Waiting on the mail

Earlier in the week I sent an inquiry to the church secretary in LaSalle, Illinois who may hold the records from the time when the O'Briens were living in the town. The inquiry was on several printed forms, and dropped in the mail along with a donation research fee. This envelope should arrive today. Now I wait in the hopes that the records I seek still exist and contain the breakthrough information that has eluded my search so far.

In addition to the mail, we're still waiting on the results from several mtDNA kits and a Big Y with FamilyTreeDNA. Our daughter's results really should arrive any day now as we're in the 10th week of processing.

Flower Sculptures

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mumbai. 5 Mar 2026.

The photos above and below are ornate flower decorations at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai, our venue from the meetings earlier in the month. The sculptures were part of the lavish 2024 wedding of the year at the venue. Another wedding occurred at the building at the start of our event, and while there aren't photos, the flower sculptures are a reminder of what was. Here's a link from Vogue India on the spectacular from 2024.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Jio World Centre.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mumbai. 5 Mar 2026.

Deadwood

 

Gem Theater, Deadwood, South Dakota.

As I look into the timeline of Agnes Atherton's performances, one that I had previously overlooked stands out as incredibly adventurous. In January 1883, as part of Niblo's Humpty Dumpty company based in Chicago, Agnes ventured into Deadwood, South Dakota for performances at the New Gem Theater run by the notorious Al Swearengen. This 2019 article from True West magazine provides some interesting color (and historic photos) on Swearengen and the Gem Theater, which was known as a din of prostitution, drinking and gambling. Deadwood would have been a snow-packed mountain mining town transitioning from a lawless gold camp into a more permanent and rugged settlement. A dangerous place for a young 24 year old to be.

Daily Deadwood Pioneer-Times. 6 Jan 1883.

I have not watched the HBO series Deadwood, featuring Ian McShane as Swearengen, but now I need to put it on my watchlist.

Black Hills Weekly Pioneer. 19 Jan 1883.

Agnes likely arrived by stagecoach for the last miles from the nearest train to arrive in Deadwood. She was traveling apart from her first husband Fred Day, who was back in Detroit. It is unclear how long the Chicago company remained in Deadwood, or if Agnes stayed on for very long. By September 1883 Agnes had returned to Detroit. She and Fred separated permanently shortly afterward.

Behind the scenes

Over the past few days I've been catching up on things missed during my India trip, enjoying some celebratory time, and planning ahead for a potential RootsTech 2027 talk proposal. I've begun to assemble the talk and have been using Claude to bounce ideas for the structure. I think I have a better angle to pursue than the original proposal I submitted last June, and I'm working on making it more practically relevant to the RootsTech audience or a local/regional genealogy society. Perhaps I'll try to present this somewhere in advance of submitting again to RootsTech.

In the near term, we're now in my favorite sporting event of the year, March Madness. Last night's games were exciting. As with last year (and the year before that), the Hoosiers are out of the field, but we'll be watching anyway and cheering on some upset teams to make the early rounds interesting.

In the Sonntagpost, 1899

 

Sonntagpost. Chicago, 5 Mar 1899.

The clipping above appeared in the German-language Chicago Sonntagpost (Sunday Post), describing the reunion between Agnes Atherton and her centenarian father John O'Brien. The article states that Agnes was a well-known Chicago actress, separated from her father for over 35 years as she was placed in an orphanage after the death of her mother. The article gets some aspects of the story wrong, as Agnes was placed with the Sisters of Charity in LaSalle by 1860, not Chicago in 1864, and John was 105 or 106 by the time of the reunion. 

It is great to see this family reunion appeared in a German language newspaper - this is the fourth different language newspaper that Agnes has appeared in over the years (French newspapers in Canada, an Italian newspaper in NY, now German in Chicago). The clipping shows the story was shared across a wide audience at the time.

The article is a new-to-me find as I upgraded my membership with MyHeritage to get access to OldNews.com. I'm hoping to uncover some other articles on Agnes and her incredible life that were not previously available to me on other sites.

Through a digital lens

 

Made in Ideogram. Maria Jesus Vasquez.

