Goodbye 2024, onward to '25

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Kigali airport. 13 June 2024.

Two Days Remaining in 2024

With two days left in 2024, and a New Year about to begin, I thought it would be good to write out my research priorities through mid-March. Previous posts have been quite reflective on the past year, and now it is time to look forward.

- Attend Rootstech 2025

- Complete the DNA Study Group course and continue to make progress on my DNA study group research questions

- Start the What Are the Odds (WATO) online course

- Interpret my Big Y-700 and mt Full results from FTDNA tests (assuming those arrive in time)

- Potentially review responses from the FOIA requests I made through the new BIRLS database tool from Reclaim the Records

Family lines of focus through mid-March:

- Jones, Thornhill, Green and Hickey group in Jefferson County, Tennessee

- Amado in Sonora, Mexico and their pioneering arrival in Arizona

- Vasquez-Rojas family in Chile

- Campuzano-Portillo group in Sonora, Arizona and California

That's probably more than enough for now, and there's always something new.

The heirs of Thomas Jones

 

FamilySearch. Jefferson County, TN. Dec 1859.

Back in 2013, I ran across the settlement of the estate for my 5th-great-grandfather Thomas Jones. At the time, that involved painstakingly going page by page through image-only files on FamilySearch for Jefferson County, Tennessee. Now, new records are available through FamilySearch Labs' text search. Above is the top page of a chancery court record from 14 December 1859, naming the heirs of Thomas Jones. Some of these names I recognize as children and grandchildren of Thomas.

This document points to an earlier proceeding before the Jefferson County Court in June 1859 for the sale of land previously owned by Thomas Jones. The section below lists his heirs:

Miles Jones was a son of Thomas. The next few names were children of Robert Thomas Jones Sr (my 4th-great-grandfather): Emeline Jones, Joseph Jones, Adeline Jones, [Sarah] Melissa Jones, Mary Jones, Martin V. Jones, Catherine Jones Murray, Caroline Jones Newman, Elizabeth Jones Barbee. A few of the other names I recognize as children of Thomas Jones: Elizabeth Jones Henry (with husband Hugh Henry), Conway Jones, William Jones and Malinda Jones. 

The following names I do not yet recognize and will need to see how they connect to the Jones family:

- Minerva Jones

- A. J. Kerr and Catherine F. Kerr

- Nancy C. Kerr and Margaret Kerr

- Joel Johnson

- Joseph Wilcox and Nancy Wilcox

- Stephen Jones

- John Pearce and Bradley Pearce

- Mary Murphy

- Jane and Thomas Lynch

- James Fain, John W. Fain and Melinda Fain

Letters of Administration

 

FamilySearch. Hamblen County, TN. 4 Nov 1896.

Continuing from my last post, above is a screen shot showing the appointment of executors for the estate of Sallie Hickey Green, my 4th-great-grandmother. She died in Hamblen County, Tennessee in late October 1896. 

From the Hamblen County Court records

 

FamilySearch. Hamblen County, Tennessee. 24 Feb 1897.

While running a search for records mentioning my 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Jones I stumbled onto a new-to-me record from Hamblen County, Tennessee which provides a substantial amount of information on the descendants of my 4th-great-grandfather Thomas Green. In 1897, Roena Green, daughter of Thomas, and her husband Henry Skeen, filed suit against her sister Lizzie Green, in order to clear the title to sell two tracts of land inherited from their father Thomas. The case documents the descendants of Thomas. I am descended through his daughter, Mary Catherine Green Jones. Each of the daughters was entitled to a 1/7th interest in the lands.

FamilySearch. Hamblen County. 

The description of Mary Catherine's children tracks with what I've shared previously. Martha (here Mattie) married Joshua Barker, Thomas (my 2nd-great-grandfather), Mary Jane married Edward Scott, Marion Columbus Jones, and Nancy Cornelia Jones married Robert Snoddy. From the deposition in the case, as survivor of Mary Catherine, Joseph Jones was entitled to her 1/7th interest. Through Joseph, the children received each a 1/35th interest. The case mentions that Thomas Green's widow, Sallie Hickey Green, died in December 1896. I previously did not know her date of death, so this case is really important.

