DNA Autosomal: Dunham/Metcalf & Williams/?

 

Sarah Metcalf/Wm Dunham

In researching our families, we may be able to successfully combine paper with dna. The following two examples demonstrate my success. The Dunham line I started researching in the early 1990s with two photographs. The Williams line of research started recently with matches from several dna “cousins.”  Both lines need more work and more “cousins.”

Starting with two photos, I wrote many letters. The Dunham family in Oneida County, New York, was very helpful.  Fast forward to dna, I now have 21 cousins from the branches of the William F. Dunham 1799-abt 1880s/Sarah Metcalf 1799-1887 union:

Dunham, Lindsey 1820-1899 married Esther Ann Baldwin 1826-1878

Dunham, Sarah 1821-1911 married Alanson Hickok 1815-1875

Dunham, Jane Angeline 1823-1906 married Elisha T. Couch 1820-1896

Dunham, Augusta  1825-1903 married Charles Boyden 1804-1890

Dunham, Louisa 1834-1913 married William Hempton 1824-1904 

My Dunham connection: dna and paper connection through my 3rd^th great grandparents, William F. Dunham, 1799-abt 1880s, and Sarah Metcalf, 1799-1887.  

An 1896 newspaper article provided the paper connection. With the help of dna, this family is progressing back on the Metcalf side with Metcalf, Pond, Platts and Wetherbee. The paper trail stops with William F. Dunham’s parents. Who are they? Does anyone out there have the answer or a potential clue that may help me/us?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GREAT HELP AND SUGGESTIONS!!!

WILLIAMS update!!! more to follow

The Williams genealogy started with one dna match that connected to the 1850 New York census. Aaron Williams, 1778-1858, lived with John Shelden.  Aaron’s daughter Lucy Ann Williams married John Shelden. I have her paper trail. The surname is Sheldon or Shelden. The searches lead me to 26 other “cousins” with a paper and dna trail. Aaron Williams, 1778-1858, and ? [Electa Durham]:

Huldah Williams 1807-1885, daughter Lucy A. Williams 1844-1880 father unknown, 1855 census adopted, NY Gazetteer for Richard Capwell and Huldah had only one child, James.

Eda C. Williams 1810-1873 married Margaret Ann “Peggy” Wiles abt 1817-?

Sarah “Sally” Williams 1814-1850 married John Wauvle/Wavle 1810-1870

James G. Williams 1814-1892 Married Mary ? abt 1817-?

Malinda Williams abt 1820-1892 married Seth Bean 1815-1900

William Williams 1823-1902 married Elizabeth McMullen 1835-?

Lucy Ann Williams 1828-1874 married John Shelden 1829-1905

 At this time [March 2021], I find NO paper or dna crumbs for Electa Durham married to Aaron Williams. I am unable to link the family with my family. I do see a probate in Oneida County, New York, again, at this time; I am unable for find this record, just an index. After looking at many public trees for Electa Durham and Aaron Williams and attempting to contact owners for help, still no conclusions. Some public trees offer Asa Durham as a possible father for Electa. Asa Durham and Aaron Williams with son Eda are buried in the Freetown, Cortland County, New York cemetery.  The early New York census place Aaron and Asa in the same locations.  Searching for Asa offers his surname as Durham, Dunham or Dorwin.

Other family names may be missing from this article. Except for Electa and Asa, the people named are connected both by paper and dna. If we connect, please contact me with your name. Thank you!  Please help me connect this family to my tree! Thank you dna and paper cousins. If you are connected to my Dunham dna, please, let’s get acquainted.

 My connection: ?

Updated 25 March 2021. Thanks for your suggestions, I am finding new clues and information, MISS Electa or Lecta Williams, b abt 1823 d 1902 is the person for the Oneida County will from book 53, page 378. A digital copy of this will was provided by the surrogate clerk's office of Oneida County, New York. THANK YOU!!!

For my public tree see Roots_Digger family tree (Under construction, help!) on Ancestry.com and Roots_Digger on MyHeritage.com. My dna is on both sites as well as GedMatch and FTDNA (mtdna and autosomal). Please contact me on either MyHeritage or Ancestry or sbgenealogydna@gmail.com, thank you!!!

 

DUNHAM research in Oneida County, New York - early census

According to family records, Jane Angeline Dunham was born 6 November 1823 in Rome, New York. The 1855 New York state census collaborates this information. Land records place the family in Rome and Verona in the 1850s. Who is Jane's father? My census research offers several possibilities. But, my family photographs offer another possibility. Which will be correct or is there another possibility?

