My First NPE Case - "Tonya"

This post is going to be a little bit different than my usual family history posts. One thing I spend a lot of time doing is identifying where my DNA matches fit into my tree. DNA matches are other Ancestry.com user who I share DNA with. I currently have 115,477 DNA matches. That's a lot of cousins! Only about 4200 of those are 4th cousins or closer. Since I began working with my DNA matches I have had a goal of finding the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) for all of my 2nd - 3rd cousins. I don't have any matches closer that 2nd cousin- once removed (2C1R).  Since 3rd cousins share great great grandparents and I know all of my 2nd great grandparents this should have been a fairly easy task. However, there are a few that have given me trouble. One of these is a lady we'll call Tonya. Ancestry guesses our relationship to be 3rd-4th cousins. We share 93cM (centimorgans) or about 0.5% of our DNA.

Tonya has a large tree. All of the lines go back several generations so I was stumped when we had no ancestor in common. When this happens my first step is to look at our common matches. I saw that all of our common matches were on the Watson/Brown/Oswalt line. Another interesting thing is that she had no ancestors in the South. All of my ancestors, with the exception of one line, were in the South. At this point, I sent Tonya a message asking her if she could pin point how we were related.  My next step is to build a mirror tree. This is simply a tree I build that is identical to Tonya's tree, this way I can change it and add to it as I figure out how we are connected. This helped me decide that I was definitely not connected to anyone in her tree. Maybe her tree was wrong? But how?

I started adding our shared matches to the mirror tree and quickly realized that our MRCA were John Calvin Brown and Julia Ann Oswalt. I had figured it out! But that is not where this story ends.

A few weeks after I had found the connection, Tonya messaged me back. She said that she had no matches on her father's side and had no idea how we were connected. She asked me where we go from here. I could tell she had had a lot to process since getting her results. I can't imagine finding out that way that your dad is not your father! I was glad to be able to message her back that I knew how we were related and that I would be happy to share my mirror tree with her. We messaged back and forth a few more times and I eventually offered to help her find her father. I have always wanted to solve an NPE (Non-paternity Event) but I wanted to be sensitive to her and her family. She said she had no idea how to go about it and would appreciate the help. I started right then! Tonya gave me access to her DNA matches and I saw that she had several 1st-2nd cousin matches so I felt pretty sure I would be able to solve this! 

It took me about 7 hours over 3 days but I did it! I found a man that fit perfectly. He was the right age, in the right place at the right time. It was such a fun puzzle to solve. I even think they look a little bit alike.

Unfortunately he passed away when she would have been very young. I shared all of this information with Tonya last week but haven't heard from her since then. It is up to her what she does with the information. I do hope she eventually gets to meet her half siblings and that everything works out. 

One other thing that was interesting about this case was the family line we share intermarried with the same families and sometimes their own family many times. I mentioned earlier that Tonya and I share 93 cM of DNA. She and I are 3C1R. The upper limit for this relationship is 75 cM and the average is 30 cM. There was so much endogamy that we had 18 more cM than we should have been able to! That is crazy!

Known and New Relations

James Murphy Looney was born March 7, 1853 in Jackson County, AL. By 1860, his family was living in Franklin, TN. When he was just 13 his mother, Adeline Hogue Looney,  died, leaving him to help take care of his 5 younger siblings. James married Mary Susan Francis October 29, 1874.

John Calvin Looney was born in or near Hawkins County, TN on October 1, 1821. He married Adaline Hoge on December 18, 1851.

 His father, Michael Looney, Jr served as a private in Capt. James Cummings' Company, Child's Battalion, Mounted Gunmen, East Tennessee Volunteers in War of 1812, from October of 1814 to 2 May 1815. His military enlistment form describes his as 19 years old, height 5 feet 7 inches, complexion dark, dark hair, eyes gray.

Michael Looney Jr. died in 1825 in Jackson Co., Ala., "on Crow Creek near Anderson Station", presumably reasonably soon after the birth of his son, Carroll C. Looney in 1824. 

Michael's widow, Susan Matthews, then married Stephen Sutton in 1827, but they soon divorced. Stephen Sutton with wife and three Looney boys can be found in the 1830 census for Jackson Co, Ala. After their divorce, Michael's widow then married #3 Jesse Rogers, 1839 in Franklin Co, TN. 

The 26 Sept 1825 probate of Michael's estate is recorded in Jackson Co, Ala Probate Records 1820-1830, pages 130-133.