In April 1897, the Hamblen County Court had a further hearing on the lands formerly belonging to Thomas and Sallie Green. Because the parcels were not adjoining, and there were back taxes owed on the land, it was recommended that the land be sold. One parcel was 63 acres, while the other was 40 acres. The court adjourned on 20 April 1897, with the recommendation that the lands be advertised for auction, with the proceeds covering the back taxes, court costs, and the remaining funds distributed to the identified parties.

In July 1897, the Court reconvened following the sale of the land. The children of Mary Catherine Green were awarded 61 cents each from the sale.

Research Reflections on 2024

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Montevideo, 14 Jan 2024.

Looking back on the research and family history finds for 2024, I thought I made some really cool progress revisiting old questions and making advancements with new-to-me tools. Inspired by fellow blogger and distant cousin Jacqi Stevens, in late January and February I dug into the Carter family of Virginia and my related Heslop and Ballard lines. I probably need to return to these families for new records and approaches in 2025.

In March, I started digging into the paper trail in La Salle County, Illinois on my 3rd-great-grandmother Bridget, and began to try new tools on some of my branches. A few of these lines would be good to consider again in 2025. I did not spend any time looking into the Free, Matthews and Davis lines on my Mom's side of the tree this year.

In April, I began the month looking at the Oyler family on my Dad's side of the tree, finding the home of George G. Oyler on Google Streetview, and a tavern lease featuring my 3rd-great-grandfather Samuel Oyler. Later in the month I revisited the Civil War pension file of Pleasant Morgan and identified a loop in the tree with the Flatt branch. While I pursued some ultimately wrong theories about Robert Cain as the father of my 2nd-great-grandmother Mary Alice Cain, I did find some interesting things about that Robert and his ties to the early days of the Kentucky Derby.

In May I started working with the dot method using my AncestryDNA matches, prior to the arrival of ProTools in June 2024. During the second half of 2024, I really leaned into DNA research, developing research questions, trying the Leeds Method, and making new discoveries.

Another focus of the second half of the year was expanding the connections in my tree to DNA matches and adding the names of living cousins. I made contact with a few of them this year, and am making progress toward answering some of the deeper research questions that can only be resolved with Y or mtDNA matches.

I was able to identify a cluster of DNA matches descending from James O'Brien and Mary Nolan in Pittsburgh. A goal for 2025 remains figuring out the link between this group of Pennsylvania O'Briens, and their descendants, to my John O'Brien line.

New access to the BIRLS database

 

Source: BIRLS.org & Reclaim the Records.

An unexpected Christmas gift arrived by email yesterday from Reclaim the Records, a non-profit with a mission to put important genealogical records in the public domain. Reclaim the Records has made available the Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) database from the Department of Veterans Affairs. This covers more than 18 million American veterans. Reclaim the Records has built a website that allows anyone to search and file a free Freedom of Information Act request for a copy of a veteran's full VA claim file.

I've already used this process to request the file on my grandfather Leo Reid, and one for Allison's grandfather James R. Havens.

Huge thanks and congratulations to the Reclaim the Records team for making these available.

Tis the season

 

Getty Museum. Tamale making. Florentine Codex, 1577.

This is from the Digital Florentine Codex, scanned by the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, from the original created by Spanish franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagún in the late 1500s Mexico. The document contains 2500 pages and over 2000 illustrations of life and natural history featuring the Aztec people. The codex enabled the translation of Nahuatl to English. The scenes above and below show the process of tamale making, today a cultural staple across Latin America.

Getty Museum. Florentine Codex, 1577.

Holiday tamale making. Nov 2022.

Merry Christmas

 

Photo from 26 Dec 2021. Alexandria, VA.

Learning new things

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Istanbul, 5 Nov 2024

A theme of 2024 has been learning new things. I stepped out of my comfort zone this year and started a DNA study group course. I built research questions, and learned how to use Ancestry's Pro Tools along with the lessons from the course. I also consulted with a DNA expert to help provide additional ideas for working with the DNA tests I manage.