I have previously shared the photo of my 2nd-great-grandmother Maria Jesus Vasquez, taken about 1895 in Sonora, Mexico. Using the cropped colorized photo of Maria Jesus, I uploaded it to Ideogram, an image and art generation platform that I frequently use with my family history writing and blogging. Ideogram created several realistic options (above and below) that look quite close to how Maria Jesus appears in the original grainy photo.

Made in Ideogram. Maria Jesus Vasquez.

Maria Jesus, cropped from original photo about 1895.

It's an example of how far AI tools have progressed in a year. AI was a hot topic at RootsTech 2026, and it will only increase in use with family history. I try to be very clear when I am using AI with this blog. I label images generated as "Made in Ideogram" (or if I use another platform like MyHeritage, I label it accordingly). It's interesting to look at this image in context with a painting in our family, currently in the care of my cousin Catherine in Tucson. The artist used the 1895 photo to create a family portrait of Vicente and Maria Jesus. One can make an argument that I'm using digital tools today in a similar fashion.

Updates to Canadian citizenship by descent

Canada has a new citizenship law that changes the process for Americans to qualify for dual citizenship (see this video via CBC News on YouTube). I do not have many Canadian ancestors, but I have one that might work - my 4th-great-grandfather Asa Putnam Smith. He was born in Nova Scotia around 1783, if the widow's pension application from his service in the War of 1812 is valid.

Fold3. Widow's pension for Lucinda McIntosh Smith.

I am still looking into other records connecting him to Nova Scotia. The 1850 US Census recorded Asa's place of birth as Massachusetts, but the death certificate for Asa and Lucinda's son James M. Smith states his place of birth was Nova Scotia.

Ancestry. Indiana Death Certificate, 1914.

I do have another connection to Nova Scotia, although not directly on my line. In November, I wrote about the Oyler family and their role in the fruit business in Nova Scotia, shipping produce back to England for sale at Spitalfields Market.

X marks the spot

 

FTDNA. Chromosome Browser comparison.

Since learning about the maternal line path for Maria Jesus Vasquez, I have been looking at the unique patterns of xDNA inheritance with the tools on FamilyTreeDNA from my cousin Catherine's results. During RootsTech, Roberta Estes had a short talk on XDNA Basics for Genealogists (also available on YouTube, and her XDNA masterclass on her blog). After watching the video, I dove into the X matches with the FamilyFinder results from our cousin Joe, whose kit was processed while I was en route to India earlier in the month. Joe shares a most recent common ancestor couple in my 2nd-great-grandparents Vicente Plutarco Campuzano and Maria Jesus Vasquez, although through a different child of theirs, Maria Jesus Campuzano.

At the top of the page is a snapshot from FTDNA's Chromosome Browser. The blue color is from Joe, the red is me, and the green is my daughter. Joe and my Mom have 28 cM xDNA in common, and as I inherited this portion directly from my Mom and passed it on to Sophia, we all match in the same place on the X chromosome. With xDNA's inheritance pattern, his segment was inherited from Maria Jesus Vasquez, and we also inherited the same segment through my great-grandfather Plutarco, who passed it down to my Granny, to my Mom, through me, to Sophia. It is really cool to see to this connection in our DNA back to Maria Jesus isn't just through the shared mtDNA haplogroup, but also at the segment level with xDNA.

Joe and my Mom share 232 cM in addition to the 28 cM xDNA. With both Joe and Catherine's matches available, I can now see some real patterns of connection. Another example is below.

In the snapshot above, Joe (now red) and my Mom share a specific segment in common with match YD (blue). I had suspected this match was a Vasquez connection, and now I can see how much xDNA this match likely inherited from either Maria Jesus' Vasquez side or Suastegui side. What I do not know is if the longer blue segment was passed through Maria Jesus via her mother Maria Jesus Suastegui, or through her father Gabriel Vasquez. I am still learning to interpret the chromosome browser and xDNA patterns.

Return from Mumbai

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Ganesha, Mumbai. 9 Mar 2026.

