Monday, August 22, 2016

Foor-Clingerman connection?

I have a slightly strange (to me) DNA match going on that I cannot figure out. My dad matches 9 descendants of John Foor (1744-1819) and Catherine Miller (1754-1818) at Ancestry, between 9.5cM and 26.0cM. They are from Providence, Bedford, PA, which is where some of my dad's family is from. I just can't seem to place them in his tree. It's possible there's an NPE I suppose.

The match is definitely through my dad's great-grandfather, Nelson Shuss (1862-1915). His grandparents were Jacob Shuss (1785-1853) and Mary Koontz (1789-1864) and Philip Clingerman (1800-1881) and Susannah Buck (1798-1861). I should mention here that Susannah's maiden name was impossible to find proof of, so I looked around for people willing to take full mtdna tests for me. I ended up getting an exact match from a descendant of Susannah's and a descendant of Elizabeth Buck Garlick, her presumed sister whose family converted to Mormonism. Elizabeth recorded the names of all her relatives, but did not put down when Susannah died or her married name. I think this is because I have a court record that shows Susannah's husband Philip tarred and feathered the Mormon missionary who converted Elizabeth and her family, and through Elizabeth's descendants family stories, their own family set fire to their house and ran them out of town. (I wish I could say this was Philip's only brush with the law, but he seemed to make a habit of it).

Anyway, I have not found a single DNA match to the Buck family. I debated if the mtdna could point to an earlier connection, however Elizabeth and Susannah's grandmother Agnes Schwartz was an immigrant from Germany, and as far as I can tell she only had brothers. Agnes *did* have a daughter Mary Cashman who married a John Foor. That seemed like a shoe-in, however they had a daugher Susannah born in 1803 who married a Stewart, and she is recorded as such in her father's will.

I'll say, none of the Foor matches seem to be on the Shuss side of the family, so that leaves the Clingerman/Buck side.

I don't know Philip Clingerman's mother's identity beyond Catherine born about 1760. I suppose it's possible she's some kind of relative of the Foor's but even on the Clingerman side, the shared DNA matches don't seem to overlap, Foor and Clingerman.

Maybe I'm missing something....

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Clingerman-Foor connection? Or, Susanna Foor Clingerman, not Susanna Buck Clingerman?

I recently had my father DNA tested at Ancestry.com.

I am not new to this arena.  I run 8 tests at 23andme, and 6 accounts at FTDNA.  And I had previously had my grandmother (my father's mother) and myself on Ancestry.

The main point of interest that resulted from my father's test is that Ancestry has a "Leonard Foor" as a predicted "New Ancestry Discovery" (NAD).  If you're not familiar with this term, it means that you match a high number of descendants from this particular person and it's likely you are related (though not necessarily descended from) the person noted.

Ancestry states that generally speaking, the person noted is your ancestor 50% of the time.  30% of the time you share multiple ancestors with the descendants of the NAD, and finally 20% of the time the person noted is not directly related to you but rather you are related to that person's descendants through other common relatives.  My grandmother has a NAD that falls in this last category.

Getting back to Leonard Foor, he lived from 1779-1849, to John Foor (1744-1819) and Catherine UNKNOWN (1754-1818) (possibly Miller based on online trees).  Based on which tree you look at, his wife was a Margaret, possibly Harbridge (often listed as UNKNOWN though).  Leonard's tree is as follows,

1. Leonard Foor (1779-1849) m. Margaret (Harbridge?)
  2. John Foor (1744-1819) m. Catherine (Miller?) (1754-1818)
   3. Johan Leonhart Fuhr (1714-1766) m. Maria Catharina Kuntz (1704-?)

The New Ancestry Discovery stated my father matched 3 of 11 tested descendants of Leonard Foor.  After digging around in his matches, I found a further 2 more descendants, bringing him to a total of 5 of 13.

As best I can tell, the connection to the Foor family is through my father's Clingerman line.  Both families lived within a couple doors of each other in 1800 in Providence Twp, Bedford Co, PA.