I watched a lot of YouTube sessions on DNA, research methods and AI tools. Those classes and virtual lessons paid off, resolving the mystery of my 2nd-great-grandmother's father and uncovering a whole branch of the family tree. I've also connected with distant cousins as I work on new and emerging questions from the research.

I've signed up for Rootstech 2025 and look forward to continuing to expand my knowledge of DNA analysis. 2025 has a lot of promise and will certainly bring new opportunities to learn. 

DNA Summary Page Changes

 

AncestryDNA Your Results Summary.

Ancestry has made some minor changes to the DNA results summary pages which include some useful shortcuts to see quickly new matches as they are added. If you go to Your Results Summary page, you see a similar box at the top to the one I am showing from my results. The matches box on the right is clickable, and if you put your cursor on the number above new in the lower right box, this takes you directly to the most recent unviewed matches. 

This number seems to be updated as soon as new matches are added, because between the time when I initially viewed the page, and captured the screenshot, a new match was added to my total. My page now shows 111 as I type this blog post.

I can also switch between the other tests I administer, and quickly see the numbers of new matches added. For example, my Mom's results show 60,134 matches, while my Dad's shows 49,211. I can look at these numbers change over time. I can then click into these new matches, and do a glance for any new names and totals that might be high and important for a closer look. It's also possible to goggle between the tests I manage with the filter set to "new", as seen below (the page then shows all the new matches, but I'm not including those here for privacy reasons).

AncestryDNA page with filter to new matches.

Maybe this feature has been around for a while and I'm just now noticing it. In any case, it is a timesaver.

Departs/Arrives

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. TWA Airport at JFK. 2 Nov 2024.

Archivo Nacional

 

Chilean National Archives website.

Earlier in the week I received a reply to my inquiry with the Archivo Nacional de Chile about access to their online databases. I now have a lead on potential records for my Vasquez-Rojas ancestors, and some additional steps to take. I found some possible matches, but need to follow-up in Spanish.

This is definitely a project for the holiday break.

Valparaiso, entering the harbor

 

Google Arts & Culture. Helsby & Co, 1860.

The English Mercury

 

Anglophonechile.org newspaper archive.

El Mercurio de Valparaiso was founded in 1827, which gives me some hope there may be Chilean newspaper archives available which might mention my Vasquez and Rojas ancestors. An English language newspaper, the Valparaiso English Mercury, ran for twelve issues between December 1843 and March 1844. This was printed at El Mercurio, and aimed at the growing English speaking business community in the bustling port city. The newspaper references incoming and outgoing vessels and their cargo, major events in Chile (such as a massive earthquake in December 1843), and globally (trade in China, Mexican tariffs, etc). This gives a better understanding on the types of trade happening between Valparaiso and other cities at the time.

English Mercury. 2 Mar 1844.

English Mercury. 10 Feb 1844.

2024 in photos

 

Instagram. Photos by Patrick Jones. 

It's that time of the year for a year-end recap of photos and recollections of travels. Earlier in the month I wrote about December being a month of reflections. I'll have a separate post late next week recapping notable family history aspects of the past year. Above and below is a sampling of photos from 2024, along with links scattered throughout the post to additional photos from 2024.

I kicked off the year in LA, followed by meetings in the Montevideo office. February took me to Brussels and Ghent. We closed out the month with an amazingly restful trip to Saint Lucia. In March I celebrated an early birthday in LA, rode the Coast Starlight to Seattle, and connected to San Juan for meetings.

Over Spring Break we went up to NYC, saw the top of the Empire State Building, Eataly and the Met Museum. In April, S & I went to South Carolina for a basketball tournament, followed by a work trip to Istanbul.

In June I went to Kigali, Rwanda. July featured a quick trip to NYC to see the Foo Fighters, and short trip to Seattle. Our daughter took an epic trip to Japan. August and September took us back to New York. 

October saw us cheer on the Virginia Tech Hokies in football at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg. In November I was back in Istanbul, followed by a quick trip to Oregon wine country.

Insta. Photos by Patrick Jones.

I'll likely have another round of photos before the month is out.

Guia de Valparaiso, 1858

 

Source: Harvard.

