GRAVES FAMILY BULLETIN

 

Vol. 16, No. 3, March 30, 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

** Graves Gatherings in Texas and Washington, DC

** GFA Facebook Page

** More Things You Need to Do On Your Family Tree DNA Home Page

** Upgrades to Family Tree DNA Website

** Latest News on the Big Y Test from Family Tree DNA

** Four-Day Sale on Mitochondrial DNA Tests from Family Tree DNA

** Using Autosomal DNA Testing Results to Prove Specific Native American Ancestry

** Indigenous Peoples and Languages of the Americas

** Ten Great Places to Trace Family Roots

** The Graves Hotel and Chris Graves of Harlowton, MT

** Given Names and Naming Patterns in the U.S.

** Preserving Family History By Recording Memories of Living Relatives

** To Submit Material to this Bulletin & Other Things

 

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GENERAL COMMENTS

 

 

 

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GRAVES GATHERINGS IN TEXAS AND WASHINGTON, DC

 

Two Graves family gatherings are in the planning stage, one in Texas in July and the second in Arlington, VA in August.

 

JULY MEETING IN TEXAS

Ron Graves wrote in the GFA Facebook group: ÒGraves Family Association meeting in San Antonio, Texas, July 26, 2014. Ken Graves, Executive Director, GFA, will attend and make several presentations, answer questions, and in general get to know more of the GFA members. Email me of your interest. We will coordinate most with email and private FB messages rather than have the entire process on FB. Details coming soon but make your plans now to attend starting Friday evening 7/25 and all day 7/26. THIS IS FOR ANY GRAVES DESCENDENT. Come share your family with others. My email is gravesronn@cs.com. Let me know your interest in the GFA meeting 7/26.Ó

 

AUGUST MEETING IN WASHINGTON, DC/ARLINGTON, VA

John Graves recently wrote that Ken Graves is planning to attend the International Genetic Genealogy Conference in Washington, DC, Aug. 15-17, Òand so he and I have recently discussed the possibility of our hosting a GFAMAC (Graves Family Association Mid-Atlantic chapter) meeting in the area while he is here and having Ken be our invited guest speaker.  This would be a late afternoon/early evening meeting on either Friday, August 15th or Sunday, August 17th.Ó  If you are interested in attending a meeting at either of those times, contact John Graves, GFAMAC Coordinator, johngtmti@aol.com.Ó

 

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GFA FACEBOOK PAGE

 

Our GFA Facebook group continues to grow.  There were 1078 members as of March 24 and 1095 as of March 28.  A graph of the growth is below.  This non-stop growth is great and itÕs nice to have all these members, but I am wondering what we can do to better meet their needs.  How can we better help more people to connect with each other, learn more about their relatives and ancestors, understand how to use traditional research and DNA testing to help, and do whatever else they want to do.  Are there other tools that would be helpful, links to other sites that should be added, etc.?  Do you have ideas about this, and can you help make them happen?

 

A list in Excel of members of the GFA Facebook group was created last year to help people find others related to them and others living near them.  The four versions of this file were recently updated and uploaded to the GFA Facebook page.  One list is by name, one by genealogy number, one by genealogy group, and one by place of residence.  This is an update of the last list created Jan. 26, 2014, and includes place of residence and birth, ancestral genealogy number (the number of the genealogy on the GFA website), and the genealogy group that contains all genealogies that are descended from the same common Graves/Greaves ancestor.  These files can be seen by clicking on the Files link at the top of the GFA Facebook page.  You can see more information about this on the Facebook page of the GFA website.  If you find this and the other versions of this file helpful, please be sure all your pertinent information is included in the file, and encourage others to provide me with their information also. Finally, as the number of members of this group continues to grow, I doubt that I will be able to spend the time needed to continue to update it. A volunteer to take over the task of updating this file is needed.

