GRAVES FAMILY
BULLETIN
Vol. 15, No. 9, August 28, 2013
A Free, Occasional,
Online Summary of Items of Interest to Descendants of all Families of Graves,
Greaves, Grieves, Grave, and other spelling variations Worldwide
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Copyright
© 2013 by the Graves Family Association and Kenneth V. Graves. All
rights reserved.
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be removed from the subscription list is at the end of this bulletin. If you received this bulletin directly,
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If you received it from a friend and want to subscribe, send an email
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Click on these links to
visit the GFA web site and our Facebook page.
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CONTENTS
** General Comments
** Membership Surge for
GFA Facebook Group
** Using DNA to Find
Ancestry and Family Connections
** GEDmatch Now
Allowing New DNA Data Uploads
** Using Big Data to
Drive Story Telling
** Researching a
Typically Fragmented Graves Family
** Greaves Family of
Sheffield, England & Vicinity
** Interesting Articles
in Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
** Interesting Articles
in The Weekly Genealogist from NEHGS
** To Submit Material
to this Bulletin & Other Things
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GENERAL
COMMENTS
In this issue, in
addition to some of the usual types of articles, I am including two articles
about searching for ancestors. One
of those articles is about families in England, and there will be at least one
more similar article in the next issue.
Even though most of the GFA members (and most of the subscribers to this
bulletin) live in the U.S., most of their ancestors are from the British Isles,
and I would very much like to increase interest and participation from outside
the U.S. Your ideas and help will
be appreciated.
I am also experimenting
with including graphics in this issue of the bulletin. Let me know if you have any problems
with being able to see the pictures in one of the articles.
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MEMBERSHIP
SURGE FOR GFA FACEBOOK GROUP
During the several days
after my mailing the last Graves Family Bulletin, more than 30 people joined
the GFA Facebook group, more than a 5% increase in membership. I am interested in the reason for the
increased interest. Was it because
of the article in the bulletin about the list of group members, with their
ancestral genealogies and place of residence? If so, are there other things like that you would like to
see? Or was it just because many
people didn’t know about the Facebook group? Or maybe more of you are becoming more accustomed to using
social media sites?
In response to the
article in the last GF Bulletin, Steve Graves of Florida wrote:
“I do not do Facebook, so I assume I will not be able to access the
info. What would be good to know is not just the state where each person lives, but also the state where he/she
was born.
For instance: I live in FL, but was born in NJ. It might be nice knowing that
other Graves living in FL could be related to me, but it would be even better
to know where other Graves are now living who were born in NJ. It seems my
chances are better that I could be related to a Graves living in NM if he was
born in NJ, than a Graves living in Orlando, FL who was born in IL.”
I have made another update to the Excel files (on Facebook) and the
html files (on the GFA website), and also added a column for each Facebook
group member’s place of birth (as suggested by Steve). The place of birth information may be
helpful in some cases. However,
for my information, I was born in NY, live in MA, but my father was from AR,
and the first settlement of my Graves ancestors in America was in VA, so
knowing I was born in NY is not going to be especially helpful.
To see the updated files on Facebook, go to the GFA page, click on Files at
the top of the page, and then click on the most recent GFA Facebook Group
Members files. To see the files on
Facebook, you need to be a Facebook member. To see the most recent html files on the GFA website, go to
the website, click on the link for GFA Facebook Group from the GFA/Forums
drop-down menu, and then click on the links for GFA Facebook Group members.
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USING
DNA TO FIND ANCESTRY AND FAMILY CONNECTIONS
There are two main
methods to find Graves/Greaves ancestors and to connect the family groups we
have found to each other. The
traditional one is to do research, gathering oral and written records, using
primary sources as much as possible.
The second and newer method is to do DNA testing and analysis on
descendants.
Record searching is
more than just searching on Ancestry.
Most submitted genealogies don’t cite sources, and most contain many
errors. Also, although a huge
quantity of records have been digitized, most written records still are not yet
online.
