 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 2 Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 2 This is the continuing story, continued from Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 1, of my temporary genealogy brick wall for yet another new DNA mystery match that had just showed up. I call it a temporary brick wall because I have not really exhausted all of my resources, but I had found all the known descendants for those lines (not to mention that I know of that generation’s descendants very well), and he is unknown of. Messaging through Ancestry: Next, I messaged him on Ancestry, which I RARELY do. Most people rarely message back from Ancestry, don’t notice it for a long time (or never notice it), rarely are on it, or just take too long getting back. Some people who do their DNA, just do the DNA test, and that was their only purpose. Many check out their results when they get them, and don’t go on frequently after that. This is usually the case with unlinked trees that have just a few people, or they have no family tree at all. I also just like to get my info and solve my mysteries quickly, so I just don’t waste time with messaging, not to mention that I love solving puzzles and challenges! Public and Social Media Search: Then I Googled him, searched him out on Facebook, and looked him up in public online records to look up his phone number and age, and verify relatives. By Googling and checking him in public records, I was able to verify his age so that I would know the age range of the person I was seeking out on Facebook. I got lucky that his father, who had passed away in 2004, was still associated with him in some public records. It also helped me to see other relatives and associates of his to also find those people associated with him on Facebook (you can also do this for other social media), so that I would know I had the right person. Thank goodness there were only 3 people on Facebook that had his uncommon name, and only 2 looked to be about his age! I also got lucky in that 2 had profile pics! I “stalked” the 3 Facebook pages, and I found the one with some of the other names associated with him that were also associated with him in the public records. Stay tuned for more in Part 3! Interactive Questions: How has your experience been messaging your matches on Ancestry? Have you sought out your matches in public records or social media? Let me know in the comments below! Update, November 6, 2021: Part 3 is now here!: Genealogy Brick wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 3 More DNA and Genealogy Research Tips and Resources: Find more research tips under the Genealogy Research Tips category, brick wall tips under the Genealogy Brick Wall Cases category, and DNA/genetic genealogy tips under the DNA Simplified category. You can also find some DNA research resources, to help you in your research, on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page. Below you'll find some other genealogy brick wall research cases that may be of interest:
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 Well, I just hit a new, temporary brick wall in my family tree. I just noticed a new DNA match in the 2nd to 3rd cousin category in Ancestry last night. This person is matched to my father’s line, and has to be matched through my paternal grandfather or one of his siblings; his shared matches were the first clue. Since he is matched to ALL the lines of my paternal grandfather, he has to be descended from that generation. This is not the first unknown of descendant/DNA mystery/family secret match from ANY my lines. I have found and solved many unknown of children/descendants/family secrets that no one knew about; I will try to blog about those stories when I have time. This one just happened, so it is still fresh in my mind. I know ALL of the descendants of those lines, and had published my descendant books on those lines about 6 years ago, and he was not one of them. Hmmmmmm, a new DNA mystery to solve! Challenge accepted! 😉 So, time to get an early start and wake up with my morning tea; I’ve got a new DNA mystery to solve, and my challenge awaits! 😉 His centimorgans shared with me are 201. This leaves him (only according to his centimorgans) most likely matched as a 1/2 gg-aunt / uncle; a 2c; a 1/2 1c1r; a 1c2r; a 1/2 gg-niece / nephew; a 1/2 2c; a 2c1r; a 1/2 1c2r; or a 1c3r, and a less probability (but still possible) as a 1/2 c3r †; a 1/2 2c1r †; a 3c; a 2c2r; a great-great-aunt / uncle; a 1/2 great-aunt / uncle; a 1/2 1c; a 1c1r; a 1/2 great-niece / nephew; or a great-great-niece / nephew (according to the DNA Painter Shared cM Project tool).  Okay, time to get going on this! He had an unlinked tree with only 3 people in it: him as private, his father’s name and date and place of death, and his mother as private. The first thing I did was quickly build my own tree for them in Ancestry, as always. I found his father’s information right away. I found a marriage for his father, and added that spouse as a possible (who I thought at first) mother. I then added a few male and female children born to them with no first names or any other info, as I usually do, and searched for them. I found 2 children born to them, but neither had the name of my match. This was all in the first 10 minutes. Stay tuned for more in Part 2! Update, October 30, 2021: Part 2 is now here!: Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part 2 Update, November 6, 2021: Part 3 is now here!: Genealogy Brick Wall: Another New DNA Mystery Match-Part3 Find more research tips under the Genealogy Research Tips category, brick wall tips under the Genealogy Brick Wall Cases category, and DNA tips under the DNA Simplified category. P.S... My older site theme does not support the "Leave a Reply" field labels; if you'd like to leave a comment on a blog, the fields are: Name, Email, Site (if you'd like), and Comment, the standard fields 😉 ←Back to Genealogy Research Tips Page Below you'll find some other genealogy brick wall research cases that may be of interest:
