Part 914sr – Smith Robertson Genealogy – Another DNA 111 Marker Match

Good Day,

I just received news from Family Tree DNA that my Smith Y-DNA has another 111-Marker match. This time with a 9 Genetic Distance. The match is one John Faree Follis. This now makes that I have 8 relatively close 111 Y-DNA marker matches.

And the surnames of the individuals realizing the match are Fallis/Follis, Robinson, Seymour, and Ware. Not one Smith. 3 Fallis/Follis; 1 Robinson; 3 Seymour; and 1 Ware.

Does this mean that there is possibility that my Smith name may have been something else in a time long ago and faraway?

According to the Family Tree DNA Y-DNA TiP Report, and using the information of matching the latest John Faree Follis there may be a probability of 82.61% that in 12 generations, (that’s 12 generations backwards) we, John Faree Follis and myself, Jim Smith may have shared a common ancestor.

And how long is a generation?

From a male perspective it may be a “generational interval of 31 to 38 years”. (ISOGG, “How long is a generation? Science provides an answer”, by Donn Devine). 

If I use the average of about 34 ½ years my calculation would be that about 12 generations back or about 414 years in the past John Faree Follis and I may have an 82.61% chance of sharing a common male ancestor. That means that maybe around 1603 there may be a Follis who could have been a Smith or a Smith who could have been a Follis. (I think.)

And in our Y-DNA 111-marker matching, between John Faree Follis and me there is a 9 Genetic Distance, according to the tests as provided by Family Tree DNA.

The definition of Genetic Distance used by Family Tree DNA “is the number of differences, or mutations, between two sets of results. A genetic distance of zero means there are no differences in the results being compared against one another, i.e., an exact match.”

From my results I have noticed that there is one Jeffrey L. Smith and we match at the 37-Marker test of our Y-DNA. According to Family Tree DNA there is a probability of 89.16% that 12 generations back, about 1603, we may have shared a common ancestor. I wonder if Jeffery L. Smith has ever considering completing the 111-Marker test?

Currently and according to the FTDNA results there are 25 Smith matches at the 12-Marker testing and only two others, excluding myself have completed the 111-Marker testing. All-things-being-equal a possible matching to these two other Smiths falls away considerably as neither of them match my results at the 10 or less Genetic Difference.

If you are a Smith and you may know that you descended from Great-Great-Great Grandfather James Smith please feel free to contact me at jsmith58@gmail.com if you are thinking about testing your Y-DNA.

And if you know of anyone else in the family who may be interested in receiving my updates regarding the search please let me know their email mail so I can include them. Who knows, more than my two eyes and my one aging brain definitely may help with this continued search.

Regards,

Jim

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Part 901sd – Smith Doret Genealogy – Doret? Maybe. Maybe? Let’s Hope So!

Good Day,

Thank you, Peter, for keeping me in mind with your genealogy research. The image you sent me of the page of the document entered into the Grenada, Supreme Court Registers of Records, 1764 – 1931 may have an iota of a clue that we may need into the research and discovery of my GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith.

The document was penned the 18th of August 1788 and entered 14th of November of that same year. The document is in French which means that I will have to transcribe and then translate.

But here’s the hopeful part. One the first page of the document, which begins on page 340 of the Register concerned there is indicated the name of one “Jean Doret”.

And of course, I jumped at the reveal. The lines where the name of Jean Doret first appears are –

“Et du Coté de la future épouse Le Sieur Jean Doret
Commis Réprésent Le Sieur Tou∫sain Josset pere
de la ditte future épouze…”

And translated –

"And of the side of the future wife The Mister Jean Doret
Clerk Representative The Mister Tou∫sain Josset father
Of the future spouse ... "

Here’s the image of page 340 –

And what does this mean? Well, this may be a hint, a clue to a connection to GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith.

In the opening of page 340, the locations referred to are –

“…Hâbitant au quartier desSalines de cette Isle Grenade…”

and translated –

“living in the Saline district of this island of Grenada…”

Jean Doret, as mentioned in the first page of the document is “the Clerk Representative” on behalf of one of the parties drafting the document.

Does this mean that GGG-Mary Ann Doret is/was related in some way to Jean Doret?

Stay tuned for a further development of our search and research. And if you have any thoughts, comments and or notes, please contact me at jsmith58@gmail.com.

Thanks, and enjoy,

Jim

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Part 899sd - Smith Robertson - Autosomal DNA Results

Good Day,

And my Autosomal DNA or Ethnicity tests are all in.

I had them done by the 3 major companies - Family Tree DNA, 23andMe, and Ancestry. Whatever flair and marketing substance each individual corporation present here are my results, summarized by major region/area and ethnicity.

Family Tree DNA --

Africa - 4.0%
The Middle East - < 2.0%
European - 80.0%
Jewish Ashkenzai - 13.0%

23andMe --

Africa - 3.7%
The Middle East - < 0.1%
Europe - 85.8%
Jewish Ashkenzai - 10.4%

Ancestry --

Africa - 4.0%
The Middle East - 0.0%
Europe - 83.0%
European Jewish - 13.0%

My major highlights are the British Isles and Jewish Diaspora They are as follows, respectively -

Family Tree DNA - 62.0%; 13.0%
23andMe - 50.8%; 10.5%
Ancestry - 67.0%; 13.0%


For further detailed information regarding Autosomal DNA please check the International Society of Genetic Genealogy Wiki at https://isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA, especially the section of "Accuracy of tests".

Autosomal DNA tests can be used to confirm relationships with a high level of accuracy for parent/child relationships and all relationships up to the second cousin level. For all relationships other than parent/child relationships additional contextual and genealogical information is required to confirm the nature of the relationship.

And if you know of anyone else in the family who may be interested in receiving my updates regarding the search please let me know their email mail so I can include them. Who knows, more than my two eyes and my one aging brain definitely may help with this continued search.

Regards,

Jim

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Part 898sd – Smith Doret - Searching For The Origins of GGG-Grandmother Marie Ann (née Doret) Smith

Good Day,

I remembered that France's archives for 100th Department, the one I used to find the documentation regarding our July family may be up online. The 100th Department is d'Outre-Mer. I thought that if I was able to use it for French Guiana why could I not use it for Martinique. And sure enough, I was able to find the links to the Archives Nationales d'Outre-Mer  -

A couple of things about using this site and most important it does not work with Google. It does work with Firefox.

Here is the link to the first part of the Birth Registration of Great-Grandmother Catherine Marie Antoinette July, 4 January 1861 in the Goree, Senegal Registration books -

http://anom.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/caomec2/pix2web.php?territoire=SENEGAL&commune=GOREE&annee=1861&typeacte=AC_NA

Hoping we will be able to find something similar in Martinique for GGG-Grandmother Marie Ann Doret. Who knows?

