New in Ancestry Trees – Potential Ancestors

Kris Hocker on 19 Jun 2018

I’ve been seeing references to this new feature on Ancestry Trees in online social media groups to which I belong. I kept checking my account and couldn’t seem to find what they were accessing.

Until this past weekend.

I finally saw it show up in both my public and private trees. This is what it looks like when you are looking at your pedigree view.

Adam Greulich Pedigree - Ancestry Family Tree

Ancestry Trees – Pedigree View

In this example, Ancestry is suggesting a possible mother for my four times great grandfather, Johann Adam Greulich (18 Feb 1751-21 Feb 1808). I had already located this information through FamilySearch—they’ve extracted vital records from some German church books, but I hadn’t entered the information in my private tree on Ancestry.

According to the information I found on FamilySearch, Johann Adam’s parents were Hans Adam (aka Johann Adam) Greulich (1721-1797) and Anna Elisabetha Gerich (1728-1758). What did Ancestry find?

Potential Mother Adam Greulich - Ancestry Trees

Potential mother for Johann Adam Greulich (1751-1808)

It’s a match!

The question I now have is from where did Ancestry get this information? Their records? Family trees? A partnering website? That information is not provided. No source citation is added if you claim that potential ancestor as your own. In this case, they may have even pulled this information from my public tree. The locations are exactly as I entered them, not Ancestry’s suggested location.

According to posts online, these potentials should also show up in the profile view of an individual in your tree. So far, I haven’t seen that.

What do I think of this feature?

I think it’s pretty cool. If it’s accurate. As with any information you find, you need to be able to assess it and verify it. Without context, without knowing where the information comes from, you can do neither. I’ve already seen some that I can dismiss just by date and location alone.

I’m going to consider these potential ancestors—as I do a lot of what I find—a research suggestion. This means I’ll add the individual(s) to my research to-do list for further digging. Once I’ve verified that it’s correct, I can analyze the source and the information within the context of what else I know about the family, comparing it to other information I may find. Hopefully, this will be enough to determine whether or not the relationship—as displayed—is accurate.

I hope that these potentials turn out to be correct. I like adding ancestors to my pedigree chart. I like fitting the pieces together and making connections between families and places in far-off countries.

Ultimately, however, it’s just a start. Names, dates, locations alone are not all that interesting in the long run. There’s so much more to learn.

The Hard-To-Find William Bowerman

Kris Hocker on 10 Jun 2018

I’ve recently posted about members of the Schott family. I began researching the family because one of my AncestryDNA matches traced their family back to William Bowerman and Maria Elizabeth Schott.

Since then I’ve traced two of our Shared Matches back to Peter and Catharina Magdalena (Fritz) Schott. These matches descend from Peter and Magdalena’s son Peter. They both share about 21 cMs of DNA with me. Assuming Catharine (Bowerman) Parsons, my fourth great grandmother, is a daughter of William and Elizabeth, one of these matches is estimated to be a fifth cousin twice removed, the other a sixth cousin once removed.

But what do I really know about William and Maria Elizabeth (Schott) Bowerman? Truthfully, not much.

William was allegedly born about 1786 in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania and likely died about 1810-11 in Dauphin County. Elizabeth (Shott) Bowerman was born 30 June 1792.1 I do not know when or where she died. Nor do I know when the couple married.

William warranted 110 acres 2 perches in what is now Jackson Township on 19 September 1809.2 It adjoined land of John Enders, John Hoffman, Michael Herman, Ludwig Shellman, Godlove Kline, and Peter Sweigert. It was surveyed for William on 19 December 1809.3 He was taxed in Halifax Township (Jackson’s precursor) that year.4

He was listed in the 1810 census just before Peter & Adam Sweigert and Christian Shutt with 1 male (<10), 1 male (16-26), 2 females (<10), and one female (16-26).5 William and Elizabeth had three children—Catharine (28 January 1808), John (23 March 1809), and Elizabeth (10 August 1810), all baptized at Fetterhoff’s Reformed and Lutheran Church in Halifax Township.6

And that’s it!

William does not show up in earlier or later tax records in Halifax, nor can I locate him in census records or deeds. He either died or moved away by 1811. If he died in Dauphin County in 1810/11, then there should have been Orphans Court records for his children who would have all been minors at the time, requiring the appointment of guardians. I did not find any reference to them. He was a land owner, so there should have been a settlement of his estate. Nothing.

