Thomas Green’s story, 1830-1910

I have written previously about Thomas M. Green, my great-great grandfather. Grandma Olsen knew her Grandpa Green when she was a young girl. I would like to share more that I have learned about Thomas’s life from online discoveries, family memories, and documents I have obtained over the years.

When and where was he born?

The circumstances of Thomas’s birth are not entirely clear. His birthplace was usually stated simply as New York. Thomas reported on his enlistment papers and several other times that he was born in Wyoming County, New York. Wyoming was created from Genesee County in 1841, suggesting that Thomas was was born in the portion of Genesee that became Wyoming County. A 1906 surgeon’s certificate in his military pension file stated that his birthplace was Carrington, New York, of which I’ve found no trace.

Thomas was born November 17, 1830. That birthdate was given by his widow for his death certificate and apparently by Thomas for several documents. While his widow Elizabeth Green was certainly not a witness to his birth, she likely knew his birthday and probably his age. This date is consistent with the month and year of birth given for the 1900 census and with most documents stating his age through the years.

Thomas’s childhood family

Thomas’s parentage is also not clear. The registration of his marriage to Elizabeth Bates in 1907 identifies his father as E. Green and his mother as Cynthia Ames. Elizabeth identified Thomas’s father as Thomas Green and his mother’s name as unknown for his death certificate. Thomas might have provided his parents’ names for his marriage record, but clearly not for his death certificate. Census records indicate that Cynthia was born in Vermont, but I haven’t been able to determine which Cynthia Ames or Eames or Emes born in Vermont around 1807 was her.

Thomas seems to have lost his father as a child. His mother bore another son, Amos Dodge, in November 1840 shortly before Thomas’s tenth birthday. Cynthia, age 30-39, and Thomas, age 5-9, appear to have been in Daniel Dodge’s household in 1840, living in the Town of Holland, Erie County, New York with Daniel’s son Daniel, age 15-19. In 1850 Cynthia Dodge, Thomas Green and Amos Dodge were listed in the elder Daniel’s household in Holland.

Cynthia and Amos Dodge lived in the Town of Sardinia, Erie County when they were recorded for a New York state census in 1855, but I have not located Thomas there. He might well have moved to Michigan by that time.

New beginnings in Michigan

Thomas married Amanda R. Brown January 8,1859 in Bushnell Township, Montcalm County, Michigan. Civil registration of marriages had not yet begun in Michigan but affidavits in Thomas Green’s military pension file affirmed this marriage. Amanda stated that they were married one mile west and a half-mile north of Vickeryville. This description suggests that they might have been married in the home of Loren C. Jenks, who officiated their union, or in their own home.

Sarah J. Smith, daughter of Loren C. Jenks, also attested to their marriage.

Amanda brought two children, Julia and George Clark, to their marriage. In 1860 Amanda and George were living with Thomas in Bushnell Township, Montcalm County. Julia was living with a Wager family in nearby North Plains Township, Ionia County. Amos Brown, in the same household, might have been related to Amanda. Thomas’s mother and brother Cynthia and Amos Dodge also lived in North Plains.

It might be helpful at this point to provide links to a few maps demonstrating the proximity of townships around the intersection of Ionia, Gratiot and Montcalm counties:

• Ionia County, 1889
• Gratiot County, 1891
• Montcalm County, 1897

Ionia County is south of the four southern townships of Montcalm County (to the right in the 1897 map). North Plains Township is directly south and adjacent to Bloomer Township. Gratiot County is east of Montcalm, with North Shade adjacent to Bloomer (toward the top of this map). New Haven is adjacent to Crystal. Clearer depictions are available by changing the format from Image to PDF.

Thomas, like so many of our ancestors, was a farmer. In 1860 the local census enumerator reported that Thomas owned real estate worth $50 and personal property worth $75. This small estate of real property is puzzling. Records in the Register of Deeds offices of Ionia, Gratiot and Montcalm Counties should provide more information. The 1860 census tells us that Thomas received mail at the West Bloomer Post Office, indicating that he lived close to the eastern boundary of Bushnell near Bloomer Township. Vickeryville is in eastern Bushnell Township a half-mile west of Bloomer. Mail was retrieved from the post office because Rural Free Delivery (RFD) wasn’t available until the 1890s and later.

Thomas and Amanda lived in North Plains in the early 1860s when their daughter Cynthia Loretta Green, my great-grandmother, was born. Her certificate of marriage to John Wesley Criss in February 1877 stated that she was fifteen years old. However, their 1883 divorce file reports that he was twenty-four and she was fourteen when they married. Census enumerations, particularly in 1900, are consistent with her birth in May 1863, so she might not have been quite fourteen.

