The John Eveland Family – First Generation

Before we dive into Eveland Family Genealogy, I’d like to review my research’s geographical scope. Since this blog post’s audience may be town residents who are not genealogists, I’ll try to make it brief as not to put them to sleep.  If you are interested in the full research report, please email me at the end of the series.

Glen Gardner was incorporated in 1919, formed from parts of both Lebanon and Bethlehem Townships. However, the village has had a distinct identity from a much earlier date.  Initially referred to as “Eveland’s Tavern.” The name Sodom was either adopted or bestowed on our little area for a while. When a postal stop was added in 1827, it was named Clarksville and finally changed to Glen Gardner by 1871. Because of the proximity to modern-day Warren County, the research scope must include Sussex and Warren County records.  Warren County was formed from Sussex County in 1824. The earliest research will consist of both Hunterdon and Sussex Counties.

Figure 1

The Eveland Family

First Generation
John Charles Eveland Family

1. John Charles¹ Eveland was born around 1755, likely in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, or across the Musconetcong River in Sussex County, New Jersey.[i]^,[ii],[iii] He died in 1837, in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey.[iv]
   
   He married Esther Vanbuskirk around 1774. The first record in which he appeared is the will of his Father-In-Law, Peter Vanbuskirk, written 6 February 1775, in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Peter Vanbuskirk had many children, and his sons were left the real property. There is no indication that Peter’s land was willed to John Eveland, and his wife, Esther.[v]

“ Also, I give & bequeath to my Daughter, Esther [Ink blot on the th] the wife of John Eveland the Sum of 20 Pounds or Current money.”

John Charles Eveland operated a Tavern in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County not far from the Musconetcong River, the Northwestern border between Hunterdon County and Modern-day Warren County (Sussex County until 1824).[vi]

John Charles Eveland’s will was written on 27 June 1834; it mentions his wife Hester [Esther], and their six children. He left his wife a room in the manshon [mansion] house where they resided (along with other items), and one-third of all the crops raised on the land.  John directed their son, Peter, to farm the said premises.[vii] John Eveland was buried at the Mansfield Woodhouse Church, which no longer stands, but the cemetery remains.[viii]  It is located off Route 31 North, South of Cemetery Hill Rd, Washington, Warren County, New Jersey.  The church dates back to 1734,[ix] but existing records began in 1787.[x]

Children of John Charles Eveland and Esther Vanbuskirk

1. Harmon Eveland was born about 1775.  He married Jennetta Johnson, 30 March 1800.[xi] He died on 16 August 1831, in Ohio.[xii].  His father’s will included a provision of twenty dollars to his son Peter, and his two daughters, Jane Martenis and Esther Martenis, in lieu of lots given to his son Harmon and daughter Elcy McKinney.  There is no indication where the properties were located..[xiii]
   
   Harmon was enumerated on the 1820 census in Miami, Clermont County, Ohio.[xiv] Only the household head was named on the 1820 census, but counts were provided for inhabitants.  It is likely that Harmon, his wife, and children were enumerated, based on ages indicated. The family was living in Ohio by 1820, moving sometime after the marriage of Harmon and Jennetta. Further research of later records might narrow down the date based upon birth locations of the couple’s children. Interestingly John Eveland wrote his will in 1834, three years after his son Harmon’s death. It would appear that John did not know that his eldest son predeceased him.
   

2. Elcy Eveland was born on 1 January 1778.[xv] She married William McKinney on 3 April 1801,[xvi] she died on 9 August 1841 in Ohio.[xvii] Her husband William McKinney appeared on the 1820 census on the third line from Elcy’s brother Herman [Harmon] Eveland.[xviii] William died intestate; his estate included the settlement of long-term debts of Jacob McKinney, some of which were noted to be from creditor’s in New Jersey. Jacob’s whereabouts were unknown, and he was supposed to be in desperate circumstances. It was stated that the $158.00 ($3,516, today)[xix] of debts paid by the estate would not be recouped from Jacob, “ supposed those notes will never be collected.”   Jacob was likely a close relative for William to have been liable for the debt, perhaps a son or a sibling. Harmon Eveland purchased some of the items from the estate’s auction of Goods and Chattel.  A William McKinney married Harmon’s sister, Elcy Eveland. William and Harmon appeared to be neighbors on the Miami, Ohio, 1820 census, William McKenney’s estate mentioned his widow Elcy McKinney, and Harmon Eveland was one of the Administrators.  The notes payable from New Jersey strengthens the connection.  It seems likely that William McKinney’s widow, Elsy [Elcy], was Elcy Eveland, sister of Harmon Eveland. Both families moved to Ohio before 1820.

3. Frederick Eveland was born on 15 November 1785 and died on 12 December 1856. [xx] John Charles Eveland’s will instructed his son Peter to care for his brother Frederick for the rest of his natural life, and left a provision for his care.[xxi] Additionally, a grown man older than Peter lived with John Eveland in 1830.[xxii] It would seem that Frederick was not able to care for himself.  Frederick’s gravestone is at Mansfield Woodhouse Cemetery. His parents’ were noted on the monument, but not a wife.[xxiii]
   

4. Jane Eveland was born 15 November 1785, and died 14 April 1874, remaining in Lebanon Township her entire life.[xxiv] She married Christopher Martenis.[xxv]^,[xxvi]
   

5. Peter² Eveland b. 1788,[xxvii] d. 16 February 1858. m Elizabeth Fritts abt. 1812. His family will be covered in more detail in the Generation Two installment. He inherited the Inn.
   .
6. Esther Eveland was born in March 1791 and died. 25 September 1854. She married John Martenis. [xxviii]^{,[xxix],[xxx]}   Jane and Esther Eveland appeared to have married siblings. Christopher and John Martenis were the sons of Christopher Martenis of Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, who died around 1822.[xxxi]

Sources

[i]  Edith May Wills Lanning, “Mansfield Woodhouse Church and Burying Ground, Warren County New Jersey,” “E” p. 10, (Phillipsburg, Peggy Warne Chapter D.A.R. (1938), Special Collections, Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

[ii] 1830 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Lebanon Township, p. 433 (penned), lines 9-10, John Eveland, Peter Eveland;  digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 03 January 2014) citing N.A.R.A microfilm M19, roll 83.[In the 1830 Federal census, only the head of household was named, but ages and gender of other members were enumerated. In John Eveland’s household, there were was one man between 70-80, which would indicate a date of birth between 1750-1760].

