Genealogy thread

[Deb]

When recently researching my family tree I discovered something strange with my paternal grandfathers father. His father, as listed on his birth certificate, died 3 years before he was born (verified both the death and birth dates) so obviously he wasn’t his father lol. So the last name I grew up with, my maiden name, was the dead guys name. But in reality whoever the real father of my great grandfather is, that’s the surname we should have. I always found it odd that in all of my thousands of dna matches on ancestry not one shared my maiden name, but all the other surnames in my family tree are represented among my matches. Now I know why. Id love to know what my “real” last name should be but have no way to know how to go about it. My great-great grandmother is dead so she’s not talking lol.

go through your dna matches and divide them into groups of the families they belong too. Then look closely at the ones you can't place starting with the strongest (highest cM ) matches

 

[Buzz Rules]

Yes didn’t the whole Commonwealth up and leave about the same time?
Oh right, except Bermuda but then they’re not Caribbeanites anyway (in house joke).

Yes, Empire records

If you know where he was living in Barbados (wedding, birth, immigration, and military records would help with this) you can use the links I posted above to help with your search. The Barbados library and historical society could be a great resource to help getting you answers, as well as the Brtish military archives. Ancestry has a vast amount of resources. However in this case, if you have specific details, you can ask those two resources for help and probably get even greater answers (including more lineage answers). British colonies are known for their organization of documentation (for British taxes), and Barbados would know what enlisted soldiers were sent to that war. The British military archives would have further resources to help find out more about your ancestor's service or at least know where to look specifically for the answers. I'm still trying to think of short cuts to get you the answers your looking for. Is it possible he was a prisoner of war as well or deserted?

 

[EllieJedi]

As far as I can tell, most of my ancestors came to America in the late 1600s/early 1700s. I'm having a hard time finding travel info on them from that period, like ship manifests/etc. Any tips?

(My guess is most of them came as indentured servants/criminals, and maybe they just didn't keep records for such people.)

Do you know the towns they landed or settled in? I was able to find ship information for some of my ancestors from the late 1600s on local historical society pages from the towns they settled in.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Do you know what battle specifically? That could help identify his regiment. Can you give any specifics about him (excluding his name)? Have you searched military records yet or do you have any original documents?

No idea of his regiment or battles fought and not many left of previous generations to ask. I know that my last name is not that of his; my paternal great grandmother was pregnant with grandfather when he disappeared and ultimately exchanged her widowhood for a new husband. Still there is hope as we remain in contact with that part of the family so perhaps there is a written or oral history transcribed. I’m finding it hard to believe that I can trace my maternal family further back in time than the paters.

Tbh I never remember my true last name ( I can get it from older sister) but was interviewed by a maternal cousin with ties to the government and academia in Jamaica who was expanding the family tree. Unfortunately, she fell seriously ill recently and her docs remain untouched.

 

[Buzz Rules]

No idea of his regiment or battles fought and not many left of previous generations to ask. I know that my last name is not that of his; my paternal great grandmother was pregnant with grandfather when he disappeared and ultimately exchanged her widowhood for a new husband. Still there is hope as we remain in contact with that part of the family so perhaps there is a written or oral history transcribed. I’m finding it hard to believe that I can trace my maternal family further back in time than the paters.

Tbh I never remember my true last name ( I can get it from older sister) but was interviewed by a maternal cousin with ties to the government and academia in Jamaica who was expanding the family tree. Unfortunately, she fell seriously ill recently and her docs remain untouched.

She was a native of Barbados as well? Did she immigrate to the USA and become a citizen? If so, her immigration papers and citizenship papers could be part of the key to these surrounding questions.

 

[NYCgrrl]

She was a native of Barbados as well? Did she immigrate to the USA and become a citizen? If so, her immigration papers and citizenship papers could be part of the key to these surrounding questions.

She lived and died in Barbados; her son, was the first member on that side of the family to immigrate here. I’ve access to his ship’s manifest, Ellis Island documents, his Civil Defense paperwork from WW2, naturalized citizen forms, a televised interview from the Bi-Centennial period and a news article that concentrated on his underaged work on the Panama Canal.

I think my cousin has emancipation papers but not sure for what side of the family.

 

[Praying Colonel]

New season of Finding Your Roots started last night on PBS. Interesting episode with Alanis Morissette and Ciara. You can watch on the PBS website or app.

 

[tvguy]

@Buzz Rules Okay, any suggestions on what appears to be a dead end, no pun intended?
My wife's Great-Grandfather's death certificate says he is buried at a specific cemetery.
The Funeral home records indicate he is buried there.
The newspaper article on his death says he is buried there.
The cemetery has no record of him being there.
Only other clue we have is several other people have reported the same dead end over the last 10 years. There are 3,600 graves at this cemetery.