 

Some of the statistics regarding this Facebook group are:

Genealogies most represented

Gen. 270 – 50

Gen. 169 – 48

Gen. 168 – 30

Gen. 166 – 25

Gen. 220 -- 12

 

Places of residence most represented

Texas (TX) – 85

California (CA) -- 57

Florida (FL) – 53

North Carolina (NC) – 39

Georgia (GA) – 28

Tennessee (TN) -- 27

Michigan (MI) – 25

Virginia (VA) – 25

Illinois (IL) -- 24

 

Non-U.S. Places of Residence

Australia – 7

Brazil – 1

Canada – 13

England – 14

Ireland – 1

Mexico – 2

Spain – 1

Sweden -- 1

 

Missing information most needed

664 of 1070 donÕt have genealogy numbers listed

356 of 1070 donÕt have place of residence listed

704 of 1070 have no email listed in separate contact file

 

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MORE THINGS YOU NEED TO DO ON YOUR FAMILY TREE DNA HOME PAGE

 

POST YOUR FAMILY TREE ON YOUR FTDNA HOME PAGE

In last monthÕs bulletin I discussed the importance of posting your family tree (by uploading a Gedcom) on your Family Tree DNA home page (assuming that you have been tested at FTDNA).  If you donÕt do that, none of those you match will be able to figure out how you may be related to them.  In addition, some people who have tested at FTDNA need to take the following actions.

 

OTHER ACTIONS TO CONSIDER

¤  Be sure you are part of the Graves/Greaves DNA project.  Not everyone who has Graves/Greaves ancestry and has tested at FTDNA has joined our project.  This is not just a Y-DNA project; it is for everyone with Graves/Greaves ancestry, especially if you have taken an autosomal DNA test.

¤  Consider taking an autosomal DNA test (preferably Family Finder at FTDNA), if you have not already done so.

¤  Once you have taken an autosomal DNA test, download the results and then upload the results to gedmatch.com.

¤  For males with the Graves or Greaves surname, if you have not already done this, consider taking a Y-DNA37 test or upgrading your Y-DNA test to 111 markers, and consider taking the Big Y test.  We only have 2 Graves/Greaves males who have taken this test so far, and we need many more.

¤  Be sure your personal profile page has all requested contact information.

¤  Be sure you have signed the release form to allow your contact information to be seen by those you match.  There are only 12 people who have not done this, and 10 of them were tested in 2007 or before, 8 of them in 2001 and 2002.

¤  Complete your beneficiary information so that your account and its information will be available to other family members in case you die or are unable to function normally.

¤  Consider adding a family member to help you manage your test results.  You can also change the access a project manager has to manage your account.  The default is Read Only, but you can change that to Limited or Full.  For a description of what those settings mean, see the FTDNA help.

 

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UPGRADES TO FAMILY TREE DNA WEBSITE

 

On March 13, Rebekah Canada announced: This week Family Tree DNA is launching a new shopping cart. Ordinarily, a shopping cart is not something to get excited about, but the circumstances behind this one and the need for innovation in DNA test packaging has made this one a major landmark in FTDNA's website history.

As you all know, FTDNA offers multiple types of tests (mtDNA, autosomal, Y-DNA) and multiple testing levels (Y-DNA37, Y-DNA67, etc.). We also store DNA, allowing customers to upgrade kits over many years. Technology changes and our customers' research goals change. We work to meet those changing needs. However, our current shopping cart has only allowed one test or upgrade at a time in most cases. Before beginning work, we collected both feedback from the community and project administrators and feedback through thousands of post order surveys.

Key Features

¥    Order multiple kits with different test or combinations of tests at once.

¥    Choose the test combinations you want without needing preset choices.

¥    Order upgrades to current kits at the same time as new kits.

¥    Easily add and remove tests from any kit in the cart.

¥    Leave the shopping cart to browse the site and come back to it later.

 

Planned Improvements

¥    In coming months, we will add the ability to ship multiple kits in an order to multiple addresses.

¥    What would you like? 

