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!!!

 

Jane Angeline Dunham 1823-1906, parents William F Dunham & Sarah Metcalf

Green Bay Press-Gazette. 10 August 1893. Newspapers.com

William F Dunham and Sarah Metcalf have been connected as the parents of Jane Angeline Dunham 1823-1906. WE now have a paper trail and DNA trail. The reason I choose “WE” is because it has taken many years and many “cousins.” This hunt started in about 1990 with several photos from a 1900 Christmas album gift to my grandmother, Nettie Couch, 1884-1965. The hunt never ends. Now, I am looking for more cousins and more information on Jane’s parents. Along the way, I have found the names of DNA matches with every one of the siblings, several other Dunham families and several Metcalf families.

Special thanks to:

• Dunham’s of Rome including Ann Eldred (1935-2003), Phyllis KItson, P.C. Alger, and Bill Wood, these people put my original question, “Dunham by birth or by marriage?” to rest with many photos and family group sheets
• Beth for sharing a family group sheet from her research, especially on the Hickok line
• Rich for all his DNA hours and for answering my basic DNA questions
• Christina for this wonderful newspaper clipping that finally joins OUR family, for meeting me in Wisconsin several years ago, for introducing me to her sister, for sharing their family stories
• Jane Wilcox, Forget-MeNot Ancestry, for guiding me in my searches
• MyHeritage and Ancestry for DNA match suggestions
• NGS research trips, especially a full packed week in Madison, Wisconsin
• Gratia for sharing her vast knowledge of the Dunham family and her hours of research
• Many, many friends and family who have listened to me whine for 20+ years because I could not find Jane’s parents 

Jane A Dunham Couch

Jane Angeline DUNHAM (1823 - 1906)
2nd great-grandmother

Eugene Deloss COUCH (1851 - 1925)
Son of Jane Angeline DUNHAM

Nettie Ethel COUCH (1884 - 1965)
Daughter of Eugene Deloss COUCH

Mildred Louise SCHULER (1919 - 2008)
Daughter of Nettie Ethel COUCH

Selma Ethel KAMPE
You are the daughter of Mildred Louise SCHULER

Now, more questions:

• How come family Bible and all censuses except 1900 census list New York or Rome, New York as birth?
• How come the 43 year lack of family contact?
• How come migrated to LaSalle County, Illinois instead of Wisconsin?
• Who are Jane’s grandparents?

View my Roots_Digger tree on Ancestry and Roots_Digger Related on MyHeritage. Join me in our search for more family members, stories, photos. Contact me a sbgenealogy@gmail.com

Lindsey William Dunham (1820-1899) what and how do I know it?

Name: Lindsey William Dunham, most records provide either Lindsey W or L. W.; his death certificate reads “Lindsey Wm Dunham.” The microfilm record may be found in the Wisconsin Pre-1907 Records Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society Library, Madison, Wisconsin. Specific information: Oconto County, Volume 1, page 327, microfilm reel 101, index volume 1 and sequence number 90131.

Birth date and place: 26 March 1820, Pomfret, Windsor County, Vermont, see name record.

Father: William F Dunham, my main connecting record is testimony at Lindsey’s divorce case. “. . . the plaintiff is my son. . .”  Wisconsin, Manitowoc County. Court Records. CF16 #2189. "Lindsey W. Dunham plaintiff vs Esther A. Dunham defendant" 26 October 1858 granted 23 April 1861. 23 pages. Archives and Area Research Center #2401, Cofrin Library, UW Green Bay, 2420 Nicout Drive, Green Bay, WI 54311-7001.

Mother: Sarah Metcalf, this information is derived from her marriage to William F on 21 January 1819 in Pomfret, Windsor County, Vermont. "Vermont, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1732-2005," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8R8-8Z8 : 6 April 2016), William F Dunham and Sarah Metcalf, 21 Jan 1819; citing Marriage, Pomfret, Windsor, Vermont, United States, town clerk offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 28,665. Accessed on Ancestry.com.

First marriage: Esther Ann Baldwin and Lindsey were married about 1 April 1847. This estimate comes from Lindsey’s divorce testimony. It is written that he stated the year as 1857, but one son had been born and the divorce was already in process. This is probably a misunderstanding. The divorce testimony states they were married by Pastor Lewis. Research by a hired certified APG person has identified a Pastor Lewis as the pastor of the Seventh Day Baptist church of Verona, Oneida County, New York about 1844-1848. After a trip to the church archives in Janesville, Wisconsin, at this time, no records are available verifying this marriage date. Several land deeds from New York for purchase of land by Lindsey and his wife, Esther, from Norman Baldwin are dated 1844 and 1847.

First marriage ended in divorce: In 1856, Lindsey published a notice for non-payment of others debts in the Manitowoc Herald newspaper. See Roots Digger tree on Ancestry for digital image with source. For divorce filings see the source for relationship of father above.

Second marriage: Esther James’ marriage to Lindsey date unknown at this time. The 1870 US census reads that Rebecca James “lives with daughter.” Rebecca and Esther are enumerated in the household with Lindsey Dunham.  Year 1870, Howard, Brown County, Wisconsin. Roll M593_1703. Page 274A. Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. 

Child: Jay Forrester Dunham was born 1 December 1852. In 1852, Jay’s biological mother would be Esther Baldwin and NOT Esther James.

There is no evidence that Lindsey William Dunham had any other biological children.

Death: 20 February 1899 see the death certificate source above with Name. Look at the Find a Grave Site, there are other Dunham family members buried in the Mill Centre cemetery, Howard, Brown County, Wisconsin.

My connection to Lindsey, at this time I have DNA matches to his siblings. Lindsey and Jane A, my maternal second great grandmother, worked together in 1844 in Rome, Oneida County, New York. Help me! I want to find this family connection!

As of this writing, I have recently found a DNA match for Metcalf, possibly Lindsey’s mother's line. 

Currently I do not know the parents of William F. Dunham.

Please send any comments or questions to sbgenealogy@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.