Trust DNA, Not Dentists

Megan consulted with her collaborator Ann Turner about the misidentification of Titanic victim Sidney Leslie Goodwin. Turner says this was not a failure of genetic science but of dentistry. Dentists who examined the teeth of the unknown child ("body number 4") underestimated their age by a few months, thus ruling out their rightful owner. These passages are from the 2004 Journal of the Canadian Dental Association article she cites:

Because of the stage of development of their crowns, their lack of root development and lack of wear, the teeth were tentatively estimated as coming from a child of 9 to 15 months of age

When the mtDNA results came in from the direct maternal descendants of the Goodwin and the Panula children, both had the same mtDNA. As it turned out, their mtDNA is found in over 15% of indigenous Caucasians of northern Europe, indicating that somewhere in the past 2,000 years, the 2 families had a common maternal antecedent. Because of the early stage of dental development of body number 4, however, the Finnish child (13-month-old Eino Viljam Panula) was finally identified as the ‘Unknown Child’. [Link (pdf)]

Family = Favoritism

Megan tipped me off to a New Republic article about "The Genealogy Craze in America" (free registration required). It covers familiar ground (no pun intended), but raises one point too seldom acknowledged: the age-old notion that the family is a subversive institution, which dates back at least to Plato.

Contrary to a shibboleth of the American right, family values do not uphold religion and country; they subvert them. An extended family is a rival coalition to any other group, held together not by an ideology or social contract or common purpose but by brute genetic relatedness. And it is a coalition with an unfair advantage: relatives care for one another more than comrades do.

In large part, the institutions of modernity depend on a dissolution of family ties. It is hard to run an effective organization if you cannot fire the knucklehead brother-in-law forced on you by your wife's family, nor can civil society function if the instruments of government are treated as the spoils of the most powerful local clan.

Baby Daddies Face the Music

As reported here, two lawyers have been granted a patent for genetic music—music "generated by decoding and transcribing genetic information within a DNA sequence." One of the suggested uses would have made the outcome of the Anna Nicole Smith paternity case so much more exciting.

An identity analyzer can be configured to provide an audible signal for a specific comparative result, for example, if the sample and the control differ, e.g., signaling an alarm in a security setting, or when they are the same, e.g., adding excitement to live television coverage of paternity determinations.

[Thanks again, Sally!]

A Titanic Error

A Titanic victim identified five years ago as 13-month-old Eino Panula has been reidentified as 19-month-old Sidney Leslie Goodwin.

"We were under pressure at the time by the U.S. television team doing the History Channel documentary to identify the child, and based on the evidence we had at the time, we did so," [researcher Alan] Ruffman said.

What the scientists didn't fully appreciate at the time is that there are two mitochondrial DNA molecules - HVS1 and HVS2. In 2002, they thought they needed to test only one of them, the HVS1.

Subsequent tests on HVS2 showed a match with a descendant of Sidney's maternal line, but not with Eino's relatives.

Additional evidence for the new identification also resurfaced: a pair of shoes taken from the body of the unknown child in 1912 by a souvenir hunter and kept by his family for almost 90 years were found to be too big for a 13-month-old like Panula. [Link]

Update: Megan Smolenyak calls this mistake An Avoidable DNA Error.

Unwitting Witness to History

Descendants of Wilmer McLean gathered on Monday for their first tour of his house in Appomattox, Virginia—the same house where Grant accepted Lee's surrender at the close of the Civil War.

The oft-repeated irony is that McLean, who lived in Manassas, had moved to Appomattox after the first Battle of Bull Run to escape the war.

“He used to say that the war started in his front yard and ended in his parlor,” said Patrick Schroeder, a historian with the Appomattox Courthouse National Historic Park.

According to Charlotte Lageman, McLean’s great-granddaughter, “a family story is that a cannonball came through the chimney and fell into a pot of soup he was cooking in Manassas. That’s when he said, ‘This war is getting too close.’” [Link]

[Photo credit: McLean House by Mike McBride]

Traces of Dorothy

The New Hampshire Historical Society's "book doctor" has been repairing the damage done by overeager genealogists for many years.

