Cornett/ Cornutt/Canute

Cornett crest

Family lore claims that our Cornetts, Cornutts, and Canutes, descend from King Cnut, a Danish Viking prince who won the throne of England in 1016.  Cnut ascended to the Danish throne in 1018 and claimed the crown of Norway and part of Sweden in 1028.  His mother was daughter of the first Polish King.  His only legitimate son was Harthacnut by Emma of Normandy; After his death, Harthacnut’s throne reverted to his half-brother, Emma’s son, Edmund the Confessor.  After the death of Cnut’s heirs and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his achievements were largely lost to history.  The lack of known living progeny brings the claim of descent from Cnut into question.

Cornett is usually thought to be an occupational name for a hornblower or someone who works with horns, derived from the Latin, Cornu, or Middle English or old French, Corn, meaning horn (or antler).

Cornett, Cornutt, Canute Ancestors:

  • Erin Cornett was born in 1676 in Northumberland, England; he raised sheep.
  • His son, Earl, was born in Southampton, England in 1696; he was a farmer.  Earl had seven sons: John, Roger, George, Francis, Frank, Jesse, and James. John Cornett.   In 1740, the brothers sailed to the Colonies. They worked as indentured servants on an English lord’s farm near Philadelphia, PA.
  • Our line appears to be descended from either John or James, but there are conflicting pedigrees showing different lines of descent and I haven’t puzzled out which is likely to be most accurate.
  • Our Cornetts/Cornutts settled in Elk Creek, Climes Branch, Grayson County Virginia; they were very prolific.
  • Hezekiah Cornutt, my Great, Great-grandfather,  enlisted in Company C, 63rd Infantry 63 Virginia (McMahon’s Regiment.) on 6 May 1863.  He deserted on 1 Jul 1863 at Saltville, VA.  (For more information see Ancestors in the Civil War.) Hezekiah moved his family to Bates County, Missouri, where his son, John was born.  They were supposed to have travelled to Greenwood County, Kansas by covered wagon.

The name has been found variously spelled (or transcribed in indexes): Cornett, Cornutt, Canute, Cornette, Carnett, Carnut, Connett, Comette, Bornett.

Verbryck

Ithaca, New York Oct 1991

The meaning of the name Verbryck (Dutch) is unclear, but is likely to be From ver, far or distant, and beek or beck, brook: The “Far Brook.”

Verbryck ancestors were early settlers in New Amsterdam (New York) in the 1600’s.

  • The earliest known Verbryck was Samuel Gerritson Verbryck (1671-1763).  He apparently adopted the surname Verbryck (in addition to his patronymic “Gerritsen”) as required for legal transactions such as for deeds.
  • His son, Barnardus (1719-1733) adopted this surname as well and moved to New Jersey.  Other sons of Samuel Gerritsen adopted the surname, Garretson.
  • Barnardus’ son & grandson, William (1737-1824) & William Jr. (1786-1860) moved to Mercer County, Kentucky sometime around the turn of the century.
  • William Jr’s son, my Great Great Grandfather, Richard Verbryck (1837-1899), moved to Johnson County, Indiana sometime in the late 1850’s, then to Montgomery County Kansas in the 1870’s.

Being an unusual name, it was variously spelled on many documents or (transcribed in indexes):  Ver Bryck, Verbryke, Verbrick, Verbrack, Verbicke, Vertryck, Perbryck and Verbnycol.

Because of its relatively recent invention, all Verbrycks are likely related and should ultimately be able to trace their tree back to Samuel Gerritson and Barnardus Verbryck.

My mom & I have 7 DNA matches with distant (4th-5th) cousins that share William & William Jr. Verbryck as ancestors. At least four more matches also likely trace their tree back to the founding Verbrycks in New Amsterdam & New Jersey.

 

Clifford

clifford_largeClifford is of Old English origin that applies to a number of individuals or places. It simply means “ford by a cliff.”

From the Clifford Association: “The Clifford family in Britain started with the invasion by William the Conqueror when the five FitzPons brothers came across from Normandy. Once described as one of the most interesting families in the ‘history of these islands’ an in depth look at the members of THE CLIFFORDS shows there is good reason for this. Walter de Clifford took his name from the Castle built near Hay on Wye, being built on a Cliff overlooking a ford.”

An extensive history of our Cliffords, the ancestors and many descendents of Charles and Jane Gordon Clifford can be found at “Cliffords from New Jersey to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and beyond” by Hugh Fleming Clifford.

  • Our earliest Cliffords in America were George and James Clifford (1701-1782).  They were once thought to be father & son, but are now thought to be brothers.  They were born in Yorkshire England and immigrated during the early 1700’s.  They settled in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.
  • James’ son, Charles Clifford (1730-1816) and his wife Jane Gordon settled in Ligonier Valley, Pennsylvania before the Revolutionary War.  He was captured by Indians in April of 1779 and taken north (See story in “Ancestors during the Revolutionary War.”)
  • Charles’ son Thomas Clifford was married to Catherine Lawson, who immigrated from Donegal, Ireland sometime around 1800.
  • Thomas’ son William Clifford, my Great-Great Grandfather, moved to Montgomery County Kansas, via Indiana, between 1860 and 1875, after selling the property he inherited from his father and paying his siblings the amounts stipulated in his fathers will.

Kelley/Kelly

Kelley/Kelly:  O’Kelly– Irish, anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ceallaigh ‘descendant of Ceallach.’ Ceallach was the chief of Ui Maine or Hy Many in 874 CE.

Different sources offer different meanings for the name Kelly. Some sources give the meaning as warrior, others as ‘bright or white-headed (or haired)’, later it was understood as ‘frequenting churches’ (Irish ceall).

