Old Letters for DNA Testing

Living DNA announced at RootsTech that they were able to locate someone’s father through the DNA off a postage stamp. I was standing in line at the Living DNA booth to purchase a DNA kit from them, and all around me was the talk of postage stamp DNA. The discussions were basically about what letters and from whom did they have in their possession. Now, these old letters have taken on a new purpose.

Adoptee Anthea had been abandoned under a blackberry bush when she was about nine months old. Her hands were tied so she could not move. A family heard her cries, and she was rescued and adopted by a very loving family. When Anthea was older, she found out her story and went in search of her biological family. DNA testing found four brothers who were candidates for who Anthea’s biological father could be. Two of the brothers showed that they were first cousins, so that left the other two brothers as potential matches. A cousin had saved letters from those last two brothers, and it was the salvia from these stamps that provided the DNA to prove which one was Anthea’s father. An incredible story, but it opens a whole new way of identifying our family members.

Denise May Levenick’s blog, theFamilyCurator.com, has an article “How to Preserve and Test Old Letters for Grandma’s DNA.” Denise interviewed David Nicholson, Managing Director at Living DNA, and he stated that the ability to test postage stamps for DNA would be available by the end of 2018 at the cost of $1,000 - $2,500. Living DNA will test both the stamp and the flap that was licked.

David Nicholson’s advice on how to save these old letters is:

1. Look for family letters where the flap and seal are intact. Multiple samples are best. If the letters are stored in a bundle, the ones in the middle are usually in better shape.

2. Wear white cotton gloves when handling these letters to avoid further contamination.

3. Keep the letters stored in acid-free folders and boxes in moderate conditions. Avoid plastic. Metal file drawers or archival boxes are best.
If you have any keepsake letters from your relatives, you may want to hold on to them. They may hold the secret to your past. How to preserve letters for DNA testing is great information and thank you, Denise, at theFamilyCurator.com for sharing.

Clues in the U.S. Census Records

Census records are a great way to search for your ancestors. They are easy to search and readily available. If you’re are just searching for families and residency in these census records, then you may be missing the clues that will help you break your brick walls.

The 1840 census is two pages wide. On the right-hand page, there is a column for Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services, and the column next to that is for the person’s age. The 1840 census is a “name of household only” census, but the Penson information is for anyone living in that household.

The1850-1870 Censuses have Agriculture and Manufacturer's schedules besides the Federal Census. If your ancestor is listed as a farmer or manufactures something, check out these schedules at Ancestry and FamilySearch.

The 1850 census asks if you were married that year.

1870 census asks if your mother or father were of foreign birth. Great for finding children of immigrant ancestors.

The 1880 census asks questions on lines 16-20 about disabilities. If there are check marks in these disability boxes, be sure and look at the Special Schedule of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes.

In the 1900 census you will find years in current marriage, month and year of birth, mother of how many children and how many are still living. Naturalization status, year of immigration, and how many years lived in the US.

On the right-hand side of the1910 Census is a question about Civil War Service. The question asked is "Whether a survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy?" The abbreviations used in this column for UA for Union Army; UN for Union Navy; CA for Confederate Army; and CN for Confederate Navy.

The 1920 census asks the year of naturalization.

In the 1930 census, you will find the age at first marriage and if you are a military veteran, which war.

The1940 Census has an X in a circle by the name of the informant of the census information. If it was Harry, the border, then the information may have errors in it. The informant information is a nice heads-up to the accuracy of the information.

There is so much more information available. Be sure and look at the headings of each census year, and you may find the answers that help you find your ancestors.

U. S. Census Records Class Handout FamilySearch

A Personal History Based on Photos

A personal history could be one of the greatest legacies that you can leave your descendants. If you want it to be accurate, then it is best that you write it yourself. If you leave it up to others, all they have is their memories, and they may not be correct. A fantastic way to start writing your personal history is to gather your photos you have collected from your life. These photos will be the foundation of your stories.

There is a story behind each photo. Your descendants will not know that story unless you write about it. It would be sad if your experiences you enjoyed throughout your life became lost even though a photo showed a snapshot of what was going on.

For instance, a gentleman was in World War II, and he had a photo of himself beside a plane. This is a great photo, but the rest of the story is untold. This gentleman had just returned from a major battle where most of his friends had not made it back. What a challenging time in his life, yet you would not know this just by looking at a photo. This experience is also an opportunity for him to share with his descendants how he got through this challenge and went on with life.

Forget about Chronology. You can write your history is any order you want. Sometimes it is best to start with something exciting that will catch your readers attention. Many times, one photo will spark a memory that you have in another photo.

As you go through your photos, let your mind wander back to the good old days. What was life like in those days? Did you have lots of chores or were they carefree? You don’t have to let the photo limit what you tell. Share the feelings and the memories that come from viewing these photos.

Don’t stress about Grammar and spelling. Memories are the goal, and the aim is not perfection. You can even handwrite your story. What a terrific opportunity for you to allow children, grandchildren, or even youth in your neighborhood provide a service for you if you need help with writing your story on a computer. Whichever way you want to put your story together, on the computer or handwritten, make sure you don’t delay your greatest gift.

Pinterest

Genealogy research can take us to some of the most interesting sites. It is amazing how something used for craft ideas, recipes, and many other ways is also a great resource for genealogists. Pinterest is a free social media site that allows you to bookmark favorite websites and organize them onto “boards.”