[iii] James S. Norton, Compiler, New Jersey in 1793, (Salt Lake City, 1973), Eveland, John [Lebanon Militia] p.  204.[The Act required all men between the ages of 18-45 to register for the militia, there was only one John Eveland registered in Lebanon Township, and his date of birth would be between 1748 to as late as 1775].

[iv] Edith May Wills Lanning, “Mansfield Woodhouse Church and Burying Ground, Warren County New Jersey,” “E” p. 10.

[v] Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Wills and Inventories, 1670-1900: file 1081J, Peter Vanbuskirk; Wills and Inventories ca. 1670-1900 control no. SSTSE033; Secretary of State’s Office, Department of State Record Group; microfilm no. 723 Wills Hunterdon County #1072J-1183J (1778-1782); New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

[vi] Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon Court of Common Pleas; Tavern Licenses, Applications, and Recognizances, “Loose Licenses Applications (1762-1799),” John Eveland (1795), Box 11, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

[vii] “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.6 p.512, John Eveland; images, Family Search (https:// familysearch.org : accessed 17 September 2014), Hunterdon > Wills 1815-1838 vol 3-6 > image 113 of 1128.

[viii] Edith May Wills Lanning, “Mansfield Woodhouse Church and Burying Ground, Warren County New Jersey,” “E” p. 10. [Note-I could not locate his headstone, but it was still standing in 1938 when this list was prepared, a photograph of his wife Esther’s headstone is on Find-a-Grave.]

[ix] Washington Township, Warren County  http://www.washington-twp-warren.org/  : accessed 17 October 2020), “History and Key Events.”

[x] Donald Arleigh Sinclair, “A Guide to Original and copied Records of Religious Organizations Largely New Jersey Churches in the Special Collections and University Archives of Rutgers University, pp. 96-97, (New Brunswick, Genealogical Society of New Jersey (1999). [Note author also reviewed the microfilms of original records held by Special Collections].

[xi] “New Jersey, County Marriages, 1682-1956,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org  : 20 May 2020), Harmon Eveland and Jenetta Johnston, page 46; citing New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

[xii] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 01 November 2020), memorial page for Harman Eveland (29 Jul 1775–16 Aug 1831), Find a Grave Memorial no. 117618402, citing Union Cemetery, Branch Hill, Clermont County, Ohio, USA ; Maintained by 5chandlers (contributor 47512372) .

[xiii] “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.6 p.512, John Eveland.

[xiv] 1820 U.S. census, Clermont County, Ohio, population schedule, Miami, sheet 49 (stamped), Harmon Eveland; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 December 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M33, Roll 89.

[xv] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Elcy Eveland McKinney (1 Jan 1778–9 Aug 1841), Find a Grave Memorial no. 67999668, citing Union Cemetery, Branch Hill, Clermont County, Ohio, USA ; Maintained by lawsongatch (contributor 47042484) .

[xvi] “New Jersey, County Marriages, 1682-1956,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: 20 November 2020), William McKinney and Alcey [Elsie] Eveland, 3 April 1801, citing Hunterdon County New Jersey, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

[xvii] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Elcy Eveland McKinney (1 Jan 1778–9 Aug 1841).

[xviii] 1820 U.S. census, Clermont County, Ohio, population schedule, Miami, sheet 49 (stamped), William McKinney; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 December 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M33, Roll 89.

[xix] Inflation Calculation,” database; Official Data (https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1822?amount=158#buying-power : accessed 4 December 2020).

[xx] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Frederick Eveland (15 Nov 1785–12 Dec 1856), Find a Grave Memorial no. 60605999, citing Mansfield Woodhouse Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Washington, Warren County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by Dr. J (contributor 47324040) .

[xxi] “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.6 p.512, John Eveland.

[xxii] 1830 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Lebanon Township, p. 433 (penned), lines 9-10, John Eveland, Peter Eveland. 

^xxiii Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Frederick Eveland (15 Nov 1785–12 Dec 1856), Find a Grave Memorial no. 60605999, citing Mansfield Woodhouse Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Washington, Warren County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by Dr. J (contributor 47324040) .

[xxiv] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Jane Eveland Martenis (15 Nov 1785–14 Apr 1874), Find a Grave Memorial no. 9772779, citing Spruce Run Cemetery, Glen Gardner, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by Rich H. (contributor 46489213) .

[xxv] 1850 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, population schedule, Lebanon, sheet 261 (stamped), dwelling 346, family 353, Christopher Martenis; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 November 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M432.

[xxvi] “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.6 p.512, John Eveland.

[xxvii] 1850 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Lebanon Township, p. 475 (penned), dwelling 6, family 6, Peter Eveland;  digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 03 January 2014) citing N.A.R.A microfilm M432, roll 453.

[xxviii] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 05 December 2020), memorial page for Esther Eveland Martenis (Mar 1791–25 Sep 1854), Find a Grave Memorial no. 9258554, citing Spruce Run Cemetery, Glen Gardner, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by Betty Sobotka (contributor 46541905).

[xxix] “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.6 p.512, John Eveland [Son-in-Law, John Martenis appointed an executor].

[xxx] 1850 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, population schedule, Lebanon, sheet 242b (stamped), dwelling 65, family 67, John Martenis; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 November 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M432.

[xxxi] “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.3 p.478, Christopher Martenis; images, Family Search (https:// familysearch.org : accessed 17 December 2020), Hunterdon > Wills 1815-1838 vol 3-6 > image 280 of 1128.

Figure 1 – Sources

The Story of New Jersey’s Civil Boundaries:
Snyder, John F.  The Story Of New Jerseys Civil Boundaries 1608–1968. (Trenton : Bureau of Geology and Topography, 1968). Archive.org https://archive.org. 2020. ^a https://archive.org/details/The-Story-of-New-Jerseys-Civil-Boundaries-1608-1968-Snyder/mode/2up

• 1664 New Jersey Colony -Duke of York Grants area to Sir George Carteret , and John, Lord Berkeley. 23 June 1664, p6.
• 1714 Hunterdon County – Set off from Burlington County 11 March 1713/1714, p32, 153.
• 1731 Lebanon Township – First Mention, set off from part of Amwell Township, 26 October 1731, p156.
• 1739 Morris County – What is now Sussex and Warren Counties, set off from Hunterdon 15 March 1739, p153.
• 1753 Sussex County – Set off from Morris County, consisted of Greenwich, Hardwick, Newton, and Walpack 8 June 1753, p229.
• 1824 Warren County – Formed from Sussex County, 20 November 1824, p245.
• 1919 Glen Gardner – Formed from Bethlehem and Lebanon Townships, p155.

