Caution Regarding 23andMe

     Over the past few days there have been important changes in the Frequently Asked Questions and Terms of Service at 23andMe. I can't tell you when the changes were made because there was no announcement.  They didn't bother to tell their paying customers that there were changes in the services we've been paying for - or should I say what we aren't paying for?

     When I purchased my five DNA kits from 23andMe it was with understanding that I would be paying $9 a month for a year for updates to my Relative Finder and Health Reports. If I choose not to continue my subscription after 12 months, I would maintain the reports I had already received, but would not receive further updates.  For many months now there has been discussion on the 23andMe message boards on whether folks plan to renew or not.

     The other day, someone noticed that the FAQs had changed and a new thread was started to discuss these changes. Apparently it has been decided that anyone opting not to renew/continue their subscription, would no longer be able to access their Relative Finder and Health Reports - at all.  We're being cut off from all of the reports that we've been paying for the past year.  They will no longer be accessible. Not just new results - the old ones as well.

     Based on conversations on the message boards, 23andMe has angered a lot of their customers with the changes. I'm not very happy myself. When I purchased this test it was with the understanding that I was getting and keeping a certain level of test results after fulfilling my obligations.  I never planned to continue to pay after my 12 months. Unless I change my mind (I won't), all I will have is my raw data.  I don't feel that it is ethical of 23andMe to change their policies on pre-existing customers this way.

     23andMe has created a feedback form for customers to respond directly regarding these recent changes. This is one of very few ways to contact 23andMe. If you send them an email, it will take about two weeks to hear back. There is no one you can call - there is no customer service phone number. This has already been a source of irritation for me with this company.

     Unless they act on our feedback and reverse these new policies, I will not be purchasing any more DNA tests from 23andMe. I won't be recommending their services, though I will leave it up to individuals to decide for themselves if they feel the service is worth the money.

     And finally: soon, Family Tree DNA will allow 23andMe customers to import their data for $50. I'll be taking them up on this offer.

DNA: The Wait Is On, Again

VS

     First off, I've decided that I've spent more than enough money on DNA tests this year (over $900!).  Even having gotten every single test on sale and having not paid for one test personally, that's a whole lot of money... which I could have put to more practical use... Oh well! The good thing is, I got a lot of relatives tested. Also, not all the results are in yet so I still have more info forthcoming.

     On December 14th I received emails from both Family Tree DNA and 23andMe that my kits had been received.  At ftDNA I'm testing the Y-DNA my first cousin twice removed, Lewis Waters. At 23andMe I'm testing the autosomal DNA of my double cousin, Anne Barfield Brown. On my dad's side, Anne is both my 1st cousin twice removed and my 2nd cousin once removed.

   So, which test results will come in first? They are different types of tests, so it's not a true comparison on which company will be fastest. Regardless, I'm curious about how fast each company completes the test given the multiple upcoming holidays.

Albea DNA Update

     A little while back I was contacted via email by a family researching the Albey family of Vermont. They were interested in finding out more about my Albea/Alby DNA Project and how it could help them trace their Albey line.  Although our families didn't connect on paper and didn't live in the same areas, they both spelled their name "Alby" at some point in time.  It's an uncommon name that isn't spelled the way is sounds, which leads to many variations (Albea is pronounced ALL-bee).  Surely we were related?  Or could the name have multiple origins?

     We recently got our results back and they weren't what I was expecting.

     What was I expecting? A clear cut result where we either matched through the 37 markers that we tested or no relationship at all.

     What were the results? A twelve marker match with a distance of One. According to Family Tree DNA, this relationship indicates that we have a "Possible Relationship"

"You share the same surname (or a variant) with another male and you mismatch by only one 'point' on only one marker. For most closely related or same surnamed individuals, the mismatch markers are either DYS 439 or DYS 385 A, 385 B,389-1 and 389-2. To ensure that the match is authentic you should utilize additional markers.

     As you can see here, our mismatch is at DYS385 B. My Uncle has a 15 and they have a 14.

     At the 25 marker level, we have 8 mismatches. These are at DYS markers such as "458, 459a, 459b, 449, 464 a-d, which have shown themselves to move most rapidly".

     At the same time, the Tip Report gives a 75% chance that we are related within 28 generations. I could be wrong about this, but from what I understand, that is 28 generations between the two testors, not from them to the common ancestor. So there's about a 75% chance that we are related about 14 generations back.

     So from all this, I believe that our two Albea/Alby/Albey families are related - but at such a distance that we will be unlikely to find our common ancestor (both lines are currently stuck in the 1700s).  We're both looking for other folks to test who have paper trails on our specific family lines.

     Are there any DNA savvy folks who would like to comment?

A Young Man's Draft Card - A Deceptive Title, An Unexpected Find

     Today, Ancestry.com added a database called "U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1898-1929." Well color me excited!

     I quickly began a search for my Grandfather, Thomas Craft, in Georgia. No results. What do you mean no results? Ok, just give me anyone named Craft in Elbert County, Georgia. One result. What?! That can't be right. Well, the ancestry.com searches have been acting up, let me start over. I went back to the landing page for the new database and that's when I saw it: despite the title of the database, this is a limited collection. The only records in this "U.S" collection are from North Carolina.

     Well, now I'm disappointed.  I assume that the database will be expanded to include other states over time, but for now the title is misleading.

     I was about to say "the heck with it" when I paused.  My Great-Grandfather Mack Huyler eventually ended up in High Point, North Carolina in later years. He traveled a lot in his youth - I wonder if he might have been there for the draft?

     Yep, he was.

     He was the only Huyler in the state and registered under his birth name, Vary.  He's living in Charlotte, NC in 1942. His "Person Who Will Always Know Your Address" is a Mrs Charlotte Bristo[w] in High Point. It would appear that his connection to High Point, NC does go back further than his retirement years. Mack might have been able to hide from his family in the 1930s and 1940s, but he can't hide from me!