 A Closer Look at the 1890 U.S. Census Record in Genealogy Research Just a recap for this series on the U.S. Federal Census records in genealogy research: Census records can give you the most details about a person and their family than any other record and can give you a snapshot of how they were living at a particular time; after starting with what you know now, the first step in genealogy research, the census records are the best starting point in your next step of research. They offer a plethora of information that will start you off and lead you to many of your next steps. Not only can you find the standard information on your ancestor like their name, age, birthplace, and residence; you can find so much more! Depending on the census record, you can also find their address, their occupation, their parents’ birthplaces, their citizenship status, their year of immigration, their marriage info, their military service info, how many children they have, others living in the household and their info, the value of their home and personal belongings, and more! This is a continuing series that will be focusing on the 1850 to 1950 U.S. Federal Census Records, and today’s topic is the 1890 Census. The 1890 U.S. Census: This was the fifth U.S. Census that listed EVERY household member by name and had detailed categories, unlike the 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 censuses, it was enumerated starting on June 2nd, because June 1st was a Sunday. Most of the census' population schedules were badly damaged by a fire in the Commerce Department Building in January 1921, and the rest (thought to be) were destroyed by Department of Commerce in 1934. There are a few remaining bits of the 1890 census here and there, that were found in 1942 and some more in 1953, but only for about 6,000 people or so.  Screenshot of Part of the 1890 U.S. Census Questionnaire, from the United States Census Bureau Website  Screenshot of Part of the 1890 U.S. Census Questionnaire, from the United States Census Bureau Website  Screenshot of Part of the 1890 U.S. Census Questionnaire, from the United States Census Bureau Website This census had a great amount of information taken; too bad it was lost. It asked for each person’s full Christian name, along with their middle initial; whether they were a soldier, sailor, or marine during the Civil War, or widow of; their relationship to head of household; 3 new race details of Quadroon (1/4 African descent & 3/4 European descent ), Octoroon (1/8 African descent & 7/8 European descent), and Japanese; sex; age, and month if born within year; whether single, married, widowed or divorced; if married during the year; mother of how many children and how many living; place of birth and parents’ birthplaces; number of years in U.S.; if naturalized; if naturalization papers had been taken out; occupation; how many months unemployed during the year; if attended school during the year; if able to read and write; whether they could speak English, and if not, then the language spoken; whether they were suffering from any acute or chronic disease, with the name and length of time of the disease; whether they were defective in mind, sight, hearing, speech; whether they were crippled, maimed or deformed, with name of deformity; and whether they were a prisoner, convict, homeless child or a pauper. At the bottom was a section indicating that a special schedule was filled out, depending on how some of the questions were answered. If the family lived on a farm, there were additional questions such as if the home they lived in was rented or owned by the head or someone in the family; if the home was owned, then if it was free from mortgage; if the head of household was a farmer, then the same questions were asked about the farm; and lastly, if either were owned, then the address of each.
This census had a great amount of information taken, and it was the most detailed to date; such a tragic loss. There are other ways to get around this missing census; check out some of these articles below, from some of my fantastic faves, to see how! 😉 Get Around the Missing 1890 Census, by Ancestry What Happened to the 1890 Census, and What You Can Use to Fill in Its Blanks, by Ancestral Findings How To Research Around the 1890 Census Record Loss – Part 1: 1890 Census Fragments, by Lisa Lisson at Are You My Cousin- This is the first in a video series on this topic, where she also teams up with Family History Fanatics What Happened to the 1890 Census, by Lisa Louise Cook Follow my other posts on the U.S. Census under the Genealogy Records category and below: The 1920 U.S. Census Record in Genealogy: A Closer Look The 1910 U.S. Census Record in Genealogy: A Closer Look A Closer Look at the 1900 U.S. Census in Genealogy Research The 1880 U.S. Census: A Closer Look at the Even Better Census! The 1870 U.S. Census: A Closer Look The 1860 U.S. Census: A Closer Look The 1850 U.S. Census: One of the Golden Genealogy Records Check out more information about the U.S. Census on the United States Census Bureau website! P.S... My older site theme does not support the "Leave a Reply" field labels; if you'd like to leave a comment on a blog, the fields are: Name, Email, Site (if you'd like), and Comment, the standard fields 😉  A Closer Look at the 1880 U.S. Census Record in Genealogy Research Just a recap: Census records can give you the most details about a person and their family than any other record and can give you a snapshot of how they were living at a particular time; after starting with what you know now, the first step in genealogy research, the census records are the best starting point in your next step of research. They offer a plethora of information that will start you off and lead you to many of your next steps. Not only can you find the standard information on your ancestor like their name, age, birthplace, and residence; you can find so much more! Depending on the census record, you can also find their address, their occupation, their parents’ birthplaces, their citizenship status, their year of immigration, their marriage info, their military service info, how many children they have, others living in the household and their info, the value of their home and personal belongings, and more! This is a continuing series that will be focusing on the 1850 to 1950 U.S. Federal Census Records, and today’s topic is the 1880 Census. The 1880 U.S. Census: This was the fourth U.S. Census that listed EVERY household member by name and had detailed categories, and just as in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses, it was enumerated starting on June 1st. It was also the first census to list the relationship of each in the household to the head of household!  