Esther and John Eveland Birth Dates –  Edith May Wills Lanning, “Mansfield Woodhouse Church and Burying Ground, Warren County New Jersey,” “E” p. 10, (Phillipsburg, Peggy Warne Chapter D.A.R (1938), Special Collections, Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

Peter Vanbuskirk’s will written in 1775 – names his daughter, Esther the wife of John Eveland – Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Wills and Inventories, 1670-1900: file 1081J, Peter Vanbuskirk; Wills and Inventories ca. 1670-1900 control no. SSTSE033; Secretary of State’s Office, Department of State Record Group; microfilm no. 723 Wills Hunterdon County #1072J-1183J (1778-1782); New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

Tavern License Application 1795 – Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon Court of Common Pleas; Tavern Licenses, Applications and Recognizances, “Loose Licenses/ Applications (1762-1799),” John Eveland (1795), Box 11, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

Clarksville Post Office 1827 – Jim Walker, “Hunterdon County Postal History; Part 5 – DPO’s by Township,” New Jersey Postal History, 36, (August 2008): 165; online archives, New Jersey Postal History (https://www.njpostalhistory.org : accesses 12 February 2019).

Sodom Referenced on Map 1828 – Thomas Gordon, ” Map of the State of New Jersey: with Part of the Adjoining States” (Trenton, Thomas Gordon, 1828),  digital images; Princeton University Library (https://library.princeton.eduaccessed 12 February 2019).

Glen Gardner Post Office 1871 – U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971,” Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Clarksville, database and digital images; Ancestry.com (https://ancestry.com : accessed 19 March 2019), citing NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls. Records of the Post Office Department, Record Group Number 28. V 24, 25, Washington, D.C.: National Archives.

Figure 2 – Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Wills and Inventories, 1670-1900: file 1081J, Peter Vanbuskirk; Wills and Inventories ca. 1670-1900 control no. SSTSE033; Secretary of State’s Office, Department of State Record Group; microfilm no. 723 Wills Hunterdon County #1072J-1183J (1778-1782); New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

Figure 3 – D. Stanton, Hammond, J.D., Hunterdon County New Jersey Land Owner Maps; Sheet B [John Eveland] (Trenton: Genealogical Society of New Jersey, 1967).

Figure 4 – “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.6 p.512, John Eveland; images, Family Search (https:// familysearch.org : accessed 17 September 2014), Hunterdon > Wills 1815-1838 vol 3-6 > image 113 of 1128.

Figure 5- 1820 U.S. census, Clermont County, Ohio, population schedule, Miami, sheet 49 (stamped), Harmon Eveland; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 December 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M33, Roll 89.

Figure 6 – Clermont County, Ohio, “Will Records, Volume C, pp. 146-150, estate of William McKinney [Administration], 1822; digital images “Will Records, 1810-1900; Indexes, 1800-1963”, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 December 2020).

Figure 7 – Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Frederick Eveland (15 Nov 1785–12 Dec 1856), Find a Grave Memorial no. 60605999, citing Mansfield Woodhouse Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Washington, Warren County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by Dr. J (contributor 47324040) .

Figure 8 – Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Jane Eveland Martenis (15 Nov 1785–14 Apr 1874), Find a Grave Memorial no. 9772779, citing Spruce Run Cemetery, Glen Gardner, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by Rich H. (contributor 46489213) .

Figure 9 – “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.3 p.478, Christopher Martenis; images, Family Search (https:// familysearch.org : accessed 17 December 2020), Hunterdon > Wills 1815-1838 vol 3-6 > image 280 of 1128.

The post When was Eveland’s Tavern Established and who was the Original Owner? Part 2 appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.

New Jersey in 1793, contains copies of the law, and an overview of the existing records. In some cases, the records no longer exist, and the author instead used Tax Ratables for those locales. This book is out of print, but it found at some libraries.  I scored a copy on eBay, and it’s one of my favorite occupants of my home library.

Besides the names and location of the men, there isn’t too much other data, but it is variable.  Some lists are broken out by villages, or military unit.  The inclusion of women may be the result of Tax Ratables used as a replacement (Thanks, Michelle Chubenko).  Some lists have exempt individuals, and others do not. While not perfect, it is a unique snapshot of males between the ages of 18-45 in a state where the Census is not available until 1830.

Back to my research question. Who was the father of Peter Teeple?  We know that he was born in 1785, in either Warren County, New Jersey, or perhaps near Warren Township, Somerset County, New Jersey.[ii]  He married  Catherine Clawson (Clauson) in Bedminster, Somerset County in 1820, most likely at the Bedminster Reformed Church.[iii]  The couple settled in a village in Piscataway Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey. His son George mentioned that his Grandfather lived in Pluckemin, and was 101 years old when he passed away.[iv]  So if Peter was born in 1785, and his father had an extremely long life, then he would have likely been enumerated in 1793, when Peter was 8.

I begin with a strength rating as I did in the past.  For this derivative source, the results may be different, as the age range is quite broad.  In our last post, analysis of the 1830 Census, there was only one man in the entire state who could have been Peter’s father, based on his age; George Teeple of Bridgewater, Somerset County, New Jersey.  In this Census the age grouping is vast 18-45 so, it could be men born as early as 1748, or as late as 1775.^*  In theory, the list could contain his father and possibly siblings or cousins; in other words, the list will be longer, and I will have more people to eliminate.

The potential list has grown.  I am happy to see a George in Bridgewater, well actually multiple, but it is a Tax Ratable, which must be kept in mind.  We also now have men named Teaple [Teeple] in towns, which someday will be Warren County.  I will begin my process of elimination (research the individuals) with a strength of one and two but may expand as needed. Let’s hope they all left wills! 

New Jersey Tax Ratables (Census substitute) up next.

Related Posts:
https://once-removed.com/2020/03/14/census-analysis-newjersey-style-part-1/
https://once-removed.com/2020/03/15/census-analysis-new-jersey-style-part-2/

[i] Norton, James S. New Jersey in 1793. Salt Lake City: James S. Norton.1974.

[ii] Pellicane, Elizabeth. “Census Analysis, Jersey Style; Part 1,” Elizabeth Pellicane, Once-Removed; Blog,14 March 2020.  https://once-removed.com/2020/03/14/census-analysis-newjersey-style-part-1/ : 2020.

[iii] “New Jersey, County Marriages, 1682-1956,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/: accessed 14 December 2018), image 103 of 366; New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

[iv] “85 Years Young; Guns For Rabbits George Teeple Enjoys Hunting Tells How to Live Many Years,” Trenton Evening Times, 30 November 1909, page 3, column 5; GenealogyBank (accessed : 14 December 2018).