His land was patented to Hugh Moore in 1811, but I found no record of a sale in Dauphin County Deeds. The last year Moore is included in Halifax tax records was 1814 (Jackson wasn’t created until 1828).

I did a quick check in the Cumberland County7 Orphans Court indices in case William and Elizabeth moved across the Susquehanna. No joy.

What happened to the family after 1810?

Did Elizabeth remarry? With three young children to support, I would expect she did. But who? What happened to the children?

John Bowerman, son of William and Elizabeth, appears in the 1830 census for Upper Paxton Township.8 John married Anna Maria Woland.9 Her family was from Upper Paxton Township, so it seems likely that William’s wife and children remained in upper Dauphin County or, at least, came back.

Presumably his eldest daughter Catharine married Anthony Parsons and raised five children in Buffalo Township, Perry County (across the river from Halifax Township), between 1826 and 1834. She, too, remains a bit of a mystery. How did she meet Anthony? What happened to her after Anthony died in 1834?

I know nothing about William and Elizabeth’s youngest daughter Elizabeth beyond her birth date.

It’s so frustrating. I paged through the Dauphin Orphans Court books looking for entries from 1810 through the early 1830s when William and Elizabeth’s children had all come of age. I found nothing. I guess I’ll need to widen my search area. The lack of records in Dauphin County may indicate they moved out of the county.

So, I’m left with a dearth of information for a potential five times great grandfather, who presumably died in his early 20s, leaving a very young wife with three children under the age of four. Without my AncestryDNA matches, I wouldn’t even have that.

Christian Shotte, Inquest Awarded

Kris Hocker on 3 Jun 2018

Christian Shott of Halifax Township died intestate. His widow, Anna Maria Shott, petitioned the Orphans Court on 18 February 1823 to make a partition of his lands for his heirs—his surving siblings and children of his deceased siblings, as follows:

“Upon the petition of Mary Shotte widow and relict of Christian Shotte late of Halifax township in the County of Dauphin Yeoman deceased Stating that the petitioners said husband Christian Shotte lately died intestate leaving the petitioner his Widow and no issue but left brothers and sisters of the whole blood, and the children of brothers & sisters of the whole blood, namely Peter who resided in Dauphin County, Margaret who was intermarried with Freeman who died before they [sic] intestate, and the residence of the said Margaret is unknown to the petitioner, the children of Jacob Shotte a brother of the whole blood who died before the intestate in Dauphin County, the children of Michael Shotte a brother of the whole blood who died before the intestate in Dauphin County, Philip Shotte who died intestate since his brother the intestate in Dauphin County leaving a Widow and three children, The children of Ludwig Shotte, a brother of the whole blood, of the intestate who died before the said Intestate not in Dauphin County, The children [page 363] of Cathrine Loudermilch who died before her brother the intestate in Dauphin County, The children of Christiana Cooper, who died before her brother the Intestate, not in Dauphin County, and the children of Mary Sweigart who died before her brother the Intestate in Dauphin County, and that the said intestate died seized in his demesne as of fee of and in the two following Tracts or pieces of land with the appurtenances both situate in Halifax Township, Dauphin County, one whereof patented land containing about fifty two acres more or less, which was surveyed in pursuances of a warrant for Jacob Waggoner dated the 21st of November 1774. The other bounded by lands of George Werfle, Jacob Wefle and others, and containing about fourteen acres more or less, and not patented; therefore praying the Court to award an Inquest to make partition of the premises aforesaid to and among the heirs and legal representatives of the said Intestate in such manner and such proportions as by the laws of the Commonwealth is directed, if such partition can be made without prejudice to or spoiling the whole, but if such partition cannot be made thereof as aforesaid then to value and appraise the same and make report thereof according to law Whereupon an Inquest was awarded agreeably to the prayer of the petitioner and to the acts of the General assembly in such case made and provided

By the Court”1

Christian Gleim, Esq., the High Sheriff of Dauphin County, reported back to the Orphans Court on 6 May 1823 that the two adjoining tracts of land could not be divided and would not adequately accomodate more than one of Christian Shott’s heirs.2 The property was valued at $240 by the twelve men who visited and assessed the land on 24 April 1823.