     One thing to note: if you do find your relatives in this database, make sure to scroll to the next page. There's no indication of it, but these records are two pages long.

DNA Sale from GeneTree

     I got an email today from GeneTree.com announcing their holiday sale. From now through December 30th, they are offering a discounted price on their Enhanced Paternal and Maternal DNA tests. This is a 46 marker Y-DNA test for $119 and a HVR 1, 2, 3 test for $129.

Wordless Wednesday

Why You Read the Back of a Tombstone

     My Great-Great-Grandmother's sister is buried in Duluth City Cemetery (Gwinnett County, GA), just a few miles down the road. Her headstone is shown on FindAGrave.com, but since it was so close, I thought I'd check it out for myself. And when I did, I realized that not all of the information from the tombstone had been put online.

     You can see here, the stone of Mary J Smith Hollis Herrington and her husband, Newton Herrington.

     I snapped photos of other Herrington graves and thought, "let me check the back to make sure there's nothing there." Sure enough, there was something carved into the back of Newton Herrington's side of the stone:

 

   From what I can tell, it says:

S. L. E. No 34

L. O. O. F.

A. L. No. 14

I. O. O. F.

G. T. No. G

I. O. OF R. M.

     I'm not sure, I think they could have been a little more vague.... 

     With the help of 'Tombstone Symbols and Fraternal Abbreviations,' I've figured out that I. O. O. F. is Independent Order of Odd Fellows and I. O. OF R. M. is The Improved Order of Red Men. 

     I can't figure out the rest. I thought that AL might be American Legion, but that was founded after Newton died.  I figure the SLE might be Southern or Sons, but I'm not sure what else. Anyone have any guesses for the rest?

     Since this is a collateral line, I'm only curious. If this were my direct line however, I'd be very interested in researching any organization that this man belonged to. It would tell me a lot about his religious and political beliefs and point me in the direction of further genealogical sources.

     Here are some photos of the cemetery itself:

 

I'm Not a Patient Person

     I'm  really not a patient person. Right now I'm waiting.... waiting.... waiting. I'm waiting on a number of things, from multiple DNA test results, to email responses, to specific new databases to go online.... It's making me grumpy.

     That is all.

Census Sunday - The Great-Grandparents in 1920

Here's a breakdown of  my Great-Grandparents in the 1920 census. You can click each image to view a larger size.

My paternal grandfather's parents, Bennie E Craft and S Ruth Evans were married and living on River Road in Gaines, Elbert, Georgia in 1920. This is the only time I've seen Bennie, or BE as he was called, recorded as Benjamin.  He is a farmer, but there is no listing to show if he rents or owns (I'd guess rents). Both BE and Ruth know how to read and write. They are living next door to Ruth's mother and stepfather, Leila Craft Evans Brown & Jim Brown. Yes, Ruth's mother's maiden name was Craft and Ruth married a Craft - her third cousin to be exact.

My paternal grandmother's father, Nathan Britt, was living Militia District 1429 of Emanuel County, Georgia in 1920.  He was working as a farmer and boarding with the Alford family, though he was listed as working on his "own account." The census states that he could not read or write.








My paternal grandmother's mother, Ledora Barfield, was living with her parents and siblings in a rented home in Militia District 1560 of Emanuel County, Georgia in 1920. At age 13 Ledora was attending school as her parents worked a farm, and could both read and write.

My maternal grandfather's father, C Vernon Albea, was living with his parents and siblings in a rented home at 845 Ritson Ave in Greenwood Township, Greenwood, South Carolina in 1930. At age 16 he was attending school as his father worked in a cotton mill. Vernon could both read and write.

My maternal grandfather's mother, Mamie Auline Witt, lived with her parents and siblings in a rented home at 712 Carley Street in Greenwood Township, Greenwood, South Carolina in 1920. Her father worked at a cotton mill and 16 year old Auline attended school. She could both read and write.

My maternal grandmother's father, Vary "Mack" Huyler, lived with his parents and siblings in a rented home at 422 Edmonds Road in Lexington Township, Lexington, South Carolina in 1920. He was 17 years old and working as a section hand on the rail road. According to family, Vary would soon leave his family and strike out on his own. He cannot be found on the 1930 census.

My maternal grandmother's mother, Ruby Lee Waters, was living with her parents and siblings in a rented home at 51 River Road in Milstead, Rockdale, Georgia in 1920. Her father was working as a weaver in the cotton mill and she was attending school, but at 8 years old was not yet reading and writing.

Surname Saturday: Logue

     My Great-Great-Great Grandmother was Mary Dora Logue, the wife of Stephen T Boatright. Her parents were Brinson Logue and Naomi Wilcher. The Logue family lived in Warren and Jefferson Counties of Georgia, as well as Glascock County, which was created from Warren County. The family can be traced to Dora's Great Grandfather, Charles Logue Sr (born abt 1761) and his first wife, Maria, of North Carolina.

     The Logue surname is Irish and, as you can see in this map from Public Profiler, is still concentrated in Northern Ireland.  If you are related to this family, feel free to contact me.

My Morning Tech Routine

     "What's your Morning Tech Routine?" This topic was pointed out to geneabloggers over at Geniaus, who saw it at ReadWriteWeb.

     I sometimes say I'm addicted to email. I could easily survive without Facbook, but I don't know what I'd do without the ability to check my email throughout the day. In fact, I often start my day by checking my email. My cell phone is my alarm clock and once I turn off the alarm I often click over to check my email accounts.

      After my morning shower I head to my computer to re-check my email, usually followed twitter and blog posts. Once I'm caught up on personal happenings I check the news, usually the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website followed by CNN. I probably won't check Facebook or Google+ unless I have an email notification.  Depending on whether I have to open or close at work that day, I might try and read a chapter on my Kindle or start my day with some online genealogy research.