If you do not already have an account on Pinterest, go to ww.pinterest.com and sign-up. Fill out the information, and you are ready to start “pinning!” Pinterest has a great search engine, and you can search genealogical subjects that interest you. You can create “boards” of different genealogical information and then start searching for “pins” to add to your boards. Once you find something you would like to save, you click save, and it will ask you what board you would like it saved to. Just as simple as that.

Some board ideas are:

Maps. There are lots of maps from all over the world on Pinterest. I created a search in the search bar for “genealogy maps.” Here is a list of just a few maps that came up. “5 Types of Maps Every Genealogist Should Know,” “Historical Maps of the United States,” “Map Your Family Surname,” “Map your Ancestors and bring Genealogy to Life,” “Map of the United States in 1700,” and more than I could count.

Genealogy Research Helps. “Tips for Researching German Genealogy,” “Irish Genealogy,” “5 Fabulous Tip for using Ancestry.com,” “Useful Smartphone Apps for Genealogy Research,” “Genealogy Classes – Genealogy.com,” and again the list goes on and on.

Genealogy Organization. “The FamilyRoots Organizer Color-Coding System,” “Tips: 23 Secrets to Organize Your Genealogy,” “What You Need to Know to Organize Your Genealogy,” “9 Habits of Highly Organized Genealogists,” “The Genealogist’s Organization Cheatsheet,” “How to use Pinterest for Genealogy and Family History,” are some great examples.

Census Records. “The Secret Hiding on the 1840 U.S. Census,” “Irish Census Records,” “How to Calculate Birth Dates from Census Records,” “Clues in Census Records, 1790-1840,” “State-By-State Census Chart,” “Census Forms,” “How to Find a Missing Person on Census records,” and page after page of census information.

The list of boards can go on forever. The number of “pins” you can add to these boards is enormous. It’s great that there is a website with so much information and you are in control of what and how you save it. The ultimate information and organization tool in one stop.

FamilySearch Wiki

Genealogical research can be daunting at best. Are there any resources out there that will make it easier? The answer is yes! FamilySearch Wiki (familysearch.org/wiki/en) is a jewel in the genealogical community as an aid to researchers seasoned and novice alike.

Oh no! You discovered your great-grandfather is from New York state. You know nothing about New York research. Never fear! FamilySearch Wiki will guide and tutor you through your research.

For example, you will find on the New York state wiki research page step-by-step research strategies, interactive maps that link to the county level and the information available there. It has information on where to locate vital records concerning the area you are researching and what state census records are available.

FamilySearch Wiki has 87,802 articles to aid you in your research. The Wiki suggests that when you research their website that you use keywords and not phrases. “New York” is a good example. The Wiki also suggests that you start with broad localities and then click to smaller ones. You would start by searching with the keyword “New York” and go to the New York article and then click on the county or record level.

The Wiki has a great article found on their homepage for those new to research. It takes you through the steps you need to know so that you can do your family history research. It takes you through the research cycle explaining each step of the way. The Wiki also has the blank forms you need to record your information on. There are ideas on how to organize your records. It shows you how to view and search records. The article also teaches you how narrow your research down so that it is not so overwhelming. It has everything a novice needs to know.

This website is ever changing as more information is added. Contributors are great at explaining the idiosyncrasies of researching the locations of their expertise such as record losses, boundary changes, or even information about records found in unusual places. There are letter writing guides to help you if you need to write to repositories in a foreign language. Handwriting guides also help if you are looking at old handwriting or foreign alphabets.

The information available on FamilySearch wiki is vast. Take a look and see if there is information that will aid you in your search for your ancestors.

A Local Treasure

Washington County is rich in pioneer history. The pioneers who settled here are a unique group called to the Cotton Mission. Fortunately, Washington County is also rich in the preservation of their history. There is a local treasure that many overlook, the Pioneer Museum, owned and run by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers.

This museum was built in 1938 through the generous donation of Hortense McQuarrie Odlum. It became apparent that the treasures left behind by the Pioneers were being thrown away and discarded because descendants did not know what to do with them. The museum was built to save these treasures and preserve the history of the area. The museum houses artifacts and pictures of the pioneers who settled here.

Each artifact in the museum has a story behind it, and there are hundreds of pieces on display. There are laminated cards that you can take with you as you tour the museum to learn the history behind the highlighted artifact. Some of the relics include handmade linens with delicate embroidery, clothing made from silk that was grown from silkworms and spun into silk thread or made from the cotton grown here and beautiful china from all over the world brought by the pioneers. A personal favorite is a mustache cup used by men who had mustaches to keep them clean. Artifacts are from the pioneers’ everyday lives. Irons, ice cream makers, butter churns, shoes, clothes, dentists drill, and even pictures made from hair the pioneers collected from their loved ones are just some of the don’t miss relics.

The pictures of the local settlers adorn the walls. You may even find pictures of your own family. Histories are also available to read after which you can locate the picture of the person you just read about on the wall. These activities help make the pioneers more personal to you. There is also scavenger hunts available especially for children (or adults) to locate certain artifacts listed.

The Pioneer Museum is a wonderful place to take your children and grandchildren to appreciate the rich history of this area. The museum is free to the public, but donations are appreciated. The museum, located at 145 North 100 East in St. George, is open every day, except Wednesday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The museum has a great website dupstgeorge.org with more information.