Two days later, the Court issued a Rule that the heirs should “come into Court on the 2nd day of September next and accept or relinquish their several and respective rights of taking the estate.”3 The Court issued another Rule for the same purpose on 3 September 1823.4

When none of the heirs appeared, the Court ordered that Christian Shott’s administrator, Joseph Miller, should sell the land at public vendue on 30 December 1823.5 Miller reported back to the Court 3 February 1824 that he had sold the land to Mary Stroh.6

What Can I Learn?

First, this document states that Christian was married and left a widow named Mary, but did not have children (no issue). Therefore, it provides the names of his siblings, including the married names of his sisters. Secondly, you’ll notice that the petition referred to Christian’s  “brothers and sisters of the whole blood, and the children of brothers & sisters of the whole blood.” What, pray tell, you ask, does that mean?

“Whole blood” (aka full blood) is a legal term indicating a descent from the same couple—or born of the same mother and father.  So, according to the petition, Christian shared the same parents with:

  • Peter Schott
  • Margaret (Schott) Freeman
  • Jacob Schott
  • Michael Schott
  • Philip Schott
  • Ludwig Schott
  • Catharine (Schott) Loudermilch
  • Christiana (Schott) Cooper
  • Mary (Schott) Swiegert

This claim is curious.

Most of the information I’ve seen online—yes, I know—indicates that Ludwig was married twice. Jacob, Michael and Ludwig were children of his first marriage; Peter, Margaret, Philip, Catharine, Christiana, Mary and Mary Magdalena (not mentioned in the petition) were children of his second marriage to Anna Barbara Laurin in 1757.

Christian Schott, Jacob Schott’s eldest son, was born in 1775. While Jacob could have started his family at 18—assuming Jacob was born in 1757—in my experience it’s a bit more common for males of German descent from this time period to be a bit older—in their mid 20s—at the time of marriage. Even if I assume all the information online regarding birth years for Jacob, Michael, and Ludwig is wrong, I’d still estimate Jacob’s birth, at least, to be prior to his father’s marriage to Anna Barbara. Furthermore, Catharine and Christiana were born 23 January 1758—ten months after Ludwig’s marriage to Anna Barbara. There really isn’t an opportunity for the birth of a previous child.7 Assuming, of course, that the date is correct.

The petition also tells us whether Christian’s siblings were alive or deceased, and if dead whether or not they died in Dauphin County. Since we know the date of this petition 18 February 1823, we know that all his siblings—with the exception of Peter—died prior to 1823. In Philip’s case, the document also tells us he left three surviving children. We also know that all of them except Ludwig and Christiana died in Dauphin County. So, in researching this family, we should search for probate records in Dauphin County.

Thirdly, the petition provides information regarding Christian’s real estate. Based on this document we learn that he owned two pieces of land in Halifax Township, one of which was patented. The patented land was warranted to Jacob Waggoner in 1774. The other property adjoined that of George Werfle and Jacob Werfle. The Jackson Township warrantee map shows Christian’s land (#82) was located to the northeast of land on which his brothers Peter and Philip resided (George Henry Fritz’s property) and land which his brother-in-law Adam Loudermilch warranted in 1785 (#65).8 This tract adjoined Edward Paine, Michael Haverstick, Henry Werfel, and Jacob Werfel.

Conflicting Evidence

The information provided by Christian Schott’s widow Mary for this petition conflicts with other information regarding this family. Which is correct? At this point, I do not know.

I have birth dates for Christian and several of his siblings placing their births after the reported marriage date for Ludwig and Anna Barbara. I do not have birth dates for Ludwig’s three eldest sons. The dates reported online vary from source to source and are all prior to Ludwig and Anna Barbara’s marriage. But the only documentary evidence I have simply shows at least two of them were born by 1758.9 This is inconclusive. While it’s highly unlikely that they could be born by 1758 and still be children of Ludwig and Anna Barbara, until I verify the marriage date, that doesn’t mean much.

Two Ludwig Schotts Using Land & Probate Records to Distinguish Between Two Men

Kris Hocker on 31 May 2018

On 10 February 1785, Ludwig and Catharina Schott had a son they named Ludwig in Upper Paxton Township, Dauphin County. He was baptized at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Killinger. Seven months later on 3 September 1785, Ludwig’s brother Jacob and his wife Margaretha also had a son. He was baptized at St. Peter’s (Hoffman’s) Reformed Church in Lykens Valley. They, too, named him Ludwig.

One of these Ludwig Schotts married Margaretha Messner. Which one?