Figure 2 –

James S. Norton, New Jersey in 1793, entries for Teaple, Teeple; Salt Lake City: James S. Norton.1974. Pages 154, 205, 206, 262, 274, 276, 283, 287, 385, 388, 390, 392 and 295.

Note* – Somerset County was missing from the Militia enumeration, and the author substituted Tax Ratables.  It should be known that for Somerset County, there is no guarantee that the people enumerated were aged 45 and under or counted only once.

The post Census Analysis, New Jersey Style; Part 3 appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.

My research plan is to search the Federal Census, Militia Records, and New Jersey Tax Ratables for a man with the surname of Teeple, Deeple, and other variants who was born as late as 1765 and died after 1830, possibly as late as 1866.  I begin with the 1830 census.

I start with FamilySearch, and I will double up with Ancestry records.  This combination is my preference, yours may be different, but I do advise that you review two different sets; casting a wider net due to indexing variations.  Family search does an excellent job of picking up variants, but more importantly, it permits the downloading of records to a spreadsheet, which means less data entry.

I log into FamilySearch (always do this first, accounts are free), and search records with my starting criteria:

• Surname – Teeple
• Residence Place – New Jersey
• Residence Year – 1830 to 1830

[i]

I will limit my records by date and location but not “Match all terms exactly;” I want to see variants, and I can adjust later.

I scan the results, but ultimately I am going to isolate the 1830 census, select the “Collections” tab, click on the “United States Census, 1830” box, and then “Filter these Results.”

[ii]

I switch back to the records tab and see what returns, depending on the scenario, further filtering may be needed.  In this case, it is not, I am working with a relatively uncommon name, in an early period.  There aren’t pages of entries.  If there were, I would adjust the “Number of results to show” to 100.  Using the “Export Results” option, I download the results into *.xls format, page by page.  I would then eventually combine the files into a single workbook.

[iii]

The downloaded raw data will look like this:

There’s not a ton of fields populated because the 1830 census didn’t have many data points, but you can see that the fields are in place, so if this were the 1880 census, more data would be downloaded.

Some excellent features offered by FamilySearch (besides being free!), is the “person url field.” Click on it, and it will pull up the image right from your spreadsheet.  FamilySearch provides citations to copy and paste; I, however, create my own: 

I copy the combined downloads into an excel template that I have prepared for the 1830 Census; this becomes the basis of my list.  I perform the same query in Ancestry.com and print the result summary.  I review a copy of each census image in Ancestry or FamilySearch manually, adding any households not picked up by FamilySearch. It’s not unusual to have different results in the two repositories, that’s the point of checking more than one set of an online census.  I view each image to ensure that it’s not an indexing error, if there are neighboring connected families (such as Teeple, or Clauson in this scenario), and document the findings. The 1830 census does not have more than the head of the household named, As I view and cite each census image, I record the number of inhabitants just as they were enumerated.  I also ensure that the indexing was accurate, sometimes F and T are confused. Once these steps are completed, I should have a solid list of those who were enumerated that match my criteria. However, I will also view an area line by line if I feel there is a gap. 

The Analysis

Recalling the research goal:

Find a man with the surname of Teeple, Deeple, and other variants who was born as late as 1765.  He could have been living in Warren County, New Jersey, or Warren Township, Somerset County, New Jersey.  Remember that only the head of the household was named, who could, in theory, be any male over 21.  In other words, we are looking for households that had a white male resident enumerated in the correct age group, keeping in mind that he may not have been the head of the household.  Based on my research goals, I create a color-coded key to determine the “strength” of the match.  In scenarios with vast

 numbers of entries it helps me tame the list with filtering and pivot tables:

Following is the result of today’s exercise; it is a short list:

In the 1830 census, there was only one household that matched our criteria for the father of Peter Teeple, George Teeple of Bridgewater, Somerset County New Jersey.  Is this sufficient evidence to say George Teeple was the father of Peter Teeple?  Not at all. Though, it is a building block. Remember, census records can have gaps, and misinformation.  We relied on an interview with Peter’s son, George, who indicated that his grandfather was from Pluckemin and lived to 101.  He never named his grandfather, and though he was speaking of his paternal line in the interview, it could have been his maternal grandfather as well.  The 1830 census analysis is just the start of the journey; more work is needed. George Teeple was the only adult male of the household, and there were no other Teeple households with a man of that age.  But what if Peter’s father was living with a married daughter?

My next step will be to utilize a census substitute and go back in time, closer to the birth date of Peter Teeple.

[i] FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 15 March 2020), “Search Historical Records.”  

[ii] FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 15 March 2020), “Filter These Results.”  

[iii] FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 15 March 2020), “1830 Census Search results.”  

Figure 6:

1830 U.S. census, Middlesex County, New Jersey, population schedule, Piscataway, sheet 190 (written), Peter Teeple; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 December 2018), citing National Archives microfilm publication M19, Roll 83.
1830 U.S. census, Somerset County, New Jersey, population schedule, Bridgewater, page 60 (written), George Teeple; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 March 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M19, Roll 83.
1830 U.S. census, Somerset County, New Jersey, population schedule, Bedminster, page 75 (written), Wm {William] Teeple; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 March 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M19, Roll 83.
1830 U.S. census, Somerset County, New Jersey, population schedule, Bridgewater, page 55 (written), William Teeple; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 March 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M19, Roll 83.
1830 U.S. census, Somerset County, New Jersey, population schedule, Bedminster, page 75 (written), John Teeple; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 March 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M19, Roll 83.
1830 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, population schedule, Kingwood, page 378 (written), George Teeple; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 March 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M19, Roll 83.
1830 U.S. census, Morris County, New Jersey, population schedule, Washington, page 82 (written), Jacob Teeple; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 March 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M19, Roll 82.

The post Census Analysis, New Jersey Style; Part 2 appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.

Okay, enough of the fangirl gushing and back to the subject matter, The New Jersey Census and it’s “substitutes.”  Whether New Jersey or any other state consideration has to be given to what records exist for that area and where can I access them, then also who was enumerated, and questions asked. There are plenty of classes and websites available for this subject matter. I won’t be covering this in-depth.  I will add links at the end to help you find the material.  Except for fragments, the 1890 Federal population schedule was destroyed.  Additionally, Federal Census before 1830 does not exist for the state.  Census loss, coupled with vital records being mostly unavailable before 1848, makes any research in the late 18th and early 19th century quite a challenge.  Whether you research yourself or hire a professional, it will take a good bit of time to complete.

