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 DNS 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).

Happy Friday

 

Winslow Homer. Fresh Eggs. 1874.

It's Friday after Thanksgiving and the house is slowly waking up. Turkey broth is cooking from yesterday's feast and the dog is hovering around the kitchen for samples. Today we're picking up the Christmas tree and watching more college basketball, hoping for better results than the past couple of days.

With the calendar flip to December coming up on Sunday, we're entering the closeout of 2024. I'll have year-end recap post toward the end of the month. I am hoping to make more family history progress leading up to the holiday break. I have plans for work and personal travel through the first half of 2025 including a trip to Rootstech in early March.

Casting a wide net

 

Winslow Homer. Hauling in the nets. 1887.

As I've transferred autosomal DNA results to MyHeritage to look for matches, I've also uploaded test results to FamilyTreeDNA. I've already found some matches who tested there and were not visible on Ancestry or MyHeritage. The hope is that by casting a wide net for DNA matches, I'll locate the right set of matches who will help resolve the mystery on identifying the parents of my 3rd-great-grandmother Bridget, or figuring out the connection with the Pennsylvania O'Briens.

More work to do here as I sift through the finds that have already started to appear.  

Start of a Y journey

 

Source: FamilyTreeDNA. Migration map for R-U152.

As noted in my last post, my 2018 Geno 2.0 Y DNA result showed a paternal haplogroup of R-U152. Using FamilyTreeDNA's migration map, this haplogroup traces back to an area north of Florence in Tuscany, about 2600 BCE. I'm curious to see what the new test will show more recently than this ancient branch from 4600 years ago.

Going Big(Y)

FamilyTreeDNA currently has a Black Friday/Thanksgiving sale on their products, including the Big Y-700 DNA test. After looking at this for a few years, I've decided to take the plunge on yet another DNA test.

I've tried a number of DNA tests since 2008, originally taking the Ancestry Y DNA and mtDNA tests, then later the Ancestry autosomal DNA test, and National Geographic's short-lived Geno 2.0 test. My 2008 Ancestry Y test gave me a haplogroup R1b, and mtDNA haplogroup A. The 2018 Geno 2.0 test had more refined haplogroups for both, returning a result for R-U152 on the Y DNA, and A2d on the mtDNA side. I'm interested to see how these change when my big Y and mtDNA results arrive sometime in 2025.

I am also curious to see how this test and the information received afterward compares with other test results I administer for myself and others in the family. I'm interested in the possibility of gifting a test to another on my Dad's side of the tree. 

Stepping back a generation

 

George Fuller. Harvest Time. 1880.

Last week I shared a long post describing the breakthrough on my Mom's side of the tree, discovering the identity of the father of Mary Alice Cain Read, my 3rd-great-grandfather, Robert Gran Taylor Gibson. I'm now going back another generation, to Robert's parents, James Robert Gibson and Lucy Street. James was born between 1807 and 1809 in Adair County, Kentucky, and his parents were Job Gibson and Lydia Young. ThruLines shows we have 138 DNA matches to both. Lucy's parents were Anthony Street and Mary Polly Janes, and ThruLines shows 128 DNA matches to both of them.

James and Lucy were married in Adair County on 22 September 1831.

Ancestry. KY Marriage Records.

James and Lucy had at least the following children:

• Louvisa Gibson
• Mary Jane Gibson
• Julius Gibson
• William Gibson
• Lucy Gibson
• James Riley Gibson
• John Gibson
• Robert Gran Taylor Gibson
• Lucinda Gibson

In the 1850 US Census, the family appears in District 1, Adair County, Kentucky.

Ancestry. 1850 US Census. Adair County, KY.

By the 1860 Census, James and Lucy's household included five children in school, and son Julius with his new bride Maurenina Singleton Gibson.

Ancestry. 1860 US Census. Adair County, KY.

In the 1870 US Census, James and Lucy were in the Leatherwood District of Adair County. All of their children had moved out of the household.

Welcome to Portland

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. PDX, 22 Nov 2024.

We're back from a very quick trip to Portland and a Thursday visit to the lovely Willamette Valley. We now have the mad dash to Thanksgiving and the beginning of the December holiday season.