Ludwig Schott

Ludwig Shott married Margaretha Messner by 1811 in the upper end of Dauphin County. When he died in 1824, he and Margaret had four living children: Catharine, Susanna, John and George (a minor).1 By 15 November 1841 when Susanna’s husband Christian Lenker petitioned the Orphans Court for an inquest to partition Ludwig’s land, Margaret had married Philip Schott.

According to the inquest, Ludwig’s land was partially in Mifflin Township and partially in Upper Paxton Township. He held 110 acres 23 1/4 perches of land “bounded by lands of the heirs of Jacob Shott, Ludwich Lenker, Jacob Woland, Peter Minnich, and others” along with an interest in and share of a grist mill—“the saw mill having fallen down”—between Jacob Shott and Ludwig Shott.2

Heirs of Jacob Shott? Jacob, like Ludwig, was a popular name in this family. Not only is there Jacob Shott, the father of one of the Ludwigs, but each of the Ludwigs had a brother named Jacob.

I found no record of deeds between Jacob and Ludwig Shott. However, from the probate, we know that we are looking for the Ludwig who:

1. Was married to Margaret

2. Owned land adjoining Jacob Shott, Ludwig Lenker, Jacob Woland and Peter Minnich

3. Shared ownership of a grist mill with Jacob Shott based on an agreement from 20 August 1824

Ludwig Schott, the Immigrant

Ludwig Schott Sr., grandfather of these two men, was in Upper Paxton Township, living along Wiconisco Creek by 1756. On 7 March 1756, Ludwig, along with his neighbors Andrew Lycans and John Rewalt, were fired upon by Native Americans. The men, injured, “managed to get over the mountains into Hanover Township, where they were properly cared for.”3 They did not return to their homes for some time.

During this timeframe, Ludwig married his second wife, Anna Barbara Laurin, at Augustus (Trappe) Lutheran Church in Montgomery County on 10 March 1757.4 Their first three children were born in Lancaster County and baptized at churches in Lancaster Borough.5

By 1767, he’d most likely moved his family back to the Lykens Valley. He applied for 160 acres on the north side of Wiconisco Creek 24 September 1767.6 The land was surveyed 19 May 1768. He did not patent it. Instead, 116 1/2 acres from this tract were patented to Jacob Shott in 1843 and the other 43 by Christian Bock in 1806.

There were two additional tracts adjoining this one that were warranted to a Ludwig Shott (Shutt, Shaut), presumably the same man. The 96 1/2-acre tract directly to the north was warranted 29 August 1774 and surveyed 29 February 1775.7 It was patented as two pieces of land in 1806 to Christian Bock and 1834 to Philip Shutt. The tract to the south, 87 3/4 acres, was warranted 26 April 1785 and surveyed 29 May 1806.8 It, too, was patented as two tracts, one of 22 acres on 4 June 1806 to Christian Bock and the second of 65 1/4 acres to Jacob Shutt on 12 June 1820.

Ludwig died circa 1788.9 After twelve men determined that the estate could not be divided among the heirs, Ludwig’s eldest son Jacob was awarded the property by the Orphans Court with the stipulation that he pay the other heirs their share of the value of the land—£415.

Jacob Shott

Jacob Shott died intestate on 1 October 1808.10 His eldest son Christian petitioned the court for an inquest to make a partition of his estate. Prior to his death Jacob owned about 220 acres in Upper Paxton Township with a mill. According to the petition, Jacob left a widow named Elizabeth and children: Christian, Jacob, John, Ludwig, Peter, Philip, Ann Mary wife of Leonard Snyder, Catharine wife of John Adam Herman, and Christiana wife of Abraham Feidt.

Jacob Shott Jr.

Ultimately, Christian relinquished his rights to the property.11 The next eldest son, Jacob, took possession and agreed to pay the other heirs their share within a year of 1 March 1813. With Jacob Messner Sr. as surety, Jacob was bound for the sum of $8,000—twice the appraised value of the land (as was the custom).

Jacob died intestate in March 1840 in Mifflin (now Washington) Township.12 His eldest son John petitioned the Orphans Court to partition his land, about 128 acres adjoining Ludwig Lenker, Samuel Longenbaugh, and others, on which there was a grist mill—“the one half of which mill belongs to the heirs of Ludwig Shott.”

And violà!