As always, I start with a research question and develop a plan. Today’s question is who were the parents of Peter Teeple, from Piscataway New Jersey, who died on 1 April 1870, at the age of eighty-five.[ii]  Luckily we have a marriage record and a death record for Peter, each with its breadcrumbs to follow. 

What do we know about Peter?

There is an excellent reason to believe Peter was born about 1785. Every record I have for him lists an age that ties into that date.  Such consistency is rare to behold.  His death record indicated that he was born in Warren County.  When I viewed the death ledger, I did raise my eyebrows a bit; I knew very little about him, but the location seemed suspect.  Most other entries listed a specific town, but for Peter, it was Warren County.  Warren County was incorporated in 1824, thirty-nine years after Peter’s birth. Would his family identify Warren County as his birthplace, first thinking of the town, and then saying the county where it is today? It feels wrong, particularly after I viewed his marriage record.  His parents were “unknown,” common when the aged died during this period. 

Peter and his wife Catherine Clawson [Clauson] were married 15 February 1820, in Somerset County,[iii] most likely at the Bedminster Reformed Church.[iv] This area is relatively close to Warren Township, Somerset County.  Let’s see if the couple appeared in the 1820 census. Oh, wait 1820 is one of those years where we won’t find anything for New Jersey. However, there are other options. We just need to use analysis and persistence.

Luckily, one of the couple’s sons, George (quite the character), was interviewed late in his life.  Part of the interview indicated that his father, [Peter], died young at eighty-six because he wasn’t a hunter. George later stated that his Grandfather from Pluckemin lived to the age of one hundred and one because he was active and hunted.[v]  This article would lead me to believe that George knew his Grandfather (who else would have taught him to hunt). It’s too bad the article didn’t provide the name of his relatives. George was born in 1824, so his Grandfather may have been alive for the 1830 census, at least.  Peter was born in 1785; depending on the birth-order, this would have his father born as late as 1765 (maybe earlier).

A Research Plan

My research plan emerges; search the Federal Census, Militia records, and  New Jersey Tax Ratables for a man with the surname of Teeple, Deeple, and variants who was born as late as 1765 and died after 1830, possibly as late as 1866. Though the one hundred and one years may have been an exaggeration, I will give George the benefit of the doubt. I will limit my search to the state of New Jersey, but not to any particular county. I begin with the 1830 census because it is closest to the birth of George.

Up next,  my technique for how I evaluate census using excel.

Resources for Census Information

Family Search Wiki – Federal Census
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Census

New Jersey State Census County by County Overview – Thanks to Michelle Tucker Chubenko, Jersey Roots Genealogy.  It’s a terrific resource, and I am sure it took quite a bit of time to create.  Michelle is always generous with her knowledge.  Visit her at Jersey Roots.
New Jersey State Censuses, 1855–1915 (2017 Update)

New Jersey Tax Ratables Guide – Thanks to Heather Husted. Mention of other sources beyond Tax Ratables as well.
Using Ratables for New Jersey Genealogy

New Jersey Tax Ratables –  at the New Jersey State Archives
https://nj.gov/state/archives/guides/sas00001.pdf
(Note – Tax Rateables available on microfilm at Rutger’s Special Collections as well)

Sources:

[i] Jones, Thomas W.  Mastering Genealogical Proof. Arlington. National Genealogical Society. 2013.

[ii] New Jersey, Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, Return of Deaths, page 87, (1870), Peter Teeple, SHEVS004 reel no. 43, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

[iii] “New Jersey, County Marriages, 1682-1956,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/: accessed 14 December 2018), image 103 of 366; New Jersey State Archives, Trenton

[iv] E.R Kruizenga, The History of Bedminster Church, (Bedminster: Consistory of the Reformed Church of Bedminster, 1909), p15-18; Ancestry (https:// ancestry.com : accessed 14 December 2018).

[v] “85 Years Young; Guns For Rabbits George Teeple Enjoys Hunting Tells How to Live Many Years,” Trenton Evening Times, 30 November 1909, page 3, column 5; GenealogyBank (accessed : 14 December 2018).

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To recap, I began with a group of DNA matches who descend from one of three sons of William Fennimore and Mary Day. Members of this group have a paper trail, match me, and at least another of this core group.  I have triangulated against these kits and added 106 matches in DNA Painter, of which 97 are not yet identified in our family tree.  These 97 unknown matches are the folks that may help me solve my brick wall, identifying William Fennimore’s parents.

Before I contact them, I will prepare “cousin bait” or snippets of my research.  During this process, I am re-evaluating some of my earlier finds. In most cases, it is revising old citations to the Genealogical Proof Standard and replacing transcriptions with images of the documents.  I am also revisiting some of my early negative results to ensure that it was sound. I did quite a bit of analysis of census back when one had to visit the basement of Alexander Library at Rutgers University to view microfilms, town by town, line by line. 

Some of my upcoming posts may be proof statements, family groups, census evaluations, or highlights of an individual. The focus will be on the research part of the project. The posts will include research techniques, which hopefully will be useful to other genealogists.

The post The Fennimore Family of Somerset and Morris Counties New Jersey A DNA Project – Autosomal Triangulation appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.

Organization is Key

I have a “pull list” in excel where I keep track of items that I need, and the repository. I would recommend this for anyone who plans to do research.  It can be a pad, index cards, whatever works for you. I like excel because I can sort by the repository. When I take a vacation day to research, this approach maximizes the use of my time.

Hunterdon County Historical Society’s Manuscript Organization
The Historical Society catalog is useful but. it has its quirks, you need to review the detailed inventories to get to the contents.  In this example, let’s say that I am researching a man named George H. Forker.  He lived in Hunterdon County, so I decided to see what records he left behind.

I’ll pull up the Hunterdon Historical Society Manuscript Page:
https://hunterdonhistory.org/facilities/archives/manuscript-collections/

Scrolling down the page, I can see the individual collections, there are several pages. I’m interested in something in the second group, collection-number 47, Hunterdon County Historical Society Collection IV;  I’ve already browsed parts I and II.  The burgundy font indicates there is a hyperlink to see more. I’m going to download the inventory documents.

The preliminary inventory is an index for parts I-III.  There are several entries for Forker.  I will need to find pages 58, 78, and 79 in the more detailed inventories to see a description and locate the folder numbers.
Part 1 is pages 1-46
Part II is pages 47-89
Part III Separation Sheets – Items moved from this collection to another location.

The index doesn’t really provide a description of what is in this collection, so I will be looking at three pages of the inventory for more detail. I start with page 58.