After an overnight flight and connection through London, I arrived back home yesterday evening from our events in Mumbai, India. Above is a shot of flower art and a painting depicting Hindu deity Ganesha. This is the remover of obstacles, lord of beginnings, and patron of arts and sciences - all things needed in family history research.

There's a lot to catch up on that I missed from RootsTech 2026. Fortunately for many of the sessions, online recordings are available. I created and saved a playlist of sessions for future viewing. I did manage to watch a few sessions while on a time delay, and have some good ideas for next steps on a few of my research challenges. I also viewed some of the sessions to get a better understanding of what topics and format FamilySearch seemed to favor, as this influences my approach to submit a talk for RootsTech 2027. I'll have another post on how I'm moving forward using examples from the DNA Swim School sessions led by Diahan Southard.

While I was away a letter arrived from the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) at Northern Illinois University. Unfortunately there's no breakthrough yet on the questions I am seeking related to John O'Brien and Bridget in LaSalle.

Save the Dates for RootsTech 2027

FamilySearch has officially announced the dates for RootsTech 2027 in Salt Lake City. The world’s largest family history conference will take place 4-6 March 2027. My plan is to be back in-person for next year’s event.

Dinner Party on the Pullman

 

Getty Museum collection, Google Arts & Culture. 1872.

About 127 years ago this week, Agnes Atherton reunited with her father and long separated family in Illinois. She certainly used trains for connecting across the country to her performances over her 30+ year career. Perhaps some of those train rides included a dining car experience like the one above, or shown below from the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.

Getty Museum. 1880.

Shortly after the family reunion in early March 1899, Agnes is said to have gone to Dallas, Texas for an engagement. I haven't found a record or newspaper reference to any performance she had in Texas, but she did appear from 21 March on a multi-week run of vaudeville shows in Minnesota's Twin Cities. By the end of April 1899, Agnes would perform in Buffalo, New York. 

The Great Flood of March 1849

 

The Evening Post. 28 Mar 1849.

On this date 177 years ago, spring flooding and freezing led to a major disaster for the town of Peru, Illinois. This is where my 3rd-great-grandmother Bridget was living with her first husband Patrick Dooner and sons. According to a history of La Salle County, Illinois (PDF), a spring flood inundated a lowland area. "With the spring thaw, much water had poured into the valley. Suddenly the temperature had dropped, and the water had frozen. A thaw again sent the water swirling over the bottom lands, driving out families and doing untold damage to business and shipping enterprises. It was reported at the time that the water extended from the north to the south bluff entirely covering the bottom lands."

O'Brien land in the present

 

Google Maps. LaSalle, Illinois.

Two years ago I looked at the land deed for John and Bridget O'Brien, where they purchased the east half of Lot 5, Block 61 in LaSalle, Illinois on 27 May 1854. It looks like the land today is located on the red pin in the Google Maps image above, on a block between 5th and 6th Streets, bounded by Hennepin and Tonti Streets. It's interesting to see this is a very close walk to St. Patrick Catholic Church, the same place where the O'Brien girls were placed with the Sisters of Charity some time before the 1860 US Census.

Ideogram. 1850s LaSalle, Illinois.

Searching

Short of getting on a plane and driving out to LaSalle County, Illinois, I've about exhausted current available records on the usual sites (Ancestry, Newspapers, FamilySearch) in looking for records on my 3rd-great-grandmother Bridget and family. In the meantime I've reached out to the Northern Illinois University archives and special collections, and contacted the Illinois Regional Archives Depository at NIU. I've tried this route in the past, but that may have been 20 years ago. Perhaps by the time I return from current travels, there may be an envelope waiting with some newly discovered records.

I have also contacted the Catholic Diocese of Peoria Office of Archives. One of the sisters responded, and directed me back to St. Patrick's Church in LaSalle. I called the church, and they've given me a contact at the parish office.