OKelly MapThe O’Kellys were the most powerful clan in Connaught, holding the rank of Princes of Ui Maine. Ui Maine consisted of an area of land which included all the eastern part of County Galway, the southern part of Roscommon, and small portions of Clare and Offaly. They ruled over that territory for seven hundred years from the ninth to the 16th century.

I am not sure when (or if) my family ties into the ancient Kelly pedigree:Ancient Kelly'sAncient Kelly's2

My Great, Great Grandfather, Michael Kelly was aware of his heritage, however:

The Kelly Crest and a sketch in my Great, great grandfather, Michael Britt Kelly's bible.
The Kelly Crest and a sketch in my Great, great grandfather, Michael Britt Kelly’s bible.

The Kelly motto is “Turris fortis mihi deus” or God is my tower of strength.

Michael Kelly immigrated to Iowa in the United States from County Limerick about 1867 with his two daughters, Margaret & Zillah and his son, my great grandfather, Andrew Alfred Kelley. Andrew was 16 years old at the time.

I am not sure why my Great-Grandfather, Andrew, changed the spelling of his name to Kelley. I can only speculate that perhaps it was to further anglicize it due to prejudice against Irish?

Genealogy in Ireland is very difficult because so many records were destroyed. But is doesn’t help that Kelly is the most common Irish name after Murphy. There were a lot of Mary and Margaret Kelly’s!

That is why I can relate to “The Kelly Song:”

 

Oren Bradford Scott

Oren ScottThe Remarkable Story of

Oren Bradford Scott*

(1923-1990)

(It is a fairly large PDF file. It may take a little while to load, depending on the speed of your connection.)

*DNA evidence confirms that Mildred K Bearns (1905-?) was the biological mother of Oren Scott. She was the daughter of prospector, Thomas Charles Bearns (sometimes Brown), and Bridget Agnes Keating.

Her parents were originally from St. John’s Newfoundland (her father of English heritage, her mother of Irish heritage). They were married in Victoria, British Columbia, where their oldest daughter was born. They returned to Newfoundland where two of their sons were born. Mildred and another son were born in Capetown, South Africa. Another daughter died there.

Mildred's older brother, James Cecil Bearns
Mildred’s older brother, James Cecil Bearns

Bridget Keating Bearns passed away in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Leaving 5 small children in the care of her husband. The family moved to San Diego where Thomas Bearns remarried. The 2 older boys (Earl Joseph & James Cecil) got in trouble with the law for theft, burglary, and highway robbery. They appear to have eventually turned their lives around. The oldest boy joined the Maritime service. The next oldest married and had 3 children.

Thomas Bearns separated from his 2nd wife and moved with his daughters (Alice M & Mildred Kathleen) and youngest son (Francis Aden) to Tacoma, Washington. His youngest son also served time at Monroe Reformatory, the Oregon State Penitentiary and the McNeil Island Penitentiary for burglary and theft. (He was eventually deported to South Africa after Canada refused to take him.)

Thomas Bearns, the father, a fuel dealer, died in 1956 in Tacoma. He was buried in an unmarked grave in the New Tacoma Cemetery. His oldest daughter briefly married Albert Turner Stewart, 14 Jan 1922, a chauffeur at the Del Mae Joe Hotel in Portland, Oregon. They lived at 554 Ivon St. where Mildred was living with them.  Alice returned to Tacoma and married fisherman, Erik Johnson (later separated) and died in 1992.

Mildred was only 17 and living at 321 5th St. (Ave?) in Portland when she married Graham P. Henson, 25 Sep 1922 , a Bellman at the Alder Hotel and a waiter at the Arlington Club. They married in Vancouver, Washington 4-5 months before Oren was born. DNA evidence confirms that he was not Oren’s father. Mildred & Graham Henson moved to San Francisco. I have now discovered that they did have another child, Barbara Beverly Henson. Pam recently had a match to one of her sons and perhaps a granddaughter. I was able to confirm that Barbara married a man by the name of Clyde Edgar and had 5 children. She passed away in San Diego in 2014. Her father, Graham Henson, also remarried. His obituary lists 3 more children by his second wife, which mistakenly put a comma between Barbara and Edgar, making me think there was another son…but it was Barbara’s married name.

Mildred’s father’s obituary (1956) gave her last name as Rogers. Mildred K is listed in the 1954 San Francisco city directory with Gerald W Rogers. I have been unable to find a death record for her…there were several Mildred Rogers in California…

Due to DNA cousin matches, I have clear DNA evidence that Oren’s biological father descends from the notorious Charles Napoleon Bonaparte Rand (also known as John T. Rand) a miner/teamster/dairyman, who killed his wife and baby and committed suicide in 1888 in Montana. (His family goes back to Maine; his wife’s to Rhode Island.

I had believed for a long time (off & on) that Oren’s biological father was a Canadian trucker by the name of Carlton Lenard Lundy (1905-1995) He was the son of Alice Rand, daughter of Napoleon B Rand. 

Pam’s closest match on this side is a Canadian from Victoria, B.C., which led me to focus on that son of Alice Rand. She wrote:

"Yes there is some Rands and Lundys in our genealogy. Without looking the names seem familiar. The Lundy listed, the dates I am unsure of. It was a Lundy I believe who made the newspaper as big news as he killed his pregnant wife. When he shot her in the back the bullet went through her killing her unborn child. I understand that he took his own life but I believe it was in the 1800's ... Will have to pull out what I have to verify. Nothing on any of the genealogy I have seen has included myself or any of my children.
Dad has told me of a relative in the states who was doing genealogy but he was an elderly retired dentist? who has now passed. I was asking dad to meet them, but no such luck.
Getting back to your original question I know there are Rands and Lundys but I am unsure if we are connected.”
The east Oregonian., January 08, 1904, WEEKLY EDITION, Image 5

Alice Rand had a hard life. After her mother and baby brother were killed and her father committed suicide in 1888, it appears her older half brother was also abusive. In 1899, Alice married a man by the name of Alexander Touraille. In 1902, she divorced him after suffering abuse from him. Although she petitioned the court to award her custody of her son, the nuns kept custody of the boy. She married a Canadian, Charles Lundy, in January 10, 1903 in Umatilla, Oregon. Carlton was born Feb 8, (most sources say 1903) in Helena, Montana, which is less than a month after his parents were married. Hopefully her life got better for a few years before her death in 1913 from tuberculosis, at age 34. After her death, Charles Lundy moved his family, Carlton and 3 girls to Manitoba, where they were living in 1921.