 

[Deb]

@Buzz Rules Okay, any suggestions on what appears to be a dead end, no pun intended?
My wife's Great-Grandfather's death certificate says he is buried at a specific cemetery.
The Funeral home records indicate he is buried there.
The newspaper article on his death says he is buried there.
The cemetery has no record of him being there.
Only other clue we have is several other people have reported the same dead end over the last 10 years. There are 3,600 graves at this cemetery.

what percentage of the cemetery has been photographed on Find A Grave?

 

[tvguy]

what percentage of the cemetery has been photographed on Find A Grave?

57% There is a Find A Grave page for him but says "Burial Place Unknown".

 

[EllieJedi]

@Buzz Rules Okay, any suggestions on what appears to be a dead end, no pun intended?
My wife's Great-Grandfather's death certificate says he is buried at a specific cemetery.
The Funeral home records indicate he is buried there.
The newspaper article on his death says he is buried there.
The cemetery has no record of him being there.
Only other clue we have is several other people have reported the same dead end over the last 10 years. There are 3,600 graves at this cemetery.

Any possibility that there was a family gravestone at the cemetery listed, and he might be buried in another cemetery in the same town? I mention this because I have a family member whose name is on 2 grave stones in 2 different cemeteries in the same town. I happen to know he’s buried in the one without the large family headstone.

 

[Deb]

57% There is a Find A Grave page for him but says "Burial Place Unknown".

not that this is much help, but that leaves a lot of room for him to be there and the office to have just misplaced the paperwork

 

[Deb]

57% There is a Find A Grave page for him but says "Burial Place Unknown".

you said the funerial home has records, do they have a copy of the burial permit and do burial permits in your state list plot info?

 

[tvguy]

Any possibility that there was a family gravestone at the cemetery listed, and he might be buried in another cemetery in the same town? I mention this because I have a family member whose name is on 2 grave stones in 2 different cemeteries in the same town. I happen to know he’s buried in the one without the large family headstone.

The Find A Grave page lists the people have checked both cemeteries in town and he isn't at either. His wife outlived him by 50 years, remarried and is buried elsewhere. We are planning a family history trip later this year and are debating whether it is worth going to this cemetery and walking through all 3,600 graves. Of course, he could be in an unmarked grave. But yes, it does seem like there was some sloppy record keeping at the cemetery.

 

[tvguy]

you said the funerial home has records, do they have a copy of the burial permit and do burial permits in your state list plot info?

It isn't my state, it's Missouri and there is no plot listed on the death certificate and I have no idea about a burial permit and if it was required in 1924. We can ask the funeral home tomorrow if they know or have that information. While the funeral home has been around 125 years, in reality it has merged and moved several times so I am not sure how specific their records are.

 

[Deb]

It isn't my state, it's Missouri and there is no plot listed on the death certificate and I have no idea about a burial permit and if it was required in 1924.

can't hurt to check with the funeral home, could save you having to walk the whole cemetery

 

[tvguy]

can't hurt to check with the funeral home, could save you having to walk the whole cemetery

My wife is also wondering if he is interred in a pauper's grave. It seems in some communities those are mass graves and specific names of who is buried there not being kept.

 

[Deb]

My wife is also wondering if he is interred in a pauper's grave. It seems in some communities those are mass graves and specific names of who is buried there not being kept.

I thought about that but would there have been a private funeral home in that case? I don't know.

 

[tvguy]

I thought about that but would there have been a private funeral home in that case? I don't know.

All a mystery, however i know even today in small towns there is no coroner's office. The coroner goes to the funeral home and even does autopsy's there. My wife's Grandfather was 16 when this happened. He passed away 24 years ago and if he had any information, he never spoke of it.

 

[Southernmiss]

@Buzz Rules Okay, any suggestions on what appears to be a dead end, no pun intended?
My wife's Great-Grandfather's death certificate says he is buried at a specific cemetery.
The Funeral home records indicate he is buried there.
The newspaper article on his death says he is buried there.
The cemetery has no record of him being there.
Only other clue we have is several other people have reported the same dead end over the last 10 years. There are 3,600 graves at this cemetery.

So you don't trust the funeral home and newspaper obituary because the cemetery doesn't have a record and only 57% is indexed in FindaGrave?

I'd really trust the death cert and obituary to be accurate.

Any chance he was Catholic or had a funeral at a church? Catholic churches, Episcopal Lutheran and Presbyterian churches are often required to keep death record books with date and place of burial.

Also, there are often headstone records when markers are made, especially for military veterans. Many of these are in the Ancestry database.