My father's known Clingerman line is as follows,

1. Elizabeth Clingerman (1830-1897) m. Adam Shuss (1829-1897)
  2. Philip Clingerman (1800-1881) m. Susannah Buck (1798-1861)
   3. John Frederick Clingerman (1755-1835) m. Catherine UNKNOWN (1760-?)
     4. Christopher Klingaman (1730-?) m. Barbara UNKNOWN (1730-?)
      5. George Klingamann (1705-?) m. Theodora Schuhmann

George and Theodora were from Neckarbischofsheim, Baden, Germany, immigrating in about 1732.  Meanwhile, Johan Leonart Fuhr and his wife Maria Catharina were from Herschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany and arrived around 1744.  It seems unlikely there is any connection pre-USA, since the two towns are roughly 100 miles apart.

Shared Matches: This is another point I wanted to discuss.  Ancestry has recently implemented a new feature called "Shared Matches" which allows you to see any matches you have in common with another person on your list (provided the Shared Match is no further than a predicted 4th-6th cousin from you).

With my father's highest Foor match (a predicted 4th-6th cousin, sharing 25.6 cM over 2 segments), they have 3 shared matches.  One is a definite Leonard Foor descendant, one is a "Clingman" descendant, and the final is an UNKNOWN.

The Clingman match descends from an Adam Clingman from Kentucky born in 1811.  It appears his father was a Henry Clingman born about 1784 in PA (from the 1850 census).  If this Clingman match is not coincidental, the closest common ancestor between my line and their's is Christopher Klingaman born in 1730 which would rule out John Frederick Clingerman's wife Catherine as the potential Foor relation.

This would leave only 5 possibilities:
(1) Christopher Klingaman's wife Barbara was a Foor
(2) Leonard Foor's wife was not Margaret Harbridge but perhaps Margaret Clingerman
(3) Leonard Foor's mother was not Catherine Miller but perhaps Catherine Clingerman
(4) John Frederick Clingerman's wife was possibly a Harbridge or otherwise related to Leonard's wife Margaret
(5) The Clingman match is a coincidence and the connection is through another line of my father's tree

Last Possibility: I should mention, I've seen a few sites that link a Mary Cashman (b. 1782, d. 1869) as marrying a John Foor in 1800.  They supposedly had a daughter Susannah Foor in 1803, who subsequently died in 1855 in Maryland.  She is supposed to have married a John Stewart in 1825.

I should note, Philip Clingerman's wife Susannah "Buck" is denoted as such due to a large amount of circumstantial evidence as well as an MTDNA test I conducted using a direct maternal descendant of Susannah's and of her potential sister, Elizabeth,daughter of David Buck and Catherine Cashman.  The two had an exact MTDNA match, which although not conclusive that the two were sisters, it was conclusive that they had been maternally related.

If the Mary Cashman who married John Foor was the sister of the Catherine Cashman who married David Buck however, she would also have the same MTDNA, and Philip Clingerman could have married Susannah Foor and not Buck.

I'm currently inclined to believe this final possibility is unlikely (due to some records I found linking Philip Clingerman with Elizabeth Buck Garlick's family) as well as the research linking Susannah Foor to another husband, but without researching myself, I cannot prove that those records are correct.

Conclusion: Based on the data I have at hand, and primarily on the presumption that the Clingman match is NOT coincidental, I can only conclude that possibilities (2) and (3) are the most plausible explanations.  And based on the apparent proximity between the families pre-Bedford County, PA, I think option (2) seems most likely.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Name Change in mid-1800s Canada?

This is a theory for which I currently have no proof.  If you see my last post on James Tate and his wife Ann Jane Tate though, I have been unable to find any hint or trace of them in Canada despite both their kids being born there in 1848/1850 and the fact that they did not immigrate until 1868 (as evidenced by their son's naturalization record).

Theoretically they should be in both the 1851 and 1861 census.  But, nothing.

I've even checked by first name on Ancestry, thinking maybe they changed their surname or perhaps it was so wrong, it just didn't show up.  Still no luck.

My other question is, why did they only have two children?  They weren't that old when their children were born (about 30 and 32).  Did they lose others?  Or is it possible their children were adopted?  Although I'm admittedly comparing this to my other lines which are all Catholic and had between 5 and lets say 16 kids.  But 5 was definitely the minimum.