     The rest of my day is equally filled with tech. I can't imagine how different my day would be without all the technology we have today.

Happy Thanksgiving from 1989

Here's a Thanksgiving keepsake I made this in either kindergarten or daycare in 1989. It's currently stored in the photo drawer in the hutch.

In The Kitchen: Chicken and Rice

     Dad made up this recipe, inspired by other recipes that combine chicken and rice. It's kind of a simple Chicken á la King, but he came up with the ingredient measurement himself through trial and error.  In part, it was created to feed picky young eaters.  If you recreate this recipe, you can add in anything you want: peas, carrots, mushrooms, etc. But I like it how it is.

Ingredients:
2 14.5 can of chicken broth
1 and 1/3 cups rice
2 cans of Campbell's cream of chicken soup
1 and 1/2 tbs sugar
4.5 oz Swanson premium chicken breast

Directions:
Cook rice in the 2 and 2/3 cup of chicken broth for 20 minutes.  Pour remaining broth in another large pot with cream of chicken, sugar and salt and pepper to taste, heat until hot. Drain the cans of chicken, the put the chicken on a plate and mash it with the flat of a knife to break up chunks. When rice is finished cooking, add half and one can of chicken and mix. Add remaining rice and chicken and mix. Sit for five minutes and done.

Found: Grady Waters

     Ok, so yesterday I posted about not outright trusting death certificates. And yet only a few hours later I was blown away when I found a new death certificate on Family Search.

     The backstory: I have my Great-Great Grandmother Louise Smith Water's Bible. Though many of the records were obviously recorded well after the fact, it's been invaluable in piecing together my Smith family. I've tried to identify everyone listed, but came up short on a few of the infants listed.  One of the names was Grady Waters, who I thought must be Louise's son or nephew. I had both a birth and death date, but could never find a death certificate.

     With the recent luck I've had with my Waters family research lately, I thought I'd try and search for Grady again. I searched Ancestry.com, but came up empty. I searched FamilySearch.org and, like magic, found Grady's death certificate as the first record on the first search. He died in Gastonia, North Carolina.

     Much of what I wrote yesterday, about problems with death certificates, can be seen here. The surname uses an alternative spelling and the parents names are a bit off as well. Also, there doesn't seem to be any such place as Grady's birthplace: "Fort Dale, Georgia." Perhaps it was really Alabama or another place entirely? If this was the death certificate of a grown man and I was using it to find his parents, I'd have to be flexible.

    Also, if you watched my video from a few days ago, you might remember that it showed Leverett and Louise in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and South Carolina. I was not aware that the family had ever lived in North Carolina. But I'm not surprised. Grady is buried at "Loray Cemetery" - a mill cemetery. The Waters family could often be found in Mill Towns.

     I'm going to keep up my research on the Waters family. Who knows what I'll find next?

Death Certificates: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

     A death certificate is a valuable record for genealogists. For the most part, they can be easy and inexpensive to obtain and provide a ton of information. A death certificate for your brick wall ancestor is the answer to your genealogy prayers - right? Not so fast! Just like any other record, you need to obtain it, evaluate it, and decide how trustworthy the information is.

     Imagine this scenario: your loved one has just passed away and you're grieving, but also having to handle the legal issues created by death. The funeral director approaches you and asks for the names of the parents. You know this information, but your mind goes blank. Seeing that you're upset, the funeral director tells you that it's not important and that they have enough information from other relatives/documents. The next thing you know, you're holding a certified death certificate in which your loved one's mother is listed as "Not stated."

     Here are a few examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to death certificates.

• The Good: 
• The death certificate exists and you obtain it.
• It was filled out by a spouse or sibling who has known the deceased for a long time and has first hand knowledge of the dates and relationships.
• The death certificate provides dates, locations and relationships for your ancestors. 
• Typed or written in print.
• The Bad: 
• You can't find a death certificate anywhere.
• If you did, it was filled out by a second spouse, child, distant relative or even a friend or institution who didn't know the information.
• The death certificate provides no information at all: the dreaded "Not Stated."
• Messy handwritten cursive.
• The Ugly: 
• You know a certificate exists, but due to local laws, you can't access it.
• It was filled out by a second spouse, child, distant relative or even a friend. They thought they knew the information. 
• The death certificate provides dates, locations and relationships for your ancestors - and it is all the informant's best guess.
• Illegible scribbles. 

     As you can see, sometimes the good, bad and ugly might be hard to differentiate. It can be difficult to tell if the information is right or wrong. Keep in mind that the information was rarely provided in advance by the deceased. It was provided by someone else who may or may not have the correct information. And of course, that's assuming you were able to obtain and read the certificate in the first place.

     If you don't already have other documents that provide similar information, work on getting them. Your best bet is to use this certificate as a starting point and compare it to other records with similar information: 

• Census records that confirm relationships and dates
• Obituaries that can confirm relationship and maybe ages
• Death certificates of siblings that list the same parents
• Marriage certificates that confirm relationships
• Visit the cemetery listed to find relatives in the same/nearby plots

Take everything recorded on the certificate with a grain of salt. Without another document to confirm the information, a death certificate is a starting point, not the be-all and end-all.

The 116th Field Artillery

     So yesterday I found the death certificate for my GGG Uncle, Millard Waters. He was buried in the Mountain Home National Cemetery, a veteran's cemetery. I placed the burial on FindAGrave.com with a photo request and less than 24 hours later I received the photo!

     I love how military headstones give so much information about the veteran's service. From here, I was able to find out more information about the 31st Division, which was part of the National Guard. They were in France from Sep 1918 to Dec 1918.

     I was also able to find this photo from the Library of Congress showing the 116th Field Artillery at Camp Wheeler, Georgia in April 1918. Millard is likely one of the tiny figures in the photo.

