Somehow Related: August 2023

Monday, August 28, 2023

When the World Watched a Disaster ~ Amelia Earhart

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 35 (DISASTER)

My husband's grandmother, Nina Merle Vannatter, was 11 years old when the world watched as Amelia Earhart disappeared while trying to be the first to fly solo around the world.

When she disappeared on July 2nd 1937 it really was a disaster.

Along with Amelia was her navigator, Fred Noonan.

What did 11 year old Nina & 39 year old Amelia Earhart have in common?

They shared 6th great grandparents
Nathaniel Underhill
BIRTH 22 FEB 1663 • Killingworth, Oyster Bay, New York, USA
DEATH 10 NOV 1710 • Westchester, New York, USA
and
Mary Ferris
BIRTH 22 FEB 1663 • New Castle, Westchester County, New York, USA
DEATH 9 MAY 1750 • Westchester County, New York, USA

11 year old Nina likely had no idea that the female pilot making headline news was her 7th cousin.

Amelia descended through their son
Abraham Underhill
BIRTH 1697 • New Castle, Westchester County, New York, USA
DEATH OCT 1750 • White Plains, Westchester County, New York, USA

Chris descends through their son
Nathaniel Underhill
BIRTH 11 AUG 1690 • New Castle, Westchester, New York, USA
DEATH 27 NOV 1775 • New Castle, Westchester, New York, USA

The immigrant ancestor for our Bramble Bush on this line is
5th great grandfather Elnathan Underhill
BIRTH ABT. 1761 • Westchester County, New York, USA
DEATH 23 JUN 1845 • Port Ryerse, Woodhouse Township, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada

Not sure if there is any family resemblance?

The face shape?

The hairline?

The hair texture?

The brow line?

Can't tell for sure

Looking for in common features in old photos!!!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

Amelia Earhart: American aviator. Encyclopedia Brittanica. Last updated July 20th 2023. Retreved August 28th 2023 from
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Amelia-Earhart

Amelia Earhart Was Declared Dead 80 Years Ago. Here's What to Know About What Actually Happened to Her. Waxman, Olivia B. Originally published January 4th 2019. Retrieved August 28th 2023 from
https://time.com/5486999/amelia-earhart-disappearance-theories/

Navigating the Truth Behind Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan. Phelan, Ben. PBS. Originally published September 29th 2014. Retrieved August 28th 2023 from
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/stories/articles/2014/9/29/navigating-truth-behind-amelia-earhart-and-fred-noonan

What Happened to Amelia Earhart? The trailblazing aviator’s disappearance remains a source of fascination—and controversy. History.com Editors. History Channel. Originally published June 4th 2010. Updated March 29th 2023. Retrieved August 28th 2023 from
https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/what-happened-to-amelia-earhart

Photos:

Amelia Earhart. NBC Photo-NBC Radio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved from
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amelia_Earhart_1935.jpg

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Ancestry's Maternal/Paternal Groups ~ How Accurate Are They?

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 34 (NEWEST DISCOVERY)

Today I got a message from Ancestry about my matches being sorted into maternal/paternal matches:

Interesting - this is not new in my account.

If memory serves me correctly I was one of the first to get this feature.

Recently I canceled my paid subscription.
From the email it sounds like only paid memberships can see this.
In reading this email It sounds like I will lose this feature when my membership expires.

I suspect this is the first step in trying to get me to renew my membership before it expires.

I only renewed my paid membership 5 months ago to assist a friend in their search. Prior to that renewal I had the maternal/paternal groups feature in my Ancestry account without a paid membership. Maybe that has stopped over the past 5 months.

About 10 years ago was the first time I paid for a membership. After I researched what I could I let the membership lapse. I would usually renew my membership only when I had something specific I was researching. This has been my pattern over the past 10 years.

I will be intrigued to see if I lose the maternal/paternal feature when my membership actually runs out next month.

If I lose this feature there will be no real impact on my research.

Long ago I used the Leeds method on my matches sorting them maternally and paternally. For more information about the Leeds Method of match sorting check the Sources below.

My newest discovery on Ancestry shows I have:

15,171 maternal matches
14,303 paternal matches
34 both side matches
940 unassigned matches

The majority of the unassigned matches have already been identified by my colour coding. Things get murky when looking at the unassigned matches as low as 22cMs. There is one match that is unknown with 4 other unknown matches in common. This is odd in that I have my maternal grandmother, maternal aunt, and father in Ancestry who are not showing as in common matches. When I look more carefully at the shared matches 2 of them have my mother's paternal line as a colour coded match. This leaves me to believe my mother received some of her father's paternal DNA that her sister did not. That DNA was passed to me.

