Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about using DNA evidence to confirm a hypothesis created with indirect documentary evidence. We discuss Diana’s research on Benjamin Cox, his proposed children, and his migration. We touch on helpful onomastic evidence, DNA evidence, and FAN club connections. Diana shares how she made a McGuire chart to show shared DNA from four Benjamin Cox descendants who shared their DNA results with other descendants of Benjamin. Transcript Nicole...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about our ancestor, Mariah (Brockhouse) Beddoes who left her parents in England with her husband and two young daughters to join with other Latter-day Saints in Utah Territory. Mariah was born in Willinghall, England, and her father was a locksmith. She married William Beddoes, a miner, and they eventually had a family of 13 children. The stories about Mariah’s departure from England are heart-breaking. She left her...
If you have an ancestor who became a United States citizen in the 20th century, you will have a rich source of information about their origins, emigration, residence, family, and more. The changes made to the naturalization process in 1906 by the U.S. Congress resulted in standardized forms that requested detailed information and specific requirements for citizenship. Before 1906, little identifying information was included in the naturalization forms. In part 1 of this series, we...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is a case study about John D. Isenhour and surnames that can be challenging to research. The surname Eisenhower was challenging to research because of the various spellings and eventual anglicization of the name by our branch of the family. We discuss John D. Isenhour’s migration from Pennsylvania to North Carolina to Missouri, using tax and land records to learn more, and understanding the community he migrated with....
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about an ancestor who died too soon, Diana’s great-grandmother, Mary Margaret (Peterson) Creer. We discuss Mary’s Danish parents, their immigration, and settlement in Spanish Fork, Utah in the late 1800s. Mary married Charles Cannon Creer in Manti and had a wedding reception in a white brick house Charles built for his bride. Mary was the mother of eleven children, but had an accident that shortened her life....
When we think of the American Civil War and the havoc it wrought upon the southern states and the nation as a whole, how often do we consider the women left behind? The soldier who fought may have military records stating specifics, but we seldom have any account of the soldier’s mother, sisters, or wife. In that case, we need to research the soldier and then dig into the historical accounts that can shed light...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about the Georgia land lottery, how it worked, and how it was used as part of a case showing that Thomas Beverly Royston was the son of John Royston. Join us as we talk about the historical context of the Georgia land lottery and the Royston case. Transcript Nicole Dyer (1s): This is Research Like a Pro episode 268 John Royston Orphan Welcome to research Like a...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about Daniel Henrie and his membership in the Mormon Battalion. The 52 ancestors prompt that brought about this post was about membership in a broader community – what churches, clubs, fraternal organizations, service groups, or military units did your ancestors belong to? Exploring membership in those groups helps us understand our ancestors’ lives better. Join us as we learn more about Daniel Henrie and the Mormon Battalion...
If you have tested your DNA at Living DNA or uploaded a kit there, you may have wondered how to use the site best. With a much smaller pool of DNA test-takers, you probably don’t have many close matches, and without family trees, it has been difficult to identify common family lines. Two new tools released recently, however, give us more options for discovering and grouping our matches – the chromosome browser and the matchbox,...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about an outcast in our family tree. Diana shares how she responded to the 52 Ancestors prompt to write about an ancestor who was an outcast. She chose William “Dick” Shults, who fled town after a gunfight and settled in Arizona. He made it into the newspapers several times in the early 1900s due to run-ins with the law and other events. Join us as we discuss...