Several types of DNA
testing can be used to find ancestral connections. Y-DNA testing can be used to discover or confirm that two
males share a common Graves/Greaves ancestor. It can also be used to estimate how closely two males are
related, although those estimates are based on average rates of mutation and
may be very far off for a single comparison. Testing multiple males may help the estimate but may not
solve the problem. (I may try this
for known relationships on gen. 270, where we presently have the most Y-DNA
tests.)
Mitochondrial DNA
(mtDNA) testing which traces the all-female ancestral line can be helpful, but
is very difficult to use for finding ancestors, since the surname usually
changes every generation and people usually know much less about those
ancestral lines.
Autosomal DNA has
much potential for surname research but it is still in a fairly early stage of
development.
DNA testing and
research both need to be done.
The webinar series
mentioned in the “Understanding Your DNA Test Results” in the GF Bulletin of
Aug. 3, 2013 is one way to help better understand the 3 main DNA tests. You can see more about that by clicking
here.
Another source of
information is a recent
article by Roberta Estes on her DNAeXplained blog, titled “NGS Series on
DNA Basics – All 4 Parts.”
In addition, Shannon
Christmas on our GFA Facebook page recently posted an interesting notice about
an autosomal
DNA class.
"The
Autosomal DNA class teaches the methodology, data management and AncestryDNA
techniques. It is especially designed for those who come to us and say, "I
got my DNA results and I am so confused!" This method is bringing us
success both for Adoptees and Genealogy work. It is not limited to adoptees,
although the method was developed in the quest to assist adoptees. Also, there
will be a class on using Excel for DNA work. One class will be geared to Excel
version 2003 and we will be adding another class for later versions of Excel.
As you may know,
the developers of DNAGedcom and DNAadoption, the people writing documentation
and tools, are all volunteers putting in long unpaid hours. We have come a
tremendously long way in the last year with Rob Warthen writing so many tools for us and the refinement of methodologies and techniques.
To this point, Rob and a few donations have paid for the computing power
needed. However, we are on the verge of making a quantum leap in what will be
available to you to make your search faster and easier. This group has been
instrumental in advancing the application of this technology.
We need to be
putting some more dollars into computing to continue to do this. We have
decided to accept a $20 fee per class. Every penny will go to cover computer,
server and development costs. If you have any questions regarding this please contact us.
The first
Autosomal DNA class is scheduled for August 16, 2013 and the Excel class a week
later. The DNA class will run for 6 weeks and the Excel class for four weeks.
There is one class released per week with homework to prepare for the next
session. As we all have other life happenings, all material will be available
for a month after the close of class. There is a forum for each class for
discussions.
If anyone would
like to present a class, contact Diane.
One of us will work with you. If you have other ideas for classes let us know.
To donate to the development and operating costs please use the Donate button
on our website.
The first class
is already filled. You can be put on a waiting list for the next class by
sending an email with your name,
email address and city/county you live in."
To learn more about using DNA tools for various purposes, go to their webpage.
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GEDMATCH
NOW ALLOWING NEW DNA DATA UPLOADS
GEDmatch is a free,
independent website that allows uploads of autosomal DNA test results from
Family Tree DNA, 23andMe, and Ancestry.com, and provides the capability to do
many kinds of very helpful data analyses and comparisons on their site. Unfortunately the site was not able to
accept new data uploads for quite a while.
New data can now be
uploaded to the website. I
encourage everyone who has taken an autosomal DNA test at Family Tree DNA,
23andMe, or Ancestry.com to upload their data to
GEDmatch. The benefits are that
results from all three companies can be compared, and the site has many
capabilities that are not available anywhere else. Directions are available on their
website.
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USING
BIG DATA TO DRIVE STORY TELLING
Usually I probably
wouldn’t recommend something like this request from Ancestry in their blog
article of Aug. 19. However, I
have recently read other articles about the potential of new search techniques
that could be very beneficial to genealogists, and I think the encouragement of
the approach mentioned in this article is a good idea.
They wrote: “When
we think about Big Data we often envision charts, graphs and spreadsheets, but
what if we could use that same data to produce detailed stories about interesting subjects or people?
Increased
pressure to find meaning in mounds of data—in real-time and at
scale—has given rise to technology that analyzes and turns individual
data points into bite-sized prose and, in some cases, fascinating personal
stories.
