GRAVES FAMILY BULLETIN

 

Vol. 16, No. 10, Nov. 28, 2014

 

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 © 2014 by the Graves Family Association and Kenneth V. Graves.  All rights reserved.

 

Information on how to be removed from the subscription list is at the end of this bulletin.  If you received this bulletin directly, then you are already subscribed.  If you received it from a friend and want to subscribe, send an email message with your full name to ken.graves@gravesfa.org.

 

Click on these links to visit the GFA website and our Facebook page.

 

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CONTENTS

 

** General Comments

** Special Sale Prices on DNA Tests from Family Tree DNA

** 500 Best Genealogy & Family History Tips

** Interesting Observations Relating to Capt. Thomas Graves of Virginia

** News From Family Tree DNA

** Graves Family Books Still Available to Buy

** New Family Tree Display at Family Tree DNA

** MyHeritage and 23andMe Announce Partnership

** Request for Help and Collaboration

** Trivia

** To Submit Material to this Bulletin & Other Things

 

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GENERAL COMMENTS

 

I had intended to publish this bulletin in October but, as you can see, it didnÕt happen. I hope all of you who celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday had a great day!

 

Some of you may have noticed that I have been somewhat less involved in the GFA Facebook page since Karen Beverly and Concetta Phillipps were added as co-administrators to help Vann Graves and me.  It is my plan to do something similar with the Graves/Greaves DNA project soon so that it can get the attention it needs also.

 

There is no special theme to this issue of the bulletin.  I hope you find some of the articles helpful and interesting.

 

Now is the time to take advantage of some of the special prices offered by Family Tree DNA for DNA tests, especially for Y-DNA testing of genealogies that donÕt already have any Y-DNA tests, upgrading Y-DNA tests to more markers to find markers that are specific to a particular line, and the Big Y test.  Note that the interest in this Y-DNA testing is for males with the Graves surname.  For other males and for females, autosomal DNA testing is what will be most helpful.

 

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SPECIAL SALE PRICES ON DNA TESTS FROM FAMILY TREE DNA

 

Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) has slashed prices on all their most popular DNA tests.  The sale ends Dec. 31, 2014.  You can see the sale prices on the FTDNA website by clicking here and then clicking on the link at the top of that page in the magenta strip.  The prices are also shown below.  There will also be randomized mystery rewards, giving everything from $5 off any purchase to $100 off Big Y.

 

More discussion can be seen on Roberta EstesÕs blog here, on Dave DowellÕs blog here and here, and from Judy Russell here.

 

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500 BEST GENEALOGY & FAMILY HISTORY TIPS

 

This book by Thomas MacEntee is free from Amazon.  I was a little dubious at first.  However, as I read through it, I changed my mind. He provides some very good suggestions, and the price is right.  To get your free electronic copy for Kindle or your computer, go to amazon.com, search for the book by title, then click on the book image and then on ÒBuy now with 1-ClickÓ.  You can also see the many other books he has written by searching for him on the Amazon website.

 

In addition to general tips, topics include how to use Google Books and other Google offerings, other free digital libraries, various approaches to data backup and file storage, genealogy education, Evernote, Facebook, free stuff, mapping, finding and preserving genealogy, publishing, social media, and more.  The table of contents is at the end, so you may want to go there first.

 

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INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS RELATING TO CAPT. THOMAS GRAVES OF VIRGINIA

 

Thomas Graves, gentleman, arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1608, and was later termed Capt. Thomas Graves, when he was given responsibility for governance of part of the colony.  He is the one at the head of genealogy 169.  It was stated many years ago in a family history submitted to the LDS that the parents of this Thomas Graves were Thomas Graves and Joan Blagrove.  This information has been copied by many others, and many records also state that the Thomas Graves of Virginia was born or baptized 1 April 1584 in Lambourn, Berkshire, England.  No records have ever been found to support the date, the place, or the names of the parents.

 

In relation to this, it was interesting to receive a message from Jean Wall recently about the 1582 subsidy roll of London, which included Thomas Keeling (£10), b.c. 1608, St. Zacharyes Parish, London, Edwarde Graves (£3), Langbourn Ward, London, and Edwarde Crosshawe (£10), Saynt Marye Wolnothes Parish & St. Mary Wolchurch Parish.  Is it possible that Langbourn Ward of London has been confused with Lambourn, Berkshire?