Screenshot of the 1880 Census, from the United States Census Bureau Website The 1880 census had some very new, and EXTREMELY useful categories! This census had many of the same categories and details as the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses such as including ALL household members’ names; their ages, sex, color, and place of birth; occupation information; whether they were deaf/mute, blind, insane or “idiotic”(underdeveloped mentally); whether any of the household members attended school or were married within the year; literacy information; the month of any births of that year (1870), but now with some more details added to some of the categories, some new categories, some new names to some of the previous categories, and some details and categories taken out. There were no longer details about the value of any real estate (1850 & 1860) and personal estate (1860) owned; any male citizens over 21, or any males over 21 denied the right to vote (such as from not being a citizen, participating in a rebellion or another crime, etc.). Some of the new categories or changed/combined categories for this census were Civil Condition, Health and Nativity. If you could get some more clues from some of the other details that were included before, but were now missing, that’s great! Don’t fret though if you couldn’t; this census had much more useful info to gather, that was not on any of the censuses beforehand! The 1880 U.S. Census now also included much more detailed categories and information such as the RELATIONSHIP of each in the household to the head of household, as mentioned above; whether anyone was single, married, widowed or divorced; the number of months unemployed during the year; sickness or temporary disability; whether maimed, crippled, bedridden, or otherwise disabled; and the BIRTHPLACE OF EACH HOUSEHOLD MEMBER’S PARENTS! This census also had 2 other new details added, that would have proved to be extremely useful: the house number and street, but I have yet to see a single one in my family tree or that of any of my clients that have those details filled out; although, I guess it’s because none of them were living in major cities at that time, but mostly rural areas.
Use the data on this census to discover previously unknown children, in-laws, and other relatives living with the family; as a clue to family medical conditions and genetic diseases in the family; and as a starting point for researching additional ancestors, by using the information it provides for the birth of each individual household member’s parents! 😉
As previously mentioned, depending on where and by whom the census was taken, I usually don’t find this census filled out consistently, and the last categories are underreported, but if it is, then you have a lot of details to help you in your research! EVERY detail/clue helps in genealogy! 😉 Follow my other posts on the U.S. Census under the Genealogy Records category and below: The 1920 U.S. Census Record in Genealogy: A Closer Look The 1910 U.S. Census Record in Genealogy: A Closer Look A Closer Look at the 1900 U.S. Census in Genealogy Research The 1890 U.S. Census: A Tragic and Sad Loss! The 1870 U.S. Census: A Closer Look The 1860 U.S. Census: A Closer Look The 1850 U.S. Census: One of the Golden Genealogy Records Check out more information about the U.S. Census on the United States Census Bureau website! P.S... My older site theme does not support the "Leave a Reply" field labels; if you'd like to leave a comment on a blog, the fields are: Name, Email, Site (if you'd like), and Comment, the standard fields 😉  Searching my ancestors in Newpapers.com last week, I had found quite a few new articles, that either I had missed years ago or are newly added. One of these articles I found to be quite interesting, due to the pandemic we are going through right now. This article had to do with the Smallpox Epidemic. I was surprised to find an article mentioning my great great grandfather and his family during the Smallpox Epidemic in 1901, and I also thought of how very fitting it was for a time such as what we are going through right now. The 2 words that stood out to me right away, were the words quarantine and vaccination. It mentioned a family from the area who first had contracted Smallpox a couple of weeks earlier, and how some of their other children, whose vaccines “didn’t take”, had also come down with it, but were doing fine. It then went on to mention my great great grandfather and his family. It mentioned their family because my great grandfather’s sister, Lillie, who had lived near that family’s home, had contracted it from one of the girls in that family. The surprising part of the article was a subject that is of much controversy right now. It had stated that my great great grandfather’s family had been under quarantine from the start, but they had declined to get vaccinated! There were about ten to a dozen families that were originally under quarantine but had been released, except the 2 families mentioned, because there was no longer a threat from their first exposure. The above mentioned family, along with my great great grandfather’s family were “under guard” and once again quarantined. I found this find to be a very interesting article about my ancestors, especially with everything going on right now. 😊     Check back periodically for more posts like this in Newpaper Finds!
P.S... My older site theme does not support the "Leave a Reply" field labels; if you'd like to leave a comment on a blog, the fields are: Name, Email, Site (if you'd like), and Comment, the standard fields 😉 |
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