Your mission, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission: Impossible! music) is to:
(1) What was your best research achievement in 2016? Tell us: Show us a document, tell us a story, or display a photograph. Brag a bit! You've earned it!
(2) We all have elusive ancestors. What research problem do you want to work on in 2017? Tell us where you want to research and what you hope to find.
(3) Put the answers in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a Facebook or Google+ post.
(1) By far, my best research achievement in 2016 was proving that my paternal grandfather's father was not the man whom my great-grandmother married. I had suspected for several years that was the case, but I was able to prove it with DNA. My father's Y-DNA and that of a male cousin who is a descendant of my grandfather's brother show conclusively that they do not descend from the same man. I wrote about this after I had announced to my family members the results of the test.
(2) The research problem I will focus a lot of my time on in 2017 is identifying this so-far nameless great-grandfather. I have a strong suspect, thanks to help from Suzanne McClendon, who found a lot of relevant newspaper articles about the candidate after reading my post about my most recent unknown ancestor (who happens to be this great-grandfather). I've been researching the suspect's family, going back one generation at a time and then bringing family lines forward, trying to find a living male descendant who is willing to take a Y-DNA test. Even if that person matches my father, the test won't tell me who my great-grandfather was, but matching will tell me that I'm not barking up the wrong family tree. One step at a time!
You can do it! I can't wait to hear the results of your research on your great-grandfather. Even if you're barking up the wrong tree, maybe all the ruckus will shake loose the right one. :)
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed week!
Thanks, Suz! From your mouth to God's ear!
DeleteYou have a real challenge ahead. Please do blog about the steps you take to reveal the name of this elusive g-grandfather's identity!
ReplyDeleteOf course! How could I not?
DeleteDNA has helped so many people find their roots. Hope you find that male descendant willing to test this year.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. I'm keepin' the faith.
DeleteI knew this would be your 2016 find! Good luck on progressing on the research!
ReplyDeleteThere's no question this was the most significant information I found last year. Onward toward an identification!
DeleteThat is a really interesting thing to find out. Were any of your family unhappy with the discovery? Best of luck in finding out who the biological father was. I will look forward to reading about it.
ReplyDeleteOne of my relatives took it . . . poorly, even though I had warned everyone beforehand it was the answer I was expecting, and explained why. Everyone else seemed to take it in stride.
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