Tag: DNA

Researching Michael Bender (1766-?) of Menallan Township

Kris Hocker on 1 Dec 2018

In order to connect my DNA matches to the Conrad Schneider family of Upper Salford Township, I have been using reverse genealogy to build the family tree. I’ve had several descendants of Conrad’s daughter Eva Catharina (Schneider) Bender turn up in my Schneider cluster, so I’ve been tracing her family to see if I can find more.

Just recently, I’ve been working on her son Michael Bender’s family. Michael was born 15 October 1766 in Philadelphia County and baptized at Old Goshenhoppen Church in Upper Salford Township on 12 April 1773.1 His uncle Michael Schneider was his sponsor. Michael moved with his family to Menallen Township, York (now Adams) County in the 1770s.

Based on baptisms in Bender’s Church, I know Michael married a woman named Susanna Schmoyer. I found online extractions for baptisms of Elias (1790), Samuel (1791), Jacob (1795), Magdalena (1796), Daniel (1798), and Rachel (1804).2 Tax and census records place Michael in Menallen Township through at least 1800.

Ancestry’s hints provided information on two Michael Benders who died in Adams County in the early-to-mid 1800s: 1) Michael Bender of Hamilton Township who died in 1835, and 2) Michael who died in 1850 and was buried at Franklin Church Cemetery in Clear Springs.

Michael Bender of Hamilton Township left a will which names his wife Sophia and children: Daniel, Jacob, Susanna wife of George Myers, Sophia wife of Jacob Shunk, and Sarah, deceased.3 Michael died in 1835, aged about 70 years, and was buried in the East Berlin Cemetery.4 This family only partially fits the Michael I’m researching.

The gravestone of Michael Bender who died in 1850 states that he was 83 years 8 months and 22 days old when he died.5 He died 10 April 1850. Calculating a birthdate from that age tells us he was born 17 July 1766. This doesn’t match my Michael’s birthdate, though it’s only months off. So, again, close but not exact.

Now I have two Michael Benders born around the same time, living in Adams County, neither of which truly matches what I’ve found for Catharina’s son Michael. Poking around in online family trees wasn’t terribly helpful either. There is no consistency; most of them seem to be mash-ups of multiple families.

Wish I Had a Clue

But I did find a clue pointing to another Bender family from Lancaster County. Pulling out my handy-dandy Lancaster County resources, I did, in fact, find Benders in Lancaster County.

These Benders were members of the Moravian Church in Lancaster Borough. Going through the records, I found Michael Bender of Lampeter Township, son of Leonhard and Susanna (Farni) Bender, who married Sophia Kurtz of Manheim Township on 29 October 17936 and the births of his children Sarah, Daniel and Jacob.7 I also located the birth record of Michael Bender born 17 July 1766, son of Michael and Maria Margaretha (Taubenberger) Bender.8

Based on this information, Michael Bender, son of Catharina (Schneider) Bender is neither the Michael of Hamilton Township, nor the Michael who died in 1850. Those men are from another Bender family which can be traced back to Johann Leonhard Bender of Kirchardt, Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.9

Lessons?

  1. Sometimes the available choices don’t actually apply to the person you’re researching.
  2. It pays to dig in and research the hints.
  3. Most importantly, remember that there are options other than what Ancestry’s hints provide you.

Unfortunately, this new research complicated my work on building out the Bender family tree by adding another, unrelated family to the mix. But at least now I know these families and the potential for mixing ’em up exists and can watch out for it.

Three Michael Benders:

Michael Bender, son of Jacob Nicolas Bender and Catharina Schneider, was born 15 October 1766, Philadelphia County, and married Susanna Schmoyer.

  1. Elias Bender, born 27 September 1789, baptized 17 January 1790 at Benders Church
  2. Samuel Bender, born 21 June 1791, baptized sometime between 27/29 August and 25 September at Benders Church (no baptism date recorded)
  3. Jacob Bender, born 10 October 1794, baptized 26 April 1795 at Benders Church
  4. Magdalena Bender, born 3 September 1796, baptized 23 October 1796 at Benders Church
  5. Daniel Bender, born 4 June 1798, baptized 19 August 1798 at Benders Church
  6. Rachel Bender, born 4 November 1802, baptized 19 February 1804 at Benders Church

There may be other children for this family.