 

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LATEST NEWS ON THE BIG Y TEST FROM FAMILY TREE DNA

 

The first test results from this test were promised on Feb. 28.  Here is the latest news, received March 21.

 

As promised, here is an update on our progress. We are processing approximately 5 times the number of Big Y samples we initially anticipated. As of today, 30% of the samples ordered have been processed, scored, and uploaded to individual accounts.

We know we were late in delivery, and that we failed to properly communicate the delay. We are working to get samples to customers as fast as possible. Our update letters are an attempt to improve our communication with the community.

Of the remaining samples, approximately 10% will be uploaded to customer accounts early next week. Another 10-15% of the order backlog will be off our sequencers for upload by the end of next week. An additional 20% of the total number of ordered samples will be available early the week of March 31.

Samples that will remain uncompleted by the end of March include:

¥       Samples that failed QC and required a 2nd vial, either from existing inventory or from a new collection kit which is already in the mail.

¥       Samples whose coverage was less than what we had promised and are being sequenced further to add coverage.

¥       The last 20% of orders that we expect to deliver by the middle of April.

We expect to deliver all outstanding samples (for which kits were not sent out) by the middle of April. We have greatly upgraded and improved our processing pipeline to facilitate the unexpectedly high demand for Big Y, but as a result we are happy to announce that new orders (as well as orders filled by new kits) have a newly reduced turn-around-time of 8 weeks.

We want to thank everyone for their support and we hope to deliver new improvements and products to everyone on a better timeline, with better messaging for the future.

Best Regards

Bennett Greenspan,
President,
Family Tree DNA 

 

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FOUR-DAY SALE ON MITOCHONDRIAL DNA TESTS FROM FAMILY TREE DNA

 

On March 28, Family Tree DNA sent the following notice about a special DNA testing sale.

 

Are you ready to test someone new and explore another family line? For four days only we are offering our customers the chance to order the mtDNA full sequence at greatly reduced prices. To take advantage of the outstanding prices below, place your order and pay before 11:59 PM Central Time, April 1, 2014.

 

Savings

mtDNAFullSequence Addon and New Kits - Was $199 US, Now $139 US

mtHVR1toMEGA Upgrade - Was $149 US, Now $99 US

mtHVR2toMEGA Upgrade - Was $159 US, Now $89 US

 

Reasons to get the mtDNA Full Sequence:

¥       Unlock the full potential of mtDNA testing.

¥       Enjoy the definitive test for your direct maternal line.

¥       Compare to others at the highest mtDNA testing level.

 

You can order by clicking here.  To see more explanation of this offer, Roberta Estes has written an article and then a follow-up article on benefits of mtDNA testing, and CeCe Moore has also written an article.  If you need help determining if this test is applicable to your research question, you can read about mtDNA basics here.

 

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USING AUTOSOMAL DNA TESTING RESULTS TO PROVE SPECIFIC NATIVE AMERICAN ANCESTRY

 

USING MINORITY ADMIXTURE MAPPING WITH AUTOSOMAL DNA

Roberta Estes, in her DNAeXplained blog, has given an interesting account of using the Minority Admixture Mapping technique she developed and published to find the daughters of Mary Kittamaquund.  She was a daughter of the paramount chief of the Piscataway Indians in what became Maryland.  She married Giles Brent, and Englishman, and there has long been dispute about how many children she had and whether she was an ancestor of particular lines.  Shawn and Carol Potter not only conducted an extensive study to answer some of the questions, but have published a book, Daughters of Princess Mary Kittamaquund, about their efforts and the people and culture of that time.

 

Roberta previously described in a blog article the use of her technique to prove the Cherokee mother of John Red Bank Payne.

 

This is a technique that may also be helpful in finding ancestors who are not Native American.

 

OTHER SUGGESTIONS FROM ANCESTRY.COM

Some other suggestions for tracing Native American ancestry were included in a recent Ancestry.com blog article.