I have begun searching through the documents and registration as available on line. It will be an arduous search as I will have to go town by town.

This Archive may also help in tracing my grandson's mother's portion of their family line of Parisé to the Quebec and the Gaspe Peninsula circa 1697.

The Outre-Mer Department encompasses all those lands and countries that did and still do fall under the auspices of the French Empire.

And if you know of anyone else in the family who may be interested in receiving my updates regarding the search please let me know their email mail so I can include them. Who knows, more than my two eyes and my one aging brain definitely may help with this continued search.

Regards,

Jim

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Part 897sd – Smith Doret – Another Examination of the 1818 Indenture – Property Acquisition

Good Day:

I, (Thank you Steve and Peter), have been jolted back into the realm of my/our genealogy looking for any idea or thought that may lead me/us to find the origins of my/our GGG-grandparents James and Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith.

On the 27th of February 1818, GGG-Grandfather James Smith appears to have purchased a lot/parcel of land in the Town of St. George, Grenada. This property cost at the time £165, in current funds. (In today’s US dollars this is something over $13 thousand.) GGG-Grandfather James bought this property from a Judith/Judique Dunn.

James Smith is identified as a “Mill Carpenter” and she, Judith/Judique Dunn is a “free Black woman”. Both are of St. George in Grenada. There are some very interesting related facts regarding Judith/Judique Dunn The year is 1818, and a “free Black woman” is recorded as a landowner.

The Indenture, as entered to the Register and dated 13 October 1818 identifies the size and location of the property as 27 feet in the front – the width and 30 feet in depth – the length. The total area is 810 square feet. The lot is “bounded on the North by Gore Street” and “on the West by Halifax Street”. I think I have the location of the property, the following map cut out from Google Maps. (My figure is only a representation.)

Continuing on in the Indenture the description of the property, it borders onto land to the south owned by Robert Napier. And then comes the clincher “and on the East by Lands of Mary Ann Doret”. This is 1818. GGG-Grandparents James Smith and Mary Ann Doret were not married until 11 December 1832.

Taking this into account all of GGG-Grandparents James and Mary Ann’s children, the ones that I can identify, were born between and possibly before 1806 and 1820. Also I have been able to research documentation that both GGG-Grandfather James and GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann were slave owners, per Office of Registry of Colonial Slaves and Slave Compensation Commission: Records; (The National Archives Microfilm Publication T71); Records created and inherited by HM Treasury; The National Archives of the UK (TNA), Kew, Surrey, England.

Family history that I have been privy to when I began my trek into genealogy and the search for my Smith et al ancestry was that GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith was from Martinique and that she was a black female. I was also told that she may have been GGG-Grandfather James Smith’s housekeeper. Well, I am yet still to determine whether she was from Martinique, black, or a housekeeper. I am not discrediting this information it is just that I do not have any viable documentary proof to that effect.

I have located the majority of Birth Registrations for GGG-Grandparents James and Mary Ann (née Doret)Smith’s children: Sophia (1806), Mary Ann (circa 1809), Eley (1812), James Jr (1815 and my GG-Grandfather), Henry (1818), and Thomas (1820). The only reference to a George is in GGG-Grandfather’s last will and testament.

I did find GGG-Grandparents James and Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith’s Marriage Registration dated 11 December 1832. I have found the both GGG-Grandfather James and GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann were property and slave owners, individually and as a married couple.

My current autosomal DNA, the ethnic breakdown by Family Tree DNA, currently shows the following resulting breakdown: European - 78%; Jewish Diaspora - 14%; Middle Eastern - 4%; and African - 4%. 23andMe displays the breakdown as follows: European - 96.3%; Sub-Saharan African - 3.5%; Middle Eastern & North African 0.2%; and Other - < 0.1%. These primary classifications can and are broken down further across a number of classifications.

These are the facts. I am not disputing any of the family histories that I have been provided but a number of logical question do arise when examining the currently available documentation and my DNA percentages.

Logic seems to indicate that GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann Doret was a woman of some means. It also appears that she may have been a free person as she did own property typically reserved for free peoples.

Was she from Martinique, I cannot answer that question but the fact that she appears to have had a French surname, Doret, there may some credence to that possibility. We can only continue to search for a possible birth sometime in the time range of 1770 and 1790.

And then there is the question of the origins of GGG-Grandfather James Smith. The surname Smith does not provide much to go on. There are a number of assumptions but here’s hoping that one day I/we can find an iota of truth to the location of his birth and origin.

Here are the images of the 1818 Indenture, These are copies of the FHL microfilm #1563379 Item 5, Pages 450-2 -

And my transcription -

450

Examd

Entered 13th October 1818

This Indenture made the Twenty Seventh Day of February One thousand
Eight hundred and Eighteen between Judique Dunn of the Town of Saint George in the Island
of Grenada aforesaid a free Black woman of the one part and James Smith of the Parish of Saint
George in the same Island, Mill Carpenter of the other part witne∫seth that the said Judith Dunn
in consideration of Five shillings Current money of Grenada to her in had paid by the said James
Smith before the sealing and delivery of these presents (the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged)
hath bargained and sold and by these presents doth bargain and sell unto the said James Smith
his Executors Administrators and A∫signs All that Lot piece of Parcel of Land Situate and being in
the Town of Saint George in the said Island of Grenada containing in front Twenty Seven feet
and in depth Thirty feet and bounded on the North by Gore Street on the West by Halifax Street on
the South by lands late of Robert Napier and on the East by Lands of Mary Ann Doret or howsoever
otherwise bounded and being and all erections thereon and all ways waters Liberties Easements and
Priviledges thereto belonging or usually enjoyed therewith and the reversion and reversions remainder and
remainders Rents, I∫sues and Profits thereof with their and every of their Appurtenances To have and
To hold the said Lot Piece or Parcel of Land and all and singular the Premises above mentioned unto
the said James Smith his Executors Administrators and A∫signs from the day next before the Day of
the date hereof for and during the full end and term of one whole Year thereon next ensuing
Yielding and paying therefore at the End of the said term One Pepper Corn if lawfully demanded
To the intent and purpose that by virtue of these presents and of the statute for transferring Uses
into Po∫se∫sion the said James Smith may be in the actual Po∫se∫sion of the premises and
thereby be enabled to accept and take a Grant and release of the Freehold and Inheritance thereof
by Indenture intended to bear date the day next after the Day of the Date of these presents.
In Witne∫s whereof the party first above named hath hereto set her hand and Seal the Day
and Year first above written. order(?) Mark
of + Judith Dunn +
Signed Sealed and Delivered }
In presence of us } L Vonweiller _ Anthony Lumpres(?)