Michael Bender, son of Johann Leonhard Bender and Susanna Farni, was born 14 September 1765, baptized 15 September 1765 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster, and married Sophia Kurtz, 29 October 1793.

  1. Sarah Bender, born 18 August 1794, baptized 14 September 1794 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster, died before 8 November 1835
  2. Daniel Bender, born 9 November 1795, baptized 4 December 1794 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster, married Mary Spangler
  3. Jacob Bender, born 9 August 1797, baptized 20 March 1798 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster
  4. Susanna Bender married George Myers
  5. Sophia Bender married Jacob Shunk

The children of this family were born in Lampeter Township, Lancaster County.

Michael Bender, son of Michael Bender and Maria Margaretha Taubenberger, was born 17 July 1766, baptized 20 July 1766 at Lititz Moravian Church, and married Elizabeth Ziegler.

  1. George Bender, born 22 December 1791, baptized 25 Dec 1791 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster
  2. Anna Maria Bender, born 7 May 1794, baptized 30 May 1794 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster
  3. Catharina Bender, born 23 January 1796, baptized 11 Feb 1796 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster
  4. Michael Bender, born 3 January 1798, baptized 20 January 1798 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster
  5. Ludwig (aka Lewis) Bender, born 29 October 1799, baptized 16 November 1799 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster

Michael and Elizabeth resided in Manor Township as of 1799. There may have been other children born in this family after 1800.

Will: Conrad Schneider of Upper Salford, Translation

Kris Hocker on 10 Nov 2018

I’ve been researching the ancestry of Jacob Schneider for some time now. Just about every advance I’ve made has been through genetic genealogy research. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been working to find genealogical evidence—the so-called paper trail, too.

Conrad Schneider of Upper Salford Township is a possible grandfather for Jacob Schneider. He owned property near the Upper Salford and Marlborough township line, I believe, just south of present-day Sumneytown.1 On 12 July 1759, Conrad wrote his last will and testament in German. It was translated and proven about a month later on 10 August.

It reads:

“In the Name of God the Father, the Son and the Holly Gost Amen.

I Conrad Schneider of Old Coshenhoppen Upper Salford Township in the County of Philadelphia being blessed be God, of sound mind memory and understanding but knowing that it is appointed for all Men once to dye which cant be avoided, Have made my Last Will and Testament which is to be put in Execution according to my Desire having myself subscribed the same, that is to say, Firstly my son Leonard Schneider shall have as following at first he shall have the forty acres of Land whereon he dwells and on which the House stands and these forty acres he is to have with a free Deed. These forty acres are bounded by Killian Gaughlers land and with them he is to have seventy acres more without a Deed it lies at the side of Daniel Hiesters land and it runs and is bounded by Francis Hardmans land For which the said Leonard Schneider is to pay at the Rate of one Pound for ever acres and which will amount to the sum of one hundred and ten Pounds in the Whole and he is to pay in ready Cash next Fall Fair that is to say on the twenty seventh Day of November 1759 the sum of forty Pounds and as for the remaining sumt that is to say as for Forty Pounds more thereof he is to give a Bond without any Interest payable in three years hence And the remaining fifty Pounds it shall go towards his Heritage. This is to give notice that the sum of money which was paid for the said Forty acres being twenty pounds is included in the above sum. Secondly, All my remaining Children are to share equally the Daughter as well as the sons and neither of them shall have any Advantage let it come as high as it will And if anyone of my sons will undertake the management of my Plantation then he is to pay his Sister and Brothers such sums of money as they amongst themselves shall or may agree upon and all my Children shall fair alike and

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one shall have no more than the others, that is to say, The first is named Leonard, the second Catherine the third Elias the fourth Michael the fifth Balthasar and the sixth Henry.

