DNA Relatives : Closest Matches

23andMe's DNA Relatives finder has identified 3 individuals as being between 3rd and 4th cousins.  I've reached out and sent introductions to all of them, so far I'm sharing genomes with two of them.

The first relative, Ed, shares the most DNA with me 1.02% and we connect on two segments.  The locations of his ancestry (Fort Wayne, IN and Jay County, IN) led me to believe I would find a connection to my paternal lines.

Comparison	Chromosome	Start point	End point	Genetic Distance	# SNPs
Ed vs Travis LeMaster	1	3000000	42000000	63.8	7637
Ed vs Travis LeMaster	5	1000000	5000000	11.9	1244

The second relative, Bill, shares DNA with me of .70% but we connect on five segments.  Again, the locations listed for his ancestry (Geneva, IN and Ft. Recovery, OH) led me to believe the connection would be on the paternal side.

Comparison	Chromosome	Start point	End point	Genetic Distance	# SNPs
Bill vs Travis LeMaster	1	201000000	215000000	20.4	3098
Bill vs Travis LeMaster	3	174000000	180000000	7.9	1216
Bill vs Travis LeMaster	13	74000000	85000000	9.1	2047
Bill vs Travis LeMaster	14	43000000	51000000	6	1414
Bill vs Travis LeMaster	19	55000000	59000000	9	844

The third relative has not responded to my request to share genomes, yet.  We share DNA of .58% on four segments.

By comparing Ed's family tree he provided, I quickly discovered a paternal line connection through the Moulton and Finel families. Selah Moulton (b. 1790 Rutland Co., VT d. 1848 Licking Co., OH) and Lydia Finel (b.1796 Rutland Co., VT d. 1869 Licking Co., OH) were my paternal fourth great-grandparents.  Ed and I are fourth cousins once removed.

Looking at Bill's surnames, I recognized a common surname and discovered that we have a paternal line connection through the LeMasters and Chew families.  Luman Walker LeMasters (b. 1842 Shelby Co., OH d. 1931 Jay Co., IN) and Mary Keziah Chew (b. 1847 Burlington Co., NJ d. 1927 Jay Co., IN) were my paternal second great-grandparents.  Bill and I are third cousins. 

This is exciting - I've found a couple of fairly close cousins and have reached out to several more.  In fact, my inbox has been flooded with responses to my invites to share genomes.  Now I have to go through them and see if we can start finding the connections.

This DNA testing has re-energized me and inspired me to dig deeper, share more online with my family trees (Ancestry, WorldConnect, etc) and get more family members tested.

Exploratory Data Analysis : Luman Walker Lemasters Sr. (1808-1888)

Luman Walker Lemasters Sr. (1808-1888) was my paternal 3rd-great grandfather.  What follows is an exploratory analysis of the biographical data  have discovered about him.

1. Vital Records

     1.1. Birth Certificate

          Luman was born March 11, 1808¹ in Mason County, Virginia (now West Virginia). Luman's birth in Virginia is noted in several successive census records.  There were no birth certificates recorded during this time period. One published genealogy cited his date of birth as February 19, 1808 in Mason County².

          1.1.1. Birth Notice in Newspaper

               If Luman's birth was mentioned in a local newspaper, it has been lost to time.  I am not aware of any surviving contemporary newspapers from the area.

          1.1.2. Bible Record

               I am not aware of any surviving Lemasters family Bible records.  Will continue to reach out to extended family members in hopes that one does exist.

          1.1.3. Baptismal Record

               I am not aware of any baptismal record for Luman.  The family were members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

          1.1.4. Adoption Record

               There is no indication that Luman was adopted.

     1.2. Marriage License

          Luman married January 19, 1832 in Shelby County, Ohio^2,3 to Nancy Young.    

          A copy of the marriage record was the subject of a previous post.

          1.2.1 Marriage Notice in Newspaper

               I have not yet searched historical newspaper collections to see if any mention was made of Luman and Nancy's nuptials.  Will add this to my "to-do" list for future research.

          1.2.2. Anniversary Notice

               Luman and Nancy's 25th wedding anniversary would have been January 19, 1857 and their 50th wedding anniversary would have been January 19, 1882.  Will need to search out newspaper collections to see if any mention was made of anniversary celebrations.

          1.2.3. Divorce Decree

               There is no indication that Luman and Nancy were ever divorced, though a thorough search of records in Shelby County, Ohio and Jay County, Indiana needs to be completed.

     1.3. Death Certificate

          Luman died April 15, 1888 in Jay County, Indiana^{2, 4}.  His death certificate listed the cause of death as uraeumic poison (i.e. kidney failure).  His death certificate did not list the time of death or the location of his burial. 

          A copy of his death certificate was the subject of a previous post.

          1.3.1. Obituary in Newspaper

               A search of local newpapers from the time period did not locate an obituary for Luman.

          1.3.2. Funeral Home Records

               Will need to search local funeral home records to see if they have mention of Luman's funeral.  The Jay County Historical Society has many of these records.  Will add this to my "to-do" list for my next research trip.

          1.3.3. Tombstone Photograph

               Luman's tombstone in the Salamonia Cemetery, Salamonia, Indiana has been photographed¹.


2. Census Records

     2.1. Federal Census Records

          2.1.1. 1880 Federal Census

               On June 7, 1880, Luman was enumerated as the head of household in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana⁵, as Luman Lemasters, age 72, Farmer, born in Virginia.  His father and mother were both born in Pennsylvania.  Living in the household was his wife, Nancy, age 67, born in Ohio, and daughter Mary, age 25 and son John, age 24, both born in Ohio.