Thomas Green in the Civil War

Thomas and Amanda were living in North Plains in the summer of 1863 when he was registered for the Civil War draft. This document was provided by Ancestry.com in association with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

Thomas was recruited on February 29, 1864 by a Captain Strickland for Company C of the 13^th Michigan Infantry Regiment, which had been organized in 1862. I don’t know why he had two enlistment papers.

Thomas was described as 5 feet, 10 inches tall with gray eyes, brown hair, and a dark complexion. His stated age, 34, would have him born in 1829 if his birthday was in November, but the only other documents reporting that he was 34 would have been based on these enlistment papers. I posted brief summaries of his service several years ago:

• Thomas Green at the Battle of Bentonville
• Revisiting the American Civil War—Thomas Green

I obtained photocopies in 2006 of Thomas’s Compiled Military Service Record (CMSR) file and his Civil War pension file from the National Archives and Record Administration. The CMSR file included his enlistment papers. This file consisted largely of service abstract cards compiled after the Civil War from military records. The pension file contains well over two hundred pages in support of pension applications. A recent review of those documents revealed information that has greater relevance now after further years family research.

Thomas appears to have been processed at Grand Rapids, Michigan and Nashville, Tennessee enroute to his regiment. As reported on page 1287 of A Compendium of the War of Rebellion, the 13^th Michigan Infantry was attached at that time to the Engineer Brigade, Army of the Cumberland. They were on engineer duty at Chattanooga, stationed at Lookout Mountain constructing military hospitals.

Thomas was hospitalized at Murfreesboro, near Nashville, in April 1864. He was present for duty for the remainder of the year but not always at full capacity. Witness accounts from his pension file shed some light on his condition.

In 1888 Abner Martin of Sherman City, Isabella County, Michigan reported that Thomas contracted debilitating diarrhea in 1864:

In 1891 Abraham Dehart of Vickeryville supported additional disability claims for rheumatism and inflammation of the eyes contracted by Thomas in 1864.

In late November and December 1864, Thomas’s regiment were on Sherman’s march from Atlanta to Savannah. Their scorched earth warfare might have contributed to Thomas’s inflammation of the eyes. We should not lose sight of the fact that these were foot soldiers. These marches were not a Sunday stroll.

In the winter and spring of 1865, Sherman moved north in the Carolinas campaign, burning Columbia, South Carolina and contesting with Confederate General Joseph Johnston to take Raleigh, North Carolina. Enroute to Raleigh, which is now my home, Sherman’s right wing, bound for Goldsborough (now Goldsboro),  engaged with Johnston’s forces in the Battle of Bentonville. On March 19, the first day of battle, the 13^th Michigan Infantry took heavy fire, and Thomas Green became a casualty.

This information board at the Bentonville Battlefield show the Confederate advance and the position of the 13^thInfantry on the afternoon of the 19^th.

In 1872, witnesses Melvin Baker and William DeHart described Thomas’s battlefield injuries in support of his claim for an invalid pension.

This was a rough day for Thomas. He received gunshot wounds in the right thigh near the groin and in the right leg below the knee. He and Melvin Baker were taken prisoner by the Confederate forces and recaptured by the Union’s 15^th Army Corps a few days later. Thomas was initially treated at Harper Hospital, described as at or in Goldsboro. This might have been the Union field hospital established next to the battlefield at the Harper house.

An 1896 witness statement by Joseph Dockeray of Coral, Montcalm County noted Thomas’s temporary treatment there.

It appears from an 1897 abstract of military medical records that Thomas also suffered a fractured jaw at the Bentonville Battlefield.

Thomas was transferred April 5 to Foster General Hospital in Newberne (now New Bern), North Carolina. He was further transferred April 12 to DeCamp General Hospital on Davids Island in New York Harbor, arriving on the 16^th.

Thomas was mustered out and discharged from service at DeCamp General Hospital June 6, 1865. His regiment was mustered out July 25, 1865, at Louisville, Kentucky.

Return to civilian life

Thomas returned to his family in June 1865. He soon began the long process of applying for an Invalid Pension. His post office for this initial application was at Hubbardston, North Plains, Ionia County.

By way of explanation, the underlining in Thomas’s pension request documents appears to have been added by claim reviewers.

Thomas and Amanda moved in October 1865 to North Shade Township, Gratiot County, as stated in a benefit claim filed in February 1872.

Lydia M. Green was born to Thomas and Amanda on December 27, 1867 in North Shade. Whether her middle name was Emma, as I suspect, or they changed their minds about her first name, she was called Emma. Her older sister Cynthia Loretta was called by her middle name.