Thirdly my dear wife shall have for her maintenance as follows The one who gets the Plantation let him be any of my Children or a stranger, is to pay her every year during her natural live as follows, that is to say eight Bushells of Wheat eight Bushells of Rye on Quarter of Flax, which he who gets the Plantation must sow, pull, thrash and brake and she is to have one fourth art of the garden And in Place of Meat he who gets the said Plantation shall pay her yearly twenty shillings in Money, He shall also give her one half Bushel of fin Salt and every Week as longs as she lives one Pound of Butter if she desires it and if it serves her And the one who gets the said Plantation shall also pay her yearly the sum of five Pounds lawful Money of Pennsylvania and shes shall have a Place of abode in my House during her life clear of all cost as well in the Parlour, Kitchen and Cellar as at any other Part of the said House, But is she wishes to live some where else then she shall have Liberty to live wherever she likes best and in that case she shall also have all what is above mentioned yearly for her maintenance notwithstanding And if she shall happen to get sick and to keep her Bed so that she will not be able to help herself then the Person whoever keeps her shall not be troubled with her for nothing but the Person shall have such Reward as the said Sister & Brothers amongst themselves shall judge reasonable and this is my sincer Wil land the same shall be put in execution so as it is writ down And she shall more over have the sum of twelve Pounds out of my personal Estate.

Fourthly, I chuse to this my Estate or Riches my Good neighbour and Freinds John Kantz and Killian Gaugler Guardians/or * Executors/ And I do hope they will take Care of my dear Children and wife and act so as the my safely answer before god almighty and that they will not occasion the widows and orphans to cry to Heavens nor draw Vengenan[?] on themselves. The above instrument I do subscribe with my

* The German word vormunder, is properly Guardian, but by the construction of the will it seems to me that the Testator meant Executors. P Miller

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my own Hand before Evidence as and for my Last Will and Testament and as such it shall remain Done at Upper Salford July 12th 1759•1•

Conrad Schneider

George his W mark Wyand

I the subscriber so certify the foregoing Writing to be a true and genuine Translation of a German [?] Writing said to be the Last Will and Testament ^ of Conrad Schneider. The same sa[y] me having been translated from the said original by me this 10 Augt 1759

P Miller”2

Conrad, unlike some of my ancestors, was kind enough to name his children in his will. He also listed them in order: “The first is named Leonard, the second Catherine the third Elias the fourth Michael the fifth Balthasar and the sixth Henry.”3

So far, my genetic research has found descendants of Catherine and Balthasar with whom my Mom shares DNA. There are other members of the cluster I found on AncestryDNA, as well as others on GEDmatch and MyHeritage who triangulate with known descendants, who I have not yet been able to trace. All told, I think I’ve found about 14 individuals who share descent from Conrad Schneider.

I’m still trying to figure out how Jacob descends from Conrad. Based on the list in Conrad’s will and his desire that all “my remaining Children are to share equally,” it’s hard to argue that Jacob could have been his youngest son. My working hypothesis is that Elias and his wife Anna Maria Nuss were Jacob’s parents. However, I still have no evidence—and I mean zip, zilch, nada—other than proximity and the genetic link to prove this theory.

I can only hope to find descendants of Conrad’s sons Leonard, Elias, Michael, and Henry who are matches to Mom. Maybe there’ll be enough of a difference in the shared amount of DNA to point the way to one of them. But, since Conrad would be her 6 times great grandfather, it’s a bit of a long shot.

If you’re a descendant, please test. If you already have, please drop me a line. Maybe we could work together to solve this puzzle.

Conrad Schneider Last Will at krishocker.com

Majority of MyHeritage and Ancestry DNA Accounts Include Family Trees

Kris Hocker on 25 Oct 2018

The DNA Geek, Leah Larkin, posted her updated research into the prevalence of accounts at the DNA testing companies and GEDmatch having family trees. She examined 500 matches for ten accounts at each of the following: MyHeritageDNA, AncestryDNA, Family Tree DNA, GEDmatch, and 23 and Me.

She found that for MyHeritage and Ancestry far more accounts had family trees than didn’t, averaging 88% at MyHeritage and 75% at Ancestry. The other sites were all less—significantly less in some cases—than 50%.

For the full account, please read her blog post (below).

The Glass Is More Than Half Full—2018 Version

She only checked for the availability of a family tree and “did not consider tree size, quality, accessibility, or documentation. Some of the sites allow a tree with a single person, and some trees contain only living people who are privatized. In this study, only presence/absence of a tree was tallied.”