Friday, March 13, 2015

James Tate and Ann Jane Atcheson, please stand up

Everyone has dead ends in their tree.  This is one of mine that I have not pursued to any large extent, but it does vex me.  Here's what I have,

James Tate/Tait/Teit born about 1818 in Ireland married Ann Jane (or Jean) Atcheson born about 1817 also in Ireland.

James and Ann Jane had two children, George born in about 1848 and Sarah Jane born in 1850.  According to George Tate's naturalization record, he was born in Kingston, Ontario.  He further states he immigrated to the US in 1866.  Both George and Sarah Jane always state they were born in Canada.

I can find no trace of this family in Canada.  It's as though they do not exist.

The first time I find them is in the 1870 census.  In 1870, Sarah Jane Tate is already married to her husband, Nicholas White and they are living in Union City, Erie, PA.  They have one son, John, aged 1 year.  Her husband Nicholas White was also from Canada.  His family has been found in both the 1851 and 1861 censuses in Percy, Northumberland, Ontario.  The only oddity with them is that once they immigrated to the US, suddenly every child in the family claimed to be 3 years younger than they were in Canada.  Time travel??

Oddly, I find James, Ann Jane, and George Tate living in Township 4, Placer, California.  I really have little to no idea how they got out there, except that it appears they were working on the railroad.  Or at least James and George were (see below).



It appears they were only in California briefly though as I find them very close to their daughter Sarah Jane and her family in the 1880 census on their new farm in Bloomfield, Crawford, PA.  Their son George, still living with them.

Their lives in Pennsylvania did not last long unfortunately.  James Tate died on the 15th of Oct 1885 in Bloomfield, Crawford, PA.  Ann Jane died 30 May 1884, also in Bloomfield, Crawford, PA.

After their deaths, their son George Tate married and had two sons of his own.  His sister Sarah Jane died fairly young in 1906.  Just barely in time for her to have a Pennsylvania death certificate.  Sadly though if she hadn't made it to 1906 it's unlikely anyone would know her mother's surname.

Rumors swirling in our family were that the Tate's were not happy with Sarah Jane's marriage because Nicholas was Catholic (his mother was an O'Neill).  I have no proof one way or the other as to the Tate's religion, however based on the surnames (Tate and Atcheson) I think it's reasonable to assume they were Protestant.  Additionally while Sarah Jane, her husband and children were buried in the Catholic cemetery in town, her brother George was buried in what I would term the general cemetery.  Possibly it is Protestant but to my knowledge it is non-denominational.

So from 1870 until their deaths, I can trace James and Ann Jane fairly well.  But, where were they prior to 1870?  I cannot find them anywhere in Canada.  Obviously they either had to be in/near Percy, Canada for their daughter to meet Nicholas White, or possibly Sarah and Nicholas met in the US somewhere.

Questions:
1.) Why can't I find James and Ann Jane Tate in Canada anywhere?
2.) Why did they go to California with the RailRoad in 1870?
3.) It's really just 1 and 2, however I would like to know more about their lives ingeneral.

Monday, January 19, 2015

MyHeritage and 23andme

I haven't written anything about genetic genealogy testing (here anyway), so here's my first foray into that arena.  I have tested at each of the three companies (23andme, Ancestry.com, FTDNA) and each definitely has their own unique set of pros and cons (saved for another time).  Right now I just wanted to weigh in quickly on the 23andme/MyHeritage partnership.

23andme recently partnered with MyHeritage to provide better family tree support.  In theory I find this to be a very good step forward for them.  Their pedigrees left more than a little to be desired.  In reality, I will be taking a wait and see approach.

I personally have not yet linked my own 23andme account(s) to my MyHeritage tree.  To be honest, I have not used it in a very long time (like 2009).  It had been so long in fact I had forgotten that I had purchased a 10 year long premium account there, again probably back in 2008/9.  If I recall correctly I did this so they wouldn't delete my tree and photos I had posted.  At the time I was highly intent on creating a site for my immediate family to connect (or essentially what Facebook is now).  Since I was either still in college or had just graduated college at the time and was in debt up to my eyeballs this was no small investment for me.

