Category: Ancestor Sketch

Research into the four family Lines, Roberts, Brown, Howell, and Darling.

ThruLines – Part 4 – Patience A Marshall

ThruLines Thursday
Roberts, Marshall
DNA

In Part 4 of my ThruLinestm verification process, I’m looking closely at matches with my 2nd great-grandmother, Patience Anna Marshall Dean Roberts.

Patience married Asa Ellis Roberts in Jefferson County, Illinois on 25 August 1872. She had four children with him, Charles Wilson Roberts, Rosa Della Roberts, Florence Elizabeth Roberts, and my great-grandfather, Hugh Ellis Roberts.  I wrote about my ThruLines findings with that family in Part 3 of this series.

Before Patience married Asa, she was married to Thomas B. Dean. Thomas died in 1863, but Patience had at least one child with him[i]. Her name was Elnora Dean. My records included her birth, marriage, and death information but nothing about any children of hers.

ThruLines indicated there were four here-to-for unknown half-cousins, all descended from Elnora Dean, and have tested with Ancestry DNA.

Step one:  Does the shared DNA amount match expectations for the relationship?

  • Match 1 is a half 3rd cousin, 1x removed, with whom I share 79 cM
  • Match 2 is a half 3rd cousin, 2x removed, with whom I share 22cM
  • Match 3 is a half 3rd cousin with whom I share 60cM
  • Match 4 is a half 3rd cousin, 1x removed, with whom I share 17cM

According to the Shared cM Project 3.0 tool v4, all four of the individuals and I share expected amounts of DNA.

Step two: Do the cousin’s common ancestor with me and match my known information about that common ancestor.

Yes. My records indicated that Patience had a daughter Elnora Dean and Elnora married Samuel H Pitchford on 11 Nov 1880 in Jefferson County, Illinois. All of the ThruLines matches are descended from Elnora and Samuel.

Using the ThruLinestm, I learned that Elnora and Samuel had seven children. Mary, Edward, Grace, Blanche, Florence, Edith, and Herbert.

Blanch married Homer H Roberts and had two children Theodora and Earl. Earl was the grandfather of one of my new cousins.

Edith married twice, once to Walton Pyles where she had several children. She married a second time; that marriage produced a son Eric Lemons. Eric was the father, grandfather, and great grandfather to the other three half-cousins in my ThruLinestm.

Thanks to ThruLinestm, I added 25 new half-cousins to my chart all descended from Patience Anna Marshall’s daughter Elnora Dean.

Sadly, none of these cousins carry Patience’s mtDNA. However, hopefully adding several generations of Patience’s descendants will yield, in the future, new cousins, some of whom will carry Patience’s mtDNA.

If you are a descendant of Patience Anna Marshall, consider testing with Ancestry DNA; it is an excellent genealogical resource and can help you broaden your tree too.

Endnotes

[i] The 1900 Census for Patience Anna Roberts indicates that she had six children, five of whom were living. It is unclear if the one child that had died was a child with her first husband, Thomas Dean, or her second husband, Asa Ellis Roberts. In either event, it does not appear that the child lived to have children.

Montran in the News – 3 New Articles from Genealogy Bank

Montran Monday
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.

This week for Montran Monday[i], I decided to renew my subscription to Genealogy Bank. Genealogy Bank is one of the top three paid newspaper sources that I know about; I use them regularly. My search for “Montran” yielded three new entries since the last time I searched their system that were not about my grandmother.

This week’s first entry is from the Trenton Evening Times dated 19 July 1887, Page 1

Under “Police Pickings” was:

“William Montran, Patrick Conlon and James Connors were each fined $3 last night for disorderly conduct at the Clinton street railroad station.”

The second entry is from the Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA) dated 30 January 1917, page 16:

Times-Picayune – 1/30/1917

TEN GROCERS FACE CHARGES.

Baton Rouge Scene of Arrests for Violations of Sunday Law.

“Baton Rouge, La. Jan. 20—Ten arrests for violation of the Sunday law were made yesterday by Officers Lejeune and Schoonmaker. The men were proprietors of small grocery stores and almost all of them were Italians. Those arrested were:

Nick Montran, Palmer and America Streets, Sam Dagestino…..”

The third entry is from the Sun (Baltimore, MD) dated 4 April 1920. Under “Marriage Licenses.”:

COLOGNE—MONTRAN. –JOHN T., 24, Philadelphia, Pa.; Ruth G., 22.

Things I learned

One – A William Montran was fined for disorderly conduct in Trenton, New Jersey in 1887.