This Indenture made the Twenty Eight Day of February One thousand Eight
hundred and Eighteen Between Judique Dunn of the Town of Saint George in the said Island of
Grenada free Black woman of the one part and James Smith of ^the Parish of Saint George in the

same

451

same Island Mill Carpenter of the other part witne∫seth that the said Judique Dunn for
and in consideration of the sum of one hundred and Sixty five pounds Current money of Grenada
to her in hand well and truly paid at or before the sealing and delivery of these presents by the
said James Smith (the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged) hath bargained granted sold
released and confirmed and by these presents doth Grant bargain Sell release and confirm unto
the said James Smith (In his actual Pro∫se∫sion now being by virtue of a Bargain and Sale to him
thereof made by Indenture bearing date the day next before the Day of the date of these presents
and by force of the Statute for the transferring uses into Po∫se∫sion) and to his Heirs and A∫signs All
that Lot Piece or Parcel of Land Situate and being in the Town of Saint George in the said Island
of Grenada containing in front Twenty Seven feet and in depth Thirty feet bounded on the North by
Gore Street on the West by Halifax Street on the South by lands lately of Robert Napier and on
the East by Lands of Mary Ann Doret or howsoever otherwise bounded and being and all erections
thereon and all ways waters Liberties Easements and Priviledges thereto belonging or usually enjoyed
therewith and the Reversion and Reversions Remainder and Remainders Rents I∫sues and Profits
thereof with these and every of these Appurtenances and all the Estate Right Title Interest Trust
Property claim and demand whatsoever both at Law and in Equity of her the said Judique Dunn
of in and to the same or any part thereof To have and To hold the said Lot Piece or Parcel of Land
and all and singular other the Premises above mentioned with these Appurtenances unto the said
James Smith his Heirs and A∫signs to his and their only proper use and behoof for Ever. And the said
Judique Dunn for herself her Heirs Executors and Administrators doth hereby covenant and agree
to and with the said James Smith his Heirs and A∫signs in manner following that is to say that
for and notwithstanding any Act matter or thing done committed or willingly to be hereby granted
and released with the Appurtenances of and in a pure absolute and indefeasible Estate of Inheritance
in fee simple with any condition matter or Thing whatsoever to alter change le∫sen defeat or make void
the same and further that he the said James Smith and his heirs and A∫signs shall at all
Times hereafter peaceably and quietly have po∫se∫s and occupy and enjoy the said Lot Piece or
Parcel of Land and Premises hereby granted bargained and sold and receive and take the Rents
I∫sues and profits thereof to his and their own use without the Let ____ hindrance Interruption
or denial of the said Judique Dunn her I∫sues and A∫signs or any other Person or Persons
claiming under her them or any Predici∫son of her the said Judique Dunn and that
free and clear and freely and clearly acquitted exonerated and discharged or otherwise by the
Said Judique Dunn and her I∫sues well and sufficiently Saved and ^kept indemnified from and
against all and all manner of former and other Gifts Grants Bargains Sales Leases Mortgages
forfeitures Rents Dowers Judgements Estates and Incumbrances whatsoever made done or executed
by the said Judique Dunn or any of her Predece∫sors. And moreover that she the said Judique
Dunn will at all times hereafter at the request of the said James Smith his Heirs and A∫signs
but at his and their proper Costs make and execute such further conveyances and a∫surances
for the more perfectly and absolutely granting releasing and a∫suring the said Lot Piece or parcel
of Land hereby granted and released and the Premises unto and to the use of the said James
Smith his Heirs and A∫signs as by the said James Smith his Heirs and A∫signs or his or their
Counsel shall be reasonably devised and required. In Witne∫s whereof the Party first above
named hath hereto her her hand and Seal the Day and Year first above written.

order(?) Mark

of + Judith (LS) + Dunn

Signed Sealed and Delivered }
In presence of us } L Vonweiller _ Anthony Lumpres(?)

Received on the Day of the Date of the within written Indenture of and from the within
named James Smith the sum of One hundred and Sixty five pounds Current money of Grenada
being the full consideration money within mentioned to be by him paid to me I say received £165 by

order(?) Mark

of Judith + Dunn

Witne∫ses L Vonweiller _ Anthony Lumpres(?)

Grenada
Before the Honorable Richard Ottley Esquire Chief Justice if his Majesty’s
Supreme Court of Judicature for the Island of Grenada and its Dependencies
Personally appeared Lawrence Vonweiller of the Town of St. George Writing Clerk one of the subscribing
Witne∫s to the annexed Indentures of Lease and Release who being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists
of Almighty God deposeth and Saith that he was present together with Anthony Lumpres the other
subscribing witne∫s thereto and did see the therein named Judith Dunn Sign by making her
ordinary Mark not knowing to write opposite to the Seals of the said Indentures of Lease and release
and also sign by the same mark the Receipt for the consideration money thereof And also saw her
Seal acknowledge and deliver the same as and for her free and voluntary Act and Deed And
Testimony thereof this Deponent and the said Anthony Lumpres respectively subscribed their names

as

452

As Witne∫ses thereto at the Request and in the presence of the said Judith Dunn and in the
presence of each other.

Sworn to Before me this } Lawrence Vonweiller
thirteenth day of October 1881 } Richd Ottley


I had previously worked on the 1818 Indenture in A Genealogy. You can cross-reference my earlier work at:

Part 408s – Smith Robertson Genealogy – Smith Indenture Study – 1818 James Smith and Mary Ann Doret

Part 409s – Smith Robertson Genealogy – Smith Indenture Study – 1818 James Smith – Acquisition of Land

Enjoy, and I’m going to keep looking,

Jim

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Part 860s – Smith Robertson Genealogy – Updated James Smith Descendant Chart

Good Day,

Okay, I have re-created and redrafted with some minor changes my current James Smith Descendant Chart. I have re-positioned three of the great, great grands: great-great grandaunt Mary Ann; great-great grandaunt Sophia; and great-great granduncle George.

This positions the children of ggg-grandparents James and Mary Ann (née Dore) Smith in the following order on the Descendant Chart:

  GG-Granduncle George Smith;

  GG-Grandaunt Sophia (née Smith) Ventour;

  GG-Grandaunt Mary Ann (née Smith);

  GG-Grandaunt Eley Smith;

  GG-Grandfather James Smith;

  GG-Granduncle Henry Smith; and

  GG-Granduncle Thomas Smith.

My logic is currently based on my research and documentation concerning births, marriage, and burials, as well as the Last Will and Testament of my ggg-grandfather James Smith. (See Part 347s.)

I will shortly be updating the pull-down links at the top of the page of A Genealogy Hunt.