     I'm still curious about Millard's participation in World War I. I'm going to try and request his service record and see what I can get.

Found: Millard Waters

     When I checked my email this morning I had one from Ancestry.com, telling me I had hints in my tree.  I was going to automatically delete it, since the hints I receive are usually records I've already found but haven't attached to my tree. But I thought: wait, let me look at it real quick. The hints were for my GGG-Uncle, Millard Waters, for records in Tennessee.  My Waters family is from Georgia, but Tennessee is within the realm of possibility.  Let's see what we've got... click, click...

     OMG! It's Millard Waters' death certificate! From 1944. He fell off the face of genealogy records after the 1920 census. I thought he must have died before 1930! Well I was wrong. I now know that he died at the Veterans Hospital in Mountain Home, Tennessee.

     Why am I so excited about a 3x Great Uncle's death certificate? Because I don't know his and his siblings parents names. I have many records for my Great-Great Grandfather Leverett Waters that give his parents names. The problem is that they all give different names! I have two different first and middle names for his father and three different maiden names for his mother.

     I've been doing collateral research on Leverett's siblings to try and find the correct names. Unfortunately Leverett & Millard sister, Queen, didn't have any records that confirmed their parents' names. In fact, when Queen's obituary didn't mention Millard or his family, I incorrectly thought that he had died before she did.

     And this new find? Does Millard's death certificate provide an answer? Yes, it does! And it's pretty good information too, as it comes from his hospital records which he provided himself. The information listed matches the information that Leverett listed on his Social Security Application. Based on the records I now have, my Great-Great-Great Grandparents were J Bayles Waters and Mary Elizabeth Pilgrim.

The Waters Family in Atlanta

     Here's the Google Earth family history tour that I created based on Lisa Louise Cooke's class at the Georgia Family History Expo. This tour talks about my Great-Great Grandparents, Leverett and Louise Waters and their lives in Atlanta in the 1920s and 1930s.

.

Playing with Google Earth Time Slider

     Right now I'm working on a Google Earth genealogy timeline that I learned how to make from Lisa Louise Cooke's Family History Expo presentation. Every time I think I'm finished, I come up with another thing to add or tweak.

     While playing around I saw the little clock image and remembered that Google Earth has older satellite images in it's databank. The images don't necessarily go back very far, but it can still be interesting. I decided to check out my own neighborhood and surprisingly, there are images from the year we moved in, 1993.  It's interesting to see the changes. There are a few new roads, a lot of new neighborhoods and some new shopping centers.

     Here are the two images:

National Day of Listening

     The day after Thanksgiving is the National Day of Listening. According to Wikipedia, this day "was first launched by the national oral history project StoryCorps in 2008 and now recurs on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, when families are more likely to spend time together. It was proposed as an alternative to 'Black Friday'." Personally, I think it's a great idea.

     If you're not familiar with StoryCorps, check out their website. Their "mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives." At their locations (Atlanta, New York and San Francisco) and mobile booths (currently Las Angeles and Austin, TX), participants have the opportunity to conduct a 40 minute interview in a professional sound booth. The recordings are stored at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and participants receive a copy for themselves.

     For those who prefer to conduct interviews on their own, StoryCorps offers a DIY guide and question generator. They also have a YouTube account with how-to videos, as well as excerpts of interview they've conducted.

Wordless Wednesday

It's A Year End Sale From Family Tree DNA

     Well they promised and they delivered. Family Tree DNA is having a sale that will last through the end of the year.  This is quite a long sale compared to their usual 24 hour offers. To collect on these prices you just go over to ftdna.com and order. There's no coupon required.

     I'll probably end up purchasing a Family Finder test for my Waters cousin to go with his 37 marker Y-DNA test I just bought.  I've got over a month to save up!

What Do I Do With This Bible?

     I was talking with a group of genealogists at the Family History Expo, exchanging research advice.  One of the ladies said that she had recently purchased a bible at a garage sale and found a family record inside. She was wondering how she could get this information to someone who could use it.  I recommended a few things then and have added to it here:

1. Make copies and transcribe the information. Scan or photograph the pages and type up all of the data on each page: names, dates, locations, etc. Page through the entire Bible and see if there are any random notes on blank pages.
2. Try and research the family to find living descendants. If you have a birth and date death for someone, start with them. If you have a list of folks, search the census for families with those names and ages. Search Google for genealogy websites that list those individuals. Search rootsweb family trees, ancestry trees, wikitree, etc for matching individuals. Try to contact the owners to share the information, perhaps offer to ship the Bible to them.
3. If you came up with a location for the individuals recorded in the Bible, post the images and transcriptions on USGenWeb.  I like to locate the County level location on the USGenWeb Archives and upload it there.
4. Again if you know the location: see if there's a local genealogical society. Mail them a copy to add to their files.
5. Mail a copy to the National Genealogical Society to add to their Bible Collection and upload a copy to websites like Bible Records Online.
6. If you didn't come up with a location (or even if you did) go to message boards at ancestry/rootsweb and Genforum and post information about the bible in the surname forums.

    The key is to share the information with not just one descendant, but with as many as possible. You might mail the Bible to one descendant, but you're published the information online in multiple places for others to find. Who knows, this Bible might contain the information that someone's been waiting decades to find.

Talking to Family Tree DNA at the Family History Expo

     On the second day of the expo, during the third class session, mom and I visited the vendor booths.  I wanted to visit the Family Tree DNA booth when it wasn't being overrun by other attendees so that I could ask a few questions. Also, I heard they had a coupon :)

     I got to the booth just as the only other person there was leaving and picked up a flyer (sure enough: coupon).  The woman in the booth came over and greeted me, saying that she recognized me from blogging. She introduced herself as Elise Friedman and I immediately knew who she was. I've taken her webinars at RelativeRoots and learned a lot. If you are at all confused about DNA you should take her webinars! The introductory course is free and subsequent ones are only $10. Trust me, it's well worth the price.