Before explaining the census research, the photographs keep haunting me. The photographs of "Aunt Sarah Dunham" and "gr grandpa & gr grandma Dunaham [Dunham]" beg for a say so in my debate. In Jane's 1906 obituary, she is identified as Mrs. Jane A. Couch survived by two living sisters (unable to locate county death records). Who? Aunt Sarah's face matches other Oneida County, New York Dunham's. So, she is probably a Dunham by birth not marriage. Sarah Dunham Hickok died in 1911. Sarah had a sister, Louisa Dunham Boyden who died in 1913. Documents verify their parents as William F. Dunham and Sarah Metcalf. Jane's son Eugene was married in 1874 in Streator, Illinois. William F. and Sarah were alive until after 1880. Maybe they attended the wedding and stopped in Kankakee for a photograph.

 BUT census records do not substantiate this hypothesis. Census records point to Joseph Dunham of Rome, New York and born in Newport, Rhode Island. Find A Grave provides information that a Joseph Dunham was buried in Stanwix Cemetery, Rome, New York in 1854.If this is the same Joseph then the photograph is wrong.

Findings from the Oneida County, New York census research:

1840 - 12 given names with 3 possibilities: Alpheus (b1810) lived in Westmoreland, Joseph (b1787)lived in Rome, William F.(b 1799) lived in Whitestown.

1830 - 9 given names with 3 possibilities: Alpheus (b1810) lived in Whitestown, Joseph (b1787) lived in Rome, William (?) lived in Utica. If this is William F. children should show up, none listed.

Following these families:

Alpheus (b1810) does have a daughter named Jane Ann. Jane married James Nobel. A future article will parallel these two ladies.

Joseph (1787) does have a female in the household and the correct age. So far, unable to verify other members of the household.

William F. (1799) does have multiple members in the household. If he would be Jane's father, some of his other children would have to be shifted to different age categories.

William F. Dunham (1799-?) and Sarah Metcalf (1799-?) family documented with the help of "cousins" and documents:

Lindsey William Dunham (1820)

Sarah Dunham Hickok (1821)

Augusta Dunham Boyden (1825)

Louisa Dunham  Hempton (1834)

Who is Joseph? What happened to his family? Joseph may be the same as buried in the Rome Cemetery in 1854.

The 1850 federal census for Phoenix, Oswego, New York:

Joseph (1787) born in Rhode Island

Elisabeth

index Benyer (1824) digital looks like Benajer?

The 1870 federal census for Rome Ward 2, Oneida, New York:

J. B. Dunham and Elisabeth without a Joseph.

The 1850 and 1870 census match ages, these may be the same people. Could the J.B. be Benajer? No relationships are given.

Adding "my Jane" to the mix, the ages match the 1830 and 1840 marks for Joseph in Rome. "My Jane" was married in 1846 in New York.

From the census research, Joseph presents the best case for her father. How do I explain the obituary with two living sisters? More articles as I find records.

Can DNA Help Solve Two Dunham Brick Walls?

I hope to find the answer to this question, with the help of some cousins and some people I haven't met yet.

By way of background, my second cousin, Christina Streiff, and I have a brick wall ancestor named William F. Dunham, born in Pomfret, Vermont in 1799. Separately, Selma Blackmon has another brick wall named Jane A. Dunham Couch, born in Rome, New York in 1823.

Are Our Two Dunhams Related?

If so, it would provide a major clue regarding their ancestry. We have two documents suggesting they may be related.

First, Selma has a document showing an 1840s real estate transaction between her Jane Dunham and our William F. Dunham's son, Lindsey, when both families lived in Oneida County, New York.

Second, the death certificate for Jane's daughter, Carrie Sarah Couch, listed her mother (incorrectly) as Jane Hempton. The informant, Jane's granddaughter, got it wrong. But Hempton is the (uncommon) married name of William's daughter, Louisa. It suggests the two families knew each other.

We continue to look through records, though so far we have not cracked the case.

Along Comes DNA Testing

There are three kinds of DNA tests for genealogists (aka genetic genealogy):

• Y-DNA tests track a male's straight paternal (i.e. surname) line, which is not a fit in this case.
• Mitochondrial DNA (MtDNA) tests track everyone's straight maternal line - again not a fit.
• Autosomal DNA tests, though, might be useful.

First through fourth cousins generally share DNA with each other, and people also can share DNA with some more distant cousins. If William F. Dunham and Jane Dunham were first cousins, then Selma and I would be fifth cousins, so it was worth a try.