If you have any comment, thought, idea, or question, please feel free to contact me at A Genealogy Hunt.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 859sv- Smith Robertson Genealogy – A Definite Possibility – Great-Great-Grandaunt Sophia (née Smith) Ventour – 1865 Burial Registration

Good Day,

Well as I mentioned the genealogy bug has bit me once again and I guess it definitely is time to come in out of my three-month retirement.

What I have now discovered is an 1865 Burial Registration that may be that of great-great-grandaunt Sophia (née Smith) Ventour. Here is an image of the page from the Grenada, Parish Registers, 1784-1971, Anglican Church, Parish of St. George, Burials 1844-1930 and the microfilm FHL [1523656] Item 18-19.

As you can see the copy from the microfilm is somewhat opaque. Actually it is almost bloody illegible... I have tried to decipher the Burial Registration and determine a possible script even due to the bleeding of the ink of the registration. It seems that the ink from both the facing page and the verso or back side of the page bled through prior to the microfilming of the Register.

I have made close-ups of the registration.  The first is the actual registration and the second is my attempt to make sense of the hidden script using a red tracing to give me a chance to determine the messy script.

Actual registration.

My endeavor to make out the script.

My attempted transcription –

[Page 219]
BURIALS in the Parish of St. George
In the Colony of Grenada in the Year 1865
Name. – Sophia Ventour
Abode. – Town of St. George
When buried. – Feb 2?
Age. – Yrs 59?
By whom the Ceremony was performed. – J K. Anton, Rector

And now, my thoughts and observations. At the present time I cannot be 100% sure that this is the Burial Registration of great-great-grandaunt Sophia (née Smith) Ventour. All I can do is present a number facts and some logical possibilities.

The Burial Register is that of the Anglican Parish Church of St. George, Grenada. This was, from what I understand the Smith family’s primary place of worship. I have been able to collect a considerable amount of documentation and registrations from this church which are all specific to my Smith family. There is some sense to the possibility the gg-grandaunt Sophia (née Smith) Ventour was registered at her death and burial at the family church.

The Burial Registration appears, if I am deciphering it correctly for one “Sophia Ventour”. All-things-being-equal gg-grandaunt Sophia Smith married Benjamin Ventour 16 September 1825. (See Part 62s.)  Her married name would have been Sophia Ventour.

From the 1865 Burial Registration I am trying to decipher the age that this Sophia Ventour passed. It looks to me like it is “Yrs 59”. It is extremely hard to be sure that this is the actual age. If it is 59 years and this Sophia Ventour was buried at the age of 59 there is a possibility that she was born about 1806. And if it is 1806 and this is gg-grandaunt Sophia (née Smith) Ventour then, all-things-being-equal it could be possible that she is the elder sister to gg-grandaunt Mary Ann (née Smith) and to all the other gg-grand Smiths that I have been able to find respectable documentation regarding their birth years and dates.

Following another train of thought, and examining ggg-grandfather James Smith’s Last Will and Testament (see Part 61s), gg-grandaunt Sophia is mentioned after ggg-grandmother Mary Ann and gg-granduncle George and before gg-grandaunt Mary Ann. She is also addressed before gg-grandfather James and gg-granduncles Thomas and Henry. I am not sure if this is a general rule of thumb and process but it may be possible that ggg-grandfather James was addressing a specific hierarchy as he included his survivors in his will; his wife first, and then his children in their possible order of age.

And if this is the case, it would make sense that gg-grandaunt Sophia (née Smith) Ventour would have been older than her sister Mary Ann (née Smith) Steele. GGG-Grandfather James’s will states “and the further sum of Eight pounds annually to each of my daughters Sophia Ventour and Mary Steele during their natural lives…”  This is the initial place in the Will where gg-grandaunts Sophia and Mary are mentioned.

In my previous post, Part 858ss, we discovered that there is a possibility that gg-grandaunt Mary Ann (née Smith) Steele was born about 1809. If gg-grandaunt Sophia (née Smith) Ventour was born before gg-grandaunt Mary Ann it is possible that she would have been born before 1809 and that it would not be unreasonable to say that she may have been born around 1806. And this may be the calculated year of birth of the Sophia Ventour of the 1865 Burial Registration if the age at her death was 59 years.

Definitely food for thought. If you have any comment, thought, idea, or question, please feel free to contact me at A Genealogy Hunt.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 858ss – Smith Robertson Genealogy – Great-Great-Grandaunt Mary Ann (née Smith) Steele – An Aha Moment

Good Day,

I couldn't wait until September 1 to start working on my A Genealogy Hunt again.

Who said “Patience is a virtue”? And I guess I do have a shade of patience… but whether my patience is virtuous, that is another question, for another time.

Most recently I have exchanged a couple of emails with a distant relative of mine regarding some information referencing an ancestor that we may have in common. (Thank you Ashley.) This mutual ancestor is my great-great-grandaunt Mary Ann (née Smith) Steele.

The piece of documentation found is the 1881 Burial Registration of great-great-grandaunt Mary Ann (née Smith) Steele. Here is an image of the page from the Grenada, Parish Registers, 1784-1971, Anglican Church, Parish of St. George, Burials 1844-1930 and the microfilm FHL [1523656] Item 18-19.

My transcription –

[Page 342]
BURIALS in the Parish of St. George
In the Colony of Grenada in the Year 1881
Name. – Mary Ann Steele
Abode. – Town of St. George
When buried. – Oct 2nd
Age. – Yrs 72
By whom the Ceremony was performed. – John K. Anton, Rector

Here is a close-up of the registration.

Based on the information provided by the Register, gg-grandaunt Mary Ann (née Smith) Steele was 72 years old at her burial. Calculating from 1881, this would mean that there is a possibility that gg-grandaunt Mary Ann may have been born in about the year 1809. This is possible proof that gg-grandaunt Mary Ann may have been an elder sister to gg-grandfather James Smith who was born in 1815. (See Part 88s.)

Following this new information I have re-constructed my GenoPro James Smith Descendant Chart.

We now have possible documentary proof and information for the following:

GG-Grandaunt Mary Ann (née Smith) Steele – born circa 1809

GG-Grandaunt Eley Smith – born 17 Mar 1812 (Part 87s)

GG-Grandfather James Smith – born 20 Mar 1815 (Part 88s)

GG-Granduncle Henry Smith – born 3 Mar 1818 (Part 89s)

GG-Granduncle Thomas Smith – born 5 Nov 1820 (Part 90s)

I am still looking for information regarding:

GG-Granduncle George Smith, and
GG-Grandaunt Sophia (née Smith) Ventour

If you have any information and/or documentation that could lead to a discovery and more details regarding gg-granduncle George Smith, gg-grandaunt Sophia (née Smith) Ventour and gg-grandaunt Mary Ann (née Smith) Steele please feel free to contact me at A Genealogy Hunt.