There’s the Jacob who owned the adjoining land and 1/2 the grist mill—Jacob Shott, son of Jacob Shott and grandson of Ludwig Shott. Was Ludwig Shott his brother? It seems most likely, but I found no deeds between him and his brother Ludwig. What evidence is there to show that this Ludwig was Jacob’s brother?

Although there are no deeds directly between Jacob and Ludwig, there are several pertaining to the property that either mention them or in which they are primary actors. The most direct reference, however, was recorded in a deed granting a power of attorney by Jacob’s brother John to their brother Christian.

On 14 November 1818, John Shott appointed his brother Christian as his trustee and guardian to “take recover and receive my said property and monies and the interest thereon accrueing and to dispose thereof for me and my use.”13 According to the document this included his inheritence from “my brothers Jacob Shott and Ludwig Shott who have taken the real estate of my father Jacob Shott deceased at the valuation of thereof the sum of five hundred and fifty dollars and twenty-five cents.”

Additionally, Jacob Shott and Ludwig Shott sold to Christian Shott on 22 April 1814, 16 acres 80 perches of land adjoining their land, Christian’s other land, and George Minnich, for $231.14 So, sometime between accepting his father’s land from the Orphans Court on 1 March 1813 and the following spring, Jacob must have formerly sold part of their father’s land to Ludwig—possibly in lieu of or as Ludwig’s share of the inheritance.

An examination of tax records for Upper Paxton Township shows that Jacob and Ludwig had been sharing the land—and paying taxes on it together—since their father’s death. In 1808 Jacob Sr. is crossed out and marked deceased on the tax list and Jacob and Ludwig are listed together with an assessed valuation of $600 and tax of $4.50.15 They are listed together in the Upper Paxton tax records until 1820 when Jacob is listed in the Mifflin Township records with the grist and saw mill.16

Why’d You Do That?

You may ask, why I went through this exercise when the Ludwig who married Margaretha Messner is shown as Jacob Schott’s son in online family trees. Maybe I’m just a curious sort, maybe I’m perverse and untrusting, or maybe I just get confused easily when there are multiple people with the same name—and there are so many of them in my families!

But I often find myself asking (even of myself), “how do you know that?” Especially where there are no citations or source information. When you come upon conflicting information—and it’s likely you will—how will you resolve it?

I could’ve just cited the online family tree and left it at that. But by doing the work, I’ve collected and reviewed documentation that not only verifies the relationship between Ludwig and Jacob, but also starts to fill in the timeline of Ludwig’s life and provide insight into the family. It adds to the knowledge I’ve accumulated regarding this family which in turn will help me to better understand future clues in a much more efficient manner.

When Was It Founded? PA County, Township & Municipality Incorporation Dates

Kris Hocker on 28 May 2018

If you’re looking for information on the founding of Pennsylvania counties, townships and municipalities, then this is the page you need! It’s incredibly useful to figure out which township you need to research to find earlier records for your ancestor.

For instance, Halifax Township in Dauphin County was founded in 1804 from parts of Upper Paxton and Middle Paxton townships. If you’re looking for a Halifax Township resident in 1800, you’ll need to refer to Upper Paxton and/or Middle Paxton township records for that year.

I’d found these years ago and printed some out. So, glad I found the source! It’s a great tool for the Pennsylvania researcher.

Once you’ve landed on the main page, click on the county for which you’d like information. A PDF will open. It was created by the Pennsylvania Department of Internal Affairs in 1965.

Once again the Pennsylvania State Archives is the resource to know.

A Bowerman Connection

Kris Hocker on 25 May 2018

Recently, I wrote about the possible parentage of Catharine (Bowerman) Parsons. I had a DNA match on Ancestry that traced back to William and Maria Elisabeth (Schott) Bowerman. I also wrote about my mysterious DNA matches to members of the Rupert family. Additional research revealed a connection.

William Bowerman’s wife Maria Elisabetha Schott was the daughter of Peter Schott (1762-1833) and Catharina Magdalena Fritz (1769-1855).  Recently, I found I have two other AncestryDNA matches who are descendants of this couple, through their sons Peter and Jacob. Unless we also share another common ancestor, this may more strongly indicate that Catharine (Bowerman) Parsons was the daughter of William and Elisabeth, and granddaughter of Peter and Catharina. 1

Peter Schott was the son of Ludwig Schott and Anna Barbara Laurin. Ludwig and Anna Barbara had a large family, but it was through one of his sons from his first marriage that I found another interesting connection. Ludwig had three sons with an unknown first wife: Jacob, Michael, and Ludwig Jr. Several of Ludwig Jr.’s children ended up in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. Guess who two of his daughters married?