Recently, I noticed a cluster of DNA matches in Pam’s list, several of whom descended from Beelers in Montana…I could not figure out how they fit in until I looked at her brother, Brad’s, DNA matches. When I looked at the same cluster in his list there were more that descended from Tourailles! They descended from children of Alice’s 1st husband, Alexander Touraille. I later was able to determine that the Beeler matches were related on Alexander’s mother’s Accart side. So it is now clear that Oren’s biological father was the child of Alexander Touraille & Alice Rand. Since his father, Alexander immigrated from France, there are few DNA relatives in the U.S. I did find one descendant of his niece and a passenger list when Alexander brought his son, Emile, from a prior marriage, and his niece to this country in 1909. (Alexander had originally had immigrated about 1894.)

Recent research shows that Louis Touraille (Tourallie) enlisted in the Marines on 1 Dec 1920, however he was injured and spent 19 Jan 1921 to 15 Aug 1921 in the hospital at the Mare Island Navy Yard in California. He was dismissed “for disability. not in line of duty, not own misconduct, Character: Very Good.”

I next found a death certificate for him from Portland, Oregon. He died 16 May 1923 by “Accidental drowning by falling of log boom”, Willbridge Terminal, Willamette River. He had lived at 484 Liberty St., Portland, Oregon. Place of Burial: Oregon City Cem. This was just 3+ months after Oren’s birth.

My husband’s uncle Brad, consented to doing a y-DNA test for me. I got the results in January 2021. In order to narrow the search to a particular sibling, I had been hoping to get a surname match with a Rand, Lundy or Smalley (the husband of Alice’s sister Nellie), but the only matches he got were very distant. the closest ones at the highest level were a Norwegian father and son. This match likely goes back 12-20 generations, long before the adoption of surnames. :(—With the recent connection confirmed, perhaps the Tourailles were descended from Vikings??

Kelley Family Ethnicity Estimates

I have added/rearranged this post as new updated ethnicity estimates have become available.

When we were growing up we were told that we were “Scotch, Irish & German.” It is difficult, however, to trace back from where all my mom’s ancestors immigrated. Many were some of the first immigrants to the New World in New Netherland (New York & New Jersey) and Virginia.  I have reached dead ends in some lines.

Here is a map of how many of my ancestors migrated across America, mostly on my mom’s side. (My dad’s family settled in Iowa and then moved to California where I was born.):

To begin, it helps to have some understanding of genetics. Although we are guaranteed to get 1/2 of our genes from our fathers and 1/2 from our mothers (actually a little more from our mothers, if you include the little extra on the X chromosome for males and mitochondrial DNA). We are likely to get 1/4 from each of our grandparents, but that can vary depending on which genes were contributed to us by our parents. So the estimated percentages, that I came up with from my tree were based on an 1/8 from great-grandparents, 1/16 from 2nd great-grandparents, 1/32 from 3rd great-grandparents, etc….

Here is an estimate for my mom based on the family tree (I mostly used Mom’s 3rd great grandparents as a basis.)

  • English: 41% (Most of the Cornett, Stamper, Woodrum sides, many were early settlers in Virgina [may include some Irish & French]; also the Cliffords in New Jersey & Pennsylvania.)
  • German (Click on Link to see some short biographies) 25% (The Hildebrand side (PA) [includes some Alsatian]; The Hackler/Hechler side (PA & VA) [includes some Alsatian and Swiss]; and Baugher/Bager (PA, VA, IN) side.)
    • German and/or English? 3-6% (The Holt side KY, VA, NC plus unknown maiden name for Mary Holt??)
  • Dutch 8% (The Verbryck (NJ) side and the Decker (NJ & PA) side were descended from early settlers in New Netherland, although they were mostly Dutch, it included settlers from Belgium, France, Germany, Schleswig-Holstein, East Friesland, Spain, Norway, & England.)
    • ?? unknown maiden name for Isabella Decker–3%
  • Irish/Manx? 6% (The Lawson (PA)–might really be McLaren; see the Lawson/McLaren surname entry here.) Maiden name of Sarah Lawson: Fleming means from Flanders, the northern Dutch-speaking region of Belgium.)
  • Scottish 6% possibly? (from surnames Gordon [NJ & PA, VA?]; and Scott [NC])
  • Scotch-Irish 5% (Irwin [PA], new information has the Irwins descending from Ulster Scots; McGatta possibly comes from there, too.)

Following are new ethnicity estimates from AncestryDNA, which appear much more accurate:

Here is the new estimate from AncestryDNA for my mom, Doretta Clifford Kelley:

Versus her old estimate:

She appears to have lost all her Irish! –And many of those odd trace ethnicities. She went to having just a trace Great Britain to 92% England, Wales, Northwestern Europe. I would have expected more German and Irish. But remember that there have been lots of migrations in Europe and many of the people of England are really French, German and Scandinavian as well as Celtic. People have been interbreeding for millennia.