          2.1.2. 1870 Federal Census

               On August 3, 1870, Luman was enumerated as the head of household in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana⁶, as Luman W. Lemaster, age 61, born in Virginia.  His occupation was listed as a farmer.  The value of his real estate was $5000 and his personal estate was $500.  He was a U.S. citizen.  Living in the household was his wife, Nancy, age 57, born in Ohio, daughter Phebe J, age 23, daughter Mary, age 21, daughter Martha J., age 18 and son John S., age 15, all born in Ohio.

          2.1.3. 1860 Federal Census

               On June 4, 1860, Luman was enumerated as the head of household in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana⁷, as Luman W. Lemaster, age 52, Farmer.  He was born in Virginia.  The value of his real estate was $4000 and the value of his personal estate was $545.  Living in the household was his wife, Nancy, age 48, born in Ohio, son Philip, age 23, daughter Catharine, age 19, son Walker, age 17, son Jacob, age 15, daughter Phebe, age 13, daughter Mary, age 11, daughter Martha J, age 9, all born in Ohio and son John S., age 5, born in Indiana.

          2.1.4. 1850 Federal Census

               On September 25, 1850, Luman was enumerated as the head of household in Salem Township, Shelby County, Ohio⁸, as L.W. Lemasters, age 42, Farmer, born in Virginia.  Living in the household was his wife, Nancy, age 38, born in Ohio, son Philip, age 14, daughter Rachel, age 12, daughter Catharine, age 10, son L.W., age 7, son Jacob, age 6, daughter Phebe, age 4, and daughter Mary, age 1, all born in Ohio.

          2.1.5. 1840 Federal Census

                On June 1, 1840, Luman was enumerated as head of household in Salem Township, Shelby County, Ohio⁹, as Luman W. Lamasters.  There was 1 white male under 5; 1 white male between 30 and 40; 2 white females under 5 and 1 white female between 20 and 30 in the household.

     2.2. State Census Records

          The State of Indiana conducted state census in 1853, 1857, 1871, 1877, 1883, 1889, 1901, 1913, 1919 and 1931.  These, however, were merely for the purposes of legislative apportionment.

          No state census records in Ohio are known to exist.

     2.3. Agricultural Census Records

          I have not yet investigated these types of census records to see what light it might shed on the Lemaster farm.

3. Military Records

     3.1. Draft Registration

          I have not located any records indicating military service for Luman.

     3.2. Pension Records

          Not applicable.

     3.3. Service Records

          Not applicable.

4. Land Records

     4.1. Deed Records

          Deed records need to be thoroughly searched in Shelby County, Ohio and Jay County, Indiana to see what records might mention Luman.  Will add this to my "to-do" list for my next research trip.

     4.2. Plat map / county map

          Jay County, Indiana published a plat map in 1874, 1881, 1887, 1901, 1910 and 1920 that might be relevant to my search for Luman.  I have access to the 1887 and 1901 maps, and need to see what information they contain.

5. Supplemental Records

     Supplemental records to research for Luman include city/county directories, court records and will and probate records.  Will add these to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

Sources :

1. Franklin, Phyllis (Strock). Salamonia Cemeteries: Salamonia, Madison Twp., Jay County, Indiana. Portland, Indiana, USA : The Jay County Genealogy Society, 2000, page 19.
2. Young, L.I.C., Biography of the Young Family 1759-1904, Fremont, Ohio : Fremont Printing Co., 1904, page 50.
3. "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XZVP-THV : accessed 06 Feb 2014), Luman W Lemaster and Nancy Young, 19 Jan 1832; citing Shelby, Ohio, United States, reference 64; FHL microfilm 562857.
4. L.W. LeMasters, death certificate Book H1 page 71 (1888), Jay County Health Department, Portland, Indiana.
5. 1880 U.S. census, Jay County, Indiana, population schedule, Madison Township, enumeration district 161, SD 8, page 8, dwelling 52, family 53; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 February 2014); National Archives, Washington, D.C.
6. 1870 U.S. census, Jay County, Indiana, population schedule, Madison Township, Salamonia P.O., page 31, dwelling 231, family 234; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 March 2014); National Archives, Washington, D.C.
7. Luman W. Lemaster household, 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana, Salamonia P.O., page 2, dwelling 10, family 10; National Archives micropublication M563, roll 269.
8. L.W. Lemasters household, 1850 U.S. census, population schedule, Salem Township, Shelby County, Ohio, dwelling 109, family 109; National Archives micropublication M432, roll 729.
9. 1840 U.S. census, Shelby County, Ohio, population schedule, Salem Township, page 101, Luman W. Lamasters, digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 March 2014); National Archives, Washington, D.C.


This post was developed as part of the series relating to Building My 2011 Research Template, an attempt to systematically document and source the details of my ancestors' lives. Comments regarding this template and the conclusions drawn in this article are welcomed.

Marriage License Issued : Samuel Hancock and Ida Davis, 1892

Ellettsville, Indiana Mornoe Citizen
September 3, 1892, page 1

Located the mention in the local newspaper of the marriage license of my maternal great-grandmother, Ida Davis (1874-1900) to Samuel Hancock.  Ida was the daughter of James Austin and Mary Ellen (Swafford) Davis.

Ida's marriage to Samuel took place August 28, 1892 in Monroe County, Indiana, according to my database.  I need to write off for a copy of their marriage license.

Apparently, the marriage was not a happy one, as my notes say a divorce suit was filed in the May 1894 term of the Monroe County court.  At that time, Ida had been a resident of Bean Blossom Township for two years.

Ida has been the subject of numerous posts on this blog, as I've yet to be able to determine the parentage of her two daughters, Pansy (b.1894) and June (b.1898).