Selma and I had both taken autosomal DNA tests, and when we compared them, we found that we share one small segment of DNA on one chromosome. It might not sound like much, but we share enough (10cM) to know that we have common ancestors.

Finding Common Ancestors

If you've been down this path, you may know that two matches' common ancestors could go back hundreds of years. But there are ways to narrow the search for the common ancestors.

First, we can test our own first and second cousins.

Selma is not a DNA match to Christina, but she is a solid match to another cousin of ours, Elton, on the same segment, and he is on the 25% of my tree that includes William F. Dunham.  By definition then, Elton, Selma and I have common ancestors, and they are from this branch of my tree.

Second, we can look for DNA matches in the general population that can help.

Does anyone match Selma and me?

Nobody at Family Tree DNA matches both of us.

One person at 23andMe is a match to me on the same segment, but I can rule him out, since he matches a cousin on the other side of my family on that same segment.

AncestryDNA does not provide chromosome-level data, so I don't yet know if anyone matches on the same segment. If someone is a DNA match there, and has Dunhams in their tree, I ask them to upload their results to GEDmatch, a free service that can show two people which DNA segments they have in common.

The Search Continues

DNA has not solved our Dunham questions yet, but DNA analysis does indicate that Selma and I are related, and that our two Dunhams may be related. The next step will be to test more descendants of these two Dunhams to see if they match us on the same segment.

As more people test their DNA for genealogy, a match could come from the general population at any time that could provide a critical piece of information to help us solve our mysteries.

Thank you Rich Capen for this article explaining our DNA and how we match. Through FamilyTreeDNA, we are now three cousins with one in CA one in WI and the other in GA. What other cousins want to join us? Contact me at sbgenealogy@gmail.com.

Who is the mother of Sarah Caroline Couch (1856-1927)?

According to the death certificate received as a digital image from Family Search, Sarah Caroline Couch born 2 October 1856, Rome, N.Y. died 4 July 1927, Joliet, IL.Further information lists her father as Elisha T. Couch, N.Y. and her mother as Angeline Hempton, N.Y. The informant is Mrs. W.J. Schuler (Nettie Couch). Carrie is the informant's aunt. The purpose of this search is to verify the name of Elisha's wife and the mother of Carrie. 

• WI, Eau Claire County. Marriage certificate. George H. Couch and Mrs. Mary E. Fish. Volume 2, page 59.  10 December 1883. George names his father as Elisha Couch and mother Jane Denham. 
• IL, LaSalle County, Probate for Sarah C. Couch, alias Carrie S. Couch. Started 4 June 1928 filed 5 March 1929. In the will, Eugenia Couch Woodin, states that Carrie's parents were Elisha T. Couch and Jane A. Couch. Neither of her parents were married more than once. 
• IL, LaSalle County. Death Certificate for Eugene Couch. 4704. Father's name is Elisha Couch of Hartford, CT. Mother's name is Jane Dunham of Rome, N.Y. informant Mrs. Eugene Couch (wife).
• IL, LaSalle County. Marriage certificate. Lewis A. Couch and Susannah R. Kimberk. 655. 31 October 1883. Lewis names his father as Elisha T. Couch and mother Jane A. Dunham.
• IL, Will County, Death Certificate for Lewis Augustus Couch. 46886. Father's name Couch of New Haven, CT. Mother's name Jane Angeline Dunham of Rome, N.Y. Grace Couch is informant and daughter.

Hempton connection:

William Hempton (1826-1904) married Louisa Dunham (1834-?). I am unable to connect them to my direct line.

After completing the request form to Family Search for Sarah Caroline Couch (1856-1927), I received the digitized copy of her death certificate. According to family records, her mother’s name is Jane A. Dunham Couch. The index name is Angeline Hempton. The death certificate name is Angeline Hempton. The informant in 1927 is my maternal grandmother, Mrs. W.J. Schuler or Nettie Couch Schuler, the niece of the deceased. Carrie went into the hospital for an appendix and gall stone operation and died of a heart attack. This one document has started the search for other family documents. After searching land records, marriages, death certificates and other family records, the only conclusion at this time, is that Nettie was under stress due to Carrie’s unexpected death on 4 July 1927. Only the complete record will reveal all the information. Only the comparison with other records has led me by analysis to conclude that Angeline Hempton is not the mother of Sarah Caroline Couch. Aunt Carrie’s mother is Jane Angeline Dunham, the same mother for all children of Elisha T. Couch.