Susan's father, James Matthews, was born in 1764 in Lunenburg County, VA. James married Elizabeth Hardy in December of 1788. He served as a private in Georgia's 2nd Militia under Captain James Merriwethers during the War of 1812. He eventually moved to Jackson Countty, AL where on August 1, 1839 He registered land in his name. He died just eight years later. 

James's father, William Matthews was a land owner in Lunenburg County, VA. He was married to Susannah Read on December 31, 1763. (This family loved Christmas weddings apparently!) William is documented as having purchased and sold land in Lunenburg County several times before he died in 1804.  Susannah Read is listed in the Will of her father, William Read, in 1764 with her mother, Elizabeth, and her siblings. 

Thomas Reade was born in 1649 in Ware Parish, Gloucester County, VA, USA. He was the son of Col. (Gov) George Esq. Reade (1608-1674) and Elizabeth Martiau Reade (1625-1696).

Thomas married Lucy Bernard Gwyn in Dec. 1694 at Albington Parish, Gloucester, Virginia.  Lucy was the daughter of Dr. Edmund Gwyn (1635-1683) and Lucy Bernard (1647-1675).
Thomas died in 1716 in Gloucester County, Virginia, USA. He was 67 years old. 

Colonel George Reade was born at Linkenholt Manor, Hampshire, England in 1608 into a very prominent family. He immigrated to Virginia in 1636 with Governor John Harvey. George worked as Harvey's secretary and resided with him at the governor's mansion for sometime after his arrival. He was eventually made the Secretary of the Colony and Acting Governor of Virginia (1638-39); member of the Council of Virginia; member of the House of Burgesses from James City Co.,VA in 1649 and frequently thereafer. He became a member of the Governor's Council on 13 Mar 1657-58, which office he held until his death in 1671. 
He married Elizabeth Martiau in 1641 in York County, VA. 

His daughter, Mildred Reade, was born October 2, 1643, at Warner Hall Plantation in York County, VA. She married Colonel Augustine Warner II, son of Captain Augustine Warner and Mary Towneley, in 1670. 

Mildred Warner was the daughter of Mildred Reade and Augustine Warner. She was born in Virginia about 1671. She married Lawrence Washington in 1686. They had three children: John, Augustine, and Mildred. After Lawrence's death, Mildred married George Gale. 

Augustine Washington was born on November 12, 1694 in Westmoreland, VA to Mildred Warner and Lawrence Washington. When Augustine came of age, he married Jane Butler, an orphan with considerable wealth of her own. The couple settled on his inherited property and quickly constructed a new house called "Wakefield." They had two sons, Lawrence and Augustine before Jane passed away in 1728. Three years later, Augustine remarried to Mary Ball. Their first born son was George Washington, First President of the United States of America

                           George Reade - Elizabeth Martiau

Thomas Reade - Lucy Gwyn                    Mildred Reade - Augustine Warner              Siblings

William Reade - Elizabeth                      Mildred Warner - Lawrence Washington      1st Cousins

Susannah Read -William Matthews          Augustine Washington- Mary  Ball               2nd Cousins

James Matthews -Elizabeth Hardy           George Washington                                   3rd Cousins

Susan Matthews -Michael Looney                                                       3rd Cousin, Once removed to G.W.

John Calvin Looney - Adaline Hoge                                                    3rd Cousin, Twice removed to G.W.
James Murphy Looney -  Mary Susan Francis                                       3rd Cousin, 3xs removed to G.W.

Susan Irene Looney                                                                           3rd Cousin, 4xs removed to G.W.

W.T.                                                                                                3rd Cousin, 5xs removed to G.W.

An Early American Immigrant and a Connection to the Salem Witch Trials

On March 11, 1635 a ship known as the Susan and Ellen, captained by Edward Payne, set sail from London for New England. The 94 passengers were a part of the Great Migration that brought more than 30,000 people on dozens of ships from England to New England in the 1630s. Among these passengers was John North, age 20. It seems like most of the ships passengers settled in and around Ipswich, Mass. John was granted 3 acres of land in Ipswich. He later sold his house and property in Ipswich and moved to Farmington in Hartford County, Connecticut. I admit I got a little excited about a connection to Hartford, being a long time fan of the show, Gilmore Girls, based in a fictional town in Hartford.