My records have two William Montrans. The first one was born in Canada, about 1846. Yes, a 41-year-old Canadian could be in Trenton, New Jersey getting disorderly. However, there is nothing to link this incident to that William Montran.

My second William Montran was born in Kansas sometime before 1860. Again, there is nothing to link this William Montran to the individual fined for disorderly conduct in Trenton, New Jersey in 1887.

  • I added a third William Montran to my records indicating the event.

Two – A Nick Montran, grocery store proprietor, was arrested for being open on Sunday.

My records have two Nick Montrans. The first one was born about 1882 in Romania. He had children born in Pennsylvania in 1916 and 1919, so it is unlikely he was a store proprietor in Baton Rouge, LA in 1917.

The second Nick Montran is the son of Nick Montran and was born in 1916. This can’t be the same Nick who was arrested.

  • I added a third Nick Montran to my records indicating the event.

Three – Ruth G. Montran and John T. Cologne received a marriage license before 4 April 1920. John was 24, and Ruth was 22.

I had Ruth and John Marrying at ages 24 and 22, respectively, based on the 1930 Census[ii]. Ruth was born on 27 Nov 1897, so she would have been 22 on 27 Nov 1919. So, my records suggested the two were married between 27 Nov 1919 and 27 Nov 1920. Assuming that marriage licenses are reported weekly, I believe they received their license after 25 March 1920.

  1. I changed the marriage date of Ruth Montran and John Cologne to between 25 Mar 1920 and 27 Nov 1920. I added the marriage location as Maryland.
  2. I added an event, Marriage License, before 4 April 1920. Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, to my database.

————–  Disclaimer  ————–

Endnotes

[i] Montran Monday – My grandmother’s father was John Montran. She used the surname, as a young child and again when she began in show business. The name is uncommon, and most of the Montrans I see in the newspapers are my grandmother during her early vaudeville career. However, with the constant flow of newly digitized material, I often learn of new articles which contain the Montran name. I pay attention to the finding and try to determine a possible relationship of any Montrans to Donna’s father, John Montran.
[ii] 1930 Census (NARA), Ancestry.Com, 1930 – John T. Cologne – Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Year: 1930; Census Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0496. Original data: the United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.

Brashears – Surname Saturday

Roberts – Brashears

Brashears Name Origin or Meaning

None of the sources I have provide a meaning for the surname Brashears. Ancestry indicates that it is an Americanized form of French (Huguenot) Brasseur[i]. Forebears indicates that virtually all of the people with the Brashears surname live in the United States. Likewise, ForeBears indicates it is an Americanized form of Brasseur and is almost entirely in the United States. Today, individuals with the Brasseur surname live mostly in France and Belgium[ii].

Geographical

Worldwide there are approximately 3,003 people who bear the Brashears surname.

It is most prevalent in the United State where over 99 percent of the people with the Brashear surname live[iii].

My Earliest Brashear Ancestors


Discover you family history through historical newspapers at Newspapers.comI don’t know where any of my Brashears ancestors were born. I believe that my fourth-great-grandmother, Rebecca Brashears, was born about 1771. She married Elias Roberts about 1786 and the two located to Tennessee in the 1790s.

Her father, Robert Samuel Brashears, appears to have been born about 1731.
His father, Robert Cager Brashears, was possibly born about 1700[iv].
His father, Samuel Brashears, was possibly born about 1670[iv].

I have not determined an immigrant ancestor, so where my Brashears came from would be entirely speculation. That said, Rebecca Brashears is number 6 on my Roberts research list, so, hopefully, I’ll be able to research her in depth by next June (2020).

My Direct Brashears Ancestors

65 – 4th Great Grandmother: Rebecca Brashears (1771-1859)
130 – 5th Great-grandfather: Robert Samuel Brashears (1731-1819)
260 – 6th Great-grandfather: Robert Cager Brashears
520 – 7th Great-grandfather: Samuel Brashears

Brashears Descendants

My records have 362 direct-line descendants of Samuel Brashears identified in my tree.

I have no known living Y-DNA descendants of Robert Samuel Brashears[v].

I have no known living mtDNA descendants of Rebecca Brashears[v].

Sources:

Ancestry – Don Taylor’s Roberts-Brown-2019 Tree accessed 6 June 2019.

Endnotes:

[i] Internet: Ancestry.Com – Name Origins – Brashears. https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=brashears

[ii] Internet: Forebears – Results of a name search for Brasseur. https://forebears.io/surnames/brasseur

[iii] Ibid.