In looking at the both sided matches - the top 3 are on my father's maternal line and well documented as paternal matches. My mother's maternal line has a connection to first arrival Colonialism. Those original families intermarried creating many small matches to descendants of those families. This creates a bit of confusion when trying to establish where exactly matching takes place. The available Ancestry tools are not very helpful. Beyond the top 3 unassigned matches all of them are in the 8-15 cM range. Matches this small are likely endogamy with the line mentioned above & my paternal Jewish line. Given only 3 of the unassigned matches have more than 15 cMs in common it is unlikely I will find the exact spot they belong in our Bramble Bush.

In looking at the maternal and paternal matches Ancestry is accurate for all of the matches down to 40 cMs that I have colour coded.

I had already divided my maternal and paternal matches so didn't need ancestry to do so.

For anyone who hasn't yet done the Leeds Method on their matches and is wondering if Ancestry's breakdowns are correct - I can confirm mine are. Then again I do have my father's DNA in my account so that might be contributing to the accuracy.

When the research tools work as expected!!!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

DNA Color Clustering: The Leeds Method for Easily Visualizing Matches. Leeds, Dana. Originally published August 23rd 2023. Retrieved August 22nd 2023 from
https://www.danaleeds.com/dna-color-clustering-the-leeds-method-for-easily-visualizing-matches/

Leeds Method for Organizing DNA Matches. Your DNA Guide. Retrieved August 22nd 2023 from
https://www.yourdnaguide.com/leeds-method

Leeds Method of DNA Color Clustering. McDermott, Marc. Originally published December 23rd 2022. Retrieved August 22nd 2023 from
https://www.genealogyexplained.com/leeds-method/

MODULE 2: Grouping your AncestryDNA matches - The Leeds Method and my "twisted" Leeds Method. Mossie's Musings. Originally published May 28th 2023. Retrieved August 22nd 2023 from
https://mossiesmusings.blogspot.com/2020/08/grouping-your-ancestrydna-matches-using.html

Photos:

Email & Ancestry Clipped

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Ford Strong ~ Remembering Those Gone Too Soon

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 33 (STRENGTH)

Long before the Ford Company began in 1903 my 2nd cousin X9 removed, FORD STRONG, was born.

He died at only 2 months old.

Many years later Ford would use the slogan

I had misremembered the slogan as BUILT FORD STRONG when I saw the name of my 2nd cousin X9 removed recently and decided to write about him this week.

Ford was born on September 2nd 1668, and died on November 1st 1668. He was born & died in Northampton, Massachusetts, USA.

The death of an infant is sad.

I can't imagine it was any less sad in a time when infant mortality was so high.

Infants who die leave no one behind to search for them, to remember them, or to honour them.

It is this reason that I frequently write about my distant cousins who died as infants.

I am fairly confident it is why genealogy researchers often save an image for a baby born still or died as infants.

We want to remember all of our relatives.

Ford's parents were
Captain, Jedediah Strong
BIRTH 7 MAY 1637 • Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
DEATH 22 MAY 1733 • Coventry, Tolland County, Connecticut, USA
& his first wife
Freedom Woodward
BIRTH 1 JUL 1642 • Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA
DEATH 17 MAY 1681 • Northampton, Massachusetts, USA

Ford must have been named after his grandmother, Jedediah's mother,
Abigail Ford
BIRTH 8 OCT 1619 • Bridgeport, Dorset, England
DEATH 6 JUL 1688 • Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
married to
John Strong
BIRTH 1605 • Taunton, Deane Borough, Somerset, England
DEATH 14 APR 1699 • Northampton, Massachusetts, USA

My 9th great grandmother, Hepzibah Ford, was Abigail's sister.
Hepzibah Ford
BIRTH 15 MAY 1625 • Dorchester, Dorset, England
DEATH 11 APR 1683 • Northampton, Massachusetts, United States
& 1st husband
Richard Lyman
BIRTH 24 FEB 1618 • High Ongar, Co. Kent (Canterbury) England
DEATH 3 JUN 1662 • Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Where Ford and I have our family lines connect is also where Princess Diana and I connect.

Ford's parents are Princess Diana's 8th great grandparents.

