While lying in bed last night, I was thinking about my ancestors. I know, weird, right? It is amazing that 23andMe shows my DNA makeup is 99.9% European. Europe is such a diverse continent with so many countries within it as it covers the whole Northern Hemisphere and many of the Eastern Hemisphere. It has over double the number of countries than North America. But, believe it or not, Europe has the least number of languages spoken, with 286 languages in 2015 compared to 1,064 in North and South America.
29.7% is German and French, with most of my German being in Bavaria, Hamburg, Hesse, and Rhineland-Palatine. The French connection is in Switzerland, mainly in Canton of Bern and Grisons, although I haven’t found these connections yet.
23.9% is British and Irish with the United Kingdom of Greater London, Glasgow City, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, West Midlands, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Merseyside, Belfast, and Kent. In Ireland, we have County Dublin, County Cork, County Cavan, County Galway, County Mayo, County Leitrim, County Kilkenny, County Wicklow, County Longford, and County Louth.
2.2% of my British and Irish are Scandinavian and Northwestern European. 13.9& is Eastern European. 1.8% is Southern European, which consists of Italy and the Mediterranean. 9.1% is “Broadley European,” explained by 23andMe as Neolithic farmers from western Asia joined Paleolithic hunter-gatherers to settle in Europe. And, .1% of the European DNA is Ashkenazi Jewish.
So, what is the .1%? It is in southern South Asia. This area consists of these countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Interesting. I doubt I’ll find that .1%.
The diversity it amazing to me. I have come so far in my research in the last 25 years, but looking at these regions, I have so much more to go. It is an exciting challenge to find these places in my research as I did with my Slovenian and Croatian connections in Eastern Europe. And my Scottish links in Northern Europe.
I am proud of my European ancestry. Maybe that’s why I am addicted to all the European shows on Britbox and Acorn! 😉
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I have always wondered and had a feeling that my Rowan family had some connection to Rowan, North Carolina. I was right! My 6th great uncle, Matthew Rowan, is the connection. He started as a bit of a scoundrel but became Governor of North Carolina for a time.
Julie Lane was studying stories from her roots in Maine. She found in archives and museums that Captain Matthew Rowan wasn’t always a good guy. The Irish ship Martha & Eliza sailed from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on July 28, 1741, bound for Newcastle, Pennsylvania, on the Delaware River. According to the article at Working Waterfront Archives,
The ship was known as a snow (a square-rigged vessel), a 90-foot, two-misted bark commonly used to transport passengers and goods from Ireland to the colonies. The boat must have been severely overloaded with some 200 paying passengers. The captain was Matthew Rowen.
After about four weeks, the ship was caught up in a hurricane and drifted around the north Atlantic for several weeks during which time the captain lost his bearings. Fever swept through those on board, as well as starvation, and many passengers died. At one point, a passing vessel, also in distress from the storm and low supplies, provided the ship with biscuits and water. On Oct. 28the crippled ship, her human cargo severely debilitated, finally drifted ashore among the islands around Grand Manan, fabled in ship’s lore as the site of more than 250 shipwrecks, according to Eric Allaby, an island historian.
After evacuating the passengers from the disabled ship and dispersing them in groups on three small islands, with no provisions, Captain Rowan and his crew reportedly sailed in the ship’s longboat to Fort Frederick at Pemaquid, where they “tarried.” As for the passengers, they were left to fend for themselves, creating rude shelters from parts of the derelict ship and eating shellfish and seaweed.
Many of them died, but thanks to the discovery of their plight by Passamaquoddy Indians, a small group of passengers eventually arrived in Midcoast Maine, where a few of them remained and married local people.