So, now roughly 6 years later, here I am potentially going back to MyHeritage.  Full circle I suppose.

Even without my account linked, I was already able to establish a connection with a 23andme member by searching his MyHeritage tree.  Would this connection have been found if he hadn't linked through them?  I'm honestly not sure.  He did accept sharing with me, and he did have a few surnames posted but none of those would have gotten me back to our connection (4th cousin with my father).

What it will still ultimately boil down to is exactly how much people are willing to share and explore connections.  If they aren't, this won't add a lot to the genealogy side of 23andme.  If however people do become more intrigued by their history because of the functionality at MyHeritage, this could provide a well-needed shot in the arm to the otherwise endless list of anonymous matches at 23andme.

If anyone else has any thoughts on the matter though I'd be interested to hear them.  Especially anyone who did not already have a tree at MyHeritage.

1811 Summerhill Twp, Cambria Co, PA Tax Records

Here are the 1811 Tax Records for Summerhill Twp in Cambria County, PA.

1811 Summerhill Twp, Cambria County, PA Tax Records
Adams, Ignatius
Branby, Dennis
Burk, James
Benson, Flintwood
Brown, John
Burk, Prudence
Croyle, Thomas
    Ditto    (G. Mill)
    Ditto    (S. Mill)
Crum, Isaac
Crum, John
    Ditto
Crum, Ephraim
Crum, Zachariah
Crum, Eron
Conway, Patrick
Dimond, Philip
Dimond, Daniel
Elder, James
Enlow, John
Glass, Jacob
Glass, Henry    (Distiller)
George, Michael
Hay, Michael
Kean, James
Knepper, Godfrey
Kern, John
Kennedy, Charles
    Ditto
Longstreth, Daniel
Longstreth, Philip
Longstreth, Bartholomew
Longstreth, Margaret
Logue, Hugh
Lilly, Joseph
    Ditto    (Store)
Logan, Dennis
Litzinger, Simon
    Ditto    (G. Mill)
    Ditto    (S. Mill)
Logan, Michael
M'Cabe, Ross
M'Gough, James
Maxel, Andrew
Maxel, Martin Sr.
    Ditto
M'Closkey, William
M'Kinsey, Eliz.
M'Kinsey, John
Murray(?), Richard
?, Michael
Maxel, Andrew Jr.
Meyers, Joseph
M'Coy, John


M'Gough, Thomas
M'Cue, John
Maxil, William
Maxil, John
Noel, Nicholas
O'Keef, William
    Ditto    (C. Surveyor)
Plummer, William
Petah, Philip
Pringle, George
Flanigan, Peter
Flouers, Jacob
Rouick, Philip
Ream, Adam
Regur, Martin    (Tavern)
    Ditto
Shoup, Peter
Skelly, Michael
Skelly, John
Skelly, Philip
Shaver, Henry
Smay, Christian
Suttlemire, Godfrey
    Ditto
Shirt, Peter
Shaw, William
Sanlaw, Jacob
Weekland, Zephenia
Wilmore, Godfrey
    Ditto
Wisel, George
    Ditto    (S. Mill)
Waver, Jacob
Williams, David
    Ditto    (Tavern)

Single Freemen
Henry Glass
Michael Logan
Andrew Logan
Michael Skelly
Charles Croyle
William Glass
John Mixel
Johnathan Shoup
John Burk
Thomas M'Gough
John Knepper
John Wisel
David Mixel
Ignatius Adams
James Crum
Michael Kennedy
John Dimond

1811 Conemaugh Twp, Cambria County, PA Tax Records

Here are the 1811 Tax Records for Conemaugh Twp in Cambria County, PA.