How I learned about John North
This line is very new to me and I have only read a tiny fraction of all that is available on this family. I have known about my 5 great grandmother, Hannah Woodruff, for years but I've never been able to get past her. New documents are constantly being made available and that combined with my DNA I was able to bust through this genealogical brick wall. I just didn't realize that behind the wall was river of information. Hannah's parents were Isabella Yale* and Ransom Erastus Woodruff. What a name. Ransom was born in 1783 in Farmington, CT, where his family had been for over 150 years. Ransom's mother was Lois North, great, great granddaughter of the John North who immigrated from England.

John North's Famous Co-Passenger
As I was researching this family, I found the passenger list for the Susan and Ellen. Reading the list one name jumped out at me: John Proctor. Where did I recognize that name from? A quick Google search confirmed that John Proctor who was just 3 years old when he arrived in America would one day be accused of witchcraft along with his wife, Elizabeth. What must John North have thought about the events that were happening in Salem? Surely he remembered the toddler he shared a ship with for those months. Either way, I am sure he was glad he wasn't in Massachusetts any longer.

John North's Impressive Pedigree

Dudley, Third Baron North.
My 12th great grandfather

John North's father was John Dudley North, 3rd Baron North. Dudley was the son of Sir John North and Dorothy Dale, daughter of Sir Valentine Dale. He inherited his title from his grandfather, Roger North, 2nd Baron North. Roger was the son of Edward North, 1st Baron North, and so it keeps going all the way back to Godwin, Earl of Wessex (1001-1053), father of King Harold II who was eventually killed by William, Duke of Normandy, also known as William the Conqueror. Whether John North was descended from Harold or one of his brothers seems to be a source of debate.

My Connection to John North
John North is my 2nd great grandmother, Beulah Mae Spees, 7th great grandfather. My 11th great grandfather.

*Isabella Yale - Also of interest in this family is Hannah Woodruff's mother, Isabella. This line has been traced back all the way to Ryddrech Rhodri ap Euddigan born 210 A.D. in Powys, Wales. I have not researched this other than a quick look through the sources and a look at Welsh history to make sure this is possible and it looks legitimate!

Sources:

• Whittemore, Henry, Genealogical Guide to the Early Settlers of America, Reprinted in Baltimore, MD, Clearfield Company, Inc 1906
• Heritage Consulting, Millennium File, Provo, UT, Ancestry.com Operations, 2003
• Ancestry.com, New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins, 1620-1635, Provo, UT, Ancestry.com Operations, 2013
• Ancestry.com, North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000, Ancesty.com Operasion, Provo, UT 2016
• Geni.com
• Findagrave.com
• wikitree.com

Sparkman-Kolb Wedding Announcement and other news

Look what I found the other day! I've been going through old newspapers online, looking for little tidbits about my ancestors lives. I thought this was a wonderful find I wanted to share. These are my great-grandparents. The newspapers from the area my Sparkman and Watson families come from are almost all searchable online.

 I found several mentions of these families through out the years, including my dad's birth announcement! My dad was not born in this county so we both thought that was strange. Also, apparently my gg grandfather was on the newspaper's honor roll for paying his subscription dues early - is that still a thing?

Also, I have been working on my Family Trees page. Check it out and let me know what you think. I'm concerned the writing on the trees may be too small to be of use.

My Hessian Roots

I haven't blogged in a while because I have been working on one of the more tedious sides of genetic genealogy that wouldn't make for an entertaining read. To put it briefly, I have been working on putting together one of my maternal great grandfather's family that I had previously written about in this post. Using my DNA cousin match list I have been able to another sister in addition to the one I found the photo of. Her name is Martha Edna Smith Goggans. It is slow, sometimes mind-numbing, work figuring out how I am related to this list of people I share DNA with. I have 1000+ DNA matches and I know how I connect with less than 100 of them.

Anyway, on to today's story. I have known this story for several years. It is one of my favorites because it is a wonderful glimpse into a piece history that I didn't think was that interesting or important until I realized that I would not exist if it hadn't happened the way it did.

In 1776, the Landgrave (prince) of Hesse-Kassel, Fredrick II, was the son in law of King George II. Hesse-Kassel was, at that time Europes's most militarized state. All Hessian men began their military training as youth and continued well through adulthood until they were deemed unfit or too old to serve. Similar to our National Guard, they would take a few weeks every year to drill. Frederick II hired his professional army out as mercenaries to King George for the war in America and pocketed the money, a very unpopular move.