Dana Kelley Bressette’s New Estimate:

Eric Kelley’s New Estimate:

Bruce Kelley’s New Estimate:

Eric appears to have gotten some Swedish and a trace of Finnish  and has more Norwegian than me. Bruce did not show any Scandinavian. Bruce and I ended up with more Irish; and I got a little more English and less German than Bruce and Eric. Otherwise, we are all now more similar. Eric’s changed significantly from his previous estimate. He went from having 78% British to 47% England, etc. (which did not make sense, since mom’s previous estimate had her as < 1%!) You can see the older estimates if you scroll down to older ethnicity analyses that I had done.

If I average mine, Eric’s and Bruce’s together, I get the following estimate for my dad, Dean Kelley:

  • Germanic Europe: 55 %
  • Norway: 13%
  • Sweden: 3 %
  • ——-  = 71% added together
  • England, Wales, Northwestern Europe: 12%
  • Ireland & Scotland: 19%
  • ——- = 31% added together

(There is an extra 2% because the math showed a -2% Finnish)

We know that all 4 of my dad’s grandparents emigrated from Europe so what we might expect would be:

So the results come out close to what we would expect.

**I still like to say my “Ethnic Center” is in the middle of the North Sea!

Here’s how my DNA ethnicity compares to actual birth locations of ancestors as far as I have been able to determine.

My son and both Eric’s sons and one of Bruce’s daughters also have tested with ancestryDNA.

Here is my husband, Edmund’s results compared with my son, Sky’s:

My husband’s father was all French Canadian, his maternal grandmother was all ethnic German/Alsatian. His maternal grandfather was adopted, but we know he was at least 1/4 Irish and probably at least 1/4 English on his mom’s side. The dad’s side, if I have identified him correctly, appears to go back to New England, so is likely mostly English.

If I compare what Sky’s actual results are with what would be (expected) from looking at his dad’s and mine, I get the following:

  • England, Wales & Northwest Europe: 79% (45%)
  • Germanic Europe: 7% (16%)
  • Sweden: 6% (1.5%)
  • France: 4% (22.5%)
  • Ireland & Scotland: 3% (10.5%)
  • Norway: 1% (4%)
  • Sardinia: 0% (0.5%)

He appears to have inherited much more of the English than any of the other ethnicities. He didn’t get much of the French, German or Irish! (It does look like he got about 7% more DNA from his Grandma B than his Grandpa B, if I compare actual cM shared with his grandparents.

Here is are Eric’s son’s results compared with each other:

If I average their results and compare it with their dad, I come up with the following estimate for their mom, compare it with her (sister), who has also tested with ancestryDNA ~then average the 2:

  • England, Wales, Northwestern Europe: 39% (21%)~30%
  • Sweden: 21% (19%)~20%
  • Norway: 10% (35%)~22.5%
  • German: 16% (0%)~16%
  • Finland: 14% (18%)~16%
  • Baltic: 2% (0%)~1%
  • Ireland & Scotland 0% (7%)~2%

According to her tree her grandparent’s ethnicities are as follows:

  • One goes way back in the U.S, and has English, Welsh, and French, at least, which probably accounts for most of the English, Welsh, Etc.
  • One had Swedish grandparents, so we would expect ~25% Swedish.
  • One had parents that went back to Galicia, which was part of the Austrian Empire, but is now part of Western Ukraine.—This is the one that is most puzzling. You would expect something from Eastern Europe, but maybe that is where she gets most of her German.
  • One had Norwegian parents, so we would expect ~25% Norwegian.

Bruce’s Daughter, Rose:

Here is a comparison of Bruce and his daughter, Rose:

Rose’s mother was born in Sweden, so we should expect a large amount of Swedish and other Scandinavian. The math does not work out very well if I try to come up with an estimate for her mother, but if I throw out the negative numbers for England (-29%) & German (-29%) and spread the rest out proportionally, I get:

  • Sweden: 53%
  • Norwegian: 37%
  • Finnish: 9%
  • Ireland & Scotland: 1% (Maybe those Vikings brought back some Celtic brides.)

It is important to note that although Bruce did not show any Norwegian, Swedish, or Finnish, Eric and I did. So he could still have had some trace amounts that could show up in his daughter and maybe could have had an additive effect in combination with her mother’s DNA?

The following chart shows the amount of DNA we share with each other, at least according to what was tested by Ancestry. The charts below show what would be expected probabilities for each relationship.

Rose seems to be the biggest outlier here. She and I share about 4% more DNA than would be expected. She also shares 3-4+% more with Dean and Sky than would be expected, and about 2% more than what would be expected with her grandmother. Dean shares about 4% less with his grandmother than would be expected, but 2% more with his brother than would be expected. Bruce shares ~3% less with Guy than would be expected and Eric shares ~2% less with Sky than would be expected.

What seems most interesting here is that many people have remarked how alike Rose and I are in looks and personality!

Old Analyses:

I have now gotten ethnicity reports from 4 different companies. The results are “all over the map,” so to speak, which indicates that this is not an exact science! I am still mostly North and Western European, although the most recent results show a lot more Eastern European and a bit more Southwestern (Iberian) European. I don’t know if it makes sense to average them..but I did..

When I had my brother, Eric tested. His ethnicity came up very different from my mom and I.

We get 50% of our nuclear DNA from each of our parents. But because of how chromosomes recombine and divide during meiosis, the contribution that we get from our grandparents can vary, even though the PROBABILITY is 25%. Therefore, each generation of more distant ancestors may contribute varying amounts to our genome.

That said, these percentages from DNA results are only estimates, median values of a range of possibilities. The width of the range depends on how heterogeneous or homogeneous that ethnic group is.

It is important to note how they come up with these estimates. They compare our DNA to a sample group of individuals from each region. It sometimes becomes difficult to distinguish distinct ethnic groups, depending on how much interbreeding occurred between groups. Those living close to trade routes or coastlines subject to invasion are likely to be genetically diverse than those who were more isolated.