From Harvard's Latin American Pamphlet Digital Collection, above is the cover of an 1858 guide to Valparaiso and Santiago. The document includes a listing of the commercial operators in the city in 1857. Below is a screen capture of the page showing the section for "V". I do not know yet if these Vazquez names were family members of Gabriel Vasquez. I'd like to think this might be a lead.

Guia de Valparaiso, 1858.

I do not know if Gabriel made multiple voyages between Guaymas, Sonora and Valparaiso before settling in Mexico about 1858. I have another inquiry with the National Archives in Chile to see if there are commercial or other records mentioning Gabriel, his father Jose Vasquez, or mother Agustina Rojas.

There's a lot I do not know about this branch of the family. Based on DNA, it seems at least one corner of this family was in Chile, or the Andes, for a long time.

MyHeritage. Ethnicity Estimate v.95.

Researching Valparaiso

 

Source: FamilySearch.

I am looking again at my 3rd-great-grandfather Gabriel Vasquez, and his origins in Chile in the late 1830s until his departure for Mexico about 1858. Above is a colorful map of the Valparaíso region from the FamilySearch wiki. I'm parking a link to the Valparaiso resources for a future deep dive.

During Gabriel's time, Valparaíso emerged as Chile's primary port and a critical economic center, playing a pivotal role in the country's international trade and economic development. The city's strategic location on the Pacific coast positioned it as a key maritime hub during a period of significant global economic expansion.

The 1850s marked a golden era for Valparaíso's maritime economy. Following Chile's independence in 1810 and the opening of international trade routes, the port became a crucial stopover for transpacific shipping, European and North American merchants, and the California Gold Rush trade. Gabriel's informacion matrimonial in 1863 mentioned he was a merchant. Perhaps this trade brought Gabriel, and potentially his siblings, from Chile to Mexico.

Creating research prompts with Claude

Using the free version of Claude, I've asked it for help creating research prompts as I look into the Vasquez line. I've previously used Claude to create a descendancy diagram of the Pennsylvania O'Brien DNA matches. This time I said "You are an expert genealogist. I want to refine research questions to look for siblings of my 3rd-great-grandfather so that I can research in Chilean records."

In response from Claude:

"As an expert genealogist specializing in Chilean records, I'll help you develop targeted research questions to investigate your 3rd-great-grandfather's siblings. Here are some strategic approaches to guide your research:

1. Contextual Family Reconstruction

• What baptismal or church records exist for the same parish or region during the likely birth years of your 3rd-great-grandfather and his potential siblings?
• Are there any civil registration records from the mid-to-late 19th century that might list multiple children from the same family?

2. Naming Patterns and Genealogical Clues

• Did the family follow traditional Spanish naming conventions where children were often named after grandparents or other close relatives?
• Are there any repeated family names across generations that might indicate sibling connections?

3. Geographic Research Strategies

• What was the specific municipality or province where your 3rd-great-grandfather was born?
• Are there local church archives or municipal records in that specific Chilean region that might provide comprehensive family documentation?

4. Record Type Considerations

• What types of records are most likely to reveal sibling relationships in Chilean genealogical research?
  • Baptismal records (partidas de bautismo)
  • Marriage records (registros matrimoniales)
  • Death certificates (actas de defunción)
  • Census records (censos)

5. Specific Research Questions

• Can we identify the parents' names to create a comprehensive family group sheet?
• What migration patterns existed within Chile during this time period that might have separated siblings?
• Are there any probate or inheritance records that might list multiple siblings?

To proceed effectively, I would need some additional context:

• What time period are we discussing? (Approximate years of birth)
• Do you know the specific region in Chile?
• What is the surname of your 3rd-great-grandfather?

These details will help me refine the research approach and suggest the most promising archival sources for your sibling search."

With this result, I wrote "the time period is roughly from 1835 to his departure from Chile in 1858. He lived in Valparaiso, Chile."

