DNA

No new discoveries in my DNA quests.  On a fun note, I found a second person who shares DNA with both of my parents.  This is a coincidence, as my parents share no DNA with each other.  This is what that comparison chart looks like at 23andme.com:

I think that this process would serve me better if my known distant cousins (HINT HINT) would submit their specimens.  I could compare my overlap with my documented cousins to my cousins in the DNA database and at least figure out where to look for a common ancestor.  So far, one such cousin has done this.  (Thank you RS.)  He is my father's third cousin.  That makes him my third cousin, once removed.  It will be very interesting to see how 23andme classifies our relation.  This should be ready within three weeks.

And for those monitoring the cost, today's pricing at 23andme is $99 plus $9 per month for one year.

Gravestone Picture from the Past

1903-1904 Turner's city directory for White Plains

I found a picture of a gravestone.  The picture itself is over one hundred years old.  I found it in Turner's city directory for White Plains, Westchester County, New York on a visit to the White Plains Public Library.  The picture is part of an advertisement for a monument company.  The inscription is very readable:

Theo. G. Mahland
Born Jan'y 22, 1843.
Died Feb'y 8, 1891.

The caption under the picture lists Woodlawn Cemetery.  Naturally, I wanted a current picture of this grave for comparison.  No match at findagrave.com.  There are over twenty cemeteries named Woodlawn in New Jersey and New York, so I am not sure which one holds this stone.

There is actually not much on Theodore Mahland or the Mahland family in general.  I did find Theodore in the 1880 census living at 281 East Broadway in New York City.  He had a wife named Louisa, a daughter, Ella, and a brother, Otto.

1880 federal census for New York City.  281 East Broadway.
Theodore Mahland, age 34.

DNA Update

Have I found any common ancestors through my DNA matches at 23andme?  No.  But I am still hopeful.  I have more  people to contact- matches for both parents and me.  When a genetic match shares genomes, I can see where the common segment or segments lie and who else overlaps.  I have over twenty people matching me at the beginning of chromosome 7, but only one person matches on chromosome 5.  In theory, all 20+ of us are related from the same ancestor- if only we could discover this ancestor.

As the database grows, so does my chances of finding more matches and discovering the connections.  In the meantime, I am more motivated to uncover older generations on each line.

As of today, I have 1006 genetic matches in the database.  I can contact five people per day to ask them to correspond and share genomes.  About 50 of the 350 that I asked to share have accepted.  I am working with a very small sample size of genetic matches, so I am not too surprised that I have not figured out any connections yet.  I also have not figured out a way to inspire people to respond to my inquiry.