I begin with page 58 and decide I’d like to get a copy of the marriage certificate.  If I were conducting this search in person, I would need to go to another book to look up which microfilm contained the folder, and it’s location.  If you were to make this request to the society via their request page, I would imagine that you would need to provide the collection number, name, and folder.  Perhaps, specifying the item of interest. 

I went to the microfilm and found the folder with the marriage certificate:

An interesting document, which could be useful. I performed a cursory search of the New Jersey state archives database and the catalog.  It appears as if this marriage was not in the vital statistic records, and Hudson county records at the archives don’t cover this period.  Ancestry does have the church records imaged, though, and there is an entry in the ledger book.  The certificate is more visually appealing.  If I were researching George, I would go through this process for all of the records in the inventory, or at least add them to my excel file for future trips.

I hope this example demonstrates how to efficiently use the HCHS Manuscript collection.  The Historical Society does have a card catalog, which has earlier records, but it does not contain every manuscript, so I prefer the inventory.  

Whether you are conducting the search yourself or requesting assistance from a third-party, it is always best to focus your efforts.  For example, if I sent a research inquiry to the Historical Society and asked for information on George Forker, who is to say what I will get in return. The request is very open-ended. There probably is quite a bit of information available, and you want to make the most of the time allotted to you.  The depth of the Hunterdon County Historical Society collection is quite impressive.  Using their website can help you move your historical or genealogical research forward.

References:
Figure 1 – Hunterdon County Historical Society (https://hunterdonhistory.org/ : accessed 18 February 2020), “Manuscript Collections.”

Figure 2 – – Hunterdon County Historical Society (https://hunterdonhistory.org/ : accessed 18 February 2020), “Preliminary Inventory, Collection 47. Hunterdon County Historical Society Collection Part IV.”

Figure 3 – – Hunterdon County Historical Society (https://hunterdonhistory.org/ : accessed 18 February 2020), “Inventory p. 58, Collection 47, Hunterdon County Historical Society Collection Part IV.”

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Update – The very nice person behind the Find-A-Grave account made the changes. I received the email notification Saturday morning. Later that day I was hanging out at one of my favorite libraries, having a great discussion with a fellow history fan. When she gave her name, I realized that she was the face behind the account. What a coincidence! She offered to turn the memorials over to me, but I left them with her since she was tending them so well.

While researching my Fennimore family, I noticed some Ancestry family trees had accepted a Find-a-Grave hint for Mary Day Fennimore.  The hint indicated that Mary died in June of 1903 in Springfield, Burlington County, New Jersey and, she was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Basking Ridge, Somerset County, New Jersey.[i]  This hint caught my attention because I had searched for Mary’s death certificate, and I walked Evergreen Cemetery many times, looking for a headstone; I have found neither.  I have been researching this couple for over twenty years, and if there is a way to connect the Fennimores of Morris, and Somerset Counties to those in the Southern part of the state, I would be ecstatic.  I decided to take a look at the memorial:

Some of the information is accurate, and I recognize some of my memorials identified as children.  I didn’t create a memorial for their parents because I didn’t “Find a Grave.”  This memorial was added in August 2019, with the comments “It has been assumed that she was buried with her husband William Fennimore, but not yet confirmed.” Thinking someone found my William ‘s headstone, I excitedly clicked on his memorial[ii]

His memorial isn’t based upon a physical grave being located either.  Rather it is an assumption that he was buried at Evergreen because some of his family is buried there. Much of the other information matched his death certificate. I’m glad that the memorial owner indicated that these were assumptions; it helped me analyze this source.  Honestly, I had considered this assumption as well, but his death certificate stated that he was buried in Basking Ridge.  Yes, some of his children are buried at Evergreen, but some are also buried at another Basking Ridge cemetery, Millington Baptist Church. Mary and William were married at Millington Baptist, so there is a strong argument for both locations. There is Fennimore family in all four Basking Ridge cemeteries. I have physically searched all but the Roman Catholic cemetery.  I came up empty-handed for William and Mary, so I decided not to make an online memorial.

I looked up the memorial owner, and the individual manages over 27k memorials, a red flag for any genealogist. Thoroughly researching these memorials would be difficult. This person seems different and does do some research, and is open to turning over memorials to the family. I didn’t necessarily want the memorial, but I don’t want incorrect information replicated either.  My guess is that they had a death certificate for a Mary Fennimore and had wrongly attributed it to my Mary.  But without seeing the source document, it’s not very easy to say for sure.

I suggested an edit of Mary’s death and sent a message to the memorial owner asking for the source of her death information.  My suggestion was declined, and I was asked to prove why I thought the memorial is incorrect.  So, in other words, I have been asked to show something is wrong (not knowing what that something is), well here I go…

Conflicts presented

Why do I think Mary Day Fennimore did not die in Springfield, Burlington county?
First, let’s talk about common sense.  What is the likelihood of a women passing in Springfield, Burlington County, when her husband and children were living in the vicinity of Basking Ridge, Somerset County.  Today it’s an hour drive by automobile.  In 1903 travel would be even longer. Is there an explanation as to why Mary would be in that part of the state? Her family originated in Essex County, and later moved to Somerset County, New Jersey. I will acknowledge that stranger things have happened, so let’s review my analysis.

Here’s Something about my Mary

Mary was the daughter of Izrael [Israel] Day and Ann Eliz^h [Gracia Ann Elizabeth Blazier] Day. She married William Fennimore on 16 December 1859, in Bernards, Somerset County, New Jersey.  She was a resident of Bernards, and her age was listed as twenty putting her birth year at about 1839, well before the collection of vital statics. Mary would go on to give birth to at least thirteen children, many of whose brief existence can only be found in undertaker records.[iii]  Nine children survived until adulthood. I have not located any records that would tie Mary, her husband, her children, or her parents to Burlington county.  The family seems to have resided in the vicinity where Somerset, Morris, and Union counties meet in the Northern parts of New Jersey. Please note Basking Ridge, is an area located within Bernards Township.

A gap in death records

While researching Mary’s parents, I stumbled across original undertaker records, which indicated that Israel Day, Mary’s father, was buried on 5 March 1884.  With this date, I went to the New Jersey State Archives and searched for Israel’s death record.  There were no records for the area of Bernards, Somerset County, New Jersey.  I extended my manual search to neighboring Morris County, but nothing was found. I spoke with one of the Archive Rock stars, and we reviewed the Somerset County records. She indicated that Bernards has a record gap, and either they were never deposited with the state, or perhaps never recorded by the town.  Unfortunately, this period seems to extend to the date of when Mary Day Fennimore passed as well. In all likelihood, the death record no longer exists. Not locating a record, and finding that the records for that time and place do not exist today should not be mistaken for negative results.