In 16 years, Dorothy Emery has patched up The Manning Family and taped together The History of Dunbarton. She's ripped apart and rebuilt The Paine Ancestry and glued Concord's vital records.

"You can see traces of Dorothy all over here," Emery said one morning last week, running her hand over the stacks of books in the hushed New Hampshire Historical Society Library. She paused on a tattered copy of the 1874 Concord city directory. "Does this one need a trace of Dorothy?" [Link]

Woman Returns Husband to Wal-Mart

Julia Foster bought a photo album at a Texas Wal-Mart, and found inside a photograph of a young man. Three clues to his identity were written on the back: "Robert," "19" and "1945." An article about the discovery in The Brenham Banner-Press turned up 81-year-old Robert Wellmann.

Wellmann’s wife, Selma (Loesch), was the initial purchaser, but returned it “as not quite what she wanted,” according to an amazingly young-looking Wellmann, who retrieved his photo at The Banner early today.

At the time his wife returned the album, neither she or her husband realized a photograph of Robert — single and age 19 at the time of the 1945 black-and-white portrait — had been left inside one of its pages. [Link]

What Kind of Bait Did He Use?

A man fishing in Indiana's White River caught more than his limit of gravestones.

An Indianapolis man stumbled upon the grave markers when he untangled a snagged fishing line and lifted a 145-year-old gravestone into his bass boat.

"All these headstones, I don't think they have any business of being where I found them," said Jim Hodges, 62. [Link]

Once Upon a Time There Were Three Brothers...

I was once a student of comparative mythology, so the notion that some family legends might spring from the unconscious mind appeals to me.

The legend of three brothers emigrating together to America and then splitting up to settle in different parts of the country is a common myth. Some ascribe the myth to genealogical laziness, but it may have roots in the "three brothers" theme found in medieval folk tales, "in which an aged king sends his sons on a quest for some magic, rejuvenating water in a distant land." Professor E. Washburn Hopkins traced the story back to "Fountain of Youth" stories told in ancient Persia, Ireland, and elsewhere.

The Persian version substitutes for three brothers two brothers and a sister; the Keltic version turns all three into girls. Elsewhere the three are brothers, the trio still preserved, perhaps, in the numerous American families (of eight or nine generations) who independently trace their origin to "three brothers who came to America in the seventeenth century to seek their fortune." How widespread this myth is, may easily be learned from casual inquiry. I once sat at table with half a dozen unrelated people, four of whom stated that this was their "family legend." Of the four, three admitted that it was a legend without historical foundation, "a myth"; one insisted that it was certain. [Link]

The Naked Quaker

Diane Rapaport's second book, The Naked Quaker: True Crimes and Controversies from the Courts of Colonial New England, is due out in October. Based on her examination of court records, she has concluded that my ancestors probably did have sex.

“I think most of these stories could end up surprising to readers who imagine Puritan New England was some drab, dull place where people sat around in church and never had fun ... or sex,” she said. “I think people will be surprised by how feisty the early Colonists were.”

The book’s title story involves a 17th century Quaker woman from Hampton, Lydia Wardell, one of New England’s early Quakers, who showed her contempt for Puritan authorities by taking her clothes off during church services. [Link]

Rapaport's first book, by the way, was the indispensable New England Court Records: A Research Guide for Genealogists and Historians. Anyone whose New England ancestor left a will or dropped her drawers at church should own it.

Just a Stick and a Brick

Dan Aldrich's family in Michigan has been playing a backyard game for generations, but no one's sure how to spell its name.

Is it C-a-d-d-y? C-a-d-d-i-e? Or is some other variation correct?

"I've never written it down," the Lyndon Township resident says. "If you ask 10 Aldriches how to spell it, you might get 10 different spellings."

The game is played with a sawed-off broomstick and a brick.

People young and old can enjoy the game, Aldrich says.