Here's what I'm hoping to find:

• Probate or guardian records following the death of Patrick Dooner and sons John and Hugh Dooner in LaSalle in July-August 1849. All three died from cholera. Bridget delivered her son Michael Dooner after the death of Patrick.
• Baptismal records on John and Hugh Dooner in LaSalle, between 1845-1847 (ideally mentioning Bridget's maiden name)
• Baptismal record for Michael Dooner between 1850-1851
• Any other reference to the Dooner family in the St. Patrick's records between 1844-1852
• Marriage record for John O'Brien and Bridget in LaSalle between 1850-1852
• Baptismal records for Anna Maria O'Brien (1852), Isabella O'Brien (1853), John O'Brien (1854), Agnes O'Brien (1858)
• Death record for Bridget O'Brien in 1859 LaSalle
• Other probate or guardian records mentioning the children prior to the placement of the girls with the Sisters of Charity convent in LaSalle in 1860.
• A record listing Bridget's maiden name prior to her marriage to Patrick Dooner (this would be genealogical gold)

New records become available all the time, and I continue to check for Illinois newspapers of the day that might contain a mention of the Dooner and O'Brien families. 

Historic Mumbai

 

Mumbai, 1860s. Google Arts & Culture.

One Year Ago

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. RootsTech. SLC, 6 Mar 2025.

RootsTech 2026 underway

Although I'm not at the conference this year in person, virtual RootsTech is underway and sessions are available online. I am looking forward to following the sessions and learning something new. On my schedule are virtual keynotes, the Tech Forum, updates from Ancestry, FamilySearch and MyHeritage, several sessions from Diahan Southard on "DNA Swim School", sessions on German genealogy, AI & genealogy, and the genealogy YouTubers panel.

I'll be taking notes on how sessions are delivered, and use those observations for a potential talk proposal for RootsTech 2027. I'll also try to have a remote RootsTech wrap-up once I'm back from travel.

I am hoping to be in person for RootsTech next year, as the conference dates may align for travel to Salt Lake City and then I can continue on to Europe for meetings.

Again in India

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Golkonda. 1 Nov 2016.

I'm on travel as our event is soon to kick off in Mumbai, India, provided I can get there amid current events in the region. Above is a photo from my last trip to India for our meeting in Hyderabad in 2016. My other visit was in February 2008 to Delhi.

Fly to India

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. TWA Hotel. 2 Nov 2024.

Research Progress March 2026

Since last month, there's some forward movement on my DNA research questions. The questions and updates are organized below.

My Paternal Side

1 - Looking for parents of my Irish immigrant 3rd-great-grandmother Bridget. This one has been stuck in a holding pattern for a while. I'm hoping to pick this one up after RootsTech.

2 - Analyzing mtDNA connections on the maternal line path descending from Sarah Westall and Elizabeth Thornhill Jones. Pending an update from cousin Lynn.

3 - Jones YDNA. We still need another Jones tester on our line.

That's three for three with little movement in a while. I think my approaches on this side of the tree need a shake-up.

My Maternal Side

1 - Working with Portillo DNA matches and continued genealogy on the matches in common with the Leyva group.

2 - Analyzing mtDNA matches in the maternal line path of Maria Jesus Vasquez. We have a new mtDNA kit in process for cousin Joe, and when his results arrive, it should give us an interesting set of matches to compare, along with possibly a more recent branch point. Catherine's haplogroup recently updated. There's good progress on this one.

3 - Campuzano YDNA. The Big Y results arrived in the middle of the month. We have another  Campuzano tester descending from Vicente Antonio Campuzano who has submitted a Big Y kit. I'm very hopeful this will give us a more recent branch point for our shared Campuzano line. There's exciting developments, but it will be several months before new results follow.

4 - xDNA analysis using FTDNA's tools. Nothing new this month.

Allison's Sides

1 - mtDNA results on the maternal line path for Dorothea Sophia Gagelmann. This is pending the mitotree result, due any day now.

2 - Separating out maternal and paternal line matches on FTDNA. Making some slow progress here, checking against matches on Ancestry.

3 - Analyzing xDNA matches on Allison's sides of the tree.

Welcome March

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Alexandria. 4 Apr 2024.

It's the first of March, and it is time to welcome calendar Spring and March Madness basketball. This has been a long cold winter and we're ready for the warmth and colors that follow the calendar flip to the new month. It feels like we're starting to turn a corner, as the last days of February have begun to look more like Spring is on the way.