Death date range

Mary Day Fennimore’s last documented appearance on the census was in 1885, where she is listed under William, and above her children.  The New Jersey census in 1885 did not provide relationships.[iv] In 1900, William Fennimore, her husband, was listed as being married for the duration of forty years. However, Mary was not registered with William or any of her children.  In 1905, William was enumerated again alone, this time indicating that he was widowed. She died before the 1905 census, and likely after 1 June 1900. So where was Mary in 1900?

1900 Census

A search of the 1900 census for women named Mary Fennimore returned results for two women named Mary Fenimore, born in New Jersey around 1840.

• Mary Fenimore of Burlington county, wife of Henry, the was couple married forty years.[v]
• Mary Fenimore of Burlington county, Single living with her sister[vi]

The women enumerated were the same age as Mary Day Fennimore but lived in Burlington County, where the Fenimore name is quite common.  One Mary was married to a man named Henry for a duration of forty years. The second Mary was single living with her sister, also single. Both women of the household with the surname of Fenimore. I would argue that Mary Day Fennimore was missed in the 1900 census. William Fennimore’s entry indicated that he was married (m) and had an accurate number of years married. It wasn’t a simple substitution of M (married) for a W (widowed) because the duration of the marriage was listed. She may have simply been overlooked.

Three women the same age in the same state, two of whom live in proximity to a death event that happened three years later.  I’d argue that it is more likely that the death in Springfield, Burlington County, is attributed to one of the women located in the Burlington County 1900 census.  If there is a death certificate in your possession that would prove otherwise, I’d love to see it. Again, stranger things have happened.

I believe there is enough of a conflict to the Find-A-Grave death entry to merit the removal. A known gap in death records for Basking Ridge (Bernards), Somerset county. Two other women of the same age named Mary Fenimore in the same county of the 1903 death event.  No evidence that any of Mary Day Fennimore’s family was living in Burlington county. It makes no sense for a married older woman to travel to that vicinity.  If I knew the source of the death entry, then I could evaluate further.  The Find-A-Grave memorial has been accepted as fact on several Ancestry family trees; if it’s factual, then please share the source.  If you don’t have a source, let’s work on proving or disproving your entry. I believe we probably live near one another. I’d be glad to meet for coffee to discuss..

[i] Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 17 February 2020), memorial page for Mary Elizabeth Day Fennimore (1840–Jun 1903), Find A Grave Memorial no. 201997099, citing Evergreen Cemetery, Basking Ridge, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by RS Witwer (contributor 48434609) .

[ii] Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 17 February 2020), memorial page for William Fennimore (1836–4 Nov 1912), Find A Grave Memorial no. 201997045, citing Evergreen Cemetery, Basking Ridge, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by RS Witwer (contributor 48434609) .

[iii] Robert C Bishop Undertaker Records 1879-1906, Basking Ridge, New Jersey.

[iv] “New Jersey State Census, 1885,” William Fennimore, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 10 February 2020), Somerset; Department of State, Trenton.

[v] “United States Census, 1900,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DZR3-78N?cc=1325221&wc=9BQK-K6N%3A1030550301%2C1033658901%2C1033734901 : 17 February 2020), New Jersey, > Burlington > ED 35 Southampton Township > image 2 of 39; citing NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

[vi] “United States Census, 1900,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6XCQ-FNB?cc=1325221&wc=9BWH-PYX%3A1030550301%2C1033658901%2C1033683801 : 17 February 2020), New Jersey > Burlington > ED 12 Burlington Township > image 8 of 22; citing NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

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I have the luxury of being able to visit the Historical Society in person; even so, this collection can be a bit frustrating.  To use it, you need to view the detailed inventory.  The contents don’t appear to have any specific organization, so you pretty much need to scan through the inventory to find what you might need.  Once you locate a folder of interest, you will need to go to another sheet to discover which microfilm houses the folder and what drawer to find the microfilm.  One of these days, I’m going to have to index this collection and give it to the Society.  I can’t imagine arriving from afar and trying to acquaint myself with this on-site; luckily, the inventory is available at the website to plan ahead of time. Be forewarned; the microfilm machines are old; you may want to ensure the machines are working before a visit.  I find it is best to bring a camera and skip printing.

[ii]

It’s incredible how far the Society has come since I first stepped into the doors in 2010. Back then there were boxes and boxes of unlabeled piles in the librarian’s office, and finding things were difficult. Much credit should go to the employees of the Society, and the many volunteers. The Library is well organized and cataloged thanks to Librarian Pamela Robinson, and the volunteers.  Don Cornelius, Manuscript Curator, has not only ensured that the existing holdings are well conserved, but that a new acquisition is preserved correctly. He leads a small group of volunteers at the archive.  The Society is very dependent on volunteers, unsung heroes of many such places.

The Research Library and Archives are a treasure. The well preserved Doric House is a historic gem.  The Hunterdon County Historical Society has so much to offer.

[i] “ Hunterdon County Historical Society; Manuscript Collection, 1700-1984.” Catalog. FamilySearch. https://www.familysearch.org/ : 8 February 2020. 

[ii] “Hunterdon County Historical Society Collection; Part 1.” Manuscript Collection. Inventory. Hunterdon County Historical Society. https://hunterdonhistory.org/ : 8 February 2020.

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The post These are a few of my Favorite Things! Hunterdon County Historical Society Manuscript Collections 18, 19, 47, 57, and 67 appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.

I look at our list, and a familiar surname was at the top, associated with my maternal family. My Fennimore family is on my father’s side, and this was unexpected.  The name is very familiar, and I believe that he is my second cousin’s son.  My great Aunt, his grandmother, was not a Fennimore, and my parents are not remotely related (Gedmatch verified).  I examined the match a little closer:

23andMe makes this very easy.  I can see that we three do not have shared DNA, we match, but not in the same way. I also look at our relationship, and you can see that there is a large difference between the two.  Even when I put my “2^nd cousin” into DNA Painter, it associates the kit with one set of maternal great-grandparents, which I am mapping.  My conclusion is that my cousin’s unrelated paternal line has a far removed match with this test kit or a possible anomaly.  I hadn’t even considered that my paternal and maternal lines could be intertwined, my mother is second generation Irish-German.  My Paternal Grandmother was a mixture of recent British immigration (her mom was born in London), and New Jersey for at least nine generations. My Dad’s father was from New England. I knew that I didn’t have any misaligned parental events in recent generations. Again I lucked out; I could easily resolve this twist.

Do you agree with my analysis?  Have you encountered any DNA conflicts? If so, how did you resolve them?

