Expert Assistance

 

From Jarrett's Ask Me Anything, 2 Jan 2026. 

Sometimes it's useful to have some focused discussion with an expert to look at research questions from a different perspective. Yesterday I had a consultation with Jarrett Ross, who is a well known genealogy speaker at events and hosts a popular YouTube channel where he's known as the Geneavlogger. I met Jarrett at RootsTech last March and have been a long time viewer of the channel. When he began offering consultations, I scheduled one to concentrate on my mystery Leyva matches on our Mexican side of the tree.

Huge thanks to Jarrett for listening and providing some very useful next steps. I certainly have some homework to build out a WATO tree and test a theory of how these Leyvas may connect to us. I also need to look at other Portillos in the Sonoran records. There are definitely signs of mystery Portillos in the shared matches of matches with CH and my Mom, and I am not yet clear about how these people connect to my own 3x-great-grandfather Manuel Portillo.

The conversation helped confirm I am on the right track with my approach to isolate to Trinidad, look deeper into her parents Escolastico and Flora, and try to see if the connection is on Trinidad's paternal or maternal line. Given the amount of centimorgans shared with CH and the shared matches in common pointing to a Portillo connection, this question feels like it can be resolved, but it won't be easy.

Jarrett hosts a weekly Ask Me Anything live on his YouTube channel on Fridays at 4pm Eastern, and he's also taking individual consultations. I highly recommend both.

Research Progress January 2026

It's the second of the month and time for an update on my research questions. I wrote last month that the questions are changing a bit as we add a new mtDNA tester to the mix. Our daughter's test results will likely arrive in late February/early March. I've reduced some of the questions, postponed others to a future list, and added some new ones for Allison's side of the tree.

My Paternal Side

1 - I'm still looking for the parents of my 3rd-great-grandmother Bridget, and this question will get more attention in the second half of March, after RootsTech and my meeting in India ends.

2 - Analyzing mtDNA connections in the maternal line path of Sarah Westall and Elizabeth Thornhill Jones. Again, this is dependent on cousin Lynn.

3 - Jones YDNA. I'm hopeful I'll locate another tester to push our Jones line further back in time.

My Maternal Side

1 - Identifying the link between the Leyva mystery matches and my Mexican side of tree. Over the holiday break I've been digging into the shared matches of matches between my Mom's results and CH. I think resolving this question will also help fill in missing ancestors on my Portillo branch. I'm trying something new this Saturday with virtual guided consultation with an expert. More to follow soon. 

2 - Analyzing mtDNA matches in the maternal line path of Maria Jesus Vasquez.

3 - Resolving descendancy from the daughters of John Carter (1715-1783). For this one, I'm interested in hearing what the Carter Society may have, and collaborating with cousin Jacqi Stevens of A Family Tapestry.

4 - Campuzano YDNA. I upgraded cousin Greg's kit to Big Y, so now we're awaiting updated results that may allow us to follow the Campuzano paternal line back to Spain. As I'll be heading to Spain this summer, I'm super interested to see the results.

5 - xDNA analysis using FTDNA's tools.

Allison's Side

1 - Awaiting mtDNA results for the maternal line path to Dorothea Sophia Gagelmann.

2 - Analyzing Sophia's FamilyFinder results on FTDNA and looking into xDNA for this branch of the tree.

Let's go Hoosiers

 

IU Archives. 1 Jan 1968.

A double post to start the new year. Today we're cheering on our #1 Indiana Hoosiers football team in the College Football Playoff as they take on Alabama at the Rose Bowl (4pm Eastern on ESPN). Although IU has never won the Rose Bowl game, they did crush UCLA at the Rose Bowl in the 2024 season. Let the miracle season continue!

Source: IU Athletics. IU v Ohio State, 2025.

Happy New Year

 

New York Times. Fireworks in Giza, Egypt. 1 Jan 2026.

Happy New Year and welcome 2026! The New York Times has a great collection of photos tonight from celebrations worldwide. We've had a fun evening at home, picking up pizza from our favorite neighborhood spot, enjoying some tasty beverages, and watching coverage from celebrations around the world while also watching the Miami v Ohio State college football playoff game.

My post from New Years Day last year is worth repeating here. I'm continuing to follow the path and maybe there will be new discoveries along the way. Here's to broadening horizons and bridges in 2026!

New York Times. Athens. 1 Jan 2026.

New York Times. Dubai. 1 Jan 2026.

New York Times. Year of the Horse in Busan, S. Korea. 1 Jan 2026.

Sláinte

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Belfast. 27 June 2025.

Cheers to 2025, bring on 2026. Sláinte is health in Irish, used as "cheers". Many cheers for New Years Eve.