Fredrick's agreement with King George required a minimum of 12,000 troops in America. These soldiers were a part of every major battle in the war; from Quebec to Florida. They fought at Fort Lee and Fort Washington. American leaders in a stroke of brilliance printed pamphlets and posters aimed at the soldiers. They offeredfreedom and land to anyone willing to desert and sign up with the American troops. At one point Congress was offering soldiers land, two pigs, a cow and citizenship to deserters, more than most of them would have once they returned home. The soldiers were so excited about the opportunities they had in America that thousands of them choose not to return after the war. In fact, the American Revolution was the beginning of the end for Hesse-Kassel as a mercenary state. They had an estimated 5,000 casualties and 3,000 desertions.

One of these deserters* was a man by the name of Fredrick Spees (Spies, Spiess, Speece, Speese). Born about 1757 in Schwebda Hassel, Hessie Cattle, Hessen, Germany to Adolph Christon Spies. Fredrick married Elizabeth Mozier of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They settled in Bracken, Kentucky and had 8 children. Fredrick's great, great granddaughter was Beulah Mae Spees. She was my great, great grandmother.

I am pretty sure that this photo is Beulah Mae and her parents, Newell Birkett Spees and Esther Jane Wirt Spees.

*There really is no way to verify that he was a deserter. It is possible just because so many did it. I have read some places that he was and in others that he was captured in Trenton and taken as a prisoner. Either way, it was his choice not to go back home. In the book, "The Genealogy of the Spees Tribe", by J.C. Spees (my 4th great grandfather) he says that Fredrick came to the U.S. before the war to fight for Washington. I find this very unlikely. It is more likely that the author did not want to write that his grandfather fought for the British.

Surname Sunday - Kolb

      Researching the Kolb family required very little effort on my part. All of the leg work has already been done! My Dad's second cousin, Avery E. Kolb, wrote a book in 1969 about the Southern branch of the Kolbs. "The Lives and Heritage of Mississippi Brothers Andrew E. and William B. Kolb" included amazing detail about this family. I wish I could share it all but it would take longer than I have in one post. Instead I want to focus on the man that started it all, Dielman Kolb. Dielman, considered the progenitor of the Kolb family in America, was born in Wolfsheim, Baden- Werttemburg, Germany in 1648 at the end of the Thirty Years' War. Growing up in a period of peace he became a man of means own large amount of land. He married Agnes* Schumacher, the fifth daughter of Peter Schumacher. Dielman and his wife came to Germantown,  Pennsylvania in 1685. He was a Mennonite most of his life but connected with the Society of Friends (Quakers) later in life. They did not stay in America, but returned to Germany. Agnes Kolb died in 1705 and Dielman in 1712. They are buried in Manheim, Palatinate, Pfalz, Germany. Dielman and his wife had at least seven children.  Peter (1671-1727) was a Mennonite Minister and is buried in Manheim, Germany.  Ann (1676-1727) married Balthaser Kolb. She is buried at Wolfsheim. Jacob, (1679-1730) Johannes, (19 May 1683- 1670) and Martin came to America in 1707. They settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania and later moved to Skippack. Henry (1679-1730) also came to America in 1707.

     Of all of the siblings, Johannes Schumacher Kolb was apparently the only one not active in the Mennonite Church. He sold his land in Pennsylvania sometime after 1734; and he and his wife, Sarah, moved their family south by ship to Charleston or down the Shenandoah Valley with Scotch-Irish, Welsh, and German pioneers to South Carolina. He received a grant of 650 acres in the Causeway neck of the Pee Dee River in 1737, and the family made their home there between 1737 and 1742. The homestead was located on what is now Byrd's Island, on a plot north of the loop but south of Sugar Loaf. The homestead has become an important archaeological site, The Johannes Kolb Archaeological Site** in recent years. 

    John and wife, Sarah, had nine children: Tilman (the anglicized version of Dielman), Mary, Mahitabel, Martin, Hannah, Henry, Peter, Sarah, and Jacob. Peter's family, including his famous son, Colonel Abel Kolb, are well documented in the 1856 "History of the Old Cheraws" by Reverend Alexander Gregg and in lineage files of the DAR. 

     Jacob married in South Carolina and had at least four children: Harmon, James, Joseph and Jonathon Kolb. Jacob was killed in the Cherokee Indian Rebellion in 1761 in South Carolina

      James Kolb was born in York, SC.(DAR Ancestor # A067291) A planter, he left a Will in 1802 creating a clear record of his family. His son, Silas, would lead his children and grandchildren, along with many other families to the Mississippi counties of Monroe, Lowndes and Oktibbeha. 

*Some sources have her name listed as Agnes but most sources have no name listed. 