Take for example,
the man who was responsible for spreading the Spanish Influenza that ultimately
killed more than 20 million people worldwide. Imagine instantly weaving
together a history about this man’s life and his family’s journey to the U.S.
through technology that mines historical data kept in records.
If selected to
speak at SxSW Interactive,
Ancestry.com Executive Vice President of Product Eric Shoup, will discuss how
using AI-based technology can bring depth and meaning to massive amounts of
data and, in turn, the stories presented to end users.”
SxSW is a gathering in
Austin, Texas for presentation and discussion of new creative content. To vote for Eric’s presentation to be
selected, click here. PanelPicker voting will close
on Friday, September 6.
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RESEARCHING
A TYPICALLY FRAGMENTED GRAVES FAMILY
A telephone call and
email from Sandy King prompted me to look into her part of the Graves
family. She is descended from
genealogy 226, which was for the descendants of James Graves (born about 1787
in SC) and his wife Elizabeth.
After doing some research, I decided that James Graves was almost
certainly a son of James Graves (born about 1755) and Sarah (probably either
Sarah Attaway or Sarah Carson) of genealogy 402. I have now added information and combined those two
genealogies as genealogy 226. More
information and more supporting evidence will always be appreciated.
It looks possible that
James Graves (born about 1755) was a son of James Graves and Mary Copeland of
genealogy 150. However, I would
like to have more evidence for that before I add gen. 226 to gen. 150. Finding a couple of male descendants
with the Graves surname to take a Y-DNA test would be helpful.
I referred to this
family in the title of this article as fragmented because it is typical of many
families that we know or suspect are descended from a common ancestor, but
can’t yet be connected. Assuming
that we confirm that genealogy 226 is descended from genealogy 150, it will
then be known to be part of what is probably the largest group of
Graves/Greaves descendants in the world, ultimately descended from genealogy
228 (Greaves Family of Beeley, Derbyshire). I believe that genealogy 150 is descended from genealogy 220
(Francis Graves of VA), which is probably descended from gen. 228, as shown on
a couple of charts, including this one.
I believe that some of
these unknown connections between segments of families will eventually be
proven by more advanced DNA testing and analysis than we have now. However, some will still require more
traditional research. That can’t
be done just on the Internet, since most records still haven’t been digitized
and put online. Doing some of this
research would be a good project for one of you who is part of this large
family group and would like to have answers. Good luck!
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GREAVES
FAMILY OF SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND, & VICINITY
This is another story
about correspondence with someone triggering a search, which resulted in an
expansion of compiled information.
Donna Graves of Canada wrote that her Graves family settled in Simcoe
Co., Canada, and were loyalists who went to Canada from the northeastern part
of the U.S. It isn’t clear whether
that story of migration from the U.S. is correct; from census records it
appears questionable. However, it
is known that the family was from Nottinghamshire, England, and the census
records clearly show that the name was originally spelled Greaves.
From census records,
research of others, and various other records, genealogy 224 has been compiled
for John Greaves (born about 1762) and Phoebe Crooks of Warsop and Worksop,
Nottinghamshire, England. This
Greaves family lived in the area east of Sheffield, between Ollerton and
Dinnington, for at least 200 years, and possibly much longer.
There are many other
Greaves families for which genealogies have been compiled living in this same
area. See the Charts page of the
GFA website, especially the section for the Greaves Families of
Yorkshire. It can be seen
there that only two of the many Greaves families of this area have had
descendants take a Y-DNA test.
These are genealogy 70 (Richard Greaves of Bradfield, Yorkshire (near
Ecclesfield) & Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England), and genealogy 316
(Thomas Greaves and Martha ‑‑‑‑‑‑ of
Holmfirth, Yorkshire, England).
Neither of these two genealogies shares a common Greaves ancestor, based
on the descendants who have been tested so far.
It would seem
reasonable to think that genealogy 224 (mentioned at the start of this article)
might be related to some of these Yorkshire families, since some of them lived
in the same area. And it would
also be reasonable to think that some of them might be descended from genealogy
228 (Greaves Family of Beeley, Derbyshire), since Beeley is only about 25 miles
from Worksop (the area where gen. 224 lived), and even closer to
Sheffield. Traveling from Beeley
to Worksop, one passes right through Chesterfield (where some of the members of
gen. 70 lived). See the map of
that area below, showing Beeley as point A, Worksop as point B, Sheffield to
the north, and Bradfield and Ecclesfield above that.