Thomas and Amanda moved to New Haven Township, Gratiot County sometime before their daughter Roena was born on May 9, 1870. I wonder if Amanda’s middle name was Roena.  Thomas and Amanda were both usually recorded with their first names and middle initials, perhaps to distinguish them from others of the same name. I’ve never seen either of their middle names.

The 1870 census, taken effective June 1, found them in New Haven. Julia, George, Loretta, Emma and Roena were listed with Thomas and Amanda. Julia and George were assumed to be Green, the name of the head-of-household.

• Thomas was listed as age 39 (he wouldn’t be 40 until November). He was recorded as a farmer by occupation, with real property valued at $500 and personal property at $100. He was a white male citizen who reportedly could not write and was reported as born in New York. His post office was at New Haven Centre.
• Amanda was listed as a 33-year-old white female, keeping house, and born in Ohio.
• Julia was listed as a 13-year-old white female, at home, and born in Michigan.
• George was listed as an 11-year-old white male, at home, and born in Ohio.
• Loretta was listed as a 7-year-old white female born in Michigan.
• Emma was listed a 2-year-old white female born in Michigan.
• Roena was listed as a 4/16-year-old white female born in Michigan in May.

The 1870 census agricultural schedule, available on Ancestry, provides interesting information about Thomas’s farm. Fifteen of his eighty aces were improved for homestead and farming. The remainder was classified as woodland. His farm was valued at $500, but he possessed no farm implements of value. His livestock consisted of one milch cow and one swine, together valued at $48. He also paid $5 in wages during the previous year. Unfortunately, Ancestry doesn’t include the second page of questions which can be seen on page 747 in these instructions.

Securing a disability pension

Thomas continued to pursue an invalid pension in 1872. In his February inquiry of that year, he described the effects of the gunshot wounds he received at Bentonville. The injury in his hip particularly interfered with his ability to perform farm work.

Thomas also appointed a new agent to represent his claim. His previous agent in Ionia had apparently skipped town, and the country, without accomplishing Thomas’s request for a pension.

In a subsequent request made in November 1872, Thomas explained that he had been unsuccessful in locating his company commander and had therefor obtained affidavits from two privates familiar with his injuries.

L.C. Jenks, who took this statement from Thomas, also vouched for his credibility. He had married Thomas and Amanda in 1859.

This medical assessment of Thomas’s injuries was made in considering his application for an invalid pension:

Thomas was finally granted an invalid pension before December 1874 when he filed for an increase. He was still a resident of New Haven when that request was filed. That requested increase was denied in January 1875. This certificate from Elizabeth M. Green’s widow’s pension file might have been Thomas’s original certificate of pension.

Notes on an 1897 claim show that he was granted a pension of $4 per month for gunshot wounds in the right thigh. His benefit was backdated to June 7, 1865.

When Thomas filed another request for an increase in 1878, he lived in Carrollton, Saginaw County. I don’t know what he was doing in Carrollton or how long he was there. This increase was also denied.

Carrying on

The 1880 census recorded Thomas, Amanda and Emma in Bloomer Township, Montcalm County.

• Thomas, a 49-year-old white male, was recorded as a laborer born in New York
• Amanda, a 42-year-old white female, was recorded as keeping house and born in Michigan
• Emma, a 12-year-old white female, was at home, attended school, and was born in Michigan

I don’t know where Roena was when the 1880 census was recorded. She would have been ten years old. Julia had married Lorenzo Bruce in 1873, a union that might never have gotten off the ground. They had lost an unnamed daughter at childbirth before they were married. Julia married Augustus Wiser in 1874. He was a German immigrant who had served for the duration of the war in Company F of the 13^th Michigan Infantry. He too was wounded at the Battle of Bentonville but was apparently able to muster out with his regiment. George Green (George Robert Clark) was listed at the end of the New Haven census enumeration as a boarder in the household of Wesley Criss. Loretta had left Thomas’s household when she married Wesley in 1877.

Thomas was deposed as a witness in the divorce proceedings of Loretta Criss against Wesley in March 1883. Thomas lived at that time in Bloomer Township. Loretta had lived with Thomas and Amanda since October 1880, after being put out by Wesley with their infant daughter Stella Maria Criss. Amanda, Emma, and Roena were also deposed as witnesses for Loretta. Wesley ignored a subpoena and did not testify. While the court commissioner who took the depositions framed them in a bit of legal formality, this was Thomas’s testimony.

Thomas testified to Wesley’s verbal and physical abuse toward Loretta and their daughter while they still lived together.

Thomas further testified to Loretta being put out as a town pauper for public assistance. He also stated that Wesley had provided almost no clothing or support for Loretta or their child. When Stella died in 1881, he paid nothing for her funeral expenses.

Thomas confirmed that Loretta and Wesley had not lived together since October 1880.