1811 Conemaugh Twp, Cambria County, PA Tax Records
Anderson, George
    Ditto
Anderson, Samuel
Armstrong, Joseph
Armintage, William
Benshoof, Paul
Brumbaugh, Jacob
    Ditto for John Brumbaugh
Binkley, Christian
Binkley, Jacob
Buckwalter, John
    Ditto
    Ditto
Betz, Mearguide
    Ditto    (Tavern)
    Ditto for Helsil
Braniff, Michael
Bonman, John
Boneman, Jacob
Cobat, Frederick
Coffman, Conrod    (Hatter)
Carleton, Benjamin     (Tailor)
Dimond, Patrick
Dunmozer, Peter
Dunmozer, Ludwick
Edward, Amos
Fox, Peter Sr.
Fox, George
Fox, Peter
Fox, John
Fight, Jacob
   Ditto    (B. Smith)
   Ditto    (Tavern)
   Ditto
   Ditto
Fulfont, William    (S. Maker)
Fye, Conrod
Goughenour, Daniel
    Ditto
    Ditto
    Ditto
Grosenigel, Daniel
Grosenigel, John Sr.
    Ditto (Tavern)
    Ditto
Gazem, John Jr.
Grey, Job
   Ditto
   Ditto
Goughenour, Jacob
Good, Abraham
Grey, William
Grey, John
Good, Jacob
    Ditto
Good, Christian
    Ditto
Goughenour, Peter
    Ditto    (Harkelmeter?)
Goughenour, Christian
Galbreath, Samuel    (S. Maker)
Gazem, John Sr.    (S. Maker)
Horner, John Sr.
   Ditto
   Ditto
   Ditto
Horner, John Jr.
   Ditto    (Gun Smith)
Horner, Jonas
    Ditto    (G. Mill)
    Ditto    (S. Mill)
Horner, Jacob
   Ditto
   Ditto
Hay, Daniel
Horner, Frederick
Horner, Christian
    Ditto
Horner, Adam
    Ditto
Helsil, Tobias
Huver, Catherine
Holliday, John
    Ditto    (2 Stills)
    Ditto
    Ditto    (G. Mill)
    Ditto    (S. Mill)
    Ditto
    Ditto
    Ditto
    Ditto
    Ditto for D. Anderson
Hildebran, George
Hildebran, James

Hildebran, Abraham
    Ditto
    Ditto
    Ditto
    Ditto
    Ditto    (Judge)
Hess, Peter
Kuntz, Michael
Korn, Frederick
Kutch, George Esq.
Kring, George
    Ditto    (Still)
Leer, Jacob
Linton, John
    Ditto    (Innkeeper)
McDermitt, Mary
McGough, Miles
McGough, James
Maggon, Peter
Mathews, Samuel
    Ditto
    Ditto    (2 Stills)
Meneely, John
    Ditto    (Weaver)
Paul, Abraham
Procter, Isaac
    Ditto for D. Anderson
Peck, Mathias    (Hatter)
Patton, David
Phillips, Jacob
Replogle, George
   Ditto
Rose, Adam
Raudebaugh, Henry
Ream, Garet
    Ditto
Reighart, Peter
Replogal, Philip
Roneen, John    (Joiner)
Roberts, Levi
    Ditto
Ream, Adam
Shew, Benjamin
Sutton, Richard
Stull, Jacob
    Ditto
    Ditto    (Still)
Stineman, Jacob
Stonder, John
    Ditto
    Ditto
Seigh, Daniel
Smith, Daniel
Stutsman, Jacob
Stouder, David
Stouder, William
Shoe, Benjamin
Shoe, Jacob
Sharer, Mary
    Ditto
Sleek, William
    Ditto    (Tanyard?)
Spencer, William
Walker, Joseph
Wimer, George
    Ditto    (Innkeeper)
    Ditto
Wisinger, Ludwick
Whetstone, Jacob
Warner, Nicholas
Wisinger, John
Willacy, Daniel
    Ditto
Willicy, Jacob
Willicy, Daniel Jr.
Yotter, David

Single Freemen
Eliezer Grey
William Mathews
Jacob Warner
Alexander Holliday
Marks Jeffries    (Millwright)
John Grosenigle
Peter Warner
William Gray
Michael Somel
Michael Kuntz
John Kuntz
Thomas Braniff
George Bowman
John Dill
John Paul
Daniel Wisenger
Stephen Leer