Also some food for thought – It could be possible, based on possible naming conventions that as gg-grandaunt Mary Ann (née Smith) Steele has the same name as her mother, ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith and that gg-grandfather James Smith has the same name as his father, ggg-grandfather James Smith, they, gg-grandaunt Mary and gg-grandfather James may have been the elder daughter and son of the Smith family. Just something to think about.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - Classic, or New Withdrawal Symptoms

Good Day,

Withdrawal, withdrawal, withdrawal... my main PC system is in for its 60-million byte check up. And I am going through the elementary stages of “what the hell am I going to do today without my complete system?”

I think it is key and critical for the health of your PC systems to set a schedule and just take it in for a cleaning and a check up. We do it, supposedly, with ourselves and our own bodies, our cars, and our air-conditioning systems, so why not with our PCs...

And I do not mean taking it into a “bargain let’s clean your system... but you can’t have it back for three weeks” mega-store where you can pick up the latest Blu-Rays, CDs and vacuum cleaners. I mean, find a local shop or “expert” who becomes your right-hand go-to person when you have problems... A reputable, quasi-know-it all who eeks out a living with wires, and components, and the latest computer whatya-ma-callits.

I like my PC desktop system. I like my laptops and my iPads but I depend upon my desktop system as my home and base to my other peripherals. And I have data compartments storing my files and folders of all my genealogy and ancestry materials and documentation on my desktop.

And so I wait... for the “Jim, your PC is ready... Yocancomeandpickitup” call.

I know there are a number of projects and directions that I want to search and research in the quest of pinning the leaves on my Family Tree. I need to find ggggg-grandfather William Parker who may have been born and/or christened circa 1751 in about and maybe Grassington in Yorkshire. I need to get back to my Transcription Project searching for the origins of ggg-grandfather James Smith prior to his arrival at Grenada. I need to find a Doret connection to determine the roots of ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith. I would like to present Diane’s findings regarding gg-grandmother Mary (née Marie Katz) Brunhammer's final resting place at Arlington Cemetery in Pennsylvania. And this does not address the number of email conversations and requests that I have waiting in the wings from friends and family members and connections. And these are to name just a few.

But right now I’ve got to bleach the pool deck... There are certain jobs that do get done when I do not have my main PC system.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent – A Lost Dog – Ancestor List In My Genealogy Search

Good Day,

And yes I lost one dog this morning. Three accounted for, all asleep on their beds; Taylor, Tinker, and Bella. Where the hell was Radar? Not in the kitchen. Not in the living room. Not at the dining room window transfixed at the early morning strollers.

Nowhere to be seen on the patio checking out the Grays. I called... I whistled. Then finally I caught a glimpse of a moving mountain of blankets and covers on the bed. Out pops the hazel eyes and ratty snout, a stump of a tail wagging. Just looking at me, inquisitively demanding, "Why the hell are you disturbing my comfy nap?" Oh, well The Pack is complete.

I'm at sort of a quandary about where and what I should do next. Of course I'm not at a loss of what I need to do in my search for the origins and genealogy of my ggg-grandfather James Smith...but I feel that I am at a juncture of dis-organization.

I look at my piles of papers on my desk and I see the tremendous number of downloads and files in my storage and in the many folders just screaming out to me to do something. “Get the damn papers and files organized!” “Where is your To-Do List?” “Start something…” “Do something, anything!!!”

Okay, here’s who I need to find, in my search and research of my genealogy. Just a few of the ancestors in my genealogy.

• GGG-Grandfather James Smith – last known location – Grenada


• GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith – last known location – Grenada


• GGG-Grandfather William Thomas – Possible last known location – Grenada


• GGG-Grandmother Maria Matilda (née Rush) Thomas – Possible last known location – Grenada


• GGGG-Grandfather Henry Rush – Possible last known location – Unknown


• GGGG-Grandmother Grace (née ?) Rush – Possible last known location – Unknown


• GG-Grandfather John Merrifield – Possible last known location – Middlesex, England


• GG-Grandmother Esther (née Bailey) Merrifield – Possible last known location – London, England


• GGG-Grandfather William Merrifield – Possible last known location – Gloucestershire, England


• GGG-Grandmother Susanna (née ?) Merrifield – Possible last known location – Gloucestershire, England


• GGG-Grandfather George Bailey – Possible last known location – England


• GGG-Grandfather William Goodey – Possible last known location – Essex, England


• GGG-Grandmother Keziah (née Warner) Goodey – Possible last known location – Essex, England


• GGGG-Grandfather James Warner – Possible last known location – Essex, England


• GGGG-Grandfather Joseph Goodey – Possible last known location – Essex, England


• GGGG-Grandmother Sarah (née Pudney) Goodey – Possible last known location – Essex, England


• GGGGG-Grandfather John Pudney – Possible last known location – Essex, England


• GGGGG-Grandmother Mary (née ?) Pudney – Possible last known location – Essex, England


• GGG-Grandfather Thomas Megwire – Possible last known location – Lancashire, England


• GGGG-Grandmother Christian (née Dudgeon) Robertson – Possible last known location – Lanark, Scotland


• GGGGG-Grandfather John Robertson – Possible last known location – Haddington, Scotland


• GGGGG-Grandmother Ann (née Lyle) Robertson – Possible last known location – Haddington, Scotland


• GG-Grandfather George Goodey – Possible last known location – Sweden


• GG-Grandfather Benjamin Victor Abraham – Possible last known location – Demerara, British Guiana


• GG-Grandmother Emily (née Boyle) Abraham – Possible last known location – Demerara, British Guiana


• GGG-Grandfather Victor Abraham – Possible last known location – Middlesex, England


• GGG-Grandmother Rebecca (née Levy) Abraham – Possible last known location – Middlesex, England


• GGGG-Grandfather Michael Levy – Possible last known location – England

If anyone has any information, please contact me.

This is just the start of my Smith and Robertson Family Line searches. And this list is to continue. Stay tuned.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - Biorhythms and My Genealogy Research

Good Day,

It is going to be just one of those days that I seem to be following The Pack, just circling, chasing my tail and getting nowhere. That’s what it feels like. I always wonder if when Bella or Radar circle in the tail-chase, are they actually chasing their missing or phantom tail. And that’s what I sort of feel like at this point in my research and search for the ancestry and genealogy of my ggg-grandfather James Smith… and now my ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret). Are they my phantom links?

It is also one of those days when the blahs seem to take over. Head-wise whenever I feel a case of the blahs I check on my Biorhythms. Right now my three rhythms are at opposite ends of the continuum. My Physical rhythm is two-days shy of reaching the lowest point, while my Emotional and Intellectual ones are hitting their positive peaks.

