Hello and welcome to my family history blog. If this is your first time, feel free to explore the available areas. The locked areas are for family research, and for family members, cousins, and it gives me a way to share my source indexing, and results that I have not shared.

One of the funnest parts about genealogy, and being a family historian for now over 37 yrs is finding historical records, putting a story together that is literally (his story) history, and or finding an ancestors story, putting a timeline together, rebuilding their lives, and finding they are actually a historical figure(s). Then it seems unreal at first,  it really all seemed so unreal after I started having breakthroughs and finding all the information. Or at least my findings felt that way. That’s when I got a DNA test, after someone mentioned to me, after I shared a breakthrough with a distant cousin whom had already had one done, and since then I have so far been able to match my DNA test with my tree. As I seemingly dish out more, and more money, to find my own test results, to keep matching my own tree. And we all know, that is how it works. I’ll get there slow and sure. New results are still coming in and my Y-DNA matches via my mtDNA have grown. I purchased more results is why. Below I attached  how many halpogroups I’ve matched to via that one sector.

I have more than a handful of missing lines, brick 🧱 walls, in both my maternal, and paternal,  leaving me curious to the mtDNA test results that came back saying I’m subclade 0 to King James I & VI, James II & VII, Charles I, and Charles II, which has to be via the missing lines because I have all King James from I – V on my tree via my mom’s and dad’s already, but not the others except as James I & VI as my 1st cousin, and Mary Queen of Scots as my 12th and 13th great Aunt. My other great Aunt’s, and even ancestors say subclade 1, and I’m told that subclade 0 is most likely direct, the results came back subclade 0, so that is a match I know is correct.

I’ve attached a fan view below to show what holes I have, and where.

Before I get into my own family history, whether  you are on your own family history journey,  or wanting to start your own journey,  I highly recommend Family Search to start. Its FREE, and it has sources and indexing you can access for free on the site.  You can then take the information created, (or leave it, up to you) download it, making a gedcom file (download your tree, and upload somewhere else) to upload your tree onto Ancestry or elsewhere so your tree can not be messed with by other individuals, as other sites are stationary. Once you are on Family Search, other family members can attach themselves to your tree, or other individuals doing research may come across your ancestors profile and change the information. Unfortunately the information gets deleted sometimes by individuals that do not know what they are doing, or by others that don’t think it’s the correct information, and years worth of work vanishes, or it seems to, and then you have to either redo it, or find if that ancestor was merged. I have found it to be frustrating, and there is a reason this happens, it is because other people are merging multiple accounts into one, and if you are attached to the account that is deleted in a merge you get disconnected instead of being merged with them sometimes, but with patience, and finding the individual again if they are still there, you can get them reconnected, and the information will pop up again, it means the file just got merged. It’s what is called a “Living Tree“. Meaning not stationary. People get moved, lost, replaced, and even sometimes accidently deleted. This has been very frustrating for many, and even myself. So uploading your tree to ancestry, or another platform will keep that feom happening, also keep in mind, if transferring to Ancestry, it will only let you upload 6 generations, no matter how big your gedcom file is. How I know this is I have well over 16,000 people in my gedcom file. When it uploads, it only collects the first 6 generations, and here now 10 yrs later, I am now at a little over 5k, which is no where near the 16k plus on file. Ihave recently heard from others, they have been able to upload more than 6 generations. Maybe Ancestry has expanded their database to do so. If that is the case I may try uploading my gedcom file once more in hopes it may allow me to add more. We shall see. So I hope I can finish doing as much as I can while I’m here on borrowed time. And if you ever want a fan view for yourself and from your own tree,  I know Ancestry, and Family Search both offer them as a layout option. I have found it very useful in knowing where I need to do more indexing, add missing sources, etc. It’s also color coded on Family Search for who came from what country.

I recently had new test results come back (after paying more, and they want more for names) saying my autosomal and mtDNA matches to the House of Percy. I’ll attach screenshot below. These are from me uploading my mtDNAfull sequence, and my autosomal DNA tests from Family Tree DNA to My True Ancestry.

I have found a historical figure, and “Founding Father” of the United States, I am direct from. War heros, statues, their items in museums, and more. All forgotten history to the very people that are their offspring? Not anymore, but I really wonder how stories, and family history become lost over time generation to generation. I think it is so important to not forget those that came before us.

In the featured photo it shows the top of her tankard, which is a marriage medal, to know more about Sara Rapalje (click for Wikipedia) aka Rapelje, she was the first white woman that was born in New Netherlands, which is now today New York. And the 2nd to make it to adulthood. She has several items in the Brooklyn Museum. A few photos I have added below, and how I’m descendant.

Another Historical American finding is one of the Co Founding Father’s of Newark, New Jersey is my 11th great grandfather Henry Lyon. I’ve added some information about him below along with my matching DNA results to Clan Lyon. These are newly found ancestors via a recent breakthrough as well. Depending where you poke around on the true ancestry site, you’re able to find names to your matches in Halpogroup exploration.

Below I have added new DNA results to my Spencer, Lyon ancestors they go to and newly found Bowes ancestors via a recent breakthrough last week but this time on my Paternal side, another Howard line, as well as another Phillips line. So those names are both maternal and paternal.

I’ve put these new findings here to keep organized, and in hopes of sparking this passion in other people. Up until 2015 at my very first break through, I had only known about a handful of ancestors, which were Native American forced onto the Trail of Tears, and one Queen. It took me over 35 years, a lot of perseverance, not giving up, and taking a lot of classes to get where I am today in my own family history, and with being able to help others with Genealogy, and Halpogroup exploration via DNA testing, I know I still have so much more to learn. I love it. I am never running out of information to find.

Other historical findings this week that were emailed to me via WikiTree I will attach below too. I only have my tree partial on WikiTree as you have to have so many sources to add an individual. It’s bittersweet to be honest. I can’t add my minor child,  I can’t add anyone lacking sources to attach, and it wouldn’t let me add my 7th great grandfather due to him living to 122 yrs old. And this is also why I trust WikiTree the most aside from a DNA test. I can even add the test results to those I’ve tested positive to. Which is not easy to do, but it can be done! Positive win there.

~ Dawn Piercy, PhD