I'm catching up on some things I missed over the past two weeks of travel, and have some new stories to bring to the blog soon.

Vintage TWA California Poster

 

Poster at the TWA Hotel. 2 Nov 2024.

The poster above is on display at the TWA Hotel at JFK airport. Snapshot from my stopover earlier in the month on the way to Istanbul.

An absence of matches

On my maternal side of the tree, I was able to use the Leeds Method to break through the long standing brick wall and identify a missing branch of the family. When trying that same method on my Dad's side of the tree, I'm running into an absence of matches. His results only show 13 matches between the range of 400-90 centimorgans on Ancestry, and one other match when I include the matches from MyHeritage.

If I go by the dot method, there is only 456 matches in the O'Brien/Lamon group. When I narrow that group to O'Brien/Bridget matches, I am left with 76, and most of those are connected to the Pittsburgh O'Brien group. I need to try some other approaches if I'm going to identify matches who might point me in the direction of the family of my 3rd-great-grandmother Bridget.

The matches

As I continue the proof of the case for Robert Gibson as the father of Mary Alice Cain, I am taking some time to highlight the matches that helped break open this mystery. This would not have been possible if those individuals had not taken a DNA test and made parts of their trees available so these connections could be surfaced. My Mom's DNA results currently have about 60,000 matches. One aunt has 55,000, while the other has about 43,000. How do you even filter this many matches down to the right ones to point the path to a common ancestor?

Just like I had done on my Dad's side of the tree, I used the dot method to create groups of people who had connections with each other and my Mom's results. I started this in June, before the launch of Ancestry's Pro Tools. I created a group of Read/Cain matches, but this left me with 2886 in that group, which is still really large. I also created a group for Flatt/Gaw matches, and tried to isolate those who were descended from Nancy Jane's side of three. This group had 1530, again, still pretty large. I also tried to create a Cain Targets group. While some of the Gibson and related matches appeared there, more of them I had overlooked as they were in both the Read/Cain and Flatt/Gaw groups.

Using the Leeds Method was the real gamechanger. Searching within the highest matches on the paternal side for my Mom and her sisters between the range of 400-90 centimorgans, revealed the group of people who had the key to the Gibson side of the tree.

Matches to Robert G. T. Gibson:

- RG: 162, 180, 193 cM (grandson of Robert)

- PT: 110, 165, 130 cM

- RG Jr: 44, 130, 160 cM

- LG: 92, 23, 60 cM

- MB: 48 cM

- AC: 47, 14 cM

- LG: 39, 12, 20 cM

- JK: 30, 13 cM

- ML: 28, 14 cM

- LR: 21, 9, 11 cM

- AS: 23, 9, 20 cM

- AB: 19 cM

- IU: 18, 13 cM

- HO: 15, 15 cM

- RA: 15, 12, 16 cM

- RG: 13 cM

- GG: 13, 48 cM

- LG: 13 cM

- BB: 12, 12 cM

- JB: 12, 10 cM

- EC: 12 cM

- AT: 11, 10, 11 cM

- CC: 11, 9 cM

- TC: 10 cM

- SM: 10 cM

Two other high matches are doubly connected, through a son of Robert's brother Julius Gibson and daughter of Robert:

- RJ: 144, 119, 150

- MS: 153, 166, 159

One of my aunts had six other strong connections in common with descendants of Julius:

- SM: 90 cM

- SQ: 75 cM

- BB: 57 cM

- CE: 57 cM

- JO: 50 cM

- LW: 31 cM

My Mom has 111 matches descending from Robert's father, James Robert Gibson. 34 of those matches are connected to one of Robert's older sisters, and include two of the matches who are also connected to the Dowell-Hubbard group.

Proving a connection

 

George Fuller. Turkey pasture in Kentucky, 1878.

In the absence of a paper trail, proving a connection between Nancy Jane Flatt and the mysterious father of her daughter Mary Alice has been a tall challenge. Had it not been for DNA evidence and recent tools provided by Ancestry and MyHeritage, this information might have been lost to time. Thankfully we do have these tools, and the right combination of matches to make a case for the identity of this missing parent. While I've shared previous theories on this blog, I think now I can write with confidence that I've found the right person.