Does this make sense? Hell it might to some people, but it sort is a soothing agent for me. It is readings as the ones I get today that give me a perfect excuse to say “well I really do not need to exercise today cause my Physical Biorhythm tells me that I may hurt myself if I over-exert my body”. Can’t tell you about the positive peaks… but they seem to be screaming at me “Smith, get some bloody work and research done… and stop acting like a fool!”

If you are even interested in checking out your Biorhythms you can see a calculation for the day at Façade.com. And what has this to do with genealogy and my ancestry research? Not a damn thing. It just gives me that little jolt of incentive to get started on my work.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 573sd – Smith Robertson Genealogy – GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith – Food For Thought – Part 4

Good Day,

Just back from my Dentist. Gotta go back tomorrow… and my question is “Do signs of aging begin with the porcelain of my teeth falling off as a precursor of what’s to come?” Yup, I have to have porcelain repaired which entails having a bridge replaced… Got to be done. I refuse to eat strained food through a straw.

I’ve been in conversations with Steve in Wales and Peter in New York regarding my past posts regarding ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret). Thanks Peter for copy of the 1832 “Annual Return of the Increase and Decrease of Slaves belonging to James of the Parish of Saint George for the Year 1832”. As mentioned, it is key to the support that the reasoning for the increase in the population of ggg-grandfather James Smith’s responsibility is due to the marriage to ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret).

Steve your discovery of the listing of Doret and Dorrets in the Howff Graveyard of Dundee, from the Friends of Dundee City Archives certainly opens a new door in our search of the origins and genealogy of ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith. All-things-being-equal I have been using “née” as an indication of ggg-grandmother Mary Ann’s maiden name. As some of the family tales relate that ggg-grandfather James Smith “Acquired Madame Doret”, there is another possibility that ggg-grandmother Mary Ann may have been a widow and/or previously married prior to her marriage to ggg-grandfather James.

Steve throws into the discussion, and a good possibility, that “maybe she (ggg-grandmother Mary Ann) was the daughter of a Scottish settler in Grenada…” and if “she was a slave owner, maybe she inherited. Conjecture, I know, but a possibility.”

I also did use the “tenets” and descriptions from a series of Descendant Charts that I had received from various members of our extended family. As there were some similarities between a number of them I have always wondered if one may have defaulted from the others, or the information did arise from some other point of origin.

The question introduced that our ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith could have been from Scotland does make a lot of sense, especially in light of the fact that I have been working with Stephen from Glasgow. I have always wondered, why if she had been from Martinique and as Grenada did have such a strong French influence at around that time, why did she have an Anglicized version of the name "Marie Anne"?

The documents could have been easily Anglicized, but if she was as independent as she appeared to be I would have thought that her name would have been recorded as "Marie Ann". The prime issue is that as she was illiterate, which may have been a norm for women at the time, some English Scribe(s) may have written and recorded her name as "Mary Ann".

The next thing I have to do is two-fold. I have to start looking for, one, any Indentures in the Grenada Registers of Records that may be referenced to other Dorets, and two, if ggg-grandmother had been a slave, which is one of the family tales, especially derived from being "acquired", could there be some Indenture of Manumission that would have had given her her freedom... to become a property owner, etc..

Definitely food for thought… I certainly welcome more ideas and comments from others.

Thank you Steve, Peter, and Stephen.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 572sd – Smith Robertson Genealogy – GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith – Food For Thought – Part 3

Good Day,

The new puppy, Radar, aka Raydy, is a hoot to walk. He believes that he has to catch every lizard and bug on the ground and on every tree. Today, all of a sudden he began jumping up a good three feet into the air. He was trying to catch dragonflies. And the next thing he was trotting, ever so proud, with a white feather in his mouth. All I can do is laugh and smile. We have a master-dragonfly-catch-and-leaper-feather-slayer living in our home…

Today’s discussion is about the actual documentation that I have found in the research and search for the genealogy and history of my ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith. This is Part 3 of my discussion; following Part 570sd and Part 571sd.

The information and data that I have discovered to this point elaborates that she was a landowner and an owner of slaves. GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann may have been illiterate. And she most definitely had personal and business relationships with ggg-grandfather James Smith.

GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann Doret and GGG-Grandfather James did have seven children before they were married on 11 December 1832 at Good Hope in the Parish of Saint George, in Grenada. At this point I have not discovered or unearthed whether they did or did not have any additional children.

This third part of my dialogue about ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith pertains to the factual and physical documentation that I have discovered concerning her business acumen and dealings.

From the Grenada Registers of Records, one Indenture written 10 May 1821 and entered 26 May 1824 on Page 136 it appears that ggg-grandfather James Smith is in contract to sell a Lot of Land to one, Catherine Baillie. This Lot of Land is bounded “on the East by lands of Mary Ann Doret…” See Part 432s and Part 437s. (Note the re-occurrence of the Baillie surname.)

From the Slave Registers of Former British Colonial Dependencies, 1812-1834, database, online with Ancestry.co.uk, I discovered a number of individual references to ggg-grandmother Mary Ann Doret as an owner. Documentation included from the years 1817, 1821, 1824, 1825, 1827, 1828, 1829, and 1830. The original documents are kept at The National Archives in Kew, England. Two pieces of the total Grenada Collection; Pieces 264 and 266 are not included in the Ancestry.co.uk online database.

There are two types of documents specific to ggg-grandmother Mary Ann Doret before she is married to ggg-grandfather James Smith. One document is “A List of Slaves belonging or with lawful Po∫se∫sion of Mary Anne Doret of the Parish of Saint Georges Proprietre∫s” and the other is an “Annual Return of the Increase and Decrease of Slaves belonging to Mary Ann Doret of the Parish of St. George for the Year (indicated)”. In all occasions ggg-grandmother Mary Ann Doret signs the Lists or the Annual Returns with her “X” mark. In 1817 it appears that ggg-grandfather James Smith is a witness to her mark.

In 1832 the “Annual Return of the Increase and Decrease of Slaves belonging to James of the Parish of Saint George for the Year 1832” includes the explanation of the numbers increase “By Marriage with Mary Ann Doret”. The Lists for 1833 and 1834 are registered to both ggg-grandparents James and Mary Ann Smith.

If you have any pertinent and additional information, data, and tales of ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith, I certainly would appreciate hearing of them.

And I continue my search.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 571sd – Smith Robertson Genealogy – GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith – Food For Thought – Part 2

Good Day,

To continue with my discussion and from my previous Post, Part 570sd, regarding the search for the genealogy and ancestry of my ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith, I now present statements, family tales and thoughts that I have gathered.

From my search and research it is extremely important to collect all details, written and by word-of-mouth as one never knows where or when some iota of truth and evidence may be revealed.

The following points are written as I did either receive and record.