The reply from Claude: 

"Excellent context! Valparaíso during the mid-19th century was a bustling port city and an important economic center, which can actually help your genealogical research. Here are refined research questions focusing on sibling identification:

1. Record Sources Specific to Valparaíso

• What baptismal and marriage records survive from Valparaíso's Catholic parishes during 1835-1858?
• Are there municipal civil registration records from this period that might comprehensively document family units?

2. Sibling Identification Strategies

• Can we trace all children baptized under the same parental names in Valparaíso parish records?
• Are there any church records documenting godparental relationships that might reveal extended family connections?

3. Migration and Economic Context

• Did siblings potentially migrate together or separately through Valparaíso's significant port?
• Are there port registration or emigration records that might list multiple family members?

"Would you be willing to share your 3rd-great-grandfather's surname? That would help me provide even more targeted research questions and potential archival strategies for sibling identification in Valparaíso during this period."

I then wrote "the surname is Vasquez. His parents were Jose Vasquez and Agustina Rojas."

"With the names Jose Vasquez and Agustina Rojas, and the timeframe of 1835-1858 in Valparaíso, here are very specific research questions and strategies:

1. Baptismal Record Research

• Can we locate comprehensive baptismal records for all children of Jose Vasquez and Agustina Rojas between approximately 1820-1845?
• Are there multiple baptismal entries in Valparaíso's Catholic parish records (likely Parroquia de la Matriz) listing siblings?

2. Specific Sibling Identification Questions

• What other Vasquez children were baptized with the same parents' names?
• Were there any male or female siblings who might have remained in Valparaíso after your 3rd-great-grandfather's departure in 1858?

3. Record Verification Strategies

• Can church and civil registration records be cross-referenced to confirm sibling relationships?
• Are there any municipal census records from the 1840s or 1850s listing the complete Vasquez-Rojas family?

Recommended Archives to Investigate:

• Archivo Parroquial de Valparaíso
• Archivo Nacional de Chile (Santiago)
• Registro Civil de Valparaíso
• Diocesan Archives of Valparaíso

Would you like me to elaborate on any of these research approaches or discuss specific Chilean genealogical research methodologies?"

This is an incredibly helpful response, giving me a lot of ideas to explore on the trail of Vasquez records. As a final prompt, I asked Claude if any of the records mentioned above were available online.

"I'll break down the research approaches and online availability for Chilean genealogical records:

Online Resources:

1. FamilySearch.org

• Has extensive Chilean church record collections
• Free access to many Valparaíso diocesan records
• Often includes digitized baptismal, marriage, and burial records from the mid-19th century

2. Chilean National Archives Digital Platform

• Some records are digitized and accessible online
• Partial collections of civil registration records
• Requires registration but many resources are free

Research Approaches:

1. Baptismal Record Strategy

• Focus on Catholic parish records (Libros Parroquiales)
• Look for baptismal entries between 1820-1845
• Key details to extract:
  • Exact date of baptism
  • Child's full name
  • Parents' full names
  • Godparents (often relatives)
  • Priest's signature

2. Systematic Search Methodology

• Create a chronological timeline of potential siblings
• Map out birth/baptism years
• Note any gaps that might indicate additional children
• Cross-reference multiple record types

3. Additional Record Types

• Military conscription records
• Property ownership documents
• Migration registers at Valparaíso port
• Notarial records showing inheritance or family transactions

Challenges to Anticipate:

• Record gaps due to historical disruptions
• Potential spelling variations (Vasquez/Vazquez)
• Incomplete record preservation

Would you like me to recommend specific search techniques for navigating these archives?"

I'm really impressed so far with the responses. There's quite a bit here to consider as I move forward.

Ole Bolle

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Ole Bolle. Portland. 21 Nov 2024.

During our Portland visit we were able to stop at Nordic Northwest to see Thomas Dambo's Ole Bolle troll. This was my second of the year, after seeing his Pia the Peacekeeper on Bainbridge Island, Washington over the summer.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Ole Bolle. 21 Nov 2024.

Dambo works with recycled materials to create sculptures and has placed these all over the world.

Grainger County Court Records, 1866

 

FamilySearch. Grainger Co., Tennessee. 1866.