The most surprising result is Eric’s large amount of Great Britain and his small amount of Europe West and Irish.

Great Britain: Primarily located in: England, Scotland, Wales
Also found in: Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Italy.

There may be several different explanations for this. It may be that our Irish Great grandfather, Andrew Kelley, had Scottish & British ancestry. His mother’s maiden name was McKettrick (Irish/Scottish, ‘son of Sitric’ from the Norse personal name Sigtryggr, for ‘true victory’ or conqueror.) His grandmother’s maiden name was Britt (an ethnic name for a Celtic-speaking Briton or a Breton).

Dad’s German great-grandparents were all from the North Sea German provinces. His Grandpa & Grandma Reimers were from Schleswig-Holstein. His Grandma Kelley (Auen) was from East Friesland. This is where the Angles and Saxons that populated England originated.

But how could Eric get 78% Great Britain when mom only showed <1%? The only thing I can guess is that there must have been some kind of synergistic expression when combined with dad’s contribution. We know that much of Grandma’s C’s ancestry was British (probably about 3/4). On Grandpa C’s side, the Cliffords, at least, were British (He was probably about 1/4 British). So mom should have come up as about 30-50% Great Britain. (See more estimates based on our family tree further down on the page).

Mom said she was always told she was “Scotch, Irish & German.” As far as I have been able to determine. She only has about 9% Scotch, 13+% Irish, & 20% German.  She actually SHOULD be “English, German, Irish, Dutch, Scottish.” based on our family tree.

So much of the comparison i did earlier is thrown out the window, especially the calculations I did to try and estimate Dad’s DNA ethnicity…

OLD:

I have had DNA tests done for my mom and myself, and for Edmund and his mom. It is interesting to compare the ethnicity estimates with the actual places from where our ancestors immigrated.

It is important to note that these are just estimates. AncestryDNA  “creates estimates for… genetic ethnicity by comparing…DNA to the DNA of other people who are native to a region. The AncestryDNA reference panel (version 2.0) contains 3,000 DNA samples from people in 26 global regions.” 

The charts give a percentage for each ethnicity. This is a median value. The actual percentage is likely to be somewhere within the lower and upper ranges given on the chart. Some regions, such as Ireland, are more homogeneous; they have less genetic variation. Whereas Europe West & Scandinavia are more heterogeneous, and have more genetic variation. This is certainly a factor of immigration,  interbreeding, and history of invasions (including rape, captive slaves, political marriages, etc. hopefully only in the distant past!), among European populations.

From ancestryDNA
From ancestryDNA

Dana Kelley Bressette

Ethnicity Estimate

Danas ethnicity estimate2

____________________________________

From ancestryDNA
From ancestryDNA

Doretta Clifford Kelley

Ethnicity Estimate

From ancestryDNA
From ancestryDNA

It seems odd that mom did not show more ethnicity from Great Britain, by my figuring she should have 40% (England & Scotland), but she only shows only 0-7% in her DNA analysis. But her Irish was higher; perhaps many of her English ancestors were actually Irish? By looking at the ethnicities of our DNA matches, it seems likely that her European Jewish comes from the German side.

AncestryDNA has also matched us with many distant cousins. I have communicated and shared information with several of them. Here are the numbers of distant cousins so far that we have established one or more confirmed shared ancestors:

  • Cornett: ~137
  • Verbryck: ~62
  • Woodrum: ~45
  • Clifford: ~22

The Cornetts, seem to have been especially prolific!


____________________________


By comparing my mom’s estimate and my estimate, I can calculate an estimate for my dad, Dean Kelley (I had to fudge the numbers a bit so they didn’t end up greater than 100%, the calculated numbers added up to 109%):

  • Europe West: 50%
  • Scandinavia: 17%
  • Great Britain: 16%
  • Ireland: 14%
  • Finland/Northwest Russia: 3%
  • Europe East: 1%

I was initially surprised that most of my 25% Irish came from my mom’s side. But considering that Andrew Kelley’s mother’s maiden name was McKettrick (Scottish) and his grandmother’s maiden name was Britt (British), the Great Britain estimate is not so surprising. And we all know the Scandinavian Vikings spread their genes all around Europe (as well as their captives). The Frisians were also a seafaring folk; they may be closely related to early settlers in Great Britain. (Frisian is somewhat similar to English).

My DNA cousin matches on my dad’s side only show a few confirmed shared ancestors (one Kelley, and a couple Auens). I think that it is mostly due to the fact they were more recent immigrants and they seem to have had a lower birth rate. It also depends on who becomes interested in genealogy and actually has a test done.

___________________________

World War I Draft Registrations

Neither of my grandfathers served in World War I, but here are their draft registrations:

Walter Lemon Clifford (1897-1986)

Eyes: Blue, Hair: Brown; Aug 24 1918
Eyes: Blue, Hair: Brown; Aug 24 1918

 

William Walter Kelley (1890-1958)

Tall, Medium build, Eyes: brown, Hair: light brown, Bald: Slightly; June 5th 1919
Tall, Medium build, Eyes: brown, Hair: light brown, Bald: Slightly; June 5th 1919

Ancestors during the Revolutionary War

Captives, Patriots, Conscientious Objectors, Loyalists, Spies

My father’s ancestors were all more recent immigrants (They came in the 1860’s & 1880’s). These are all that I have found so far on my mom’s side (Cornett’s and Clifford’s). To put it in perspective, on that side, I would have had 16-4th great grandfathers (some were too young) and 32-5th great grandfathers…etc. So there are many possibilities, some I haven’t traced back that far, and at least one was a more recent immigrant.

Charles Clifford (1730-1816), my 4th great grandfather, had been a Private in the Pennsylvania Militia, County of Westmoreland, during the Revolution.

