A Turner DNA Success Story

Last month I received this email.

A reply has been posted to your message, "Lewis and Sarah Martin Turner of Fauquier County" on "11/6/2008 3:36:49 PM GMT" Board: Family History > Surnames > TurnerSubject: Re: Lewis and Sarah Martin Turner of Fauquier CountyAuthor: lynjoet46Date: 2/15/2012 3:03:03 AM GMT http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.turner/11234.1/mb.ashx Thank you. The Message Board Administration Team

Joe Turner posted a response to my November 2008 RootsWeb Turner Surname Message Board inquiry indicating he was descended from Lewis and Sarah Turner and offering to help. And has he ever!!!

I fired off an answer within 20 minutes and a flurry of emails followed. He filled me in on what happened to Lewis after he left Kentucky (my last sighting) and I shared what I knew about Lewis' father.

Joe and I are 5th cousins once removed, each descending from Edward Turner (d. 1805, Fauquier County, VA). Turner's daughter Sarah is my 4th great-grandmother. His son Lewis is Joe's 3rd great-grandfather. Joe is a treasured connection for those of us using DNA to help in our research - a direct male descendant.

There is a Turner DNA Project at FamilyTreeDNA that I've followed with interest. It shows a clear DNA connection between Edward Turner and a George Turner. There is also documentary evidence linking the men. I was thrilled when I found a Kentucky court case establishing the James Turner from Group 9 was the son of "my" Edward Turner. But with only one test kit linked to Edward Turner I was unwilling to place much weight on the results.

Enter Joe. He immediately suggested DNA testing, not even giving me time to give him my 10 cent spiel about the wonders of DNA. That alone puts him in my all-time top ten cousin connections. Then he followed up and moved to my top five. Last week, just before I headed off to Fort Wayne for the Midwest Geneabloggers Meetup, Joe sent me the 37 marker results. Bulls eye!!

I've had poor luck with other Y-DNA results (not Turners). Two distant cousins kindly agreed to testing. Both their tests returned results indicating non-paternal events (such a gentle phrase). Neither was pleased with the results. One gentleman was so upset that he cut off all communication. I still feel awful about his reaction. This time Joe's results were exactly what we hoped they would be. His strongest match was to Edward's son James and he clearly fit into Group 9 with George Turner's descendants. Matching DNA test results from two sons of Edward Turner make a far stronger case for George and Edward being related.

That makes this distaff descendant of Edward's extremely happy, and Joe - he's my number one cousin connection. To those gentlemen being hounded by swab or tube waving relatives, please relent. That little bit of DNA means so much to us!

Graphic Credit:  Some rights reserved by ProLithic 3D

New Sister - Wordless Wednesday

My grandmother, Iva Williams Sawyer, with her eldest daughter and my mother, Carolyn Sawyer, c. March 1929. This is the first picture we have of Mother.

Geneabloggers Rock!

My first take on a completely delightful weekend in Fort Wayne with other Geneabloggers - I need to do this at least a couple times a year! What seemed self-indulgent turns out to have been a terrific boost. I've enjoyed the conferences I've attended, but the focus there is on learning. And they are e x h a u s t i n g.

This time spent on my own research, surrounded by equally passionate (and entertaining) friends, allowed me to see my work with fresh eyes and kicked my energy level up a notch. I'm a poor bet for the goals, encouragement and accountability Geneabuddies provide for one another (it should be clear to those that attended that my attention span is non-existent), but the laughter, conversations and company of  these folks was fabulous!

The first results -

I realized on the drive home that as much as I want my Rachel Hampton to be the daughter of the Robert Hampton who left a 1796 will, and land, and records, that those same records all but prove she isn't. I still believe she's related (she did name a son Robert Hampton Mulkey, after all), but I need to let go of Robert as her father and move on! Hat tip to Laura at The Last Leaf On This Branch. Just thinking of handing off the research to her to review made it depressingly clear. I did find a new Hampton - Alfred - mentioned with Robert's family in several road orders.