A recurring topic on the blog over the years has been the complicated cases involving Captain John A. Thornhill. While checking FamilySearch Labs' for overlooked or new documents related to the Thornhill family in Tennessee, I stumbled onto Grainger County Court records for the one of the many cases involving the men of the 9th Tennessee Cavalry company who were present when Thornhill was shot and killed. The screen shot above is from the State vs Riggs in Grainger County, which I previously wrote about in 2017.

This case file helps cover a gap in my timeline on the cases. I'm mainly posting this so I can come back to it later over the holiday break. There are hundreds of pages of court documents and testimony, newspaper articles, and military records involving the Thornhill case. As I shared back in September, the Thornhill story has all the elements of a compelling legal and murder mystery action thriller, set at the end of the Civil War in a rare case of inter-army fighting, rather than between the Union and Confederate armies.

Y-DNA Update

 

Source: FTDNA. Dec 2024.

A little over two weeks ago I shared an image from FamilyTreeDNA showing a paternal haplogroup R-U152 and a migration map. I received an email this morning that my FamilyFinder (FTDNA's autosomal test) had been processed and I had been designated a Y-DNA haplogroup R-L2. On the map I'm still in the same area, but it's good to see the result provide a bit more information showing R-L2 branching off from R-U152.

R-L2 is still quite far back in time, and there are about 2300 branches with close to 20000 DNA tested descendants. It will likely be another couple of months before my Big Y-700 and mt Full results are ready. The Big Y result will provide more granularity on the haplogroup named above and will hopefully identify some matches closer in time to the present.

Approaching the middle

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Istanbul. 16 Apr 2024.

We're nearing the middle of the month, and I'm continuing to look back over photos, experiences and achievements from the previous year. I've now surpassed 2015's posts total and may end up near 2016's total of 263. That would be the most since 2012, which is not something I set out to do at the start of the year.

I have some interesting data points from the blog. One of my most read posts in the past week has been 2015's O Tannenpalm, which covered the then-25th anniversary of Corona's O'Tannenpalm ad. The Christmas-themed ad turns 35 (!) next year. By far my most read post ever on the blog is my overview of Elizabeth Key Grinstead, which continues to get many hits twelve years later.

I don't regularly look at the views for the blog, but there were about 5,600 so far in the past 30 days. The Research Question Progress and last month's write-up on proving the connection with the Gibson family using DNA have attracted some views.

I have a year-in-photos recap coming up (probably next week), along with a year-in-research post (closer to the end of the month).

The photo at the top shows a ferry operating on the Bosphorus, likely taking passengers between the Asian and European sides of Istanbul. 

Grand Place, 2019

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Brussels, 4 Dec 2019.

Christmas decorations in Warsaw, 2015

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Warsaw, PL. 6 Dec 2015.

Awaiting results

 

Source: FTDNA.

While I'm waiting on my Big Y-DNA and mT Full results with FTDNA, I thought I'd share some of the things I'm hoping to see and learn more about from this latest set of DNA tests. First, I don't know what I don't know, and I might be surprised to see if the Y-DNA result helps uncover where my Jones ancestors were originally from before arriving in the area that became Jefferson County, Tennessee sometime in the late 1790s.

It is also tough to ask someone else to take the same test if I don't know myself what the results look like and what finds are possible using Y-DNA data. Ultimately I'm hoping some male descendants on brick wall lines that I am currently researching will be able to assist with Y-DNA tests. I should know what my information looks like first before asking someone else to take a similar test.

On the mtDNA side, I'm curious to see what the new Million Mito Tree is going to show once it is launched in 2025. Again, I don't know what I don't know, and advances in mtDNA analysis may provide some breakthroughs on my maternal side of the tree. I am also hopeful that related branches also taking the mtDNA test may help create a path to new discoveries in these indigenous branches of the Mexican side of the tree.

Vicente Jr

 

FamilySearch. Vicente Campuzano. 1950.

I previously shared this image as part of the border crossing identification card for Vicente Campuzano, brother of my great-grandfather Plutarco Campuzano. This is from 27 September 1950 at San Luis, Arizona. I had not rotated the photo when I shared the image of the border crossing card. I've now loaded this photo onto the profile for Vicente on Ancestry.