I’d love to hear from you!

[i] Coakley, Louise. “Tips for using Gedmatch.” Genie1. https://genie1.com.au/tips-for-using-gedmatch/, 2020.

GEDmatch – Tools for DNA and Genealogy Research ©Copyright 2011-2020 by GEDmatch, Inc.
23and Me – © 2020 23andMe, Inc.
DNA Painter – © DNA Painter, 2020

The post The Fennimore Family of Somerset and Morris Counties New Jersey A DNA Project – A Twist appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.

I’ve performed “One-to-one Autosomal Comparison” matches for each kit, and to each other to ensure that the “One-to-many DNA comparison” was accurate.  We three also match in Ancestry. None of our shared matches uploaded a Gedcom file (family tree), so no new information yet. I’ve decided to jump in feet first and map my chromosomes with my two known Fennimore matches. Maybe not the best move, but I learn by doing.

DNA Painter, like Gedmatch, has a free base option; subscribers receive premium benefits.  My general philosophy is if I am going to use it for more than a week, and it is within my budget, I’ll pay the fee. People should be paid for their work. Besides, I’ve attempted this in excel before, and this is much easier!

My goal is to map my segments to others that share a known ancestor or couple. DNA Painter should help me isolate my William Fennimore-Mary Day segments, allowing me to expand the family tree and contacts.

I am going to use the Gedmatch application “People who match both, or 1 of 2 kits.”  I will run it twice always, using my kit number, since I am using DNA Painter to map my chromosomes at this time.  Right now, I am only interested in the matches I share with each of the two “known” Fennimore kits.

There will be three sections; matches that our two kits share, and matches to each single kit not shared by the other.  As always, I will paste the results into a tab of an excel workbook.  I am only interested in the first sections, common matches shared by both kits. Below is the list of the kits in Gedmatch which share matches with both the descendant of Louis Fennimore, and the descendant of William Henry Fennimore (me). I’ve added a few fields to my spreadsheet:

• Project ID – This will tie back to my project tracking sheet.  I am sure that one is already in my tracker, and I have included it in that field.  The others will receive a new project ID.  The matches may appear already on my main tracker as Ancestry matches, but at this time, I can’t make the correlation. I can always merge later.
  
• Linked –  Some of my matches have the same email address, so a single individual likely manages them. Later, when I start contacting my matches instead of sending multiple requests, I can consolidate.  It will also be helpful to know that they have been correlated with each other by another party.
  
• Paint ID – This is the ID which I will use when adding this match to DNA Painter.  It consists of Project ID-Source abbreviation (G for Gedmatch), Match ID (in this case from Gedmatch)-Date.  I create a little template at the bottom of the screen using the excel concatenate function. I copy and paste the project ID and corresponding match ID, and the output can be copied and pasted into DNA Painter, and my project tracker instead of repetitive typing.  Less chance for errors and easier on the hands.

While I am calling this the Fennimore project, I am only able to map these two kits to a couple; William Fennimore and Mary Day, our common ancestor couple.  You can see by the Gen columns that none of our matches are very closely related, which I would expect for this particular exercise. If I were looking for biological relatives of a living person, I’d be ecstatic to see the opposite.  I believe that the research question (goal) will determine your best approach. But stated earlier, I am jumping in, and you are along for the ride. I welcome backseat drivers! So correct me if I take a wrong turn.

Time to Paint!

I’m firing up DNA Painter, and my prework will hopefully make it a bit easier. I am going to create a new profile in Chromosome Maps. 

I copy and paste each shared match (Gedmatch ID) into the Gedmatch “One-to-one Autosomal Comparison” utility with my kit number. The options selected are position only and display only chromosomes with matched segments.

Highlight the results, and cut and paste into the “Paint a Match” box:

After you have saved the match, another screen will pop up to classify the entry:

Once saved, you can view where the match is placed. Very Cool!

I will repeat this action for each unique match with the two kits. Eventually, I will see some patterns emerge:

Note – When I created my Gedmatch kit list, I worked off my main project tracker. I copied each of the two “People who match both Kits” to a new tab on a workbook.  Beginning with the larger group of shared matches (Louis Fennimore’s descendant).  I used the VLOOKUP feature in excel and eliminated the duplicates on my shared matches with the George Fennimore line and created a single list of unique matches.  Remember, I am mapping my chromosome right now, and they are the same for each comparison. Each unique match was added back into my project tracker with the appropriate information.  I may later find there are duplicates with the testing company matches and my list of Gedmatch kits, but at least I know I haven’t created two entries for the same Gedmatch ID.  How you manage your project is entirely up to you.  I may change over time as I learn, but for now, this is my approach.

It may be too tiny to see in the picture, but there are quite a few matches. Some of which are in a pile-up area, but segments in 5, 18, and 19 look promising. This step is just the beginning; I will repeat the action with my 23andMe, FamilyTree DNA, and My Heritage matches.  These companies provide chromosome mapping so that it will be the same process as Gedmatch. This tool handles them beautifully. I need to find matches of my Fennimore DNA, not descended from this base couple, and see if they have some clues that I could break this wall, so the more matches I map, the better my chances of finding someone. 

So far, the only people I have come across researching this line appear to be using some of my work as a basis. Twenty years ago, I  mailed letters with family trees to all Fennimore families listed in the “white pages “in the vicinity. I received a few responses.  I’ve also corresponded with others electronically, sharing documents when requested, and hearing their family stories. None of the people that I have communicated with knew much about William.  My goal is to find someone who isn’t descended directly from William Fennimore but match my Fennimore DNA. Maybe they will have some information I haven’t yet discovered.  I’ve looked at many matches, and I don’t see the surname or the variations often, which does make me wonder a bit about William.  Plenty of my matches have indirect Day lines in their research.

Painting can be time-consuming, and after a while, copying and pasting matches can get a bit tedious.  I listen to podcasts or music while I do this; it makes the time go by quicker.  Some of my personal favorites are the British History Podcast, Crime Junkie, Murder Squad, and Wondery/LA times series (Dirty John was terrific).  A little foreshadowing for my next post.

Have you used DNA Painter?  If So how did you approach your project?

GEDmatch – Tools for DNA and Genealogy Research ©Copyright 2011-2020 by GEDmatch, Inc.
Ancestry – © 1997-2020 Ancestry
23andMe – © 2020 23andMe, Inc.
DNA Painter – © DNA Painter, 2020
MyHeritage – Copyright © 2020 MyHeritage Ltd
FamilyTreeDNA – All Contents Copyright 2001-2020 Gene by Gene, Ltd.

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