Monday, April 27, 2015

I just blew up a brick wall ...

OK, literally, my brick wall blew up.   My great grandfather, Ellis Shaul, has been hiding for many years!  I have his marriage records, the birth of his children, his 1900 census records, the marriages of his children, the deaths of his children, the death of his wife, but have not been able to find any mention of Ellis after the 1900 census.   The only clue I had was that my great grandmother was listed as his widow in the 1915 city directory for Ludington, Michigan.

Well, Ellis showed up!!!   I went back and started over with all the basics.   And I found him.  He BLEW UP.  Yup.  In September, 1904, Ellis Shaul, was working at the National Refinery in Findlay, Ohio, when the tank he was working on blew up and shot him 100 feet into the air! (Cincinnati Enquirer, Sep 22, 1904, p 1).  He did not survive.  The article goes on to state that Ellis was from Ludington, MI and that his widow was wired with the news of her husband's death.   A quick, four line blurb in the Sandusky Star-Journal, Sep 22, 1904, p 5, reports Ellis was blown to pieces.  

Now, there does not appear to be a death certificate issued in the state of Ohio.  I have dug deeper, pun intended, and found Ellis Schaull buried in Find A Grave at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Findlay, Ohio in September 1904.  It makes sense that the body would not have been shipped back to Michigan -- a matter of expense.  I have an inquiry into the Find A Grave keeper to verify this is really my Ellis.

KABOOM.

#Genealogy #BrickWalls

Monday, April 13, 2015

Big TY to Angie Bush!!

Angie Bush re-recorded the session she held for Dear Myrtle #DearMyrtle in the DNA Interest Group on FaceBook on GEDmatch Basics #GEDMATCH.   The original session had a number of audio problems.  I just finished the session.   WOW!  Now, I really can dig into this with more than a look of total bewilderment on my face.  

Angie's presentation was simple, clear, and HELPFUL!   And, she knew when to stop.  When there was enough covered and when to save more for later.   THANK YOU!!  #AngieBush

As the adage goes, a little knowledge can lead to a lot of danger!   I have a mystery cousin that wants to know how we are related and only has Ancestry and 23andMe testing done -- now, I know to ask to have one of the kits uploaded to GEDMATCH so a Chromosome Browser Comparison can be generated to see where we match.   I have a like report with a known second cousin on my mother's side of the family.  This might give a clue which branches to shake for the mystery member!!!

#geneticgenealogy #DNA

Saturday, April 11, 2015

BSO has a synonym. And it is DNA.

OMG. Another BSO!  DNA!    Enough with the TLA.   (three letter acronyms).  DNA has become my Bright Shiny Object that derails me from the articles I want to read, the research I want to do, the updates I want to make.   It has become my downfall.

I get one notice that I have a potential DNA Cousin -- and it can come from 23andMe, AncestryDNA, or FamilyTree DNA -- it doesn't matter which one -- and I am off an running.   Problem is that each has a separate database of potential cousins and there are only a hand full that repeat from one to the other.

So, I need to stop checking the notices, and start reading the articles -- most of them are on how to understand the DNA results and what the meaning of intersections of genetic codes mean.   Good things to know before getting in too deep.

So, BSO, Be Gone, Depart, Leave Me Alone.   At least until I finish a couple more pages......


#genealogy #DNA #geneticgenealogy