 

According to Wikipedia, Langbourn is one of the 25 ancient wards of the city of London

 

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NEWS FROM FAMILY TREE DNA

 

NEW POLICY ON TRANSFERRING DNA RESULTS TO FTDNA

Family Tree DNA announced at the FTDNA conference that for first time ever, people that have taken an AncestryDNAª or 23andMe© (V3) test can transfer into the FTDNA databases for free by visiting https://www.familytreedna.com/landing/atdna-landing.aspx and following the instructions to upload their raw data file. Within an hour or two, we provide a preview of whatÕs waiting if they transfer by showing the top 20 matches along with an estimate of the total number of matches in the FTDNA database.

Full functionality can be unlocked by either paying $39 or recruiting four other people to upload via a special referral link, thus unlocking the rest of the matches.

 

Some things that have been learned about this process are:

1.     To unlock the full results for free, the four referrals must use the single link generated for a specific kit. Otherwise thereÕs no way to track who uploaded for that kit.

2.     If someone already has Family Finder, they cannot transfer their results from another company onto the same kit.

3.     It takes about two business days for unlocked results to be processed. Weekends arenÕt business days.

4.     If you manage a surname project, and someone with an autosomal test wants to join your group, itÕs completely your call whether you allow them to do so. If you deny their request or if you remove them, please give an explanation as to why youÕre doing so. Some of the people who are transferring arenÕt aware of the distinction between the two types of tests. If they have a problem with your decision, please refer them to groups@ftdna.com for resolution.

 

WEBINARS AT FTNDA

Family Tree DNA offers free webinars (online presentations) every month. 

All webinars are presented live at the scheduled date and time, and
are also recorded for those who cannot attend live. The schedule of
upcoming live webinars and the archive of recorded webinars are always
available in the Family Tree DNA Learning Center: http://www.familytreedna.com/learn/ftdna/webinars/



 

November 2014 webinar schedule (other webinars available for later months):

 

Introduction to Family Tree DNA
Thursday, November 6 @ 12pm Central (6pm UTC)
Registration: http://bit.ly/IntroFTDNA6NovLive


 

Y-DNA Explained: Help, My Matches Have a Different Surname!
Thursday, November 13 @ 12pm Central (6pm UTC)
Registration: http://bit.ly/YDiffSurnameLive


 

The Ideal Life of a Family Tree DNA Kit
Thursday, November 20 @ 12pm Central (6pm UTC)
Registration: http://bit.ly/LifeofKitLive


 

Descriptions of these webinars are available on each webinar's
Registration page.

 

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GRAVES FAMILY BOOKS STILL AVAILABLE TO BUY

 

A few copies of the 7 Graves family books that have been published are still available for sale from me (Ken Graves).  As of today, however, there are only 2 copies of the Robert Graves book (part of genealogy 270) and 16 copies of the Rear Adm. Thomas Graves book (genealogy 28) remaining.

 

The books available for sale are the following, and ordering details can be found on the GFA website here.  It is planned to publish additional books in the future as e-books or in print-on-demand format, but no publishing schedule has been set.

 

ROBERT GRAVES of Anson Co., NC and Chesterfield Co., SC, Ancestors and Descendants (descendant of genealogy 270)

This book is about all known descendants of Robert Graves, believed when this was published to be a sixth generation descendant of Capt. Thomas Graves, who arrived in Jamestown, VA in 1608. The probable descent of Robert was believed to be: (1) Thomas, (2) John, (3) Thomas, (4) John, (5) Thomas, m. Ann Davenport, (6) Robert. Robert Graves was born about 1735-40. He had at least three sons: Lewis, b. 1760, m. Ruth Worthy (or Worthan); John, b.c. 1763; and Richard, b. 1765. This is now known to be part of genealogy 270. Published in 1980, 408 pages, $26.00 + $3.00 shipping.

 

SAMUEL GRAVES of Lynn, MA (genealogy 83)

From Lincolnshire and Norfolk, England. He came to America about 1630, and settled in Lynn, MA. Published in 1985, 446 pages, $36.00 + $3.00 shipping.

 

THOMAS GRAVES of Hartford, CT and Hatfield, MA (genealogy 168)

Born before 1585 in England, settled in Hartford before 1645, and moved to Hatfield, MA in 1661. Includes everything in the 1896 book by John Card Graves, plus much more. Published in 1985, 710 pages, $46.00 + $3.00 shipping.

 

GRAVES FAMILIES OF THE WORLD (many genealogies)

A summary of all Graves/Greaves families everywhere. Contains a summary genealogy (at least the first 2 generations) of 200 families, a brief description of 39 others with insufficient information for a genealogy, and discussion of possible connections between some of the families. Published in 1994, 509 pages, $41.00 + $3.00 shipping.