Passamaquoddy tribal members took letters from the abandoned survivors of the island shipwreck to St.George, Maine, paddling 100 miles on behalf of the stranded Irish emigrants. The letter they delivered finally brought about the rescue of the remaining stranded passengers, including Isabel Galloway and her infant. The child’s father had died, and Isabel soon married Warren farmer Archibald Gamble, with whom she had more children. The surviving infant, Isabel’s son Robert Galloway, grew to boyhood but was lost at sea at age 17. Lane said there may be Gamble descendants in the area today, as well as descendants of other survivors. Isabel is said to have given tribal members a warm welcome in Warren, unlike neighbors who considered them threatening savages. Read more here Read also Fisherman’s Voice
Despite his reputed smuggling activities, Rowan became a respectable member of society in North Carolina. He was never convicted or sought after for any crimes against humanity. It is recorded that he was a “Church Warden” in Bath in 1726. In 1727, after moving to the Cape Fear region, Matthew became a member of the Colonial Assembly; in 1731 was on the executive council, and in 1735 was part of the team that surveyed the boundary line between North and South Carolina and was appointed surveyor-general of the colony. Four years later was named to the Governor’s Council as Acting Governor. Thirty different letters and minutes mention Matthew from 1731 to 1754. You can peruse them at Documenting the American South, Colonial, and State Records of North Carolina.
Matthew had an illegitimate son with Jane Stubbs but married his brother John’s widow, Elizabeth. They did not have any children together, but she did have four daughters with John, whom Matthew provided for at least once in his will and his son, John.
Matthew Rowan was born in about 1703 to Reverand John Rowan and Margaret Stewart in County Antrim, Ireland. Sometime around 1726, he immigrated to America as a shipbuilder and merchant. In the book,
History of North Carolina: From 1584 to 1783
By Samuel A’Court Ashe
It states that Matthew Rowan came from Ireland to North Carolina around 1724-26 to build a ship or two for people in Dublin. The building of ships was an established industry in the colony then.
Rowan County was named after Matthew in 1753. Initially, Rowan included the entire northwestern sector of North Carolina, with no clear western boundary, but its size was reduced as several counties were split off.
Matthew died on his plantation, Rowan Plantation (known as Roan), in April 1760. It is said he owned 26 slaves and over 9,000 acres at the time of his death.
A complicated, wealthy man he was. Shipbuilder, merchant, scoundrel, politician, and governor.
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Use your historical societies, archives, and libraries.
Last weekend I added some names to the Gottschee side of my family tree. A gentleman who has published his and his wife’s family history passed away in September. He was a great contributor to the Gottschee Heritage Association and has helped me in the past. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until recently that, although I wasn’t related to him, I found out through a cousin that I am related to his wife! And, considering he and his wife were third cousins, I could be related to him as well.
It pays to visit your Historical Societies, Archives, and Libraries. They are a treasure trove of information. Find out where your ancestors were from and look up the historical society or family history library in that area. You will be amazed at what you can find.
The gentleman who died was John Krauland, and his wife was named Dorothy Maurin. Dorothy is my 3rd cousin, 3x removed. As I stated in my previous blog on my Gottscheer ancestry, these families are interconnected. Her great-grandfather and my second great-uncle were brothers. Wrap your mind around that!
I was able to add seven more generations to my tree. What I find interesting is that one of my new 6th great-grandparents is from Croatia. Why is that interesting? I’ve been wondering where my Croatia DNA connection could be.
If you want to see John Krauland and his wife’s ancestry, visit Krauland’s databases.
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Porterfield and Rowan are my elusive ancestors. Can you help find them?
Saturday was spent on these two surnames. They are my 4th great-grandparents on my dad’s line. Because of records from the Records of the N. Washington Reformed Presbyterian Cemetery, Washington Twp., Westmoreland Co., Pa; I know that they both emigrated from Tyrone County, Ireland, in 1791. From there, they settled in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and had nine children.
The book Western Pennsylvania and the Settlement by the Rowans states that John and Letitia came to America with John’s eight brothers and sisters. Three children stayed in Ireland. It also states that John was the oldest son of William and probably had responsibility for the siblings that came with him.
It is said in the book that they probably settled in Western Pennsylvania because it is where they could practice their Presbyterian faith and the stricter Conventar beliefs with other people of similar views. This book was written with work completed by Merle Rowan Thompson, Jr., a descendant of John Rowan II.