[iv] Speculative dates based upon nothing but the age of their children.

[v] If you are a descendant of Samuel Brashears that carries his Y-DNA or a descendant of Rebecca Brashear that carries her mtDNA, I would love to hear from you.

Not the Death Record for Hannah (Bell) McAllister, Mayholland

Some days, you are completely surprised by what you find. In the Case of Hannah Bell, I conjectured that she was widowed sometime between February 1852, when her son Peter was born, and December 1855, when she married Charles Mayholland. I saw that Hannah Maholland died in 1856 and figured she died within the year. So, to confirm my speculation, I ordered a copy of the death registry record.

The death record indicates my speculation was wrong.  Hannah Maholland, who died in 1856, died at 14 days old. My first thought was that Maholland and Mayholland must have been different people. I don’t think so. Little Hannah died at High Church Street, the same location that Hannah had lived for many years. The death registry record for Hannah MaHolland reads:

  • No.      355
  • When: 25 May 1856 – High Church Street, Workington
  • Who:   Hannah Maholland
  • Sex:     Female
  • Age:     14 days
  • Prof.:   Daughter of Charles Maholland, a lawyer journeyman
  • CoD:    Premature Birth Certified
  • Inf.:      Ann Solkirt
  • When: 27 May 1856
  • Reg.     John Askew, Registrar
Death Registry Record for Hannah Maholland (25 May 1856)

Even though there is a minor name difference (Maholland vs. Mayholland), I’m pretty sure that this Charles Maholland is the husband of Hannah (Bell) McAllister. My new theory is that Hannah had a daughter that died at 14 days old and that Hannah (the mother) did not die in the spring of 1856 as I initially supposed.

This research reminded me that relying on indexes can get you into trouble.  Always get the original record to confirm the information you have.

Update To: Cleanup, HM Passport Office, and Joseph McAllister

Ancestor Sketch
Darling-McAllister
By Don Taylor

UPDATE – May 2019

I received the copy of the Death record of Joseph McAllister. Sadly, the Joseph McAllister who died in the St. Mary District, Carlisle, Cumberland County on 12 Dec 1855 is a different Joseph McAllister. That Joseph was 72 years old when he died and was an “agricultural labourer.” (Neither fact were evident in the index.) Our Joseph McAllister should have been about 37 years old and a mariner. 

Hannah still married Charles Mayholland in the fall of 1855, so her husband, Joseph McAllister, must have died before that. Searches for his death have been unsuccessful so far.  I’ve ordered a copy of the marriage record from the General Register Office.  I should receive the record vis US Post be mid-June. 

Corrections to the original are either lined out or added in green

Originally posted 11 February 2019.

Cleanup

One of my practices is to clean up a name when I start research on a person. In the case of Joseph McAllister, I wanted to be sure that I had all of my records straight and associated with the correct person. I had five different Joseph McAllister in my files. One was a duplicate which I deleted. The other four included:

  • Joseph McAllister (1818-c.1855) – 3rd great-grandfather – I’ll review his life below.
  • Joseph McAllister – (1848-____) 3rd great-uncle (Joseph Senior’s oldest son)
  • Joseph McAllister – (1889-1962) 2nd great uncle (Great-grandmother Hannah’s brother)
  • Joseph McAllister – (1917-1982) 1st cousin, 2x removed. (Joseph 1889’s son)

HM Passport Office

When doing genealogical research on English ancestors, I find that the General Register Office (GRO) is one of the best sites to use. They maintain the national archives of all births marriages, and deaths dating back to 1837.  I’ve ordered from them many times and have always been happy with what they provide.

Once you log into the GRO at HM Passport Office, (an account is free) you can do basic searches for particular records. If you know the person’s name, year of death, and place of death, you will likely find the record on the GRO website. Then you can order a copy of the record through them.  If you are like me and only need a PDF version of the file, you can order a Birth or Death record for about eight dollars at the current exchange rate.  You can’t order a PDF version of a marriage record, so you need to order a hard copy of one at about $12. I always think it is much better to have a copy of the record from the register than relying on just the index of the record. I highly recommend that you always get a copy of the record rather than relying on only the index information.

If you have an Ancestry World Explorer subscription, you can search several databases regarding England & Wales, Civil Registration [Birth/Marriage/Death] Indexes, 1837-1915. Ancestry has many different methods to search and potentially find the record you are looking for easier on Ancestry. When you see the indexed record, it will provide the book and page number for ordering at the Government Register Office. You can also order a physical copy through AncestryShop for $38.00.