My Results

I ran my own little experiment, but I changed it a little bit. I looked at the matches for two accounts on Ancestry, MyHeritage and GEDmatch. I have significantly fewer matches at FTDNA so I did not use those accounts.

I also used slightly different parameters for each. I looked at 500 matches for each, but used criteria that were specific for each tool.

On AncestryDNA, I found that between 42-46% of matches had trees linked to their DNA. An additional 29% had unlinked trees. So, 71-75% of these matches had a family tree of some sort—consistent with Leah’s average. Of those who had trees about 7% (for me) and 4.6% (for mom) had shared ancestors identified in their trees (shaky leaves) and a little over 7% had private trees.

On MyHeritage, 87% had trees. Again, this is consistent with Leah’s data. However, I also looked to see how many of those with had fewer than seven members—the minimum number of people required in a three generation tree1—and how many had only one person in their tree. About 30% of matches had fewer than 7 people in their trees; this was true for both accounts. Somewhere between 10.8% and 12.6% had only one person.

For GEDmatch, I performed a ‘One-to-Many’ search for each account and copied the first 500 matches into a spreadsheet. For both accounts, there were about 70 matches that had uploaded a GEDCOM to their account and about 10 who had linked to a Wiki. So, about 16% had a family tree of some type attached to their account. This is slightly higher than the average Leah found in her research.

Conclusion

I’ll admit, given my impressions on using Ancestry, MyHeritage and GEDmatch to determine the ancestry Mom and I share with our matches, I was expecting my numbers to be lower than Leah’s. A lot lower. Instead, they pretty much confirm her findings.

The discrepancy between my impression and the real numbers, I believe, can be found in the difference between having a tree and having a useful tree. The quality of the information provided in a tree has an impact on the overall impression of whether or not users “have trees.”

A tree that includes only one person, not much help. A tree that has multiple generations, but all are “private”? Again, no help. A tree in which I can’t find a common thread? Well, that feels like it’s a lack on my part, not the tree’s, and definitely leaves a different impression after the fact.

I can and do build trees for my matches—sometimes starting with very little. That’s how I’ve made most of my discoveries using my DNA matches. But I do need something to start with. A username may or may not lead to a name. A name may or may not lead to other names. But names, dates, and places provide a much better starting point.2

So, while it’s heartening to see that the overwhelming majority of test takers do, in fact, add trees to their accounts, I’d be able to better appreciate that if more of them included information I could reliably build on. I’ll keep hoping that with time and continued discussion, more of them will.

Quick & Dirty Trees for DNA Matches

Kris Hocker on 14 Oct 2018

I’ve talked about building pedigrees for my AncestryDNA matches and how it’s helped to identify some of my unknown ancestors. I haven’t really gone into detail about what all that entails.

Blaine Bettinger of The Genetic Genealogist shared a video he made about how he builds a quick and dirty tree for his genetic matches to identify their shared ancestor. Click the video below to watch or go to YouTube for a larger version.

When I build a tree, I do something a little different.

First, I usually build the tree in my Reunion file since it’s my go-to for my genealogy research. I can make the connection to shared ancestors and track genetic cousins in the database, even—now that I’ve figured out how—quickly find the genetic matches I’ve identified who descend from a shared couple.

Second, I don’t get information from family trees. I usually search for online records, using relevant sources based on the target’s lifetime. These may include Ancestry, FamilySearch, Fold3, Internet Archive, Google, Facebook, and other websites that compile information.

I search for just enough information from records to reliably know I’ve got a specific family group, then move on to keep going up the family tree. The amount of research varies from family to family based on what’s available and how easy it is to find. I only really use trees when I’m totally stuck and searching for clues.

I guess my process is not quick & dirty by this standard. But it isn’t up to the Genealogical Proof Standard either. It falls somewhere in between. That’s why I usually hedge my statements or refer to relationships as being a “working hypothesis.”

However, these trees—either the quick & dirty method Blaine outlines or my method—provide an excellent starting point for breaking through brick walls in your family tree using your DNA matches. They help you to identify connections so that you can focus your research in the right area, saving time, effort, and maybe even some money.