And, while I can document John and Letitia’s time in Pennsylvania, I am having disconnect issues with Letitia’s parents and how they connect to the Porterfields of Ireland and Scotland. John’s family is a little easier to trace, but finding information about John and Letitia’s time in Ireland has been difficult.
I have come a long way with this line, but it is still frustrating until I can break down this brick wall. I am hoping my writing this blog on them others researching this family will reach out.
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What does your last name mean and how can it help you with your genealogy?
In last week’s “Family History Detectives” class for my students, we talked about surnames and how they developed. I used their last names to show how that surname could have happened. Needless to say, they were intrigued.
The application of surnames did not come about until around 1066 during the Norman Conquest. The population was expanding, and there was a growing need to distinguish people. Surnames originated from various sources.
For instance, people could come from what they did, “Cook,” “Farmer,” “Carpenter,” or from where they lived, “Hill,” “Woods,” “Ford,” or, like mine, Logan, Gaelic lagán (a little hollow), a diminutive form of lag (a hollow): hence, “dweller at a little hollow.”
They could also be based on common names, so the son of John would be “Johnson.” Lars’ daughter would be “Larsdoetter.” Or, Joseph the Tailor became “Joseph Taylor.” John, the son of James, became “John Jameson,” and so on. In Scotland, the prefix “Mac” meant paternity as well. MacGregor means Gregor’s son.
Names could also be descriptive, such as “White,” “Strong,” “Young,” “Black,” or “Long,” and “Longfellow.” Or geographical, such as “London,” “Street,” “West,” and “Holland.” A lot of Irish and some Scottish surnames came from the names of legendary clans such as “Abercromby,” Agnew,” Buchanan,” “Stewart,” “Kelly,” “Duffy,” “Wallace,” and “Quinn.”
There are even surnames that have a religious factor, such as “Abbey,” “Bishop,” “Deacon,” “Parsons,” and “Sexton.”
Every country and even place within a country has its own surname practices. Of course, now names do not change as much as they used to.
You will find many places online that want to sell you a Coat of Arms with your surname or a plaque, but make sure you do your homework first. How do you know what’s real? Stick to the most reputable sites like Ancestry, forebears.io, or surnamedb.com. And, for Irish and Scottish names, they have many clan sites that have researched for you.
The most important thing about studying your family history and surnames is not to get hung up on an exact spelling. Names evolved and changed over time due to travel, language, and understanding. Be flexible and understand that Stephanz could also be Steffens, Stefanc, and Steffans.
Make sure you check out Ancestry’s surname message boards. Here, you can see different spellings of the same name and connect with others who are researching the same ancestors you are.
Surnames have now become standard practice, but it behooves you to learn the origin of your surname. To know what your ancestors’ naming practices are and were. It just may lead you to your roots.
Ancestry DNA can also connect you to others with the surname you are researching as well as 23andMe.
This weekend was a long one for me. I had a three-day which I wish I had more of. I accomplished so much!
The most exciting for me was that I was able to get in my yard and tend to my plants and flowers. Just deadheading, trimming, and planting bulbs made me feel so serene. It makes all the thoughts whirring in my head become silent. The bees were buzzing and there are so many different butterflies, it makes me feel good that I am helping nature.
Being in the garden is so beneficial for mental health, whether you have the most common of the 200 forms of classified mental illnesses, such as anxiety or depression, or you have a serious case, such as bipolar or even dementia. Gardening is such a great therapeutic intervention, an issue of hope. It is good for life’s cognitive, social, and even physical aspects. For enduring. There is always hope.
So, cutting down the Mexican Marigolds and basil and deadheading the marigolds, roses, and canna lilies brings hope that new growth will occur, and the planting of the bulbs brings the hope that new flowers will emerge in the spring. Hope springs eternal. 🙂
Summer Has Ended
I then worked on my lesson plans for Tuesday’s “Family History Detectives Club” at my school. I have enjoyed hearing from the student’s parents telling me their children are calling their grandparents and “interviewing” them. It makes my heart sing, and I can only imagine how those same grandparents feel about receiving these calls.