     We sat down and talked and Elise was able to answer some questions and provide information on what's new at Family Tree DNA (much of which has already been reported in blog posts about the recent ftDNA conference).

• I had been confused when I tested two of my mom's brother's at different companies and they came back in a tiny bit different. One was listed as R1b1a, etc and one was R1b1b, etc. Elise explained that this wasn't due to an error, but simply different versions of the Haplogroup Tree. Each company was using a different version of the tree. When there was a change in naming tree branches, one company updated their information and another didn't. This makes sense because the haplo tree is being updated all the time. Users don't want to log in and find a different haplogroup name every other month (or however often). What really matters are the markers. The uncle I tested with ftDNA is haplogroup R, U152+.  One company may call these results one name and the other may call it something else, but the markers remain the same (unfortunately 23andMe does not show these markers, a reason I prefer ftDNA)
• In a few weeks (a month or two? I forget), 23andMe users will be able to upload their Autosomal test results to ftDNA for $50. Users will not be able to upload their Y-DNA or mtDNA.
• There is a sale coming very soon, maybe this week. Elise wasn't sure what the prices would be, but it is coming.
• We talked about pedigree collapse (see my previous post). I have a lot of it on my Dad's side due to colonial ancestry and Elise has it due to her Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. FtDNA is aware of the problems caused by pedigree collapse and is constantly working on updates to help with this.
• I talked about how I would like to be able to compare my results directly with someone else who doesn't show up in my matches. It turns out Elise had suggested something like this to ftDNA already. The main holdup on something like this is privacy concerns.
• Our personal pages at ftDNA will be updated soon - even as soon as this week. The new 2.0 version should roll out first to project admins (that includes me!) and will be much more user friendly. I'm not sure if this update is part of the new 2.0, but there will be a way to compare your  mtDNA, Y-DNA and FF matches against each other.
• I talked about how I was trying to pick out my next DNA "volunteer" and which tests I had already had relatives take. Her main recommendation was to test the older family members first. You never know when you might loose a family member and the older generation have DNA that can often be more helpful. 

     I'm really glad that Family Tree DNA came to the Expo this year and I was able to talk to Elise. I'm also very grateful for the coupon. In fact, I've already used it.  I was brainstorming with my mom, trying to figure out whose DNA would be most helpful with my research. We came up with a few people, but nothing that struck me as "yes, I must buy a test immediately!"

Our Waters Cousin DNA volunteer

     Out of the blue, mom asked "what about the Waters side of the family?" We have a male cousin who descends directly from my Great-Great Grandfather, Leverett Waters. Who was Leverett's father? Possibly John or James Waters; possibly from Cobb or Cherokee or Milton County, Georgia; possibly born around 1850; possibly the son of Elizabeth whose father was from England.  This is one of my earliest brick wall ancestors and I need something new to jumpstart this research.

     We hadn't spoken to these cousins in a while and had to track down a phone number. We called a female cousin who is involved in genealogy herself. After a few minutes of greetings she asked "have you found anything new about the Waters family?" Unfortunately we had to say no, but said that we'd like to try DNA. She quickly called her brother and he agreed to the test. We're all very excited that DNA might help us progress in our research.

Day 2 of the 2011 Georgia Family History Expo

     Yesterday was day two, the final day, of the 2011 Georgia Family History Expo. Mom and I got there bright and early, only a few minutes after 9am. We made our way down to the end of the exhibits where DearMYRTLE had already set up her own "mini booth" to talk about blogging. I chatted with other ladies there, talking about the expo and other genealogy topics, then headed to the first class.

     First up was "Special Sources for Confederate Research in the National Archives and Records Administration" by Robert S Davis. I learned so much from this class! I had no idea how many different resources there were for civil war soldiers. I've got a lot of ideas for researching my GGG-Grandfather, Frank E Leaphart, who died in the war and who's parents are unknown. If you have the chance to sit in on Mr Davis' lecture, I highly recommend that you do so. He was very knowledgeable and very funny!

     Next up was another class from Anna Swayne of GeneTree. I learned that a DNA test I'd taken a long time ago from the Sorenson Molecular Genealogical Foundation (SMGF) was now online at GeneTree. I can upload my test results from other companies to this site for free and look for matches. They'll work to connect my information with others in order to try and create a sort of universal DNA tree. I'm going to look into this and see what they can do for me. (Also, check out the GeneTree site, like them on Facebook, and be entered to win a Kindle Fire)

     After this, was the lunch break. Then, instead of sitting in a lecture for the next session, mom and I decided to visit the vendors. Mom bought some scrapbook supplies and we picked up brochures and free swag from many other booths. When there was no one else at the Family Tree DNA booth I visited there - but that conversation deserves it's own post!

     The last class of the day was Lisa Louise Cooke's "How to Create Awesome Interactive Family History Tours with Google Earth." This was yet another class that drew in a number of bloggers (see the photo).  I was very interested in this class. I'd tried to do a Google Earth tour on my own, but couldn't really figure out how to do it. Well, now I know and I'm really excited to try it out. And it very easy to do too!

     Finally, we headed back in for the closing keynote and door prizes. I really appreciate how Holly Hansen, the FHExpo organizer, solicited our feedback. It's nice to know that she's taking our opinions into account.  And to top things off, Mom won a door prize! She got the printed syllabi from the previous three Expos, which amount to the class outlines for the California, Arizona and Colorado Expos. There should be some really great stuff in there.

     I had a ton of fun this year, probably more than last year. Attendance seemed to be down this year and let me tell you: if you could have come but didn't, you missed out. There's a lot to learn and a lot of great people to meet. I'm not necessarily a social person and often find conversations with new people difficult, but I still managed to make a few new friends. Where else can you launch into a random story about your great-Grandparents and have people actually willing to listen to you? I'm looking forward to next year and hope I see you there.