Ruperts!

It’s possible the “cluster” of Ruperts is actually a coincidence. Maybe I match multiple Ruperts through different ancestors. Something to think about (and research).

My 23 and Me Results

Kris Hocker on 14 May 2018

I mentioned in my Genetic Genealogy update that I had uploaded my AncestryDNA file to 23 and Me. The results were not surprising and generally consistent with my ethnicity as predicted from my pedigree.

23 and me Ancestry Composition

23 and Me Ethnicity Results

Surprisingly, even the percentages were fairly close—a little under on the Western European, a little over on the Great Britain/Ireland. Not all the categories matched exactly, so I used the closest corresponding categories. For instance, FTDNA showed “Sephardic Jew.” I included that in the “Iberian Peninsula” category since that is primarily where this population was historically located. West Middle East (i.e. Causcasus), I included in W. Asia/Africa.

Region 23 and Me FTDNA Ancestry Pedigree
Western Europe 63.6% 89% 63% 73.72%
Ireland see GB see GB 16% 15.6%
Scandinavia 2.1% 6% 5% 3.12%
Great Britain 28.6% <2% 4% 1.56%
S.E. European 0.9% 2% 2%
Iberian Peninsula 2.6% <2% 4%
E. European/Jewish 1.7% <1%
E. Asia/America 0.1%
S./Central Asia <2% <1%
W. Asia/Africa 0.2% <2% 4%
Unknown 0.1% 6.24%

The differences can pretty much be explained by differences in the reference panels among the various testing companies and/or, I presume, a lack of knowledge of or specificity for the ancestral homes for some of my ancestors.

In my estimate I included all Germans in the Western Europe category, but as I understand it Eastern Germans are genetically more Slavic than Western Germans. My estimate would, therefore, vary from that of testing companies with Eastern European reference panels.

Those from Great Britain share common genetics with both Scandinavians and Western Europeans. Depending on where in Great Britain or Ireland my ancestors originated, their genetic heritage may show up as more one or the other.

23 and Me also places your ancestral composition onto a timeline, attempting to estimate the generation where you may have a single relative from a given ethnicity.

23 and Me Ancestral Timeline

23 and Me Ancestral Timeline

Most of the comments I’ve read regarding this feature indicate that it’s not very accurate. Since it’s based on overall percentages, I can see how this would be true. I have a lot of German ancestors which could skew the results as being more recent.

However, I also have ancestors who fit the scenario of this timeline. For instance, my mother’s paternal great grandfather immigrated from Germany in 1855. His family was from Schönbrunn in central Germany. He might fit the “French & German” in this timeline.

Or say, my father’s paternal grandmother. She was born in Pennsylvania in 1893 to two recent immigrants from Scotland. Whether or not the DNA I inherited can actually be matched to these two individuals or not is still undetermined. But it’s an interesting scenario to consider.

I think the “Ancestry Composition Chromosome Painting” has the potential to be more useful. Given that I can use FTDNA, MyHeritage and GEDmatch to locate the exact chromosomal location where a cousin and I match, being able to identify the potential ethnicity of the most recent common ancestor may aid in determining just who that ancestor was. Maybe.

Ancestry Composition Chromosome Painting

Ancestry Composition Chromosome Painting (British & Irish)

For instance, while I have no idea which parent is represented by which “chromosome” in this graphic, if I find a cousin who matches me on chromosome 22—since both sides appear to match the British & Irish reference panels, there’s a 50%1  likelihood that we match through a British or Irish ancestor.

Based on what I know about my pedigree that significantly decreases the possible ancestors from whom we could both descend. There just aren’t that many Brits/Irish/Welsh/Scots in my family tree. Still it would be an interesting theory to try to verify using the segments that I have identified.

Genetic genealogy is really fascinating. But, OMG, there’s so much to learn!

Genetic Genealogy Update

Kris Hocker on 1 May 2018

Ancestry Ethnicity Map

The AncestryDNA growth trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down. As of the beginning of the end of April, Ancestry had nine million DNA testers in the database. If my match list is anything to go by that number is growing fast.

