or a suffix in their names. Of course, we are familiar with Mr., Mrs., and Dr., because these prefixes are used in the same way today. Some suffixes that we are familiar with, such as Esq., and Jr., were used very differently in the eighteenth century than they are used today. Knowing how they were used and when the usage change occurred as well as what they meant is important because it will make your research accurate.
Today, when a son is named after his father the suffix “Jr.” follows the name. Even long after the father has died, the son uses the “Jr.” after his name. Should this son also name his son after himself, then the suffix “III” follows the name. I once met a “XIV”! It should be noted this is a modern day convention.
In the 1700s, in New England and probably in other geographical areas as well, parents often named their children after their parents and themselves. This means their children often followed the same naming patterns. So if Henry Brown had six sons, (one being a Henry Brown) they each may have a Henry Brown and within two generations, a town may have eight Henry Browns living in their borders! This does NOT mean they were recorded as Henry Brown Sr., Henry Brown Jr., and six Henry Brown IIIs in official records. So how did officials record all these different Henrys?
When I first started doing genealogy, I thought the modern day use of Sr., Jr., etc. was also the historical norm, until I began to transcribe the records of the Second Parish of Dedham (now the First Church of Norwood). As I was working my way through some of the earliest records, I came across Ezra Morse, Ezra Morse Junior, and Ezra Morse Tertius. I had not seen the term “Tertius” before and had to look it up. An online dictionary said it meant “third, the ordinal number after secundus (second), and before quartus (fourth).” In researching this Morse family, I found this is a grandfather, father, and son, but in researching other men with the “Jr.” suffix, I have discovered the “Jr.” does not necessary mean a father and son. It often indicates that the “Jr.” is the younger of the two men living in town. So when you come across the use of “Jr.” do not simply assume you have a son named after his father, and add a “Sr.” to your tree. You could be wrong and when you figure that out, you will have to start lopping of branches of your tree. Do a little research first and to make sure you have a correct entry right at the start!
It is interesting to note the suffix, “Esq.” (which means “Esquire”) is often found on headstones and legal documents of men who lived in the eighteen century. Today we know this term is associated with the legal profession. People who are lawyers often have the suffix Esq. after their names, and as a society, we instantly know they are lawyers. However, earlier usage of the term Esq. does not mean that our ancestors were necessarily lawyers. Understanding how this term was used in the 1700s and early 1800s will help us understand more about our ancestors.
In the eighteenth century, the term Esquire meant gentleman, someone who had social stature in the community. This notion often confused me when I came across this term as I was doing local history, and knew this particular “Esq.” was neither a lawyer nor a gentleman because he had come from very humble beginnings. As I began to understand the term by delving deeper into local history, I learned that these men of humble beginnings were titans of local industry, rising to become quite wealthy. As they rose in social standings they often took leading roles in local government or in churches. The term Esq., being tacked on to the end of their name, reflects how they were seen within their local community. We begin to see “Esq.” being used as we know it today around the mid 1800s. So be careful and check the history of your ancestor to confirm if they were a community gentleman or a local lawyer.
Although the use of such prefixes as Mr., Mrs., and Dr., have remained unchanged over the centuries, knowing a little about their initial meanings is interesting! The term “Mr.” we know to be an abbreviation of the word “mister.” However, its initial roots were in the word “master,” and the word “mister” evolved out of the abbreviation, as people attempted to pronounce the “m” and the “r” as a word. The prefix “Mrs.” is an abbreviation of the word “mistress” and is associated with a married woman. It should be noted the prefix “Miss” also comes from the word “mistress” but is associated with an unmarried woman. However, in the eighteenth century the abbreviations Mrs. and Miss were used interchangeably. I have seen many marriage documents recording a Mrs. Sarah Jones marrying Mr. So-in-so. This often confused me as other records indicated Mrs. Sarah Jones was really Miss Sarah Jones. Now I understand the interchangeability of Mrs. and Miss and do not fret about how they are being used….but this does not mean that I do not research to confirm if the ancestor in question was married or not! So, it is important to not only understand the old usage of prefixes and suffixes tacked on to names, but it is equally important to research the use of these prefixes and suffixes on the name of your ancestors, as it will make your research more accurate.