Bloggers at the Expo

     The Georgia Family History expo is over. It was a really great event and I'm grateful that the organizers choose to come to Georgia.  I'll write up a post about day two tomorrow, but wanted to share this photo. These are a group of some of the bloggers who attended this year.

     Left to Right: Jenny, Ruby (my mom, who blogs about scrapbooking), me!, DearMYRTLE, Linda, and Tonia.

Day 1 of the 2011 Georgia Family History Expo

     Day one of the 2011 Georgia Family History Expo is over and I'm home eating a late dinner. I love how close the expo is to my house!

     Today was a lot of fun, especially meeting fellow bloggers in person. I saw Linda of Documenting the Details, Jenny of Are My Roots Showing, DearMYRTLE, and Tonia of Tonia's Roots. I saw tweets from other bloggers, Free Genealogy Resources and Southern Graves, but I didn't see the bloggers themselves.

     I attended four classes today: The Power of DNA by Anna Swayne, 8 Simple Steps for Self-Help Genealogy by Ann Osisek, Georgia Land Records by Arlene Eakle, and The Clothesline Approach to Documentation and Analysis by DearMYRTLE.  I really enjoyed all of the classes and learned something in each one. Even when I already knew some of the information, the presenters were able to give new perspectives. I tweeted a few interesting quotes:

"Over 1 Million people have tested their DNA for #genealogy purposes" - Anna Swayne

"Can't be said enough: Don't just go "up the tree" - you also need to go "out the tree" and research siblings and cousins" - Ann Osisek 

"So says @DearMYRTLE: Explain how you came to your research conclusion, "leave an audit trail"" 

     I did not get a chance to visit any of the exhibit booths today, but I plan to do so tomorrow. There doesn't seem to be enough time for booths between classes! I think I'll skip a class tomorrow to make time.

Gwinnett Fallen Heroes

     Located at the Gwinnett Justice Center, this memorial recognizes those Gwinnettians who gave their lives for their country.

• Independence of Texas from Mexico
• James G Winn
• Anthony Bates

• Creek Indian War
• Isaac S Lacy
• James C Martin
• James H Holland
• James M Allen
• Robert T Holland
• J A V Tate
• William M Sims
• Henry W Paden

Civil War Hamilton Goza William Cofield Erwin Smith A M Mewborn C G Rowden Absalam Evans Ephraim W Sizemore Jarvis Etheridge Charles King Shelton Willard George W Davis James Munday David H G Wardlaw Joel Ethridge Samuel Newton Martin C N J Cole J W D Ramey Eli Bailey Castleberry Johnson Charles Ethridge A W D Gower Berry Hollingsworth Thomas W Wages William M Herndon E Daniel Richard Baxter James A Miller R D Stevenson Christopher Ramey W M McDaniel Sylvester Massey Henry B Lancaster David Thomas Hampton Goza Thomas Payne Joseph Scales Mathew T Culver Elbert Daniel John A Adams George C Smith W W Young Green McKerley J M F Davis Charles Green Hiram Etheridge Dolphin T McKinzey Charmer Dillard Hosea Hawkins Henry J Croon  Isaac Hamilton William Jones J Bradberry William W Russell  J H J Jones Absalom Martin Washington McDaniel Jack Pittard  Allen T Jacobs Robert H Dunn Jackson Kilgore W W Davis Philo B Martin Andrew J Powell John T Black  Elisha Hunter W A Hamilton  Alfred Langley G P Veal James Freeman Amos B Nash Hardin Roberts Thomas W Knight Benjamin C T Pirkle James Pepper  Jefferson Doss Matthew Hunnicutt John Boyd Samuel Davis John Etheridge Scott Kirby W S Holt John Morrison M M Johnston Robert McKerley Stephen Burdett James G R Herring Joseph Brimer Thomas L D Medlock Hiram Wacaster Simon Berry T W McCurvey Joseph Smith Daniel H Witcher Moten Hutchins Andrew S Puckett Josiah Massey William P Thomason Larkin Jones Osborne E Bailey Levi Daniel Deorge W Wilson Marshall Jackson A J Brown Francis Marion Loveless Relius Perkins John S Rawlins Joshua Bradbury Thomas S Franklin  Samuel Morgan James C W Crenshaw Nathaniel Reeder William R Waldrup John Morgan Osborn Cole Robert P West Allen Ridgeway Parker Pepper John B Cruse John Free James A Davidson Nathan Mattox  J C Myers Richard Phillips William A Tuck Thomas Cole John Wheeler Sanford V Payne Robert B Camp Samuel Glaze Green B Hamby John C Whitworth William M Adair James Kilcrease Mathew D Whitworth Silas Kirby John Garner Seaborn Kenley Thompson Stevenson  W M Davis Joseph Freeman Eli A Whaley Bedford C Scales W J R Mathews Joseph Brewer Allen McDaniel William Bird John A Long William Herren James A Rawlins William Mayfield Thomas C Harris N B Landers William Moon Isaac B Cole William Tinney H B Campbell Newton J Daniel Charles A Cash D A Lee William D Burel James A Arnold David C Cole Hosea E Stanley John B Collins James A Smith W B Sangfords Jesse A Atkinson Quincey E Mattox William D Minor  John A Reeves Micager J Rutledge Lewis A Glossom  William Mays  John E Craft Samuel E Wright