 

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INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND LANGUAGES OF THE AMERICAS

 

Those of you who are descended from Native American ancestors may be interested in the various groups of indigenous peoples and the languages they spoke.  Keep in mind that all the published literature is incomplete, may contain some errors, and is subject to revision as more is learned.  A population history of the indigenous peoples of the Americas can be found on Wikipedia here.  There is a brief summary of the indigenous languages of the Americas in another Wikipedia article.

 

A discussion and map of Native American societies in North America (and especially that part that became the U.S.) about 1600 can be found here.  A history of pre-colonial North America is here.

 

North AmericaÕs languages before colonialism are shown on a map on the Native Heritage Project blog.  Many other interesting posts relating to Native American Ancestry are on this blog.

 

One of the most recent articles on this subject is an article on Smithsonian.com titled ÒAncient Migration Patterns to North America Are Hidden in Languages Spoken Today,Ó by Joseph Stromberg, dated March 12, 2014.  It discusses the relationship of languages spoken in North America and Siberia, and what that tells us about the first Americans.  The conclusion of the authors of the study is that the languages of both regions are descended from that of Beringia (on the land bridge between Asia and North America), where people may have lived for as long as 10,000 years until the ice shelf covering Alaska receded and sea levels began to rise.

 

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TEN GREAT PLACES TO TRACE FAMILY ROOTS

 

An article written by Larry Bleiberg was published in January in USA Today.  In it, Jennifer Utley, head of research at Ancestry.com shares ten places to trace family routes.  These are:

Family History Library

Salt Lake City, UT

This Mormon Church-sponsored research facility is the world's largest with records from 110 countries. The staff is in the process of digitizing all the records, but often the best way to get family information is to visit.

National Archives

Washington, DC

The federal government's extensive files provide a motherlode of information for family research. From military to maritime, to land and pension documents, they all can help piece together a family tree, Utley says. It's also one of the best places for Native American family information.

Ellis Island

New York, NY

Many families trace their history to Ellis Island, the first stop in the country for more than 20 million Americans.

Heritage Library Foundation

Hilton Head, SC

The center focuses on local history and culture, including African-American research materials that date from before the Civil War, Utley says. The library contains resources such as plantation and smugglers' records.

New England Historic Genealogical Society

Boston, MA

The nation's first family-history society dates to 1845 and contains more than 12 million documents, manuscripts, records, books, microfilms, photographs and other artifacts dating to the 14th century.

Newberry Library

Chicago, IL

Utley wrote a book about using the resources at this renowned research repository, founded in 1887. There are materials from across the country, but it's especially good for regional research.

Family history cruise

You can learn how to trace your family tree on the high seas on a variety of family-history cruises, Utley says. Trips usually feature top genealogists and provide a chance to meet others who are piecing together their pasts. The trips are also a way to learn about the latest research tools and resources. One company,Unlock the Past Cruises, specializes in genealogy trips, and Cruise Everything also plans one for 2014.

Poland

Local experts in Poland can help plan a family-research trip, booking hotels, arranging transportation and perhaps finding a living relative. "These people already know where to find records in each town and can get you in and facilitate and help you find places easier," Utley says.

Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research

Houston, TX

The library is one of the nation's most extensive for family research.  In addition to material on the southwestern U.S., it also has information for every state, along with 100,000 books and 70,000 rolls of microfilm.

Lodge at Doonbeg

Ireland

This five-star resort in County Clare on the Atlantic coast has an on-site genealogist to help guests track down their Irish family roots. "He might be able to help you find the ancestral village or an ancestral home," Utley says. She notes that many people have a connection to Ireland, the second- most-common family ancestry in the USA.

 

GOOD SUGGESTIONS FROM DICK EASTMAN

When Dick Eastman recently reviewed this article, he agreed that these were great places for research, but he said that the place we should always start is at home.  Talk to your older relatives, and check out local resources such as libraries, courthouses, genealogy societies, and your local Family History Center.  Always do your homework and prepare before taking a trip to a distant archive or other resource.  He also suggested reading the article at FamilySearch.org titled ÒGetting Started With Your Family HistoryÓ before making any genealogy research trip.