Around 1900, Americans took a great interest in United States history, local history and in their personal family histories. During this time Historical Societies formed, and an interest in supporting and creating local historical sites occurred. Also, linage organizations were established, such as The Daughter’s of the American Revolution and The Mayflower Society. It was at this time many books on local histories were published which often included a genealogical sketch of prominent citizens. These books, most which can be found on Google Books, are wonderful resources, but they should be treated as a clue and not as a fact. Very often their genealogies were often incorrect and the histories they include on the families were just wrong.
One such article I came across when I was researching the family of Thomas Penney (1710-1809) of Wells, Maine. In this article, on Justin Benjamin Penney in the book “Representative Men of Southeastern Massachusetts” published in 1919, by J.H. Beers & Co, states that Justin’s great-great-grandfather, Thomas Penney was the father of nineteen children, ten with his first wife Abigail Grey and nine with his second wife Adah (Hatch) Spear, who came to this marriage with two children. The article goes on to tell a fantastic story of Adah’s life saying:
“Adah (Spear) Penney was taken captive by the Indians and kept prisoner eighteen years. She had a child born shortly after her capture, of which the Indians became very fond, but in one of their drunken orgies and war dances they accidentally killed it. To conceal all evidence the burned the body before the mother’s eyes. The heartbroken woman found a rib bone in the ashes and hid it in the folds of her dress. At last the Indians discovered it, and feared she intended to keep it to show the whites’ and make trouble. She was finally set at liberty.”
It should be noted that there is no other mention of this incident in Wells history. By reviewing the time line of Adah Hatch’s life, it is clear, a lot of her life is documented. There are many times where Adah’s name appears in Wells records, from her baptism, her two marriages and the baptism of her Spear children and her Penney children. These documents will prove the unlikely story of Adah’s capture.
Timeline of Adah’s life using primary documents:
Date
Event
Source
Gap b/w events & age
13 Aug 1727
Baptized at First Church of Wells
Wells, ME. Church records.
—–
13 Dec 1748
Intention to marry to Gideon Spear
Wells, ME. Church records.
21 years (21yrs)
15 Feb 1756
Baptism of three Spear children: Ebenezer, Mary & John
Wells, ME. Church records.
8 years (29yrs)
13 Jan 1759
Marriage to Thomas Penney
Wells, ME. Church records.
3 years (32yrs)
12 Feb 1760
Bapt. of daughter Joanna Penney
Wells, ME. Church records.
1 year (33yrs)
7 Jan 1762
Birth of twin sons Benjamin & Joseph Penney
Per Benjamin Penney’s Revolutionary pension application
2 years (35yrs)
22 Aug 1762
Bapt of twin sons: Benjamin & Joseph
Wells, ME. Church records.
8 months (35yrs)
(Maybe, but highly doubtful) 1766 to 1775
(birth of possibly more children)
According to the article, Adah had 5 more Penney children, possibly born b/w 1766 and 1775. No records to support this notion.
2 years to 9 years (b/w ages of 39 to 48 yrs)
Bef 1790
death
There are no records for her death. As Thomas gave his all his land to son John in return for life care
(sometimes making a table of facts can help to visualize someone’s life)
The story tells of her capture as a young woman, not a child, so Adah would not have been captured between birth and her first marriage. Documents over the next twenty years do not have an eighteen-year stretch. Also, if one takes into consideration the article’s reported notion she had five more Penney children born to her, then the only possible time block for this capture to have occurred is in the late 1770’s, (putting her in her late 40s/early 50s…almost too old to have a baby) and having a release just before 1800. Plus, history records note attacks on New England settlements by Native Americans was a problem in the 1670’s not the 1770’s. Thus, by studying the facts and comparing them with this story, illustrates that this story about Adah story is highly likely never happened and appears to be a fabrication on the author’s part.
The First Chruch of Wells. Now the Wells Historical Society
Googling to find genealogies and histories is an excellent tool, but be aware that what you find may not be based in fact. The story of Adah’s capture is indeed an amazing story, and one that would be cool to pass down…but it simply is not true. I have also discovered that very often the genealogies found on line, whether in an early-published book, or on a web page, are fraught with errors. It should be noted that most of these histories/genealogies are accurate…but do yourself a BIG favor and check for sources. That way you know you have created an accurate tree filled with accurate stories!
Recently, I was participating in a committee, where someone stated, in reference to a local history…if it was published then it MUST be true.
Laurie L. Kearney 