Without the stories or records to link Nancy Jane with this person in south central Kentucky in the late 1870s, I can only guess that Nancy Jane met this man in the Leatherwood District of Adair County, Kentucky while she was visiting her half-brother William B. Flatt. William, and his wife Margaret Coomer Flatt, were raising three young children, William, Mollie and infant Braxton in the 1880 US Census. This is the same district where the Gibson family were living in the 1880 Census. The Coomer family also has a link to the Gibsons.

Nancy Jane lost her father Pleasant Flatt in December 1873, who left his third wife Nancy Hubbard Flatt with debts, lawsuits and her own young children to raise. Nancy Jane and her sisters had to fend for themselves. The ones who survived married young. Martha Flatt married Benjamin Jeffries in neighboring Clay County, Tennessee in October 1876, at the age of 16. Cansada Flatt was working as a domestic servant in the 1880 US Census (age 16), then married Buford Tackett in Metcalfe County in 1888. Mary Flatt married at the age of 15 to Henry Tobe Piper in 1883. When Nancy Jane became pregnant with her daughter Mary Alice in 1877, she was approximately 21 or 22, poor and had few options.

There's no record of a marriage for Nancy Jane from 1876 until her marriage to Pleasant Morgan in Barren County in October 1884. We do not know if Mary Alice and her brother Harl had the same father. We know she gave them both the surname Cain and they were recognized by that name when they were growing up in Barren County.

The links to that name, however tenuous or created back then, faded over time. Perhaps the father did not know Nancy Jane was pregnant. Maybe she kept his identity hidden. These details are lost. Mary Alice might not have known the real identity of her father. The signatures of his DNA remains and has given us a path to restore this side of the tree.

Introducing Robert

Robert Gran Taylor Gibson was born in Adair County, Kentucky on 8 October 1847, the son of James Robert Gibson and Lucy Street. Whatever connection Robert and Nancy Jane may have had in early 1877 was short lived, as there's no record of a marriage. On 10 March 1880, Robert, then a 32 year old farmer, married 15 year old Dora Ann Dehart in Adair County, and on the bond he certified his marriage to Dora was his first. 

Robert and Dora had at least eleven children between 1883 and 1908. From these children, my Mom and her sisters have over 30 DNA matches (and growing). My Mom's results show 111 matches to James Robert Gibson, and 104 matches to Lucy Street.

A grandson of Robert took a DNA test before his death in 2022. He's a DNA match with 162 cM in common with my Mom, 180 cM in common with my Aunt Linda and 193 cM in common with my Aunt Patty. Two of his children tested, and were also high matches (110, 165, 130 cM; 44, 130, 160 cM).

The matches who appeared in the connections for the Hubbard and Dowell families also show up in the Gibson results indicating the multiple family relations in this part of Kentucky and tracing back to Virginia. The Gibson matches all have higher cM counts.

Robert and Dora appear in the 1880 US Census in Leatherwood, Adair County, living next door to Robert's older brother Julius and family.

By 1900, the family had grown, with 7 children still in the household.

1900 US Census. Adair County, Kentucky.

In the 1910 US Census, the family was living in Elroy, Adair County.

1910 US Census. Adair County, Kentucky.

Robert died on 9 June 1914, a victim of heat exhaustion after working in the corn field on a 96 degree day.

Paducah Sun. 12 June 1914.

Dora remarried on 12 March 1928 to local minister Mitchell Albertson, and passed away on 17 June 1928 in Adair County.

I will have more on the DNA connections to Robert and the Gibson family in the next post.

Reflections

Mary Alice Cain Read had a large family of ten children with husband Charlie Read. There are a huge amount of Read-Cain cousins out there, and I am hoping some of them stumble onto the blog.

A lot of things had to fall into place just right to find the information I've been able to locate on this missing side of the tree. It wasn't enough that I had taken an autosomal DNA test in 2012, I needed my Mom's and aunts' results, then I needed the right combination of distant cousins who had tested, and shared enough information in their trees in order to make sufficient connections. I also needed to learn new tools and methods, and apply those through trial and error to sift through the thousands of matches to point to this cluster of family.

I know it also works the other way, that there's a huge set of Gibson cousins who have no idea Robert had another child out there before building his family in 1880, who created this whole other branch of family. Maybe some of them will find this information too.