Autosomal Testing Growth - The DNA Geek

Autosomal Testing Growth, courtesy of The DNA Geek

In February I reported that I had 408 pages or 20,373 DNA matches. That number has gone up to 24,177 matches (484 pages). 409 were added in the last seven days alone, including another of my Dad’s cousins (YAY!). While the numbers at other vendors aren’t quite so large, the growth trend is consistent there, too.

DNA test match numbers

DNA test match numbers

It’s both overwhelming and exciting. On the one hand, there’s just no way to keep up with the additions. Most of the cousins added are in the 5th-8th cousin range—a whopping 97%. The likelihood of finding a common ancestor there is small—especially when there are no family trees to compare. On the other hand, each new cousin who tests could be the one to help me break through to a whole new generation or surname to research. Having a research strategy is crucial.

By the way, if you’ve been thinking of testing, now is a great time to buy. All the vendors are celebrating Mother’s Day with a DNA sale. Here’s a list of vendors and sale prices.

Adding to the Mix

As I’ve mentioned, I uploaded my Ancestry raw DNA file to MyHeritage. They not only offer ethnicity results and relative matching, but also a chromosome browser—so you can see exactly where you and your relative match, triangulation—previously only available through 23 and me and GEDmatch, and the ability to download individual matches or all your matches.

23 and Me recently—for one day—allowed AncestryDNA testers to upload their results. In return, the user gets to see their ethnicity summary and the results to four of their health reports. To be honest, I’m not exceptionally interested in either, but I took it as an opportunity to see what the company has to offer.

The ethnicity composition at each was pretty consistent with what I know and what Ancestry and Family Tree DNA reported. MyHeritage reported that I’m European: 75.1% North & West European (France, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, and parts of Italy, Austria, Czech Republic and Poland) and 24.9% Irish, Scottish and Welsh. 23 and Me reported that I’m 99% European with trace amounts from Western Asia & North Africa and East Asia & Native American. The latter percentages are so small that they likely represent ancient DNA.

Ethnicity charts

(Click to enlarge)

Although the percentages vary, you can see that most of the results across the four testing companies are not that far off each other. The consensus is that I’m primarily of northwest European descent with a few ancestors from adjoining areas of Europe, as well.

What I found really interesting was 23 and me’s “Ancestry Composition Chromosome Painting.” This “predicts the ancestral origin of different parts of your DNA by comparing them to reference populations.” The granularity of sub-continent identification looks a bit different a varying confidence levels.

I’ve been mapping ancestors to DNA segments and painting my chromosomes using Genome Mate Pro and DNA painter. I wonder if I map this chart to the same chromosome map will it match what I know of those ancestors? What, if anything, might it tell me about the ancestry of some of those ancestors whose parentage has not yet been identified? For instance, who did I inherit the Iberian DNA from on my x-chromosome? What about that Eastern European on chromosome 6? Or the British & Irish I apparently inherited on both sides of chromosome 22?

Fascinating.

Clusters

I’ve been looking at clusters of Shared Matches lately on AncestryDNA, especially those who match my known Hocker relatives. I’ve been trying to find groups that may help me identify some of the unidentified ancestors of my great great grandmother Lillian Ainsley (Leedy) Hocker.

Sometimes in reviewing your matches you run into groups of cousins who all seem to appear in each other’s Shared Match lists. Without triangulation tools, it’s impossible to know whether the DNA you share all comes from the same common ancestor, but you can still use these Shared Matches to gain valuable insight.

If you recall, I used the matches I shared with several Snyder cousins to determine the maiden name of Henry Snyder’s mother Catharine is most likely Nuss. In researching the Shared Matches, I found I could trace a large number of them back to Conrad Nuss and Anna Margaretha Roeder. Further research into this couple revealed that not only did they have a daughter named Catharine of the correct age to be Henry’s mother, but the husbands of several of her sisters were named in the papertrail associated with Jacob and Catharine Snyder’s family.

I’m using this same technique to look at those individuals who match the descendants I’ve identified of Anthony Parsons and Catharine Bowerman. Catharine’s parentage is unproven—though I may have found candidates. I also have not proven the ancestry of Anthony’s mother. Like Catharine’s I’ve seen online family trees with family named, but, as is common, I have not seen evidence to support these identifications. Sorry, for me, other family trees do not count as evidence—clues, yes, evidence, no. So, I’m using the DNA matches to direct my research in the records. So far, it’s been minimally successful.

That’s the latest update on my genetic genealogy research. How’s yours going?