AncestryDNA: The Genetic Matches

AncestryDNA provided genetic matches for M.S., who is adopted.  No close matches appeared.  The closest match is a predicted third cousin.  Two predicted fourth cousins are also reported, followed by several distant cousins.  Because this is autosomal DNA testing, the matches could be from any of M.S.'s ancestral lines.

Top genetic matches for M.S. at Ancestry.com

 

I reached out to these three people.  One person responded.  We see no common geographical areas at this time.

 

AncestryDNA compares your surnames and tree to the surnames and trees of your matches and highlights results for you.  Because M.S. was adopted, I have no surnames or tree for her, thus precluding me from exploring this feature.  If you would like to see a screenshot of compared surnames, please see CeCe Moore's post here.

 

I am disappointed that I cannot see the amount or location of shared DNA among the matches.  23andMe allows such views and comparisons.

 

I will keep you posted if anything promising develops.

Indexing Project: New York City Death Ledgers, Part Two

The indexing continues of the New York City death registers for the Italian Genealogical Group.  This set includes the years 1837 and 1838.  They are not as clear as the previous set.  The city directories over at Fold3 are proving useful for deciphering some names.

April 1837 Register of Deaths for New York City.
Individual death certificates were not created during this time.

Some names are difficult to decipher for the transcription.  This surname looks like BIBBY.
The first name could be Cathy, Walter, Arthur.

A check of the city directories shows that people named Bibby were indeed living in New York City at this time.
So Bibby the name shall be.
[1838 New York City Directory by Longworth.  Available online at Fold3.]

Online transcriptions are an invaluable resource to genealogists, but the difficulties illustrated here demonstrate that mistakes are likely and you need to seek the original source.  In this particular project, the original record includes place of burial, cause of death, and nativity- additional pertinant information that will not be in the online index.  If you are unable to travel to New York City to view these ledgers, you can order the microfilm through a FamilySearch Center [catalog numbers 447544-447568 and 1314271-1314289] or wait for the images to appear online at FamilySearch.

Online Newspapers: Chronicling America

Another expansive and free source of online newspapers is the Chronicling America website in the online digital collection of the Library of Congress.  I located some articles here that I was not able to find elsewhere.

You may search terms narrowed by state and date.  The result screen will highlight the desired search word in dark pink.  Click on the link below the image for a view without the pink highlight.  Also record the link so you have a source.

The small dark pink square is the word that you entered in the search box.
The web link below the image will provide you with a clear copy.  You can enlarge the image.

New York Daily Tribune, 7 June 1850.
If you are lucky, you may find miscellaneous information about your family.
George W Duryea broke his leg in 1850.
 

We can then look over the family's time line to picture this occurrence in light of other known events.
George W Duryea's first son, Jacob, was born 12 July 1850, one month after the accident.
Perhaps he was still recuperating at home when his son was born.
[Hoboken Cemetery, North Bergen, Hudson County, New Jersey.  Picture by J Lutter.]

New York Daily Tribune, 1 November 1842
This article tells us that Mary B Sillsbee and William Winterton lived at the same address, 2 Carlisle street, New York City.
Further research is required to determine if there was a familial relation
or if they were merely tenants of a multi-family dwelling.