• James Smith married Eugenie Grandsol of Martinique.
• James Smith of Glasgow and Madame Doree of Martinique.
• James Smith of Glasgow (Seaman from Glasgow), Married in St. Kitts and had one family there; he then proceeded to Martinique and acquired a Madame Doree (whom he presumably married!) and they had four children.
• James Smith, a Shipwright/Seaman from Glasgow (West Coast) Scotland UK, came to the West Indies in the late 18th Century. He was a Ship’s Carpenter. He married in St. Christopher (Kitts) W.I. and had one family there?? 1793/6? He married Mdm. Mary Anne Dorette and they had the following children: Thomas (b. 15/11/1820); Harry (5/3/1818); Sophia?
• Born in 1765, James Smith lived to the ripe old age of 95. In 1805 he married Madame Dore.
• Mary Ann Doret was James Smith’s housekeeper.
• Mary Ann Doret was from Martinique.
• James Smith acquired Madame Doret.
• Madame Doret may have been of African descent.

In my latest reading and from pages 90 and 91 of Douglas J. Hamilton’s book Scotland, the Caribbean and the Atlantic World, 1750-1820; Manchester University Press, 2005, I have learned the following:

“James Baillie lived in Grenada throughout the 1770s, and ran the Hermitage Estate as well as building up his trading empire. His most important connection in the island was with Alexander Campbell, who was also a close friend of the speaker of the assembly, Ninian Home…

…Baillie’s personal connections with both St. Kitts and St. Vincent ensured that both islands remained part of his company’s network, to which were added Grenada, Nevis, Martinique and, to a lesser extent, Antigua and Barbadoes by the end of the century. The expansion into Martinique, in particular, demonstrated a real willingness on Baillie’s part to seize new opportunity as they presented themselves. Martinique was a French Colony occupied by British forces between 1794 and 1802, when it was returned after the Treaty of Amiens.”

My Smith Transcription Project of the Indentures from the Grenada Registers of Records includes references to James Baillie, Alexander Campbell, and Ninian Home.

The time frames, the people, and the locations certainly indicate that possible truth about ggg-grandmother Mary Ann’s origins and possible ancestry.

Food for thought?

In my next discussion I will present that which I have learned about ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith from my Transcription Project.

Stay tuned,

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 570sd – Smith Robertson Genealogy – GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith – Food For Thought

Good Day,

When I first arrived on the genealogy scene a few years back, I learned very quickly that to find out information of one's ancestors one, that is me, had to ask a lot of questions. And I did… and did I ever get a lot of answers.

Some have been answers that make sense. And some of the answers just did provide the exact bit of information, about a long-gone ancestor.

Case in point, and this is the study which I am attempting to create and write about. Beginning with this Posting, I would like to find out who is and was my ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith. GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) was the wife of my ggg-grandfather James Smith and the mother of his, at last count, seven children.

In order to relay that which I have found, heard, received, and discovered, I have decided to write a couple of Posts to A Genealogy Hunt. The following is pertinent and documented information that I have, to date, discovered about ggg-grandmother Mary Ann.

To start, here is the list of the possible children of ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) and ggg-grandfather James Smith. The dates included could be either the registered birth date or the registered baptism date, or both.

• 17 March 1812 – Birth; 10 June 1814 – Baptism – Daughter: Eley Smith
• 20 March 1815 – Birth; 23 April 1815 – Baptism – Son: James Smith (my gg-grandfather). GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann’s surname is entered as Doral.
• 3 March 1818 – Birth; 1 January 1819 – Baptism – Son: Henry Smith. GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann’s surname is entered as Dorette.
• 5 November 1820 – Birth; 1 January 1822 – Baptism – Son: Thomas Smith. GGG-Grandmother Mary Ann’s surname is entered as Dorette.

I have not been able to find either birth or baptism registrations for the following, but their names are included in ggg-grandfather James’ 1842 Last Will and Testament. (See Part 347s.) The additional children include:

• George Smith – Son. Mentioned in ggg-grandfather James Smith’s 1842 Last Will and Testament.
• Sophia (née Smith) Ventour – Daughter. Mentioned in ggg-grandfather James Smith’s 1842 Last Will and Testament.
• Mary Ann (née Smith) Steele – Daughter. Mentioned in ggg-grandfather James Smith’s 1842 Last Will and Testament.

GGG-Grandparents James Smith and Mary Ann (née Doret) were married at Good Hope in Grenada 11 December 1832. (See Part 62s for my discussion of the 1825 Ventour, 1832 Smith, and 1832 Steele marriages.)

(The inserted map is of the island of Grenada with a marker at the location of Good Hope Estate.)

It is based on the order of bequests in ggg-grandfather James’ 1842 LWT, the dates of the above-mentioned marriages, and the birth and baptism dates that I have placed the children of ggg-grandparents James’ and Mary Ann’s in the following order.

1. GG-Grandaunt Eley Smith;
2. GG-Granduncle George Smith;
3. GG-Grandaunt Sophia (née Smith) Ventour;
4. GG-Grandaunt Mary Ann (née Smith) Steele;
5. GG-Grandfather James Smith;
6. GG-Granduncle Henry Smith; and
7. GG-Granduncle Thomas Smith

Please note as I discover more and more data and documentation I will adjust my records and my logic accordingly.

I do have the documentation for the above-mentioned events and occasions. I have also touched on them in previous discussions on A Genealogy Hunt. You can use the “Search This Blog” function in the right hand column to view previous Postings.

If you have any comments, questions, information, and data please feel free to contact me. You can also comment directly to this posting on A Genealogy Hunt.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - Lightning and Genealogy Progress

Evening,

And now the next thing... The Electric Co installed another surge protector. I think the One upstairs will look on our house at 4216 like a "Where's Waldo?" puzzle searching for the one opening to zap. And we thought that that was it, that is, the after effects of the palm tree lightning hit. No way, three weeks later they still continue.

The water dispenser on the refrigerator started spewing forth cool, clear water from the TURNED OFF dispenser. Not to be sacrilegious but didn't some Dude smote some rock and some beverage came forth. Seriously, not a funny situation.

Seriously, not a funny situation. Yesterday the appliance electrician did once again replace the control boards, for the third time. His opinion; the refrigerator is no longer fixable. The lightning bolt certainly screwed up the inner workings. His advice, which we followed, was to turn off the water and ice dispenser. We did that.

Today the ZapCap people were out to replace the ZapCap surge protector on the house. Concurrently the refrigerator, even though the dispenser was OFF, decided to geyser-forth with a stream of cool, clear, filtered water. The next we knew, the refrigerator was smoking and the dispenser unit was on fire. Luckily someone was home!!!

