Saint Peter's Catholic Cemetery, Jersey City

I visited Saint Peter's Catholic Cemetery in Jersey City (Hudson County, New Jersey, United States) now that the weather is improving.  (Thank you, R.B., for a lovely trip.)

The other Catholic cemetery in Jersey City is Holy Name, which is much larger.  The records for both cemeteries are available on microfilm through FamilySearch.org.  Saint Peter's listing at FindAGrave includes over one thousand burials.  Given the rather small nature of this cemetery, check FindAGrave to see if a stone still exists.  I did not check every stone, but all the ones that I investigated were already on FindAGrave.  The actual burial records will contain many more names, of course, so you need to view them as well.  Holy Name Cemetery, in comparison, has almost 30,000 burials on FindAGrave.  (You can also look up burials for Catholic cemeteries under the Newark Archdiocese at www.rcancem.org/deceased.  Holy Name Cemetery is listed; Saint Peter's is not.)

To park and access the gates, you turn onto Utica Avenue from US Routes 1 and 9 South (Tonnele Avenue).

Saint Peter's is well-maintained by neighboring Holy Name Cemetery.  The grounds are surrounded by railways, busy highways, and industrial plants, but the cemetery presents beautifully.

Geese grazing at Saint Peter's Catholic Cemetery in Jersey City

Duffy monument at Saint Peter's Catholic Cemetery in Jersey City

These engraved portions of these types of monuments are easily destroyed.

I put the camera inside the monument's missing side and found some pieces of lettering.

Autosomal DNA Testing at AncestryDNA: Kits Purchased

AncestryDNA also had a sale on their autosomal DNA testing kits last weekend:  $79 instead of the regular $99.  I purchased two- one for my father and one for me.

I have one person's atDNA tested at AncestryDNA so far.  M.S. was adopted at birth in New Jersey before 1940, before records were sealed.  (Under a new law, the records sealed as of 1940 will become accessible in 2017.)

Although I viewed M.S.'s adoption papers, I can't accurately determine her biological family for reasons that will be explained in an upcoming post.  Thus, I cannot attach her family tree to her results at AncestryDNA.  One of the great features of AncestryDNA is the (suggested) Most Recent Common Ancestor as identified in the family trees of the DNA matches.  (See this blog post for an illustration.)  I can't use this feature without a family tree, so my father's test and mine will enable me to participate in this feature.

The other reason for testing at a third company (FamilyTreeDNA and 23andMe already done) is to locate more close relatives and solve (and create) more family mysteries.  You can upload results from these three companies for free to GedMatch to meet everyone, but most people don't do this.  The link you need to solve your family mystery may be quietly ensconced at one testing site, unaware that he or she is your missing link.

Testing kit.  Spit into vial.
Return in postage-paid package.

Y-DNA Testing at FamilyTreeDNA: Kit Purchased

Last weekend, FamilyTreeDNA offered their introductory Y-DNA test (37 markers) for 20% off the regular price of $169.  I purchased one for my father.  This test is for the direct male line only- no DNA information from any other ancestor.  (The University of Utah has a fantastic video about this type of inheritance.)

I recommend the Y-DNA test for a man who is adopted and looking for his biological family.  (Both men and women seeking their unknown biological families should submit an autosomal DNA test.)

The test kit requires two takings of a specimen via cheek swabbing.  (Of note is that the return envelope is not postage pre-paid.  This is the first DNA test where I have encountered this issue and is important to realize if you are mailing a kit directly from FamilyTreeDNA to the person providing the specimen.  The person will have to obtain postage before mailing, which may be a barrier for some.)

My father's Y-DNA was previously tested at Ancestry.com.  (The Y-DNA and mtDNA tests were the first tests offered by Ancestry.  Now you may also purchase an atDNA (autosomal) test from Ancestry for $99.)  Today's results at Ancestry provide a list of fourteen people who "match" my father on the paternal line.  The problem is that there are enough variations in the 46 markers to push the estimated Most Recent Common Ancestor back anywhere from 24 to 35 generations ago.  This is too long a time frame for my modest Lutter family tree.

I am hoping that the database at FamilyTreeDNA provides more people who match my father.  Such people may or may not exist, nevermind have their DNA tested at FamilyTreeDNA.  But it's worth a try.

I cannot go back very far on the direct paternal line.  I am stuck at Hermann Lutter, born around 1860 in "Germany;" immigrated in the 1880s to Newark, New Jersey, United States.  Hermann had a brother, Otto Lutter or Luther, who also appeared in New Jersey in the 1880s.  On their marriage records, both brothers listed Wilhelm Lutter (Luther) as their father, though the name of their mother varied.  Otto's line seems to have died out.

Stay tuned for the results and interpretation.