 

Other good places to research suggested by Dick EastmanÕs readers were: Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, WI; Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN; Mid-Continent Public LibraryÕs Midwest Genealogy Center, Independence, MO; and DAR Library, Washington, DC.  Obviously, for those researching in Europe or elsewhere than the U.S., there are many other important genealogy researching facilities not in the U.S.

 

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THE GRAVES HOTEL AND CHRIS GRAVES OF HARLOWTON, MT

 

Peggy Graves on the GFA Facebook page, wife of Mike Graves, mentioned running across the Graves Hotel in Harlowton, Montana, during a road trip.  This Graves Hotel was named for Andrew C. Graves from Denmark (see information about him at the end of this article), and he is not included in any GFA genealogy.

 

According to Wikipedia, ÒThe Graves Hotel is a National Registered Historic Place located in Harlowton, Montana. It was added to the Register on August 6, 1980.

A placard at the hotel reads:

In June of 1907 fire swept through HarlowtonÕs Main Street, consuming twenty-four buildings, among them the townÕs only hotel. Prominent businessman A. C. ÒChrisÓ Graves resolved to build a new hotel, but relocated it on the bluff between the old Main Street and the depot. As others quickly followed suit, the focus of HarlowtonÕs commercial district turned ninety degrees. The fire also prompted a city ordinance requiring fireproof construction, and the Graves Hotel was the first building of locally quarried sandstone erected after the disaster. Stonemason August Pollman and his crew of local workmen cut the stone from the cliff beneath the new building and laid each block following the plans of architects Kent and Shanley. The three-story hotel held its grand opening on June 19, 1909. Illuminated by one hundred fifty electric lights, the hotel was dazzling with the ÒÉmost elaborate electrical display in this section of Montana.Ó The GravesÕ forty-five rooms offered travelers, homesteaders, and visiting railroad dignitaries the most modern accommodations. The hotel still welcomes guests with its second-floor veranda, exquisite interior oak detailing, and sweeping views of the Musselshell Valley.Ó

 

According to Haunted Places, ÒIt is said that the former owner, an elderly man, used to sit in his rocking chair on the top floors and look out the window at the river. After he passed away, his chair was stored in the closet, but the chair mysteriously appears at the window, even when the door is locked. Maids there have reported hearing footsteps in the hall and feeling something tug playfully at their hair.Ó

 

Other sources on the Internet say: ÒOld Graves Hotel (Harlowton, Montana).  This National Register of Historic Places property was designed by Kent & Shanley and built by A. C. Graves in 1906.Ó And ÒIn Harlowton, Montana is the former "Graves Hotel" Once a grand place in the days of the Milwaukee Road. When the railroad abandoned it's line across the west the hotel fell on hard times. It looks like neither the hotel nor the cafe is open.

Still a gorgeous building it needs someone with a ton of money to restore and preserve it. It looks like the current owners are doing a nice job keeping the exterior looking handsome. Ò

ÒThe Graves Hotel was built in 1909, out of sandstone quarried at the site, by A.E. Graves. The building is three stories with a corner turret and a wrap-around verandah offering views of the Old Milwaukee Depot, the Crazy Mountains, and vast lands.

Directions: The Graves Hotel is located on Central Avenue in Harlowton, off Highway 12. Harlowton is located at the crossroads of Highway 12 and Highway 191. Central Avenue is the main street of the downtown business district.Ó

 

From GenForum on Genealogy.com: Andrew C. Graves, b. 1865, Denmark>1881 MI>MN>WA>1891 MT - Bio

Date: May 02, 2008

 

A biography of Andrew C. "Chris" Graves, "father of Harlowton, MT" is included in "Montana, Its Story and Biography", Vol. 3, page 1038. Father: Jens Graves.