**Square Holes, Digging the Kolb Site documentary trailer

Sources:

• JOHNSON, MRS. ARTA F., editor. "Immigrant Ancestors." In The Palatine Immigrant. Vol. 9:1 
• Daniel Kolb Cassel, A Genealogical History of the Kolb, Kulp, or Culp Family and Its Branches in America, Norritstown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States: Morgan R. Wills, 1895; Page: 16.
• Ancestry.com. Global, Find A Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
• Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2012.
• Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970. Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Microfilm, 508 rolls.
• Kolb, Avery E., The Lives and Heritage of Mississippi Brothers Andrew E. and William B. Kolb, Springfield, Virginia, 1969
• http://mhep.org/immigrant-heritage-kolb-kulp/
• The Kolb-Kulp-Culp Family Association
• History of the Mennonites: p. 344 Biography of the Kolbs in America.
• Daughters of the American Revolution Ancestor Search

The Photo Was the Key

It has been so long since I've posted but I have been busy! I mentioned previously that I was able to get copies of close to 250 old family photos. I have been slowly going through and trying to identify

Beulah Mae Spees Smith

as many of them as possible. Some of them are complete mysteries. It seems as though my gg grandmother, Mae Spees, was very interested in correspondence. She was born in Missouri in 1882 and moved with her family to Lee County between 1895 and 1900. She kept in contact with all of her family and friends in Missouri and her husbands family and they sent many photos back and forth.

 Some of the photos have clues on the back but many of them do not. The photo I am writing about today did have a name on the back and it led me down a rabbit hole that led to some wonderful discoveries!

First let me give you some background information. Mae's first husband, my gg grandfather, was born about 1882 in Pontotoc, MS. This is unfortunate because there is no 1890 census. And I have not been able to find him on the 1900 census so the first record we have of him is on the 1910 census.

                      W F Smith      28 - Head of household

                                     Frank Smith    69 - father of head of household
May Smith      28 - wife

      Oda Zell Smith  1 - daughter

In the 1920 census, Mae is married to her second husband, Zach. I have not been able to find any information on his death or tombstone. The 1910 census does give me something, his father's name: Frank Smith. Of course it's only the most common surname in America! How hard can it be? This is all information I found out 10 years ago when I first began researching. After looking for a long time, I found a Smith family in Pontotoc that was likely Frank's family. He was listed as Francis Smith, son of Joshua and Jane Smith on the 1850 and 1860 census. My DNA test confirmed this connection many times over. But who was W.F.'s mother, Frank's wife? What happened to Frank between the 1860 census and the 1910 census?  Did W.F. have any siblings? What does W.F. stand for? In my mind I've always called him William Franklin but I have no reason to think this. SO MANY QUESTIONS!

Fast forward to me combing through old photographs. I pulled this photo up and noticed how young the children were compared to the adults. Also, that I didn't recognize any of the people. On the back I saw that there were indeed grandparents and grandchildren (so sweet) and that I definitely did not recognize the names. Luckily, Arch is not a terribly common name so a quick search on Ancestry for Arch and Emma Duncan and there was a match in the 1900 census!

James Archie and Emma Smith 

Now I just have to find the connection! In the Ancestry search I looked for trees that had this couple. I was so pleased to see that there were several - and, bonus, Emma's maiden name was SMITH! I seriously could not believe it! I reminded myself that Smith is a very common name and the two might not be related. I had to find proof. Another look at the trees that she was in told me that her descendants were unsure of her parentage. She was born in Mississippi in 1871 and died in Alabama in 1955. Then I found a record in the Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 that had a clue: her father's name was Frank! Coincidence? Maybe but it was looking unlikely. My next step was to look through my DNA matches to see if I was matched to any of her descendants. I found one confirmed. I do not consider one match as conclusive so I had to consider one more important piece of evidence....the fact that this photo has been passed down. In other words, why else would my great-great grandparents have this photo? All together, I am convinced that Emma Jane Smith is W.F.'s older sister.

Francis M Smith Pin

This new piece of information opened up a flood of discoveries. I found Frank's marriage record. He married M.A. Robertson 20 Jun 1866. I found his tombstone and confirmed it with the photo of his pin from the Civil War that I got from a cousin. I found his Civil War file. I found Francis and Martha Smith in the 1870 census in Pontotoc. They had a daughter named Frances. Another sister! The census also told me that Martha  was born about 1846 in South Carolina. I have not been able to find her family yet but I am still working on it. I honestly never thought I would find this much information about Frank. And all of it was because of one forgotten photograph.