 

REAR ADMIRAL THOMAS GRAVES of Charlestown, MA (genealogy 28)

Born 1605 at Ratcliff or Stepney, England, settled in Charlestown, MA about 1637. Includes descendants in England of his great-grandfather, Thomas Greaves. Published in 1994, 267 pages, $23.00 + $3.00 shipping.

 

DEACON GEORGE GRAVES of Hartford, CT (genealogy 65)

Born in England, settled in Hartford, CT about 1636, as one of the original proprietors. Published March 1995, 446 pages, $35.00 + $3.00 shipping.

 

JOHN GRAVES of Concord, MA (genealogy 166)

Born in England, settled in Concord, MA about 1635. Published March 2002, 1703 pages, 2 volumes, $75.00 + $5.00 shipping.

 

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NEW FAMILY TREE DISPLAY AT FAMILY TREE DNA

 

Ginger Smith (descended from genealogy 270) writes a blog called ÒGenealogy By GingerÕs Blog.Ó  She recently wrote: ÒFor all of you who have tested with FTDNA, they recently changed the way your family tree is displayed. Now you can add people to your tree and link other people who have tested to your tree as well. The only problem is that there is a new default setting that you might want to change: all people born in the last 100 years are marked "PRIVATE"; but unfortunately even people with no birth or death dates are also marked as "PRIVATE." I'm not sure if this is a bug or what. Anyway, you can follow the steps outlined in this post to change your settings to "PUBLIC." http://www.genealogybyginger.blogspot.com/2014/09/new-family-tree-settings-for-ftdna.html.Ó

 

Her blog article gives more details.

 

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MYHERITAGE AND 23ANDME ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP

 

MyHeritage and 23andMe have recently announced a new partnership.  An article about that, dated Oct. 21, was in EastmanÕs Online Genealogy Newsletter, and another article was in the MyHeritage Blog.  According to Dick EastmanÕs article, the partnership will provide major enhancements to the services of both companies. 23andMeÕs customers will be able to enjoy automated family history discoveries by using MyHeritageÕs Smart Matchingª Record Matching services, and MyHeritage customers will now be able to use matching DNA to explore their family tree connections.

 

A post by Doris Wheeler on the ISOGG list states: ÒStart for free at www.myheritage.com. You can even build a skeletal tree for free, but the subscription really is worthwhile. I find new discoveries all the time, especially in Europe. It seems to be a favorite site for Europeans but has many American subscribers too. They also offer a great mobile app, as well as a desktop version of your tree that synchs with the online one. I use it for direct ancestors only to keep from being overwhelmed with great "record" matches. Their SuperSearch is excellent.Ó

 

Wikitree.com also provides a worthwhile and creative approach.

 

In case anyone is concerned, it is clearly stated in the fourth paragraph from the end of the MyHeritage article that the partnership with FTDNA will continue.  The article states: ÓMyHeritage users will be able to purchase 23andMe's Personal Genome Service¨ in addition to the DNA tests already offered by MyHeritage that are powered by MyHeritage's other DNA partner, Family Tree DNA. The product integration that is planned between MyHeritage and 23andMe will take this a step further by allowing the use of DNA to prove or disprove matches found by MyHeritage; and the use of MyHeritage trees, records and matching to attempt to map better connections found by DNA.Ó

 

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REQUEST FOR HELP AND COLLABORATION

 

Caroline Hickerson (carolinehickerson@yahoo.com) contacted me, asking for help.  She wrote: ÒI am interested in working with Graves researchers regarding several questions I have. I am willing to share and can make a contribution to the association.  Right now I'm working on Graves in Covington, MS. I'm trying to connect them to the Hills and other families. I have some Hill info that will probably be useful.

 

I am primarily a researcher of the Rains family. The Rains have marriages to Graves in TN and elsewhere. I don't have enough information to know if these various Graves lines are connected, though I'm starting to look at the Graves DNA project.

 

If you know anyone who would be willing to work with me, please let me know.Ó

 

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TRIVIA

 

Since this is Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, it seemed appropriate to point you to a new map of which foods are unusually popular in each state on Thanksgiving.  Researchers at Google didnÕt focus on the most popular dish in each state (which would be turkey), but rather the most distinct.  The results are interesting.  In Michigan, for example, Òcheesy potatoesÓ is 9 times more commonly searched (relative to population size) than in the rest of the country.  In West Virginia itÕs Òdeer jerkyÓ, and in Texas and Oklahoma itÕs Òsopapilla cheesecakeÓ.  Check the site for foods of other states.

 

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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.