Welcome to the White-Norton DNA Project. My name is Nicole Dyer, and I lead a team of experienced researchers at Family Locket Genealogists. Read about us here: About Family Locket Genealogists. We are working with our client, Edward Flotte, in an ongoing project to discover the parents of Thomas White and Bridget Norton. Edward is a descendant of Thomas White and Bridget Norton through their daughter Catherine White. I have reached out to you because you and Edward are cousins, and we need your help to make this project a success. I invite you to read about the current research phase below and hope you will help us by sharing your DNA results.
Objective
Who were the parents of Thomas White and Bridget Norton? Thomas White was born about 1815 in Ireland and died 18 January 1882 in Lafourche, Louisiana. He married “Mrs. Bridget Norton” on 27 July 1850 in Lafourche. Bridget was born about 1819 in Ireland. Bridget Norton married James Lee prior to Thomas White. Bridget died 17 July 1899 in Lockport, Lafourche, Louisiana.
Background
According to the petition Bridget Norton filed at the Probate Court in New Orleans, Louisiana, her first husband James Lee passed away 15 Nov 1849. The same petition stated James and Bridget had married in New York City on 25 Nov 1845, and that James had left behind Bridget and their 13 month old daughter Mary Jane Lee (1). An indexed marriage record stated that Mrs. Bridget Norton married Thomas White on 27 Jul 1850 in Lafourche County, Louisiana (2). Thomas and Bridget were enumerated on the 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 U.S. censuses (3). The census records revealed their likely children: Mary born about 1848 (so she was most likely not the child of Bridget but may have been Thomas’ daughter from his previous marriage), Margaret (1853), Catherine Louisa (1856), Susanne (1859) and Thomas (1861).
DNA evidence from the descendants of Thomas White and Bridget Norton may provide important clues to their family and origins in Ireland. Tester 1 above descends from Bridget and Thomas. Finding further DNA testers who descend from Bridget and/or Thomas will further this project.
Join the DNA Project
Our overarching goal is to determine the parents of Thomas White and Bridget Norton through DNA and documentary evidence. This effort will only succeed in cooperation with other descendants.
Share Ancestry Results
If you have tested at Ancestry, you can share your DNA results so that you can be included in the research and DNA analysis. Follow these steps found in Ancestry’s support article:
- From any page on Ancestry, click the DNA tab and select Your DNA Results Summary.
- On your DNA homepage, click Settings in the top-right corner.
- On the DNA Settings page, scroll down to the Visibility and sharing section and click DNA test sharing.
- Choose Invite and enter our client’s username, eflotte.
- Select Viewer or Collaborator and then choose Invite.
Upload to MyHeritage from AncestryDNA
Analyzing segments of DNA and connecting them to the ancestor or ancestral couple from whom the segments were inherited is an important strategy for this project. You can participate in the analysis and mapping of shared DNA segments by downloading your raw DNA data from AncestryDNA and then uploading it for free to MyHeritage, another secure genealogy website with special DNA segment tools. You can follow step-by-step instructions from genetic genealogist and scientist Leah Larkin here:
Leah Larkin, “More Bang for Your Buck: From AncestryDNA to MyHeritage,” blog post, 25 September 2022, The DNA Geek (https://thednageek.com/more-bang-for-your-buck-from-ancestrydna-to-myheritage/ : accessed 18 Oct 2022).
Upload to GEDmatch
GEDmatch is another site that helps you analyze segment data. If you are willing to upload your results there, go to https://www.gedmatch.com/. If you upload your DNA data to GEDmatch, please send a note with your name and your assigned GEDmatch kit number to Nicole@FamilyLocket.com.
Sources
(1) Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9067/images/007672217_01000: accessed 27 Oct 2022), “Louisiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1756-1984 for James Lee” > Orleans > Successions, 2413-2551, 1849-1850, (Probate Packet), image 999 to 1005.
(2) Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/5236:2090: accessed 27 Oct 2022), Louisiana, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1728-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997; Original data: Dodd, Jordan R, et. al.. Early American Marriages: Louisiana to 1850. Bountiful, UT, USA: Precision Indexing Publishers, 19xx.
(3) Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8054/images/4198705_00632: accessed 27 Oct 2022), “1850 United States Federal Census for Bridget White” > Louisiana > Lafourache > BayouLafourche > Household of Thomas White > image 38 of 76, and
Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/38278927:7667: accessed 27 Oct 2022), ” 1860 United States Federal Census for Bridget White,” > Louisiana > Lafourche > Ward 9 > Household of Thomas White > image 22 of 32, and
Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7163/images/4269417_00652: accessed 27 Oct 2022), “1870 United States Federal Census for Bridget White,” > Louisiana > Lafourche > Ward 9 > Household of Thomas White > image 34 of 43, and
Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6742/images/4241371-00706: accessed 27 Oct 2022), “1880 United States Federal Census for Bridget White,” > Louisiana > Lafourche > 4th Ward > 130 > Household of Thomas White > image 28 of 30.