CW: 2nd Marker W B Barnes Russell A Tuggle John D Dickerson W A Ross Benjamin F Phillips William A Perry William Alexander Richardson A C Kilgore J B Smith Warren C Payne William Massey John Brand Parrish B Cheek  Daniel Marion Martin J E Rutledge H A Britt William L Parr Tilman B Higgins Cortes E Ross John C Crow Seaborn D S Davis William B Duren J C Neil Isaac D Bradberry James H Harvil William B Jackson Reddick C Betts Jesse J W Herring J W Kane William C Richards Benjamin Mathews James A Mauldin John W Goza Daniel Clower Baxter Wilson Wade J D Walker Samuel B Couey A J Thomson Joshua D Kinnett Wiley Edward Baxter Joel B Davis B A Starr Robert D Jones Benjamin F Plaster Francis J Segards Edward L Sharpton Thomas H B Nichols J H Whitworth William D Spence John A Brewer William Davis Cruse Newton A Smith Mation E Higgins W H Deshong James E Stephens Benajah H Bragg Andrew J Ambrose William B Langley James J Johnson John A Betts Charles W Pruett JAmes Harrison Mitchell S E Massey John A Stevens E F Gober George F Bruce Hugh F Marion Wilson J F Dollar William J B Payne William Harris Wade John F McElvaney William J McCune John H Owens S F Rawlins I Jasper Wiggins Thomas F Todd Wiley F Armstrong Benjamin Franklin Childers Isham G Rawlins William H Davis  John M Plummer Daniel J Peters David Bailey J M Perry W G Hamilton D J Barnett Asa H Pattman Francis M Lanier William Hendrix Adam J Brown G H Perkins Henry H Tuggle Ira H Betts Columbus W Wilson  Henry P Thomas Lovan V Patterson T J Brady John H Underwood Silas H Higgins Thomas J Bennett William D Rainey G Washington Sweat James L Light William H Bailey John G Bennett S F Gassaway Walter G Morris John F M Beddingfield A J Anderson David L Cofield William Overby John D Sanders Alfred J Ginn William M Kimbro  Jasper L Black W H Cross Riley J Nix John H Puckett William Evan Baxter H J House Allen W Carr Robert M Rawlins Bluford H Fields J W Moore J Pleadus M Hadaway Cicero N Seagraves Joshua J Wright Willis W Webb J H Betts William Marvin Stewart James L Johnson Samuel J McElvany James C Corbin Milton N Harris William J Dyer  Nathan F McLeroy John H Herndon Nathan G Williams Thomas O Wilson William J Tullis David H Johnson John J Haney W H Dickerson Samuel M Davis D M Liddell Elijah P Bailey Daniel M McDaniel Moses L Herrington J R Hood William P Adams Nathaniel L Wallace  Samuel T Bracewell Dickson M Steel W L Wommock Marion Jefferson Townley C M Tuggle William S Summerlin Daniel P Cross

CW: Third Marker M R Hunnicutt Joel J Skinner F M Stevens John R Barnett Moses W Swafford Thomas Puckett Johnson Francis M Thomas J M Bailey William R Dodd Robert Johnson Bagwell Alfred Pinkney Everett James M Henry R W Sammon James M Stansell Wiley J Baggett John Oliver Bramblett William P Phillips Lewis M Nash Philo M Brooks William P Kircus S M Greeson Newton J Bailey John W Newsome William M Carr A N Stephens  James M Rice Miles Jefferson Langley Jesse Broadwell M J Harrison John W Wilson Daniel P Leopard William J Jordan John N Brown John J Adams Thomas N Sanders J R Roberts George Marion Stevenson A O Stone John M Sexton William J Jackson James Madison Mitchell William R Brogdon Benjamin P Weaver Thomas O Brownlee John M Singleton Obediah N Wheeler William M Glover John W Henderson William R Brooks Wiley Napolean Hutchins Joseph T Johnson James P Roebuck R P Gower Elisha W Maltbie Larkin T Bagwell William P Mason Reuben M Higgins George W Burdett J R Langley Francis M Leopard William T Maulden John Park Mackin Darling Peeples McDaniel John M Fraser W S Kilcrease Daniel J Williams William M Boggs John T Pittard George W Freeman J R Hale James M Bagley G W Jackson J R Willard James R Driver George T Puckett James R Plunket George W McKinzey John R Davis Samuel M Whitworth Thomas R Huff J T Freeman Thomas W Wayne James S White William R Jones Charles M Tuggle William V Moore Noah Richard Brogdon Allen S Jenkins John Thomas Burel Elijah S Grissom Asa W Puckett Mathew T Mathews Eli P Landers James S Wilder Julius S Boring Thomas W Mitchell William S Paden Henry T Etheridge Willis S Langley John W McHugh Cynes T Shelnutt James R Hambrick George W Atkinson Henry T Davis William S McElroy Henry T Johnson George W Noel W R Baker John T Cain John T Kircus James Bostick Daniel P Miner Richard T Lowe W T Jiles Wilborn T Camp John M Davis William R Miner Alfred W Wardlaw Martin V Pruett William Thompson Stevenson Sanford M Davis George W Brown Andrew J Garner Samuel P Wardlaw G W McKleduff Almon R Bryan Callaway Johnson George W Hardigree John R Bostick Felix B House Henry W Robinson J W Brewer P S Taller William Wise Garner John A Mitchell J W Robinson Cicero Osborn Cole J W White James S Plummer William J Bailey Elijah Flanigan W R Cleghorn Joshua W Morgan Berry Boadwell John Williams James Fowler Augustus S Mahaffey Silas Cader Wiley G Higgins Joseph W Kerlin John B Brewer Russell J Porterfield John T Nash William Berry James A Mathews P S Henry William P Doss Phillip A Brooks

• Spanish-American War
• John P McDaniel

World War I Arthur Clinton Wylie Charlie Clack Lloyd C O'Kelly George Harold Byrd Clyde Yates Nix Rubie L Johnson William L Hannah Orth Stanley Virgil Guerry Craig James Pressly Samples James R King Sampson Melton Lee F Youngblood Zed Tye Willie Mathews Robert L Roberts Thomas M Allen  Leroy White Clarence Rainey Morgan Lonnie A Atkinson Dee Phillips Ivory W Woodward Willie Kinchen Shirley Woodson Stanley Paul H Marchman Charles W Holbrook Homer D Brooks John Coleman Reeves Charles E Hawthorne Lewis Webb Clarence B Tumlin Emory Mahaffey Raymond R Knight

