Jeff's Surnames

Jeff’s family surnames.

William Alexander McNamara

2nd Great-Grandfather William Alexander McNamara, First DNA-Identified McNamara Ancestor

A cousin of my husband’s, who reached out to me last month from Family Tree DNA, helps me genetically identify our first and most recent common McNamara ancestor. Now the work begins to more fine-tune that discovery by isolating the maternal and paternal sides of that inherited shared DNA.

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My Family History Research Methods, ,
Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge

Storms Surrounding General Washington’s Bodyguard, Sergeant William Pace

Profiling William Pace’s service at Valley Forge, and discussing the genealogy controversy surrounding his connection to Richard Pace of Jamestown. We think William Pace was my husband’s 5th great grandfather, and have heard that we are (through him) also descended from Richard Pace, who saved Jamestown. But what does the Pace DNA Project say about this connection?

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My Family History Research Methods, ,
Snow Plow, Yosemite, 1930s or 1940s

George Walter Harless Plowing Through 1940s Yosemite

All my husband knew about his 1st great grand uncle is that he drove a snow plow in Yosemite. My father-in-law confirmed this, and told me that he thought his grandfather’s brother George had also been a miner in Madera. So when I saw the “plowing through” theme for this year’s 52 Ancestors project, I decided to try to find out a bit more about 1st great rand uncle George.

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My Family History Repositories & Sources, , , ,
San Quentin State Prison 1891

3rd Great Grandfather William Chamberlain Gann Served Time in San Quentin State Prison

My husband’s 3rd great grandfather served time in San Quentin State Prison in the late 1880s for larceny and something involving a public jail. The prison record I found provides a very detailed account of his physical description.

3rd Great Grandfather William Chamberlain Gann Served Time in San Quentin State Prison Read More »

My Family History Repositories & Sources,
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