We have Y-DNA test
results from genealogy 70, 228, and 316, and they are all different, even
though we might expect them to be the same. Why are they different? Either: (1) the Greaves ancestors really are different; or
(2) they may share a common Greaves ancestor, but there may be a female in the
lineage (because of a father being a non-Greaves but
the Greaves name being kept).
If this second
explanation is the correct one, then the female break in the ancestral line
could be either before or after the earliest known
ancestor in a genealogy. If the break is after the earliest known ancestor,
that can be discovered by Y-DNA testing of Greaves males from other lines of
each genealogy. Genealogies 70 and
316 are in greatest need to have other lines tested. Although genealogy 228 has only had two descendants tested
(as shown on the chart),
the large number of other genealogies descended from it that have had tests
performed gives much more assurance of its Greaves Y-DNA haplotype. The fact that only 1 of the 2 gen. 228
tests match the expected haplotype indicates that even for that genealogy, more
tests are desirable. See the summary chart on
the GFA Charts page for an idea of the number of families believed to descend
from gen. 228. For gen. 70, there
have been 3 tests (but they are all for descendants of John Greaves, b. 1730,
as shown on the chart),
and for gen. 316, there has only been 1 test.
To further investigate
the structure of the Greaves families of the Yorkshire, Derbyshire,
Nottinghamshire area of England, all the various Greaves families of this area
need to have male Greaves descendants located and Y-DNA tested. Does anyone have any idea how to make
that happen, and will you volunteer to help?
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INTERESTING
ARTICLES IN EASTMAN’S ONLINE GENEALOGY NEWSLETTER
I occasionally mention Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
because it contains so many interesting articles. Among the articles of interest to me in the newsletter of
Aug. 6, 2013, were:
· More on the American version of Who Do You Think You Are? on
TLC and Genealogy
Roadshow on PBS.
· Search Historical Newspaper Archives with Elephind.com. The
purpose of elephind.com is to make it
possible to search all of the world’s digital newspapers from one place and at
one time.
· 100,000 Family History Books Now Online. This is
the number of books on the FamilySearch
website that have been scanned and placed online. They can be read on their website free of charge. Just go to their website, click on
Search and then click on Books.
· Your Television Costs You $12,000 a Year of More. He points
out the benefits of giving up most television viewing. He also suggests dropping cable or
satellite service and getting TV via an antenna and over the Internet.
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INTERESTING
ARTICLES IN THE WEEKLY GENEALOGIST FROM NEHGS
The Weekly Genealogist is an online publication of the New England Historic
Genealogical Society. In the
August issue (vol. 16, no 32), the
following articles were some of those of interest:
· Treasure Family Photos Campaign at MyHeritage.com.
“MyHeritage has created a dedicated website
offering resources and information about to genealogists and families worldwide
about preserving and researching family photographs.”
· In the Digital Age, the Family Photo Album Fades Away, an article
by Heidi Glenn, is related to the preceding article. It discusses how to handle pictures in
the digital age.
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ABOUT THIS BULLETIN:
This bulletin is
written and edited by Kenneth V. Graves, ken.graves@gravesfa.org.
TO SUBMIT MATERIAL TO THIS BULLETIN:
Send any material you
would like to have included in this bulletin to ken.graves@gravesfa.org. The editor reserves the right to
accept, edit or reject any material submitted.
TO JOIN THE GRAVES FAMILY
ASSOCIATION:
If you do not already
belong to the GFA, you can join by sending $20 per year to Graves Family
Association, 20 Binney Circle, Wrentham, MA 02093
(more details on GFA website).
Payment may also be sent electronically to gfa@gravesfa.org via PayPal.
COPYRIGHTS:
Although the contents of this bulletin are copyrighted by the Graves Family
Association and Kenneth V. Graves, you are hereby granted permission,
unless otherwise specified, to re-distribute part or all to other parties for
non-commercial purposes only.