Is This a Schneider Breakthrough? DNA Points to a Possible Family for Jacob Schneider

Kris Hocker on 1 Oct 2018

So another Schneider family—actually two have come up in my ongoing search to find Jacob Schneider’s family. It’s a fairly common occupational surname, but if they are related, just not to Jacob, they will be the fourth and fifth Schneider families in my pedigree. As a comparison, I’m only descended from one Smith and one Jones family.

I’ve been working with the matches I share with four cousins who presumably descend from Jacob and Catharina (Nuss) Schneider’s son Jacob. They each share two DNA segments with me. One of them, however, shares three segments with my Mom.

I noticed recently that while he shares some of the same shared matches that I’ve traced back to the Nuss family, he also shares DNA with another cluster of individuals.1 Wondering if perhaps this group represented the Schneider side of the family, I started researching these matches.

As with most of my DNA matches, I haven’t been able to research most of them. No family trees. Usernames instead of real names. No locations. But there were a handful for whom I was able to build pedigrees.

By tracing the pedigrees of these matches, I was able to find a common ancestral couple: Conrad Schneider and his wife Catharina Betz. This cluster includes descendants from two of their offspring—Catharina (Schneider) Bender and Balthasar Schneider. To better understand all the relationships, I built a chart showing how each match fits in the family and the amount of DNA (in centimorgans) they share with my mother.

Snyder DNA chart

Schneider DNA matches chart

On the chart, my Mom is shown in yellow, my Schneider cousins who match the presumed Nuss cluster in blue, and those cousins who match in the presumed Schneider cluster in the darker green.

The question is how does Jacob Schneider fit into this family. Assuming, of course, that these DNA matches indicate that he does and not some other currently unknown family connection.

I tried fitting Jacob into the family three different ways in the What Are the Odds? tool. This tool allows you to test out various hypotheses using the shared cM from multiple matches to create a statistical probability. The first hypothesis places Jacob as a grandchild of Conrad and Catharina, the second as a son, and the third as a nephew to Conrad. According to the tool, option three is not statistically possible. Both option one and two are equally possible, statistically.

However, based what I know about the family members, it’s more likely that Jacob was a grandchild of Conrad and Catharina. I estimate that Jacob was born between 1756 and 1765 based on his recorded ages in multiple census enumerations.2 Conrad was born 17 March 1699 and died between 12 July and 10 August 1759. he cannot be Jacob’s father. His age makes it unlikely that he’s Jacob’s father.3 Furthermore, no son named Jacob is mentioned in Conrad’s probate records.4

So, if my Jacob was a grandson of Conrad, who were his parents? On the Schneider side of the family, there are five options—Conrad’s sons:

  1. Leonhard Schneider (1725-1797)
  2. Elias Schneider (1733-?)
  3. Michael Schneider (1735-1806)
  4. Balthasar Schneider (1738-1800)
  5. Henry Schneider (1740-1821)

Leonard Schneider (1725-1797), Conrad’s eldest son, married Maria Christina Hens in 17525 and had five surviving daughters. He married three more times after her death, but according to his estate papers, did not have a son named Jacob.6

Elias Schneider (1733-?) married Anna Maria Nuss, Conrad Nuss’ sister, 7 December 1756 at Old Goshenhoppen Church.7 I only have information on the births of three children: Conrad (1757), Anna Margaretha (1764), and Catharina (1771).8 My Jacob, born 1756-1765, could easily fit into this family. But at this point I have nothing to indicate that he does—besides, maybe, DNA.

Michael Schneider (1735-1806) married Anna Maria Cressman.9 His eldest son, named Jacob Adam, was born in 1765, but he married Elizabeth Yost and lived in Bucks County.10 He’s not my Jacob.

Balthasar Schneider (1738-1800) married Maria Sophia Vogel at Old Goshenhoppen 3 December 1757.11 I did not find a baptismal record for a Jacob in church records associated with other children of Balthasar. However, the will of Balser Schneider of Heidelberg Township, Northampton (now Lehigh) County, does refer to a son named Jacob, as far as I can interpret.12

However, three of the matches I’ve placed as descended from him can be traced back to Jacob Schneider (1774-1850) and Margaret Brandstetter (1783-1836) of Lehigh County. Given the location and birth year, I find it more probable that this Jacob is the son of Balthasar, than my Jacob.