U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970
U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970

John N. Boucher’s account of Charles Clifford’s capture by Seneca Indians in the “History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania,” pages 98-102:

    Of the capture of Charles Clifford we have a very good account both by tradition and by various writings which confirm it. He resided on Mill Creek, a tributary of Loyalhanna, two and one-half miles northwest of Fort Ligonier. In winter time he and his family stayed in or near the fort, and in the early spring they resumed their work on their clearings. On April 27, 1779, he and two sons went to their land to do some work preparatory to planting their spring crops. When they reached the place of their work they could not find their horses which they had left there the day before to graze over-night. The boys set to clearing up the land and the father went to look for the horses. He first went up to some newly deadened timber tracts near the present town of Waterford, for there he had found them once before when they strayed away. Not finding them there he continued the search, and finally reached the Forbes road leading to the fort, perhaps between Waterford and the present town of Laughlinstown [present day Highway 30 generally follows the old Forbes Road in that area]. Still he could not find his horses, and so concluded to abandon the search and return to the fort by the road. He had gone down the road but a short distance until he was fired on by five Indians who were concealed behind a log lying by the wayside. None of the balls wounded him severely, though one of them splintered his gunstock and thus cut his face, which bled profusely, though it was only a flesh wound. The Indians ran up to him, wiped the blood from his face, and seemed very glad he was not injured. They told him he would make a good man for them, and that they would take him to Niagara. They took from him his hat, coat, vest, and shirt, allowing him to retain his trousers and shoes. One of the Indians cut away the brim from his hat and amused his fellows very much by wearing the crown. Another wore his shirt and another his vest. They gave him his coat to put on, but to this he objected unless they gave him his shirt also, saying he could not wear a coat without a shirt under it. But they did not take his suggestion kindly, and he was forced to submit, and told to hurry up as they must hasten on their journey.

    On the long march they treated him much more kindly than one might expect. The whole race was superstitious, and when five of them shot at him at once and failed to kill him, they concluded that he had some power to ward off dangers and might be very useful to them. They did not tie his arms, as was their universal custom even with half-grown boys. At night he slept between two Indians, with a leather strap across his breast, the ends held firmly by two Indians lying on them. As soon as they lay down they slept, but Clifford had too many things to think of to sleep so readily. Gently he drew the one end of the strap from under the Indians by his side and sat up. The moon was shining bright, but there was an Indian on a log, whose turn it was to watch the camp and keep up the fire. The watch sat silent and motionless as a statue, but the prisoner knew he was awake and would probably make short work of him if he attempted to escape.

    They had journeyed nearly north from where they captured him. At a point where now the village of Fairfield is located, they were joined by fifty-two other Indians, whose general trend was northward. The chief, Clifford said, had his head and arms covered with silver trinkets. They tore down fences to roast meat, but warily marched a mile or so away from the smoke to eat and prepare a place to rest over night. Clifford had great desire to see the other prisoners and to learn if his sons were among them. They had only one other prisoner, whose name was Peter Maharg [Mehargs]. [His name also appears on the list of Rebel Prisoner Returns.] When Clifford found him he was sitting on a log much dejected, too much so to reply to Clifford’s salutation. and sat his head down in perfect silence. As it was learned afterwards he had been taken the same day and while hunting his horses. He had seen the Indians before they saw him, and was making his escape, but his dog running ahead of him, came running back to his master as soon as he saw the Indians. To the Indian this was all that was necessary. Maharg was taken at once. They further scoured the northern part of the valley for prisoners or booty, but finding nothing that was not guarded they left on the third day for their home, which was near the boundary between Pennsylvania and New York, near the headwaters of the Allegheny River. They had thus journeyed about two hundred miles and killed but two people and secured but two prisoners. On their long march homeward they marched by daylight, but always camped an hour or so before sunset. Eight or ten of them guarded the prisoners while the others hunted through the woods. At the camp they generally all met about the same time, and the hunters generally brought in venison, turkey or smaller birds. After the evening meal they lay down after the manner of the first night.

    After they crossed the Allegheny river the game became scarce, even a squirrel. All the party from then on suffered greatly from hunger. At one time for three days they had nothing to eat at all except the tender bark of young chestnut trees. This they cut with their tomahawks and offered it to their prisoners. Each of them refused, and received the consolation of ‘you fool; you die.’ They now sent out two swift Indians, who went ahead and in three days returned with some other Indians, among them some squaws, and who had beans, dried corn, and dried venison. They gave the prisoners a fair share of these provisions. The Indians then divided into two parties, and one of them took the dejected Maharg, while the other took Clifford. Maharg was treated most cruelly, most likely because he remained so morose and dejected, for this from the first disgusted them with him. They made him run the gauntlet, and pounded him so severely that he fell before he had passed the line. The beating that he received did not stop when he fell. He never recovered from it, but bore marks from it on his body when he was laid down many years afterwards in his last sleep. Running the gauntlet consisted in passing between two lines of Indians stationed about six feet apart, and the lines the same distance apart. The Indians were provided with clubs, and each had a right to hit the prisoner as he passed. If the prisoner was strong he could sometimes escaped pretty well, but it was at best a most painful and dangerous ordeal.

    Clifford had been from the first under an Indian who claimed him as his servant. After he had become somewhat accustomed to traveling without a shirt, his Indian gave him a shirt and hat. The shirt was covered with blood and had two bullet holes in it, and was probably taken from one of the men whom they had killed. Before he was taken prisoner, Clifford while working among the bushes had badly snagged his foot, and this without care became very painful, and the long marches had brought about inflammation and swelling. On showing it to his particular Indian guardian, he examined it very carefully and then went to a wild cherry tree with his tomahawk and procured some of the inner bark. This he boiled in a small pot and made syrup with which he bathed the foot, and after laying the boiled bark on the wound bound it up with pieces of a shirt. It very rapidly reduced the swelling and allayed the pain.