Some parents even sent me pictures of their children interviewing the grandparents; one was Facetiming a grandparent, and one had their pencil and notebook in hand, asking questions. These events are so very special to all parties involved. Others were interviewing their parents. A parent even told me that they are all now involved in learning their family history.
After working on the lesson plans, I helped my son with some personal business, insurance, job, etc. It is great spending time with him. When he’s not working, he’s out with friends, so these moments are few but cherished. Mom was able to take the car, get out to an appointment, and shop. It made her feel so good!
I then worked on making videos to promote my online classes. “Roots to Trees” is the program’s name, but “Bare Roots” is the name of the first class, basic genealogy for children and anyone needing the basics. The next class will be “Emerging Leaves” and is currently being worked on. The “Bare Roots” class is $9.99 for 5 sections and can be worked on at your own pace in your home or wherever you learn.
So, it was a jam-packed, fun-filled, productive weekend. I hope yours was too!
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Yesterday was my first class at the Family History Detectives Club. I don’t know who had more fun, the kids or me! It was fantastic. The student’s excitement was very refreshing. What I hadn’t anticipated was all the questions being thrown at me. What if… What if… What if…
I told them we had to get the boring stuff out of the way first…. vocabulary words. However, I was surprised at how many they already knew and was pleased they were learning these in Social Studies and Spelling.
The best part was their Mom and Dad worksheets. They had to enter their parents’ full names, siblings, their parents, etc. “Wait, I have to enter their middle names too?” “What do you mean that’s not their middle name?” “Oh, that’s their maiden name?” “I’m confused. ” And, so it went.
Then they had to enter their parent’s sibling’s names and their spouses. “What if my uncle isn’t married?” “What if they are divorced?” “What if he is not married yet?” And, so they kept firing. Needless to say, they had a lot of blank spaces in their papers. I kept telling them they had a lot of investigating to do.
The next subject was about traits and where they got them from. One girl said, “Well, how do I know which parent? They both have brown eyes?” “One said, no one in my family has red hair except me and my sister.” Investigate.
They each received their own Sherlock Holmes hats, detective badges with lanyards, and a detective kit to keep their goodies in. I just purchased some clear-colored plastic snap folders and printed pages with Top Secret that they slid in. They were very excited. Next week they will receive their classified pencils and notepads.
I received great feedback from the children and their parents and was very pleased with their reactions. I am already looking forward to next Tuesday! My school’s teachers were very supportive, and I am blessed to know them.
I followed the same pattern that is in my online class for children (Genealogy Classes). Of course, I understand it is not the same as a face-to-face club, but if children want to learn at their own pace, the online class is available in a step-by-step guide with printables and instructions. I am available online through the class for instruction as well.
This weekend is my appointment with the local library to discuss giving this same class, and possibly more, through them.
In the meantime, I am still working with a client and her family history and am enjoying the hunt. I have also written a certain article for a certain magazine that I am very excited about. It will be published soon, and I will certainly share it with you all.
I appreciate all the support and all of you who have found my blog and can fill in your family trees because of it. I have enjoyed meeting cousins from all over the country, and it warms my heart when someone breaks a brick wall because of my blog.
Keep searching, keep digging, and keep climbing that tree! The rewards are unexplainable.
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It will be two years ago Monday that I started my Family History Blog. It is amazing how far I have come and what I have accomplished. I started only as an outlet to share my ancestor’s findings with my family. It has grown to be so much more.
It has not only helped me be a better researcher and storyteller, but it has also given me so much more insight into my ancestors, who they were, and who I am.
In October, I started a Family History Detectives Club at my school for 4th graders. I am very excited. I bought these little detective hats, magnifying glasses, and detective badges. After we do the boring stuff of going over #Genealogy vocabulary words and learning what a pedigree chart is, I will have them pick an ancestor to investigate.
When I was researching genealogy or family history for children, there wasn’t much there as far as teaching them. There were many activities and fun worksheets, but nothing taught them how to start researching or how to start investigating their family history. Nothing about sources or how to read them.