"Everyone sits around in the grass and there's excessive heckling," he adds. "About how you swing, how silly you look with the stick." [Link]

Ambushed at the Reception

A divorced dad attended the wedding of a cousin's daughter, and almost ended up in an arranged marriage.

An aunt approached, tapped me on the shoulder, and asked me to join the family in a side room. When I entered, the men patted me on the shoulders and the women proceeded to tell me that the lady I had been seated next to had decided that I would be an acceptable husband for her! I was then told they would make all the wedding arrangements as quickly as possible.

Here's part of the response from Thursday's Dear Abby column:

At first, I thought you and your family came from some other culture. Then I called you, just to make sure, and learned that you are third-generation American. It served to remind me that people need to be careful how hard they shake the family tree because it can cause the nuts to fall out. [Link]

Genealogist Needs Answers

Fiona Wilson is conducting an Old Family Photos Survey as part of her dissertation research. If you own photos of the requisite age, why not take a few minutes and help her out?

I am interested in researching my own family history and particularly intrigued by the Victorian photo albums in our family. This has motivated me to find out more about the information needs and behaviours of family historians with special regard to old family photos (c.1840-c.1901).

This questionnaire explores various aspects of the importance of old family photos to your family history research, questions about identifying and labelling old photos, and about storing both original and digital versions of these photos. The questionnaire is likely to take about 30-40 minutes to complete (dependent on answers) with a mixture of multiple choice and open-ended questions.

It's Time for Him to Shove Off

Eric King-Turner and his wife are moving to New Zealand next January. At 102, he may be Britain's oldest emigrant.

Says Eric: "We not only had to produce a marriage certificate but we had to produce evidence that we were in a long and stable relationship!"

Eric says he was not asked about his age but had to show that he could support himself financially in New Zealand. [Link]

Godzilla Genealogy Bop

Ever wonder how Ernest Borgnine is related to Godzilla? The stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 explain:

I Ain't Afraid of No Trespassing Citations

JoAnn Kolbus' picnic in an Oregon cemetery was interrupted by a scene from Ghostbusters.

A few minutes after arriving, an extremely belligerent, verbally abusive little man stormed the hill and shouted, “The gate’s closed! I called the police and they’re coming to arrest you!” Let’s call him the (self-appointed) Gatekeeper.

Being a family descendant, I had always had permission to visit at any time. I attempted to explain my connection and associated permission to the Gatekeeper, who called me a “filthy liar and a vandal.”

We waited for the deputy (let’s call him the Key Master), since we didn’t think we should leave the scene of the “picnic crime.” The (deputy) Key Master finally showed up and cited us for trespassing in the second degree. We felt totally slimed! [Link]

A Powder Monkey With Sticky Fingers?

An Australian auction house is taking bids on Admiral Lord Nelson's telescope and a brass-bound elm bucket supposed to have seen action in the Battle of Trafalgar.

The items came to Joel's via the descendants of a 10-year-old cabin boy and powder monkey, William Thomas Cook, who served on the Victory and later was transported to New South Wales.

According to various family documents, Cook walked off the vessel with the telescope in the bucket after it was gifted to him, by whom it is not clear. Supposedly he managed to keep the relics and still had them when he arrived in Botany Bay in 1820 as a convict aboard the vessel Mangles. [Link]

First Name Unknown

Unknown Hinson, "The King of Country Western Troubadours," is really a guy named Stuart Daniel Baker, but he has a good story to back up his stage name.

"I'm the product of a one-stand, you see," Hinson said.

