Amanuensis Monday: Memos in a bible

Ongoing transcriptions of papers found in BISHOP family file at the New York State Library in Albany.

Original copy.

Enhanced view of photocopy.

Richard W Bishop was killed in the battle at Plattsburg 1814.

Elisha Blinn Jr was killed by the cars in 1847.

April 4th 1855 adopted Helen Winn into the family.

Thanks to Elsie Saar for posting their headstones at Find A Grave.

Online catalog for the New York State Library

Fortunately, letters and the diary of Richard W Bishop survived and are housed at the New York State Library.

Because Elisha Blinn "was killed by the cars," I sought a newspaper article.  This blurb from the Weekly Eagle in Vermont characterizes Mr T Blinn as unable to hear or speak.  He was struck from behind by the train headed to Albany.  It took a few hours for him to die.  Perhaps this was his ride home.  I wonder if he was alone and how his family found out that he had been in an accident.

Amanuensis Monday: Blinn and Bishop deaths in family bible

Transcription of contents of Bishop family file at the New York State Library in Albany.

Family Record:  Deaths.

Mr Richard Bishop died September 15th 1814 aged 33 years at Plattsburg Clinton Co N. York.

Mrs Abigail Bishop died in Austerlitz Col Co New York aged 60 years 5 months June 9 1852.

Carolina Bishop wife of Ashley Blinn, died at Albany, March 14, 1893, aged 82 years.

Mr Elisha Blinn died October 7 1835 in Austerlitz Col Co NY.  Aged 82 years 6 months.

His wife Loisa Blinn died September 17 1848 in Austerlitz Col Co.  Aged 85 years 7 months.

Mr Elisha Blinn, Jr died September 10 1847 in Chatham Col Co NY.  Aged 60 years 7 months.

Ashley Blinn died November 1866.  Aged 76 years

Helen, adopted daughter of Ashley and Caroline Blinn, died February 1 1863.

Here is this family in the 1860 United States Federal Census, living in Austerlitz, Columbia County, New York.  Hellen was 14 years old when she died in 1863.  Ashley Blinn, the father, died three years later in 1866.  Caroline lived 33 more years.  Thank you to Elsie Saar for using Find A Grave to post these headstones in Red Rock Cemetery in Columbia County, New York.

1860 United States Federal Census
Austerlitz, Columbia County, New York
Ancestry.com

Ancestry Composition

Among the new genealogy tools at 23andMe is the Ancestry Composition.  This tool presents the DNA that you have that is very similar to the DNA of people in other parts of the world.  Because both of my parents have tested at 23andMe, I can show my DNA broken down into the half from my mother and the half from my father.

23andMe
Ancestry Composition for Me
in relation to both of my parents

Both my parents are essentially of European descent.  My father's tree is mostly Colonial American with a splash of German and Irish.  My mother's tree better illustrates my composition.  My 22% British and Irish from my mother's side is most likely because of my maternal grandmother, Jeannette ODonnell.  All of her ancestors trace back to Ireland by the mid 1850s.  My 11.7% Ashkenazi is likely from my paternal grandfather's father.  What makes me think this?  Look at my mother's Ancestry Composition by chromosome.

23andMe
Ancestry Composition by chromosome for Jody's mom

On her 23rd pair of chromosomes, XX, a woman carries no genetic information from her father's father.  IF one paternal grandparent was Ashkenazi and the other was not, then we can tell from this analysis that it was the paternal grandfather who was Ashkenazi because there is no Ashkenazi inheritance on the XX chromosomes.