    They kept Clifford six weeks and then delivered him to the British at Montreal. He learned much about their customs and curious manners, and never failed to interest his hearers by a narration of his experiences and observations among them. He saw four prisoners running the gauntlet, one of whom was killed. At another time, when a horse had kicked a boy, the animal was at once shot by the father of the lad, and the Indians ate the meat, which they thought delicious.

    At Montreal [actually at Fort Chambly, which at that time was about 20 miles east of Montreal, Quebec, on the Richelieu River, a tributary of the St. Lawrence River] he grew in favor with the officers of the garrison and fared much better than most prisoners. He procured from one officer a pocket compass which he gave to a prisoner named James Flock, who escaped, and by the aid of the compass, made his way back to Westmoreland county through an almost endless wilderness, finally arriving at his home long after his friends had given him up for dead. Clifford was in Montreal two years and a half when he was exchanged. He then made his way back to Ligonier valley, having been gone three years.240 [See end note #240 for an interesting addendum to Charles returning home.]

    Charles lived to be an old man and was respected by all who knew him. He is buried in the old Fort Palmer cemetery, one of the oldest graveyards in the county. He died in 1816. He was a soldier of the Revolution.

 

William Verbryck (1737-1824), my 4th great grandfather:

U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900
U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900

 

Dirck (Derrick) Low (1717-1802), my 5th great grandfather:

Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970
Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970

 

Solomon (Zalomon) Decker (1722-78), my 6th great grandfather– a patriot giving information to American soldiers regarding Tories and Indians. He was born and died in New York.

Abraham Hildebrand (1748-1833), my 4th great grandfather:

Judge Abraham Hildebrand was a German Baptist/Dunkard. It is guessed that Judge Abraham understood German as he bought his land (1776) Conestoga Twp. Lancaster Co., PA from Johannes Neitig witnessed by George Graff; the last two signed in German. The deed was written in English. We know that Judge Abraham could read and write English by the later deeds he signed and by his capacity as judge.

The 1777 non-associators record meant Judge Hildebrand was not in the Revolutionary War and chose to be non-associated. This agrees with his religious beliefs as a Dunkard – a Peace church. He was living in Lampeter Twp, Lancaster Co., Pa in 1777.

George Weimer ( 1762-1826), my 4th great grandfatherThis appears to only be a reference to a book in the Pennsylvania Archives in which he was listed and where he was buried:

The Official roster of the soldiers of the American Revolution buried in the state of Ohio
The Official roster of the soldiers of the American Revolution buried in the state of Ohio

John Dewatt Weimer (1740 –1831), my 5th great grandfather, George Weimer’s father. He is the one I had discovered had been listed with “Insuffient clothing” at Valley Forge. His name is sometimes recorded as Wimmer, Wymer or Wemmer.  “According to other researchers John’s Company marched on Phildelphia, in protest, over not being paid in over a year. Along the way they were intercepted by a British detachment that offered them twice the pay if they would come over to the British side. The Company refused.”

“Brothers John, Frederick, and Martin Weimer emigrated from Dortmund, Germany in 1760. They landed in Baltimore, Maryland, and later settled in Pennsylvania. All three were Revolutionary War soldiers…He served as a corporal in Captain John Riley’s Co., Third Pennsylvania Continental Line in 1778-79 which was at Valley Forge with George Washington. After the Revolution, John, his wife Susanna (born 5-7-1741, died 1-27-1831) and their family settled in Somerset County where he was granted 336 acres of bounty land in Milford Township. He received title to his land on Feb. 26, 1788 and named it Prospect Hill.”–Taken from page 177 of “Down the Road of Our Past” Book III Rockwood Area historical & Genealogical Society

U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970
U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970

U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 for John Wemmer
U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 for John Wemmer

 

David Cornutt (1750-1847), my 5th great grandfather and probably his brother in Grayson County, Virginia:

1782 Militia List for Elk Creek, Grayson County (then Montgomery).
1782 Militia List for Elk Creek, Grayson County (then Montgomery).

 

Phillip Russell, Sr. (1745-1792), my 6th great grandfather appears to have been a Loyalist:

    According to the work of Ms. Linda Cuff-Cornett, Philip Russell, Sr., was the son of William Russell, Jr., and Rebecca Louise Witherden. (Presumably, they were also the parents of the other Russell brothers, Samuel and William.) She further states that William Russell, Jr., son of Lord William Russell, Sr., was born May 29, 1721, in County Kent, England and died in 1784 in Surry County, Virginia. Evidently, William, Jr., emigrated to Virginia and Philip, Sr., was born in Surry County.

    It is almost certain that the Russell brothers [Phillip and Samuel] were Loyalists during the Revolutionary War. (This should not be surprising since during the American Revolution, as in any civil war, families were often divided in their loyalties) At this time, they appear to have been living in northwestern North Carolina. This presumption is supported by records of the County Court of Wilkes County, North Carolina, which indicate that Philip Russell was ordered into the custody of the county sheriff in June of 1778 and was present in insolvent’s court (either as insolvent or as a committee member) on March 5, 1779. Moreover, it is well known from contemporary sources that many of the inhabitants of this region were sympathetic to the Crown. Furthermore, the presumption that Philip and Samuel Russell were Tories is further supported by the work of Murtie June Clark in Loyalists in the Southern Campaign in the Revolutionary War, which is cited by Shirley Ramos and Patricia Kratz, in which Private Philip Russell is listed as having been a member of Captain John Wormley’s Company of the Royal North Carolina Regiment between October 24 and December 24, 1781. Apparently, he was captured by colonial forces since it is indicated elsewhere that he was held as a prisoner of war by the rebels. In addition, Private Samuel Russell was listed in the pay abstract for Colonel Robert Ballingall’s Regiment appearing in a Certification for Service of the Colleton County, South Carolina, Militia. In any case, following the Revolutionary War, Philip Russell, Sr., along with his brother, Samuel, evidently settled in southwestern Virginia, in the area later organized as Grayson County. There they established families although, perhaps, they may have already married in either North Carolina or Virginia. According to Ramos and Kratz, a record exists which indicates that Philip Russell, Sr., died without property in Wythe County, Virginia, on January 23, 1792. (Grayson County was formally established by the Virginia General Assembly on November 7, 1792, from a part of Wythe County.) In contrast, other researchers indicate that he subsequently lived in Grayson County and died about 1807. However, there is no evidence from tax lists or other civil records that Philip Russell, Sr., and his son Philip, Jr., were both alive in Grayson County during the first decade of the nineteeth century. Therefore, the earlier date seems more likely. Moreover, the clear implication that Philip, Sr., was a pauper at the time of his death is, perhaps, consistent with confiscation of his property by victorious opponents of his Loyalist sympathies.