Context is essential. My husband's family settled in Wyoming early in the 20th century. I've heard some stories and seen a few family photographs, but never visited the area or dug into the research. Two hours reviewing the Fremont County books available at the Allen County Public Library let me know just how much I don't know! I need to learn about the legal and commercial relations between the white and Shoshone residents, about the schools on the Wind River Reservation, and fire off some questions asap to his aunt.

For all my complaints about Legacy Family Tree (and they were non-stop) I lost count of how many times I referred to it for a date or name. I concede. It is useful. Those who endured my whining are free to wave this in my face.

I had one "aha" research moment of finding the burial spot for a "lost" great-great grandmother and learned of four previously unknown children. I am not sure why they are buried apart from the other family, but given the 30+ years between her death and her husband's, it's possible they moved or that his second wife determined his burial site.

And finally, I detoured to visit Waveland Cemetery outside Hillsboro, IL on my way home. This is something I should have done years ago. It's only 80 miles from my front door. I found another Jones to research (this is good news) when I realized the only other Joneses in the cemetery were laying next to my husband's ggg grandfather Joseph Jones. Joshua Jones is entirely new to me, but a quick check of census records yields some interesting hints. He is 5 or 6 years younger than Joseph, born in IL (Joseph was born in TN) and lists both parents as born in VA on the 1880 census - as does Joseph. Fun, fun, fun!

All this before I even look at the images and pages I copied. Thanks to Tina Lyons and Terri O'Connell for organizing the Midwest Geneabloggers gathering. Can't wait for the next one!

Easter Basket Cloth - Wordless Wednesday

A gift from Pereksta cousins in Slovakia during our visit there in 1990. The cloth is put over the basket of Easter foods that is taken to the church on Holy Saturday to be blessed.

"I shall not enjoy the happiness" - Amanuensis Monday

Thanks to John at Transylvanian Dutch who originated the Amanuensis Monday meme, providing a framework (and nudge) for transcribing family records, news clippings and other treasures.

Though I have yet to complete last week's notes for Joseph Conway's will, this is not the day. It is a day I can transcribe another letter from the papers belonging to Maria Lee Palmer Smith, my husband's great-grandmother. This letter was written to her mother, Margaret Meredith Palmer, in 1851.

Envelope addressed to
Mrs M M. Palmer
near Kilmarnock
Lancaster Co
Va

Madam:

     Your Kind invitation could not have been made at any time, more convenient, than the present. Hence I have a thousand obligations for your exquisite goodness. May our dear Lord grant me as many opportunities of proving my gratitude, as my heart desires.
     And yet, Madam, I shall not enjoy the happiness of seeing you, your dear little children, and my own good William, since I am condemned by my physician, to retire for some days to the north. Be sure, this is a penance to me. I like the good Virginians So much, that it would afford me the greatest consolations, it would perhaps restore my health, if I could do them so good. Let us cheerfully submit to the holy will of God.
     Please, Madam, receive my hearty thanks for your kindness and charity, together with the promise of praying for you and all those who are dear to your heart, as often as I think of you.
     With the sincerest esteem, in union with your holy prayers

most truly yours in  αst

Feast of St. Mary Magd.
Balte.  1851                                              J. Francis.
Mrs. M. Palmer

Notes
The Feast of St. Mary Magdalene is celebrated on July 22nd.

I find the letter of interest for two reasons. The first is the size (I added a penny to the photograph for scale) and flowery writing of the day. The second that the letter (and the fact that it was kept by both Palmer and her daughter) is one more indication of the strong Catholic ties maintained by Palmer while she lived in Virginia. William, her brother, was confirmed a Roman Catholic at some time in 1851. He would take his vows as a Redemptorist priest in 1853.

I have not been able to identify J. Francis. There is no obvious match in the 1850 census in Baltimore. He may be a Redemptorist, but I have not found him in any of the order's histories.

I am not certain about the symbol in the closing line but believe it is the Greek letter α (alpha) or icthys symbol. It seems to be used in lieu of writing Christ. 

Source: 
Francis, (Baltimore, MD) to Margaret M. Palmer. Letter. 22 July 1851. Privately held. Frederick, MD. Published with permission.