 

From the age of 8, Andrew was contributing his labor and earnings to the family. At age 16 he came to the U.S. and spent his first two years at Grand Rapids, MI, later moving to St. Paul and Duluth, MN, doing manual labor there until 1890 when he moved to Seattle, WA. In 1891, he came to Helena, MT, where he made his home until 1898. He set up a meat market business at Cassell in Meagher county, and did a large business in hides and wool. In 1900, he moved his business to Harlowton, where he built the second building in that town, and rapidly increased his holdings and interests until he was one of the wealthiest men in the region. He invested in land, developed several ranches, and aggregated many thousands of acres, much of it irrigated. For a number of years he was a leading cattle and sheep man.

 

On 16 Aug 1904, St. Paul, MN, Chris married Mrs. Louise (Barquint) Digobich, born in Minnesota, daughter of John Berquint. She was the mother of one daughter, Mary.

 

Andrew C. "Chris" Graves died, 3 Mar 1913, Harlowton, MT.

 

He was in the 1900 census for Castle Mountain, Meagher Co., MT, born about 1865, with his wife Mary and 3 stepchildren by her first marriage to Mr. Connell.  He and Mary had married about 1898.  He and both parents were born in Denmark.  She was born about 1869 in Indiana, with both her parents born in France.  He was in the 1910 census for Harlowton, Meagher Co., MT, with his wife Louise.  (Meagher Co., pronounced Marr, borders Wheatland Co., and Wheatland Co. was created in 1917 from parts of Meagher and Sweet Grass counties.)  She was born about 1873 in Minnesota, with both parents born in Sweden.  They had one daughter, Mary Graves, born about 1894, so she must have been MaryÕs by a previous marriage.

 

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GIVEN NAMES AND NAMING PATTERNS IN THE U.S.

 

Although the patterns of naming and the changes in naming patterns arenÕt strictly part of genealogy, they can be helpful.  The several studies mentioned below are some of the recent studies on names given to babies over the last century in the U.S.

 

INTERACTIVE MAP SHOWING HOW BABY NAMES SPREAD ACROSS THE U.S.

Using U.S. census data, Brian Lee Yung Rose has developed an interactive map showing how names have changed in popularity in different states of the U.S. since the early 1900s.  It is also interesting to see how some names are geographically clustered.  The interactive map can be seen here.

 

MAPS SHOWING SIX DECADES OF THE MOST POPULAR NAMES FOR GIRLS

The state-by-state maps from 1960 through 2012 show the most popular name in the U.S. for girls going from Mary to Lisa in the mid-1960s to Jennifer in the 1970s and early 1980 to Jessica and Ashley in the mid 1980s through the first half of the 1990s.  Then Emily, Madison and Hannah gained favor.  After 2000, Emma, Isabella, and Sophia became popular.

 

VISUALIZING THE MOST UNISEX NAMES IN U.S. HISTORY

Androgynous or unisex names are ones that work just as well for both boys and girls.  This blog article considers a name as unisex if there is somewhere between a 60/40 and 50/50 split between the sexes.  The popularity of these names is plotted from 1930 to 2012.  The top five unisex names during this period are Jessie, Marion, Jackie, Alva, and Ollie (in that order).

 

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PRESERVING FAMILY HISTORY BY RECORDING MEMORIES OF LIVING RELATIVES

 

StoryWorth is one of a handful of new companies focused on enabling people to collect their family histories.  A story about it can be seen here.  StoryWorth provides a selection of question for a subscriber to answer each week.  The questions can be answered by email or voicemail via telephone.  The answers go to family members and are also stored on a website where they can be read privately.

 

This concept can be partly traced to the StoryCorps project that started in 2003.  Interest in preserving personal family history has also been spurred by renewed interest in genealogy and the increased availability and power of DNA testing.

 

Another website, Memloom, allows its users to upload video, audio, photos, and their own written stories.

 

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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.