MLS Cup Champions Again

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Carson, CA. 14 Aug 2018.

Congratulations to the LA Galaxy, winners today of their 6th Major League Soccer championship. They beat Red Bull NY 2-1. The photo above is from my last Galaxy game in 2018.

Notre Dame

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Notre Dame, Paris. 14 June 2011.

With Notre Dame Cathedral's reopening this weekend, I'm sharing this photo from my 2011 stopover, when I was on my way to Singapore.

Stranger in the Desert

 

Source: Jordan Salama.

The December 2024 issue of National Geographic magazine includes an essay by Jordan Salama, adapted from his own book released earlier this year titled Stranger in the Desert: A Family Story. The Nat Geo story is titled "What I found searching for my family story." The essay draws you in, describing how Jordan found his grandfather's narrative of the family's oral history, detailing their journeys across places and time, dispersed from the Middle East to Latin America and the United States. The photo of his grandfather Moisés sitting in his basement workshop/office adds a dimension to the essay. The writer has channeled his Abuelo's experiences and oral traditions from others, along with his own adventures in the Andes to bring these important family connections to the surface.  

Jordan writes that "family stories are currency for survival. They are embedded within the traditions we pick up along the journeys of our lives." 

After reading the essay, I bought the book. This is a really moving story. The way he writes about the family's immigration journey and yearning to understand what drove his ancestors to leave Ottoman Syria for Israel, then Argentina, and later, the United States, is very powerful. I felt myself thinking about parallels with my Campuzano, Vasquez, Amado and Suastegui ancestors and the different paths taken to arrive in the United States.

I found myself looking up the music of the Argentine folk singer Atahualpa Yupanqui mentioned in the book, listening to Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum, Sephardic pizmonim, and relistening to Residente's 2017 album, inspired by his own DNA test. As I am following my own family's various journeys, the narrative and music left me with a lot of thoughts. 

In Jordan's Abuelo's words "Everything begins with one story. Whether that story is true, one can never be sure, but as it gets passed from generation to generation, despite being somewhat distorted, there can be some truth. And then people live and dream..."

His Abuela's words also resonate "to feel at home in more places than one. It breaks you in half and it completes you, at the very same time." A recurring theme of the book is about being more than one thing and having an intermix of cultures and experiences. Feeling at home and feeling a part of more than one culture and community at the same time.

The quote shared above from the Nat Geo essay is stronger in the epilogue of the book, "Our stories are embedded within the traditions we pick up across the journeys of our lives and the languages we carry with us in the soles of our shoes. They are the identities we create in worlds foreign and familiar, remembered now but forever at risk of being forgotten. ..." 

I highly recommend this book and the accompanying essay. Please do read it. I'm now passing this book on to my daughter to read over Christmas Break, and thinking about how this is inspiring me to continue digging into my family's stories, to save them from being forgotten.

One more note - Jordan's book reminded me of my earlier visits to Buenos Aires in 2013-2015 (see also here). I'd love to go back and see more of the country. It would be really cool to pair that with a visit to neighboring Chile.

Time flies

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Dundee, OR. 21 Nov 2024.

This friendly winery pup is at Torii Mor Winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. We were there two weeks ago, after Allison had a conference in Portland. Lovely wines and a playful dog made it a nice afternoon stop.

Month of reflections

 

Camille Pissarro. Conversation. 1881.

December is typically a month for looking back on the highlights of the year before we start fresh with the New Year. This week will likely see the release of the annual Spotify Wrapped recap of the year in music, and similar year end reviews are beginning to follow (looking at you Duolingo). As I do every year, I'll have a post or more reflecting on my favorite photos, travels, experiences, along with lessons and breakthroughs in my family history journey.

I'm approaching thirteen years for this blog. When the year began, I didn't have a goal to publish the most posts since 2015 or possibly match 2016's number of 263, second-most since the very first year in 2012. I do have stories that I want to share before we dive into 2025. Some of these stories will reflect back on 2024 and some will consider the blog as a whole, where I've been, and where things may go in the new year as I continue learning with DNA, and manage these interests while maintaining the day-to-day family and professional obligations.