"When I was born the birth certificate said: 'Mother: Miss Hinson. Father: Unknown.' So, she named me after my daddy. She coulda called me Jack or Theodore, but she didn't. All she was trying to do was be honest, and I thank her for that. She also gave me my gift for music and my good looks. And I thank her for that, too." [Link]

Top Ten Signs Your Genealogical Society Is in Trouble

10. Average age of members decreases when Abe Vigoda joins.

9. Speaker fees paid with change found under sofa cushions.

8. Motion to replace microfiche readers with Dance Dance Revolution machines passes without objection.

7. Half the books in research library written by Danielle Steel, the rest by Tom Clancy.

6. Board of Directors outsources task of ignoring member complaints to Bangladesh.

5. Fundraising campaign cut short when it's learned cockfighting is illegal.

4. Newsletter published whenever editor earns "computer time" at rehab.

3. President's effort to recruit members online leads to embarrassing episode of To Catch a Predator.

2. Meetings last only as long as the tequila.

1. The other member quits.

Mysterious Memorials Contest

The National Archive of Memorial Inscriptions and BBC History Magazine have launched a Mysterious Memorials contest to find the "most surprising, enigmatic or bizarre historical gravestone epitaph in Britain."

Contenders so far include one from Eshness in the Shetlands that reads: "Donald Robertson, born 14th January 1785. Died 14th June aged 63. He was a peaceable, quiet man, and to all appearances a sincere Christian. His death was much regretted which was caused by the stupidity of Laurence Tulloch of Clothister (Sullom) who sold him nitre instead of Epsom Salts by which he was killed in the space of five hours after taking a dose of it."

Another from All Saints Church, Darfield, Barnsley, states simply: "The mortal remains of Robert Millthorp who died September 13th 1826 aged 19 years. He lost his life by inadvertently throwing this stone upon himself whilst in the service of James Raywood or Ardsley, who erected it in his memory". [Link]

Sikh and Ye Shall Find Two Surnames

A Sikh group in Canada is upset over a policy that requires immigrants with the surname Singh or Kaur to change their names.

Karen Shadd-Evelyn, a spokeswoman with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, said the reason for the policy is that it helps officials with the paperwork and allows them to identify people's files quickly, efficiently and accurately.

"You can imagine you wouldn't want your file to be confused with someone else's," she said.

Singh and Kaur are common names in the Sikh community. In a tradition that began more than 300 years ago, the name Singh is given to every baptized male and Kaur to every baptized female Sikh. There are millions of Singhs and Kaurs around the world. [Link]

During the Sikh naming ceremony, the holy book—Guru Granth Sahib—is opened to a random page. The given name of the child is left to the parents, but must start with the first letter of the first word on that page.

In older days parents were not very fussy about choosing the name. We often hear such names [as] Vir Singh, Jodh Singh, Lal Singh, Kala Singh, Teja Singh and Ganda Singh. Literally translated some of these would mean red, black, sharp and onion. [Link]

Lampoons Are Not to Be Carried

Mitch Traphagen's ancestor was caught carrying a lampoon in 1664.

Willem [Traphagen] was in a world of hurt. He let his emotions get the best of him and uttered a few words that were— well, less than decent. And then, to make matters worse, he was caught carrying a note disparaging a judge. As he spent his time tied to a stake in the center of the town that he had helped to create, he probably wondered if things could get worse. They could — he was also ordered banished from that town.

Believe it or not, my ancestor was convicted as a Lampoon Carrier. Yes, that was the charge for which he was tied to a stake. He also had a note pinned to his shirt describing him as such. [Link]

A History of the City of Brooklyn reveals that the lampoon writer received the same punishment.

Created From the Cremated

I've blogged before about pencils made from cremains. A company in Canada has taken it one step further.

Each sketch has a little something of the subject in it -- namely a tablespoon-sized portion of their cremated ashes.

Honor Industries takes the ashes to create a pencil, which an artist then uses to draw a lifelike portrait of the deceased based on a selected photograph.

The portrait is encased in glass and framed. Customers can choose to have the pencil itself included in the display. [Link]

Steal a Fish, Go to Australia

Ancestry.com has released the Australian Convict Index, 1788-1868, with data on 165,000 criminals transported to Australia from the British Isles and British colonies. They were the worst of the worst.

Some of the crimes they were punished for included stealing from a pond or river and setting fire to undergrowth.

One convict of note was the father of Ned Kelly, Australia's famous bush ranger. His Irish father, Red, was sentenced to seven years for stealing two pigs and sent to Tasmania.