Ford is Princess Diana's 7th Great-Grand Uncle

Princess Diana is my 11th cousin.
We share 10th great grandparents, Abigail & Hepzibah's parents
Thomas Ford
BIRTH 6 JAN 1589 • Powerstock, Dorset, England, United Kingdom
DEATH 28 NOV 1676 • Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts, USA
and
Elizabeth Charde
BIRTH 1589 • Thorncombe, Bridgeport, Dorsetshire, England
DEATH 18 APR 1643 • Windsor, Hartford, Colony of Connecticut, British Colonial America

When listening to the audiobook "The Winthrop Woman" (my husband's 10th great grandmother) there were many mentions of the folks connected in this area of our Bramble Bush. I loved hearing mention of my family members alongside Chris'

The STRONG legacy of this family is evident in their descendants.

Remembering those who left us too young!!!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Photos:

Built Ford Tough FREE SVG File, Tiffany, original November 28, 2019 Retrieved August 13th 2023 from
https://freesvgs.com/index.php/2019/11/28/built-ford-tough/

The Winthrop Woman audiobook. Seton, Anya. Narrator: Corrie James. Tantor Audio. 2014. Originally published in print 1958.

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Monday, August 7, 2023

Sweet & Innocent I Was ~ Even I Have a Hard Time Keeping a Straight Face

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 32 (REUNION)

Having never been to an actual family reunion it makes it hard to write about one for this week's blog.

I could simply say I am in need of a family reunion to attend, and end this week's entry.

BUT since I feel that is not in the spirit of writing weekly I will share a random memory I had this morning when I was looking at amusing memes on Facebook.

Over the years my mother frequently told the tale of my showing off her black lacy undies to all the neighbours.

It seems I put on a pair of her black lacy underwear, pulled them up to my chest like a little jumpsuit, and ran down the street with her chasing after me.

About the same age I was when the undies adventure happened

My takeaway was how fast was I when I was 2 that she couldn't catch me before I was down the street OR was she laughing so hard she couldn't get enough air to actually run?

Then again ... she was pregnant with my brother when I was 2 so maybe that was why she couldn't catch me before all the neighbours saw her knickers!!!

When I heard this story I would often think I was just too cute to have been that much of a handful

Then again there are a lot of stories about my mischief making.

Those knees are pretty bashed up for a quiet little girl
who didn't get into any mischief 😂

A few of the tales my mother told many times over the years.

When I was 18 months I ate 3 packages of her birth control pills. They were fairly new in their availability, and too expensive to replace. That brother mentioned above was born 10 months after my stomach was pumped.

Also around the age of 2 my parents woke to find my cat and I stuck to the kitchen counter where I had climbed to eat the suckers hidden in the cupboard. It appeared to my patient grown ups that I had licked each one, and then dropped it to the counter where the cat and I were sitting on the sticky suckers.

Another morning - that adorable dog in the photo and I were playing fetch with potatoes and carrots on the kitchen floor after emptying the fridge drawers.

My takeaway from these stories ... I didn't have a lot of supervision in the morning!

Remembering the family stories that were told over and over again!!!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Cluck-tural Digest Winners ~ Gorgeous Home for the Discerning Chicken

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 31 (FLEW THE COOP)

During our homeschooling years we did a lot of exciting & interesting things. One that stands out is the chickens we hatched from eggs in an incubator. They were bantam/leghorn crosses.

When the chicks hatched about half were picked up by the farm we hatched them for, but about half stayed in a hutch in our dining room with a hen to care for them.

It was so cute to watch the mommy chicken tuck all her chicks under her. It was amusing to see one of them who was always peeking out, and mom tucking it back in. It was this curious one that our youngest named Honey because of the chicks light yellow colouring.

Our youngest carried Honey around with him wherever he went. Honey was often seen hanging out in the pocket of his housecoat or hoodie. During the week the chicks stayed with us they became very good friends.

A few month later we went to the farm to visit the chicks we had hatched. When we arrived our youngest ran right up to a rooster who was running towards him. The farmer tried to caution our youngest that the rooster was aggressive, but neither of them were listening. The rooster not only let our youngest pick him up, but appeared to jump up to assist in that happening. That Rooster sat on our youngest's knee for most of the farm visit. The farmer was shocked. She said the rooster had been aggressive & territorial with all visitors. Clearly they were imprinted on each other from that week the chick stayed with us.

It would seem our youngest's love of chickens is a family trait.

His aunt (my husband's sister) has a beautiful home for her feathery friends. Prior to visiting their home in the sunny Okanagan I thought chicken coops were dirty and stinky. These chicken are living their best life in a gorgeous home with amazing views of Okanagan Lake.