That gave me an idea. After seeing the excitement in the children’s eyes about the club and not finding much help on the internet, I knew there was a need. So, I created an online Google Classroom course and am checking into giving courses at my local library. They had genealogy courses on their calendar but for teens and seniors. Nothing for children.
You may not think children are interested, but I promise you they are. Just today I had an 8th grader bring me his surname family history book. This thing was huge. His ancestors had published his family tree and bound it into this beautiful book. He heard I was doing the club and wanted to share with me that he had an ancestor who came over on the Mayflower.
As I was perusing the book, I looked up this ancestor in the index of names. Just for kicks, I looked up Logan. Sure enough, there were several. Then one familiar Logan popped out at me. He was MY 1st cousin, 6x removed! This student and I are related. When I found the discovery, his mom was in the office, and he came in shortly after. He was blown away, as were all of us.
It just goes to show we are all related. The tree is a small world, after all.
If you want your child to join my virtual Google classroom event, Roots to Trees, go to my Genealogy Classes and register.
Thanks for reading!
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Tracing our family trees can give us more insight into our heritage and a better understanding of our family history. The Clay County Archives in Florida wants to provide the best research for that genealogy.
Clay County has a database called The Goldmine of Names specific to Clay County and its history. They also have an African-American Genealogy section. Volunteers have been collecting and indexing black history sources.
There are also a couple of books you may be interested in. Jane Lander’s “Black Society in Spanish Florida,” available at the Archives, and “The Forresters” by Vishi Garig (my personal friend!). According to the archives website, The Forrester family was the only free African-American family in Clay County in 1860. Many Clay residents are their descendants, including the Lycurgus, Redmond, Lewis, Miller, Lemon, and Stewart families.
The archives can help you find the original source material. Much of it comes from bound records, court cases, or vertical files which have at the Archives.
The Archives maintain subject files for more than 400 individuals and families. The files contain clippings, photos, family histories, oral interviews, and other items. | Catalog of the Subject Files – Genealogy |The catalog is constantly updated, so if you do not see a name you are interested in, email them, and they can check their files for you.
There are even some wonderful oral histories of these first Clay County residents:
Burroughs Jackson, Maude
Chalker, Martha A.
Coker, Neil
Cross, Martin
Hall, Margaret
Jennings, S. Bryan
Lycurgus, Edward – WPA Oral Interview, Fleming slave family
Oliver, Mami
Permenter, Eugene
Philips, Elizabeth
Smith, Sara Lynn Boe
Williamson, Ann
🌀 We are still in the midst of hurricane season and I am grateful that we have had the opportunity to prepare and plan, thanks to the warnings we have from modern-day meteorologists.
When hurricane season comes around, I reflect on my ancestors, many of whom grew up on the coast, and did not have the advanced warnings we have today. Florida has a long history of hurricanes, with records dating back to 1851 when the first one named, “Great Middle Florida”, occurred. Eleven more unnamed hurricanes followed, followed by the devastating “Great Miami” hurricane in 1926 and the “Okeechobee” hurricane two years later. Several more storms followed, all unnamed, until “Hurricane Easy” hit in 1950, after which they started naming them.
My ancestors served as LifeSavers 🛟 along the Carolina coasts, facing these storms mostly without warning, and bravely protecting their families and neighbors, often in boats similar to the one pictured. It’s hard to imagine a hurricane striking without warning, as they did before the 1870s.
While some may criticize modern-day meteorologists and forecasters, I am thankful for the warnings we receive today, despite the anxiety it may bring. I am glad that we now have some time to protect our families.People complain about our modern-day meteorologists and forecasters. But I, for one, am glad we have some warning. As crazy as the waiting makes us, at least we have some time to protect our families, just like my ancestors, U. S. Life-Savers, Wescott, Midgett, Daniels, Etheridge, and Tillett. And they did it without the warnings we have today.
I pray that you will heed the warnings you receive with gratitude and thanksgiving for all the storms in your life.
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