23 December 2010

DNA Dilemma


For several months I have contemplated doing a DNA test for genealogical purposes. But my dilemma is trying to determine which one to take. I know that there are several legitimate companies out there that offer this service, but I have narrowed it down to just a few.

1. FamilyTreeDNA seems to have several great benefits. I like the way that the haplogroups are organized. They also create a fund that members can contribute to so that other family members can take a test at discounted rates. I can take a 37 Marker Y-DNA test for a discounted rate of $119.00.

2. 23&Me also seems like a good deal. Their website states that their test is normally $499.00, but is on sale for $99.00 through Christmas Day. The only catch is that you must enroll in a $5/month subscription service. I also could not find how many markers are tested.

3. Ancestry.com also offers a DNA testing service. You can get a 33 Marker test for $149.00 or a 46 Marker test for $179.00. I currently have an Ancestry account, so the integration would be seamless. However, you can manually import your DNA results from other companies and still utilize many of Ancestry's benefits.

Have you used one of these services or possibly another? I would love your feedback. As of right now I am leaning towards FamilyTreeDNA.

ETA: I decided to go with the FamilyTreeDNA test. It has been ordered (24 Dec). I will post the process.

15 December 2010

Wordless Wednesday

James Robert Morris standing outside his grocery store on West Broadway in Mayfield, Kentucky.
Date and exact location unknown.

14 December 2010

Tragic Tuesday

While I was researching some of those that are buried in the Wright's Chapel Cemetery in Graves Co., Kentucky, I came across a death certificate that said Cause of Death: "Drowning Suicidal." Her name was Josephine "Josie" Stubblefield Jones.

Josie was the wife of Luther David Jones. He died on 24 Jul 1909. I emailed Bill Foy, a volunteer at the Graves County Library, to see if he could find out anything about her death. I received an email back with the following newspaper article attached.



It reads:

Mrs. Josie Jones Suicides By Drowning

Mrs. Josie Jones, living south of the city, near the home of J. T. George, was found dead early Sunday morning, where she has drowned herself in a pond some time during the latter part of the night.

It seems that she had walked into the water, which was about four feet deep, and took her life by holding her head under the water until life was extinct.

Her body was discovered by her brother and wife while making a search for her. The body was in a partial standing attitude.

Mrs. ones had been in slightly ill health for the past year, but had every appearance of enjoying the perfect health. She had not complained, but acted rather unconcerned and strangely for the past few days. She was about 36 years of age and was a daughter of Tandy Stubblefield, living west of Mayfield, where a big birthday dinner was given last Friday and which Mrs. Jones attended.

It is thought that she left her room sometime after midnight Saturday and walked to the pond. She had taken a braid off her head and laid it down near the water. The pond is near the house. 

She is survived by one son, Alton Jones, aged about 15 years.

The funeral will be held Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock at Wright's Chapel.

Coroners Verdict.

"We, the jury, find from the evidence that Mrs. L. L. Jones came to her death on the night of Sept. 11, 1915 by drowning herself in a pond. No person was present when it happened.

(Signed)
A. L. Wilson,
H. C. Warren,
G. O. McPherson,
B. T. Byrd,
R. L. Bennett,
S. A. Cross.
"Jury"

______________________________________

The question that is always wondered in these type of situations is, "Why?" It will probably never be answered. Maybe the stress of raising a teenage boy alone was too much to handle. Maybe other things were in play. Who really knows what a person is dealing with?

13 December 2010

Missing Piece Monday

Every genealogist comes to the place where the road simply stops. For me, the road stopped with my 4th Great Grandfather, William T. Morris.

What I do know is that William T. (possibly Thomas) was born abt 1829 in either Tennessee or Kentucky (depending on which source you are looking at). In the late 1860s he moved his family from Graves Co., to Independence Co., Arkansas. For the past two years that is all the information that I could find.

I have researched libraries from Graves Co., KY, to Batesville, AR, looking for any information that I could find. I always came up empty-handed. The thought even crossed my mind to hire someone (a "professional") to help me out. But what kind of a researcher would I be if I let someone else do the work for me? So, for two years I have gone without any answers.

The 1870 US Census shows WT's family as:

William T Morris, 41
Sarah M Morris, 38
Caleb B Morris, 15
Mary Morris, 13
John F Morris, 12
Martha B Morris, 10
James R Morris, 8
William Morris, 7
Louisa J Morris, 2
Jasper E Morris, 2/12

I have only been able to find information for two of the children, James R. and Jasper E. James Robert was the easy one. He is my 3rd Great Grandfather. He was businessman in Graves Co., owning a small grocery store on West Broadway in Mayfield. The grocery store must have been outside the city limits as he is not listed in the City Directory in 1928 or 1930. More to come...

10 December 2010

Lost In The Woods



Over Thanksgiving Break I began the process of restoring the Wright's Chapel Cemetery in Graves Co., Kentucky. It is located six miles northwest of Mayfield on Highway 80. The cemetery contains over 40 known burials.

Josiah McGehee Wright came to Graves County from Warren County, Kentucky, in 1837. He and his son, William James Wright, bought 480 acres of land four miles east of Fancy Farm. He was a devout Methodist and since there was no church nearby, he offered his home as a meeting place for the traveling circuit rider.

In 1845, a log schoolhouse was built in the neighborhood that had become known as the Wright's Chapel neighborhood. Two years later the church was officially organized and met in the schoolhouse. In 1866, a new church building was built. That same year Josiah McGehee Wright's son, Robert Thackston Wright, became the pastor of the church, a position he held for 65 years.

The schoolhouse and the church are all now long gone. All that remains is an abandoned cemetery that is... lost in the woods.