Genealogy Adventures

An essential aspect of genealogy is the acceptance, more than understanding, that the ancestors will not let us be. It is as though the very act of researching the ancestors is akin to approaching a still lake with a serene and undisturbed surface which provides no inkling or clues to its depth.

Diving into that pool, and disrupting that flat surface, sends ripples and rings that flow outward in all directions. That act of disruption, and the tandem ripping rings, act as calling cards to the ancestors. Once you begin the research, and the names, histories, and stories of unknown or long-forgotten ancestors are re-remembered (I say re-remembered for they were known and loved before their names were lost to us), that act of discovery shoots out like those ripples across a pond. They are a calling card, an invitation to ancestors and kin keen to have their names spoken once more; keen to have their stories told.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://genealogyadventures.net/2018/08/27/cuffy-pleasants-a-journey-from-slavery-to-freedom-in-1772/

In order to understand the history of the EPs Thomas Jefferson sold to his brother-in-law, John Bolling, I needed to find out more about them while they were with Jefferson. I was able to achieve this via discovering a digitized copy of Jefferson's Farm Book: a ledger where he noted all manner of things about the EPs held by him. It is genuinely a genealogical goldmine in terms of Jefferson EP family research.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://genealogyadventures.net/2018/09/24/piecing-together-enslaved-family-relations-at-monticello/

The current reports of black voter suppression in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida have made me revisit two late 19th Century South Carolina voter suppression riots.  These riots had tragic and devastating impacts on my Old Ninety Six District, South Carolina kinsmen and women: The Parksville Riot (1884) and The Phoenix Riot (1889), which would see scores of extended family lynched, indiscriminately murdered, or run out the state.

I have already written about the Parksville Riot, and how that black voter suppression-fuelled riot impacted on my Yeldell cousins. In this article, I will discuss how the Phoenix Riot led to the brutal death of one cousin, Essex Harrison, and the senseless killing of another cousin, Eliza Goode.

The Phoenix election riot, occurred on 8 November 1898, near Greenwood County, South Carolina. A group of local Democrats attempted to stop a Republican election official from taking the affidavits of African Americans who had been denied the right to vote. The race-based riot was the outcome of increasing tensions not only between the Republican and Democratic parties, but also White Americans and the area's black population.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://genealogyadventures.net/2018/12/09/the-1898-phoenix-riot-essex-harrison-eliza-goode-and-south-carolinas-black-voter-suppression/

If you have been a regular follower of my recent genealogy adventures, you will know the past few months have seen me eyeball deep researching my father's ancient maternal roots along the James River corridor in Virginia. I have previously written about this journey in the article Ghosts in the DNA: The lost diversity of early colonial Virginia (https://genealogyadventures.net/2018/07/23/ghosts-in-the-dna-the-lost-diversity-of-early-colonial-virginia).

Unravelling this tale has resulted in some side journeys as I research the enslavers, and their enslaved people, who lived along the James River. Both the enslaved, and their enslavers, are my ancestors. Researching either group of people informs how I piece together a robust research strategy in order to reveal more of my family's history.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://genealogyadventures.net/2019/02/04/research-case-study-my-lost-connection-to-thomas-the-immigrant-christian-of-charles-city-county-virginia/

The Genealogy Adventures geneticists are currently grappling with the DNA segmentation and sequencing work necessary to confirm the identity of the white Christian family male who is my 4x great grandfather. Whoever he turns out to be, DNA is ultimately pointing towards Thomas "The Immigrant" Christian (born about 1630, United Kingdom, and died in Virginia) as his direct ancestor.

While they are busy beavering away at their monumental task, I'm picking up the gauntlet to determine the identity of Thomas Christian's parents. This is an equally monumental task. Thomas Christian has presented his American descendants with a centuries-old brick wall. 

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://genealogyadventures.net/2019/02/06/case-study-part-2-attempting-to-break-through-thomas-the-immigrant-christians-brick-wall/

The new suite of genealogical and DNA analytical tools from MyHeritage has literally knocked my ancestry out of the park these past few days. The online service's The Theory of Family Relativity Tool and AutoClusters obliterated four of my most stubborn ancestral brick walls...and confirmed the identity of a man I have long suspected to be my 4x great grandfather.

This article is about that all-important ancestral confirmation.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://genealogyadventures.net/2019/03/06/confirming-jason-futrell-of-rich-square-northampton-county-nc-as-my-4x-great-grandfather/

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the new analytical and research tools have generated quite a bit of commentary online: ranging from euphoric to harsh. While the merits of ThruLines, AutoClusters, and ToFR are being discussed and debated, I am going to share my thoughts from a perspective that isn't being discussed within the wider genetic genealogical community.

How well do DNA testing services' analytical tools handle DNA matches for highly admixed people?

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://genealogyadventures.net/2019/03/10/how-well-do-dna-testing-services-analytical-tools-handle-dna-matches-for-highly-admixed-people/

Gen. Robert E. Lee and confederate statues are back in the news again. His statues have generated fierce commentary online. As I’ve watched the furious back and forth between those committed to pulling his statues down, and those equally committed to ensuring they remain where they are, one voice is lacking in the debate: a voice advocating for the nearly 200 enslaved souls on the properties he was tasked with administering as an executor for George Washington Parke Custis.

I will be the voice that advocates for them today.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://genealogyadventures.net/2019/05/08/robert-e-lee-slavery-and-1859-the-spring-of-his-discontent/

There are times when the work of other genealogy researchers inspires you to undertake some deep research of your own. I am in one of the research phases now. My distant Irish DNA cousin, Martine Brennan – we are still trying to determine the identity of our common Irish ancestors – reached out to me to discuss academic research she was undertaking about Irish enslavers in the American colonies and the early Republic. Her main focus is on the Butler family of Charleston, South Carolina, and the islands of Georgia. Specifically, her work focuses on Maj Pierce Butler, and his grandson, Pierce Mease Butler (the Weeping Time enslaver).

For those of you unfamiliar with the history, the Weeping Time was a three-day sale of some 440 human beings who were sold over a three-day period in 1859 at a racetrack just outside of Savannah, Georgia. It stands as the largest single sale of human beings in America’s history.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://genealogyadventures.net/2019/07/01/case-study-creating-a-research-strategy-to-find-my-lost-connection-to-maj-pierce-butlers-enslaved-people/

For clarity, records such as birth certificates or announcements; christening and baptism records; marriage contracts, marriage deeds or marriage certificates; bastardy bonds; death records; family bibles; property deeds; and the like are direct means of finding vital information about your ancestors which satisfy genealogical standards of proof.

Problems arise when the ancestors we are researching never possessed or left records that would satisfy the  genealogical standards of proof.

When it comes to ancestors who were enslaved - or were pioneers / frontier people, traders - or simply illiterate - finding evidence of their existence is problematic. This is especially true if you are seeking to make connections between poorly documented people who share the same surname in the same county or region. When it comes to these ancestors, your research will require you to think outside of the box.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://genealogyadventures.net/2019/09/06/adapting-the-beyond-kin-approach-cluster-genealogy-to-research-poorly-documented-ancestors/