 

Paul Patrick (1730-1799), my 7th great grandfather:

    The American Militia and Regulars company of Capt Paul Patrick in June 1780 belonged to the Regiment of Col. Elisha Isaacs. 

They rendezvoused at Hamblins Old Store and joined General Rutherford at Salisbury and then joined the main army under General Gates at the mouth of Rocky River.

    At this River they had a battle with the British and the Tories.

   The army then marched to the road that leads from North Carolina to Camden  and was in another battle with the British and Tories.  General Gates was defeated in this battle. 

 

Jonathan Stamper Sr. (1719-1799), my 6th great grandfather:

Jonathan was Surrey County [Virginia] Constable. During the American Revolution, he supplied the American forces with horses and provisions. Cited from Find a Grave

Edmund Hodges (1709-1782), my 6th Great Grandfather.

-furnished supplies for the soldiers during the Revolutionary War. (Virginia)

William Woodrum Jr. (1759-1841), my 4th great grandfather.

William fought in the Rev. War and as a private in David Caldwell’s Batt’s Cav Ky. Vols . 1793 and apparently deserted. Later he returned as a private in Huston’s Battalion  Mounted. Ky. Vols 1794 and transferred to “Arnold’s Spies” in Price’s Battalion mounted Ky. Vols 1794.

U.S. Compiled Service Records, Post-Revolutionary War Volunteer Soldiers, 1793
U.S. Compiled Service Records, Post-Revolutionary War Volunteer Soldiers, 1793

U.S. Compiled Service Records, Post-Revolutionary War Volunteer Soldiers, 1794; "Transferred to Arnold's Spies."
U.S. Compiled Service Records, Post-Revolutionary War Volunteer Soldiers, 1794; “Transferred to Arnold’s Spies.”

U.S. Compiled Service Records, Post-Revolutionary War Volunteer Soldiers, 1794; Pay: $1/day, $105; Wounded: 21 August 1794
U.S. Compiled Service Records, Post-Revolutionary War Volunteer Soldiers, 1794; Pay: $1/day, $105; Wounded: 21 August 1794

His Father-in-law:

John Jackson (1739-1821), my 5th great grandfather may have been a private in Adair’s Regiment under the command of Capt. Robert Floyd. He also may have served for 37 days in 1873 then 195 days in 1784 in John Caldwell’s Battalion in 1874 under Capt. James Thomas. There is another John Jackson that was Killed in action 10 Aug 1794 in Conn’s Battalion. Since it is a fairly common name, it is difficult to tell for sure.

Kentucky, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1890
Kentucky, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1890

U.S. Compiled Service Records, Post-Revolutionary War Volunteer Soldiers, 1784-1811
U.S. Compiled Service Records, Post-Revolutionary War Volunteer Soldiers, 1784-1811

John Jacob Baugher (1760-1832), my 5th great grandfather.

“Information from Joyce Brown has John Jacob Baugher as having served with Chester County, Pennsylvania militia in Revolution.”–Thornbury Company of Militia (Pennsylvania Archives, Vol 5. pg. 795)

Revolutionary War Military Abstract Card File
Revolutionary War Military Abstract Card File

 

 

Uncle In the Philippines

Warren William KelleyWarren William Kelley (1914-1987)

Served in the U. S. Army

Warren left high school in his sophomore year in Holstein, Ida County, Iowa, as 6 foot 2 1/2 inch, age 17 years, 17 days. He promptly added a year to his age and enlisted in the United States Army at Fort Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska, Date Enlisted: 13 October 1931. The United States was in a deep economical depression and nearly half of American’s able-bodied men were unemployed. He had enlisted because there was no work available in or around Holstein, Iowa. Description on Military papers, Height: 6 feet 1 1/2 inches in height, Blue eyes, Hair, Light Brown, Complexion: Ruddy; Comment: His eyes were Hazel in color not Blue. (Tattoo’s on Warren’s arm list places of service: San Francisco, Philippines, China, Japan, Formosa, Guam). Also printed in the Holstein Advance Newspaper October 1931, Warren William Kelley, son of William and Marie Kelley has joined the United States Army.

On Warren’s way to the Philippines, he had a stop over in San Francisco, California, were they were just starting construction on the Golden Gate bridge. While stationed in the Philippines, Warren found himself assigned to the construction battalion responsible for building the gun emplacements and labyrinth of connecting tunnels and munitions storage areas on the Island of Corregidor. Warren was the first tram operator to take a vehicle through the completed Corregidor tunnels.

It was while they stationed him at Fort Omaha, Omaha Nebraska, that on a blind date he met, courted and married Shirley Marian Shaw on 29 Sep 1936. At the time of their marriage, Warren was a private in the United States Army

From his daughter, Sharon Kelley Knoblock