The first female convict to set foot in Australia was Elizabeth Thackery, sentenced to seven years for the theft of five handkerchiefs. [Link]

The landing page for this database includes the statement "Web sites concerning convicts can be accessed at http://www.familytreeresearch.net," linking to a domain formerly operated by the late Janet Reakes, but now full of advertisements and empty of useful content. The correct address is here.

Graven Imagery

Someone calling himself Nick Beef (not his real name) is sticking up DieKus—haikus made from images of headstones—around New York City.

[Photo credit: piro mania by Joe Holmes]
[via MetaFilter]

Berated PGs

The Wandering Author has posted a scathing critique of the APG on his blog. I don't have a dog in this fight, but some of the issues he raises (access to records, Lee's shabby treatment) are of interest even to non-PGs like me.

I expect this will prompt some hackle-raising on the APG list.

Rose Rent in Arrears

Franklin County, Pennsylvania, owes the Chambers family a big bouquet.

Three Chambersburg churches make a big production of paying their annual rent of one rose to the descendants of town founder Benjamin Chambers each year, but Franklin County may owe a rose rent too -- and if so it's more than 200 roses behind.

For years, the late John F. George talked about a deed he ran across in the county's register of wills and recorder of deeds office when the county was putting all its old deed books on microfilm.

That deed, which transferred two lots to the newly formed Franklin County for use for a county courthouse and jail, also contains a rose rent stipulation.

The rose rent stipulation calls for an annual rent of one rose to be paid on June 28. [Link]

This curious custom inspired a mystery novel a few years ago.

[Thanks, Nancy!]

The Village That Never Was

Many residents of Danville, New Hampshire, believe that a village called Tuckertown was founded there in 1760 only to be wiped out by a smallpox epidemic about a decade later. Curt Springer and Betsy Sanders think it never existed.

"I think it was a fairy tale," Springer said. "People needed a good story, and somehow that got embellished into being Tuckertown."

Springer and Sanders, who help oversee the Tuckertown Road area because it is part of the town forest, have done a great deal of research, trying to find out if Tuckertown ever really existed.

They note that it was never mentioned in any public records and that there are no cellar holes in the area that indicate any sort of village.

"There is no evidence," Springer said. "How do you prove something is real if it doesn't exist?" [Link]

Save the Story, Fudge the Facts

J.K. Thompson and Robert Beasley agree how Elroy, North Carolina, got its name, though they disagree on the details.

"My mama used to say Jimmy Long took the first two letters of his wife's name (Ellen), and he had a son named Roy," Thompson said. "(He) put them together and called it Elroy."

Ellen was actually Long's second wife, Beasley said. And while his research has not turned up a son named Elroy, Leroy or even Roy, he shrugged it off with the explanation that his great-grandfather "probably called one of them Roy." [Link]

Perhaps he called one of his sons "Roy" so he could name the town after him.

Could It Be Annie Moore Dramatic?

Megan Smolenyak had the (as she describes it) "surreal" experience of watching a play in which she was a character.

There I was in the front row watching intense, borderline neurotic "Megan" (yeah, that was definitely accurate!) and her quest for Annie Moore, the first immigrant through Ellis Island. And there were the right and wrong Annies, Annie's brother Anthony, Megan's assistant Melinda (sort of a combination of my husband Brian, my virtual assistant Alyssa, and others who are forced to deal with me on a consistent basis), two of Annie's kids, and Weber of Ellis Island.

A Very Understanding Husband

Ann Stolper's daughter was unable to have children after treatment for cervical cancer, so 59-year-old Ann stepped in and became a surrogate mother to her own twin grandchildren last December.

Ira Stolper enjoyed teasing neighbors who marveled at his pregnant wife. Jaws that had dropped at the news she was pregnant dropped farther when Ira told them that she was expecting twins.

And then he'd drop the real bombshell: "'I'm not the father. My son-in-law knocked her up.' Then I would say, `Let me explain.'" [Link]