World War II Singleton M Maxwell Benjamin A Arnold Prince L Royal, Jr Cleborn S Davis Edgar L Barrett Kerney R Murphy William N Pharr Emory S Wages, Jr William A Bradley Claud C Carter Joseph R Pruitt Charles B Roberts, Jr Joseph S Davidson James A Harris George F Dobson Leamon J Bennett  James F Duncan Harold Guy Grier Robert L King Willie T Sharpton Grady W Hall Milton D Hamilton Hinton M Waters Claude M Youngblood Joseph H Mitchell James M Hewatt, Jr Henry G Taylor William M Holcombe James C White Clyde B Jones William P Kendrix John D Thompson Tyson Stanley Otis E King Vertis Taylor

WWII Cont. Ernest Waycaster Floyd H Lawrence Wyly O Letson Elmer E Marsingill Hollis F Bagley Eli J McDaniel, Jr Orien D Whitworth Nathaniel C Kennedy Oliver Moon Aubery E Davidson Silas Nichols Roger D Orr Samuel D Jones Dewey J Poteete Leon F Abernathy William C Cheek Gwinn O Roberts J W Blankenship Reginald E Sawyer Arch Dean Herndon, Jr John C Tatum  Henry T Gresham John C Still Thesteus B J Gunter Alfred J Sims James Hutchins James L Terry  Ezra R Higgins Vernie L Mitchell John R Wages Gordon H Kennedy A L Dodd Hugh L Waycaster Guy J Barrett Jr Seals A Whitlock Deeward T Bailey Cloy T Harrison William T Kenney

• Korean Conflict
• Rufus H Mahaffey, Jr
• John H Jones
• G Norton Walters
• Henry N Pate

Vietnam War Larry Richard Todd Kenneth John Britt Rufus Perry Falkner, Jr Cater Wayne Dowd Perry Woodrow Ames Hall Gary Lee Payne John Andrew Todd Francis McDowall, Jr Edward Lee Gilliard Grady Thacker

Vietnam Cont. Carlos Randall Hatcher Richard Anthony "Dicky" Parker Jerry Edwin Jarrard Donald Roy Wood Orie John Dubbeld, Jr Tommy Herman Swain Larry Steven Petherolf Carey Wayne Smith

Vietnam Cont. David Wayne Parker Donny Joe Braswell Charles M Honour, Jr Macklin Otis Hughes Harvie Rena Frady Howard Warren Stewart John Randolph Cooper, Jr

• POW/MIA
• John Jackie Smallwood
• Robert Paul Phillips
• Larry Ronald Kilpatrick

• Active Duty Military Killed in the Line of Duty
• Benjamin Fuller, Jr
• Hardy Lee Delay, III
• William "Chris" Harrington
• Brian Marshall Smith
• Joe Anderson

• Global War on Terrorism
• Lonnie James Parson
• William A Long
• Charles Houghton
• Paul Anthony Saylor
• Michael James Stokely
• Philip Lamar Travis
• Kun Young Kim
• Kenneth "Aaron" Kincaid, IV
• Stephen Franklin Johnson
• Michael R Hullender
• Cristian Rojas-Gallego
• Stephen John Wilson
• Christopher Gabriel Patton
• Edgar E Cardenas
• Donald Theronnie Tabb
• Jonathan Ryan Ayers
• Matthew James O'Bryant
• John David Blair
• Alex French, IV
• Joseph "Ryan" Giese

Law Enforcement Officers Randy John Schipani C N Wingo Grady Franklin Dacus Hugh Dorsey Stancil Howard Eugene Waldrop Vaughn Roebuck Henry E Rainey Marvin Jesse Gravitt Jerry Reed Everett Ralph King Davis James Christopher McGill Michael Hester James Ivan Knick William Grover Cleveland Moon, Jr Kenneth Lee Wimberly

Fire and Emergency Medical Durwood Cox Patrick Thomas Payne Harold Browning Danny Nelson Charles B "Brant" Chesney John Robert "Bobby" Patrick Gwinnett Employee Killed in the Line of Duty Dennis A Arthurs Richard L Cannupp Richard Ashcroft Kathy A Blevins Raymond A Williams

After They Served

     Tomorrow is Veterans' Day, a day in which we remember and give thanks to the men and women who served in our nation's armed forces. But their military career wasn't the extent of their lives, though it often impacted it dramatically.

     My Pawpaw, Thomas Craft, left his family behind when he was drafted into World War II.  His leaving was a hardship for his wife and two young daughters. They were a family of farmers, either working as sharecroppers or tenant farmers. The cotton crop, the family's main source of income, came in while Thomas was in Europe. Without Thomas there to lead the family harvest, the crop was stollen.

     Thomas came back home and worked until he could buy the land the family farmed. However, he gave up farming only a few years later. He moved the family from Elbert County, Georgia to DeKalb County, Georgia. He soon began to work at Atlantic Steel, a mill in Atlanta. He would work there for more than 30 years before he retired

     But one job wasn't enough to support himself, his wife and seven children. Thomas always had another job or two on top of his full time work.  My dad recalls that his father worked at a convenience store, a gas station, driving a taxi, and finally started his own sanitation company in 1968.

     My dad often worked along side his father and remembers how hard he worked. When I remember him on Veterans day, I don't just give thanks for his military service, but also for the sacrifices he made to give his family a better life.

Uncles at War

Great-Great Uncle Claude Craft, World War I

Great-Great Uncles LC, Jack and Milton Waters, World War II



Great-Uncle Evoid Britt, Korea

 

Uncle T Wayne Craft, Vietnam                              Uncle Roy Albea, Vietnam