Darling Research 2019 – Ancestor #52

List of Grandparents 

Joseph McAllister (1818-c. 1855)

Birth

Joseph was born about 1818 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England.[i]  When Joseph was born, King George III was King of England. I have not determined who Joseph’s parents were.

Childhood

I know nothing of siblings of Joseph or his childhood. I do know that when Joseph was two, King George III died and was replaced by his son, King George IV who reigned until Joseph was about 12. George IV died: his brother William reigned for only six years. Then, in 1837, Victoria became Queen and reigned for 63 years.

Marriage

Joseph married Hannah Bell sometime between October and December 1845 in Cockermouth, Cumberland County, England. I have ordered a copy of their marriage registry entry through the General Register Office.

Adult

Joseph and Hannah had three children.

  •       Margaret – Born 19 October 1846 in Workington. Margaret died at the age of two, on 12 December 1848.
  •       Joseph – Born 1848 in Cockermouth.
  •       Peter – Born 12 February 1852 in Workington. He died in England in 1939.

The 1851 England Census shows the Joseph McAllister family consisting of:

  •       Joseph, Age 33, born in Cockermouth
  •       Hannah, Age 30, born Whitehaven
  •       Joseph, age 3, born Cockermouth
  •       Ann Calbeck, age 61, born Whitehaven — Ann is a “visitor” in the household. Because Ann and Hannah were both born in Whitehaven, I suspect that Ann may have been related to Hannah. Ann is 31 years older than Hannah, so possibly Ann is Hannah’s mother or an aunt. I need to do more research on Ann.

Stories

Margaret’s birth registration indicates that her father was a sailor. Likewise, Peter’s marriage record shows that his father was a sailor. Family oral history said that Peter was a sea captain. I’ve not found any evidence of that; however, I suspect that the oral history story may have been based on Peter’s father, Joseph being a sailor.

A Joseph McAllister was acquitted of stealing slabs and rails of wood from Charles Lamport of Workington. According to the newspaper article.[ii] this Joseph was 28 years-old where our Joseph would have been 33. However, this Joseph McAllister was in the same, Workington, with the same name as our Joseph McAllister.

Death & Burial

Some researchers have indicated that Joseph McAllister died between October and December 1855 in Carlisle, Cumberland, England. Carlisle is only about 35 miles from Workington and 25 miles from Cockermouth, so it certainly is possible that Joseph died there. However, all of Joseph’s other entries are in Cockermouth. I ordered a copy of Joseph McAllister’s 1855 death registration. That Joseph McAllister was 72 years old when he passed. Our Joseph McAllister would have been about 37. This Joseph McAllister who died in Carlisle in 1855 is clearly a different Joseph McAllister and from our Joseph.

Joseph McAllister is person LXWS-74R on Family Search.

Further Actions / Follow-up

  1. Search maritime records for references to Joseph McAllister sailing out of Workington. Could Joseph have been a “sea captain?”
  2. Confirm Joseph McAllister’s death information.
  3. Confirm Hannah McAllister’s remarriage event.

————–  Disclaimer  ————–

Sources

  • 1851 England Census, Ancestry, Joseph Allinson [McAllister] Cockermouth, Cumberland, England. Class: HO107; Piece: 2434; Folio: 483; Page: 15; GSU roll: 87114. https://search.ancestry.com/collections/8860/records/15194542.
  • The Newcastle Weekly Courant (Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England) dated 16 January 1852, Page 2 – “Cumberland Sessions” – Joseph McAlister.
  • England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915, Ancestry, Joseph McAllister – Death – Oct-Nov-Dec 1855 – Carlisle, Cumberland, England. FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: com Operations Inc, 2006.
  • England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915, Ancestry, Marriage – Joseph McAlister [McAllister] and Hannah Bell – Oct-Nov-Dec 1845. FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA.
  • Entry of Marriage, General Register Office, 1878 Marriage – Peter McAllister – Margaret Lambe.
  • General Register Office, Births, Marriages, & Deaths (UK) (HM Passport Office), GRO.GOV.UK, Birth – Margaret McAllister – 1846 – Workington, Cumberland, England. Volume 25, Page 104, No 350.

Endnotes

[i] The 1851 England Census indicates that Joseph Allinson [McAllister] was 33 years old and had been born in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England.
[ii] 1852-01-16 – Page 2 – “Cumberland Sessions” – Joseph McAlister. 1852-01-16 – The Newcastle Weekly Courant (Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England) · Page 2 “Cumberland Sessions” Joseph McAlister. Newcastle Weekly Courant, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England.