Some of these posts will be my own photos, some may include snapshots of art, or might be both (my own photos of art). There's more to come and I'll share in the next post.

Connected threads

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Montevideo. 14 Jan 2024.

Research Question Progress

Another month has flown by and it is time to check in on my progress for the research questions I posed two months in for the DNA study group.

On question #1, identifying the parents of Bridget, I am not much further along than I was last month. I tried to create a Leeds Method chart using my Dad's DNA matches between 400 and 90 centimorgans, but he only has 15 matches in that range across the matches on Ancestry, MyHeritage and FTDNA. Only two of these matches are O'Briens. I haven't added any to the 76 matches I had last month. I am continuing to build floating trees for some of the more promising matches in this group, some have links back to La Salle County, Illinois and Ireland, but I have yet to figure out how they are connected.

For question #2, determining the generation of connection with the Pennsylvania O'Briens, I have an idea on how to proceed but it may involve YDNA testing to confirm how this group is connected to ours.

Question #3 has been the bright spot of my research, and one of my biggest successes to date. I believe I've been able to confirm with DNA that Robert Gran Taylor Gibson was the father of Mary Alice Cain Read. This post puts the long search into perspective.

On question #4, I've built a Leeds chart using Allison's Mom's DNA matches. Her grandmother's DNA matches will show more connections to resolve the question on the father of Cora Belle.

After resolving one of my original four research questions, I have begun to create some new ones. The first of this group is looking for siblings of my 3rd-great-grandfather Gabriel Vasquez in order to dig into Chilean records. I've built a Leeds Method chart using the DNA matches for my Mom and her two sisters, and have access to additional matches through uploading autosomal DNA results on to FTDNA. Now I need to sort through the data.

The next one involves isolating the Amado matches on my Mom's & aunts' results. I haven't really started this one, but the work above with the Leeds chart and expanding the pool of available matches also applies here.

I will be adding some other new research questions in 2025 once I receive the Big Y700 and mtDNA full sequence results. FamilyTree DNA's Million Mito Project looks super cool. 

December

 

Pieter Brueghel the Younger. Winter Landscape with Bird-trap, 1631.

Comparing estimates

 

FTDNA. myOrigins (v3) for BAJ. 

While awaiting the results on my Big Y700 test through FTDNA, I've also loaded my parents' autosomal DNA raw data from Ancestry on to FTDNA's platform. Primarily this is to seek more matches on either side, but an added benefit is seeing how their estimated ancestral origins compare with those on Ancestry and MyHeritage. We're still waiting on the promised update from MyHeritage, mentioned back in July but still not released. 

In the meantime, the map above shows the percentages from my Mom's results.

• Central Europe 35%
• Scandinavia 17%
• England, Wales, Scotland 13%
• Iberian Peninsula 16%
• Italian Peninsula 11%
• Americas (AmerIndian - Central & Southern Mexico) 7%
• Americas (AmerIndian - Northern Mexico) <1%
• East Slavic <1%
• Western Siberia <1%

Comparing the above with the latest from Ancestry, if we combine England, Wales & Scotland with Central Europe (48%), this aligns with AncestryDNA's latest update for my Mom with England & Northwestern Europe, combined with Scotland and Ireland (48%). If the Iberian and Italian are combined (27%), that's not too far off the latest result for Spain (33%) on Ancestry. The 7-8% Americas is somewhat close to the latest result from Ancestry for Indigenous Americas - Mexico (12%). MyHeritage has her Italian + Iberian (5.2 and 1.7%), much smaller than Mesoamerican + Andean (19.1%).  

My Dad's results show up as 100% England, Wales, Scotland, with <1% Druze. I wonder if the Druze result is an artifact from a more ancient line of the family, maybe a Crusader-era remnant. It's interesting to compare this with MyHeritage (below) and with the latest from Ancestry (Oct 2024). MyHeritage gives my Dad a .9% trace from Central Asia and oddly 6.9% Iberian. 

FTDNA. myOrigins (v3) for KDJ.

MyHeritage. Estimates for KDJ (pre-update v2).