Henry Schneider (1740-1821) married Maria Christina Freyfogel on 14 September 1763. He lived in Marlborough Township and had a son named Jacob born in 1765.13 Based on analysis of the baptismal records for Henry’s children at Old Goshenhoppen, however, I would conclude that this Jacob married Elizabeth (___) and had children starting in the early 1790s baptized at Old Goshenhoppen. This rules him out as a possible match to my Jacob.

So, at this time, I have no documentary evidence that includes a possible match for my Jacob to this family. Given the DNA data I have, the probabilities for each possibility are equal regardless of which son he may descend from. But I think I may have narrowed it down to one.

My current working hypothesis is that he may be a son of Elias and Anna Maria (Nuss) Schneider. It would certainly help to explain the apparently close ties to the Nuss family and the large number of genetic matches to the Nuss family I’m finding in my research.

Unfortunately, Elias is proving quite elusive. He served as an administrator of his father’s estate in 1753 and remained in the area until at least 1771, based on his children’s baptisms at Old Goshenhoppen. But I’ve found no other evidence of him in Upper Salford or Marlborough townships. I may have to get really creative to find a paper trail for him or his family members.

Note: Minor edit for third option on What Are the Odds?. It should have been nephew, not brother. (2 Oct 2018)
Note: Correction of Conrad’s date of death. (8 Oct 2018)
Note: Added “to the Nuss” family to provide additional clarity regarding my hypothesis for Jacob’s parentage. (13 Dec 2020)

AncestryDNA Updates Ethnicity Estimates

Kris Hocker on 12 Sep 2018

Kris' Updated Ethnicity

If you’ve been reading the genealogy blogs today, you probably already know. Ancestry updated their AncestryDNA ethnicity estimates. It is based on a significantly larger reference population (3,000 -> 16,000 samples) and includes more regions (26 -> 43) and subregions (363 -> 380). You can see Ancestry’s announcement on their blog.

Currently—and for a limited time, you can compare your old results to the new ones on the map. The ethnicity estimate percentages also provide the specific, numerical changes for each region. Here is my original map.

Ethnicity Map

2017 Ancestry Ethnicity Map

It included:

  • 63% Europe West
  • 16% Ireland/Scotland/Wales
  • 5% Scandinavia

There were also a number of low confidence regions, including the Iberian Peninsula (4%), Great Britain (4%), Caucasus (4%), Europe South (2%), European Jewish (<1%), and Asia South (<1%).

And here’s my new ethnicity map.

Kris' Updated Ethnicity

2018 Ancestry Ethnicity Map

Not only have the amounts changed, but the way the areas are grouped has changed, as well. For instance, England/Wales/Northwestern Europe (yellow) is now one category. 61% of my DNA is from the areas it encompasses. Ireland/Scotland (green) is now 18%. Germanic Europe (teal), once part of Europe West, is now it’s own category and 18% of my ethnic makeup. Previously, Scandinavia was one block, now it is two categories: Norway and Sweden. I’m apparently 5% Norwegian. Additionally, I am now 1% Eastern European/Russian and 1% Greece/Balkans. The last two are really the only categories I could question.

If you look at my estimates from my paper trail versus Ancestry’s estimates, it breaks down like this:

Region Pedigree Ancestry 2017 Ancestry 2018
Western Europe 72.82% 63% 61%
Germanic Europe (see W. Europe) (see W. Europe) 13%
Ireland/Scotland 14.04% 16% 18%
Scandinavia 3.12% 5% 6% (Norway)
England/Wales 3.12% 4% (see W. Europe)
Italy/Greece — 2% 1%
Iberian Peninsula — 4% —
European Jewish — <1% —
Unknown 6.24%  — —
Caucasus — 4% —
Eastern Europe/Russia — — 1%

Once you get past the organizational changes, you can that, in reality, not much has changed at all in how my ethnicity is classified. I’m still an American mutt of largely Western European—Germanic and British—descent.

In fact, the interesting bits have disappeared, meaning that unknown 6.24% is most likely from the same areas in Western Europe as the majority of my other ancestors.

To read more about today’s changes, check out these blog posts.

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.

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?