A quick call to the appliance repair man and he was on the door-step. Ding-dong the refrigerator is DEAD! Hell, the lightning hit was on June 22nd past. That is almost three weeks passé. You never know. And to top it all, we now have to replace an Anderson Hibiscus Tree on the easement and four 12-foot Ligustrum hedge plants. The poor Anderson bloomed today but without any green leaves, she looks like a burlesque dancer covered in pink flowers.

Lightning is a fact of life in Tampa and in Central Florida.

So have I been working on my genealogy and search for the origins for ggg-grandfather James Smith. Yes, a bit… Spoke with Stephen in Scotland regarding the history of Smiths and Scots in Grenada and the Caribbean. Great chat. The next three FHL microfilms of the Grenada Registers of Records have arrived, and a new database project is formulating in my head. More on that later…

I’m keeping my eyes opened for any documentation regarding my ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith. Logic rules that if she owned property in Grenada there should be some paperwork on file, hopefully.

I have been working on the cropping and exposure clean-up of the next Indenture of the 1801+ Grenada Registers of Records. The next Indenture in my Transcription Project has 75 pages. That’s some bit of work… and two Smith’s are included.

I have been reviewing my data of Downham and Clitheroe, England. This is where I have got a line on the possibility of some ancestors of ggg-grandmother Elizabeth (née Kendal) Parker. I have found a birth registration from the same vicinity that could, that is may be, ggg-grandmother Elizabeth’s mother Isabella. Have to check that out.

Still a lot to do… and I continue, lightning or thunder.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 465sr – Smith Robertson Genealogy – How Common Is Common?

Good day,



From time-to-time and as I get new DNA information, I try to contact anyone who has been reported to me by Family Tree DNA as a possible genetic Match. This is just in case that there may be a chance of some connection hiding on some limb on some branch in my ever-growing Family Tree.

The Matches, in the search for my genealogy and ancestry, that I attempt to contact in order to explore the possibility of finding a “Most Common Ancestor” are usually at the upper scales of the provided results. This means that if there is a reported Match for my YDNA results, I will try to get in touch with those who are matched at the 25 Marker or more levels. The other criteria are that the Match should have no more than a Genetic Distance of 3. There is a fair write-up of a definition of Genetic distance available at Wikipedia.

To date the best two Matches have been at the 67 Marker level where our YDNA has a Genetic Distance of 3. This means that we match at least 64 of 67 Markers. It also means that there is about a 97.01% probability that within 16 generations there may be a shared common ancestor. The surname of both these Matches is “Seymour”. We also know that prior to “Seymour” the preceding surname may have been “Semer”. I suppose at anytime our ancestors could have changed their surname to "Smith"... We certainly do it today.

Today we know that the surnames, or derivative surnames, that have originated from our ggg-grandparents James and Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith include: Smith; Lloydsmith; Lloyd-Smith; Malins-Smith; and Landreth-Smith. (And I am not including the varying use of upper- and lower-case letters.) I am recording every possible descendant derivation as may find. One thing, based on the scientific data, all males descended from ggg-grandfather James Smith will all have the same YDNA result – R1b1b2a.

As you can see from the Ancestry DNA chart that I created in Part 464rs, I have been able to collect the YDNA and mtDNA of all my immediate paternal and maternal grandparents. Paternal line – Smith >YDNA = R1b1b2a; Abraham et al >mtDNA = J1b1. Maternal line – Robertson > YDNA = R1b1b1*; Robertson et al > H1a1.

The issue is, I have the most common name in the English language – Jim Smith. Also the surname Robertson is not necessarily uncommon. I also have three of the most common of European DNA Haplogroupings possible – R1b1b2a; R1b1b1*; and H1a1. This of course opens the “flood gates” for me to have to sift through the numbers of records of results that to date have been produced.

Apart from all the research that I am currently now doing, I have been following a possible lead with a Smith line from Logie, Scotland, who were also in Grenada. I have not been able to connect to the Smiths in 1760’s to 1781’s generation but there is “a possible and logical leap”. As the time goes, I am trying to research as to whether the James Smith, who was born 19 April 1767 and subsequently died in Grenada in about 1796/7, could have possibly been my ggg-grandfather James Smith’s father. But the gap does exist and am yet to find the bridge. You can see a Descendant Chart of the Smiths of Logie, Scotland at this link.

So in my search and research, I ask the question “How common is common?”

Regards,

Jim

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Part 442s – Smith Robertson Genealogy – Smith Indenture Study – Updated Research Matrix

Afternoon,

I introduced an organizational component of my research and work early on in my Indenture Transcription Project; the Research Matrix. The purpose of the Research Matrix is to provide an immediate cross-referenced Index, of sorts that I can refer back to those Blog Postings that are particular and specific to a Smith ancestor or possibility.

I am a visual person when it comes to the organization of information, which of course could mean “Don’t move that pile cause I know exactly where that piece of paper with that bit of data is hidden in that stack.” And my organization on line at times can be somewhat prodigious…(a diplomatic way of saying “overwhelming”.)

I have created related Smith Indenture Study Matrixes. The data and Smith names provided on each Matrix, is relevant information which provides an immediate cross-reference table to each and every individual FHL microfilm that I have worked with or am working on, as associated with the Grenada Registers of Records. These Matrixes are filed under my menu tab labeled “Analyses”. The major thrust of this Study is the search and research for the origins and ancestry of my ggg-grandfather James Smith.

This new Smith Indenture Study Matrix is an update, mapping my work in progress, is associated with the microfilm FHL [1563379]. These Records are of the Grenada Registers of Records 1811-1825 (v. W4-H5). The previous update is at Part 406s.

If you are new to reading A Genealogy Hunt, the purpose of an Indenture Study Matrix is to present a visual and consolidated summary of those Postings of transcriptions of Records associated with specific Smiths. To view the Matrix, click on the image and increase the viewing aspect per your viewing software or application. Please note that I have not segregated the Posting numbers by unique individuals only by unique names, as encountered in each Record.

I have only listed the singular Smith names. In other words, there may be more than one individual with the same name, for example, James Smith. I have only recorded those names as single entries if and only if there is a unique prefix or suffix added to the name. For example, James Smith and James Smith, Junior each are represented on separate, single lines of the Matrix. The listed Smith may or may not be the same individual but the transcribed Record(s) may not have any clues or hints as to that fact.

In order to see a specific Part, please enter the Part number, e.g. Part 441s, into the “Search This Blog” box. You can also see a copy of this Matrix by clicking the Analyses tab at the top of the page under the header and choosing the corresponding title on the pull-down menu.

I'm using SmartDraw VP to create the Matrix and hopefully, sometime soon, I hope to provide immediate links to relevant Posting as indicated within the Matrix. At some point, I hope to present the Matrix with working links. The nice thing about SmartDraw VP, it has the link capability in a SmartDraw form. This is a definite goal when I attack the creation of the A Genealogy Hunt website.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Jim

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