Declining health and ongoing disability claims

Thomas was a resident of Montcalm County, with his post office at Carson City, when he filed claims for a pension increase in 1885, 1886, and 1887. In his 1886 request, he described difficulties in his hip and lower leg. He concluded by stating “My general health is not good. I tire out very easily. A four mile walk and back will do me up for a day.”

Thomas’s invalid pension was reissued at $6 per month effective June 7, 1865, to reflect disability in his lower leg in addition to original approval for injury to his thigh.

Thomas also made claims for disability from chronic diarrhea, heart disease, lung disease, rheumatism and catarrh related to his service in the war. These claims, even more than his gunshot wounds, weren’t easily justified as grounds for invalid pension assistance. A statement by Thomas pertaining to his 1888 claim for additional disability describes challenges in substantiating treatment he received after the war.

The doctors who had treated him for chronic diarrhea and heart disease had died. He explained his further efforts for coping with these difficulties:

The 1890 federal census population schedules were almost entirely destroyed, but veteran schedules survive. Thomas should have been included in Fairplain, Montcalm County, but was missed.

In 1890 Thomas asked for additional payment for weakened eyesight incurred on Sherman’s march. At the time he filed this claim, he was a resident of Sheridan (probably Fairplain Township).

Thomas was approved for additional compensation based on chronic diarrhea and resulting disease of the rectum in 1891:

His pension was increased to $8 per month effective May 24, 1883, $10 from May 4, 1887, and $12 starting May 7, 1890.

The following physician’s statement in 1892 by Robert H. Blaisdell, M.D., supports some of Thomas’s claims, including inflammation of the eyes.

Doctor Blaisdell, who was born in Maine, might have been related to other Blaisdell families who have descendants still living in the area. One of my third cousins, who was a classmate in school, married a Blaisdell. I never knew we were related until I found our connection in the course of family research.

Several witness statements from the 1890s attested to Thomas’s difficulties and limitations. George R. Clark, who was Amanda’s son and Thomas’s stepson, provided these observations:

Thomas’s pension file contains observations from several other men attesting to his declining health and ability to perform manual labor. These include one or more statements from Abner Martin, Melvin Baker, Ruben Place, Theodore Everest, William DeHart, Abraham Dehart, John Callahan, Joseph Dockeray, George Baker, and Nathan Barlow. His pension file also contains medical assessments from doctors William B. Thomas, W. D. Scott, D.A. McLean, C. Sample, Jno. Avery, Robert H. Blaisdell, Allen Corey, Charles Jenison, and several review boards.

Michigan conducted a state census in 1894. A separate schedule for veterans was published in Volume III. Thomas was listed on page 188 among veterans in Fairplain Township, Montcalm County.

Thomas was recorded on membership rolls of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR):

• Carson City, Montcalm County: July 1883, August 1883, December 1883, December 1889
• Sheridan, Montcalm County: March 1890, June 1891, March 1895, December 1896
• Republic, Marquette County: June 1900

In the 1890s Thomas and Amanda lived in the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 1, Fairplain Township. His 40 acres appears on page 43 in the 1897 Standard atlas of Montcalm County published by Geo. A. Ogle & Co. The Village of Sheridan is contiguous to Section 1, primarily in Evergreen and Sidney townships.

My brothers and I discovered Thomas and Amanda’s small, long-abandoned home in the early 1960s, but we had no idea at the time who had lived there.

Thomas was approved in 1897 for additional disability from chronic diarrhea and resulting disease of the bowels. This appears to have been the basis for a monthly increase to $14.

Thomas and Amanda were recorded in the 1900 census in Sheridan, Fairplain Township, Montcalm County:

• Thomas was listed as a white male, head of household, born in November 1830, age 69. He was recorded as born in in New York, his father also in New York, and his mother in Vermont. He was a farmer, unemployed for zero months, owned his home, which was a mortgaged farm. He was also recorded as able to read, to write, and to speak English. Thomas and Amanda had been married 41 years.
• Amanda was listed as a white female, wife of the head of household, born in February 1838, age 62. She had given birth to seven children, five of whom were still living. This raises questions. Had the two unknown children died in infancy? Were they born before Amanda married Thomas or were they his children? Amanda and both of her parents were reported as born in Ohio. She was also reportedly able to read, write, and speak English.

Although Thomas and Amanda were recorded by an enumerator for the Village of Sheridan, I don’t think the village limits ever extended to their property.

By the time Thomas filed for an increase in 1902, he was living in Stanton, the Montcalm County seat, and no longer signing his name.

Thomas’s disability rating was increased from May 21, 1902, and his monthly pension raised to $17. This claim also noted that he did not write.

Amanda died in Stanton on April 19, 1906. Thomas reported that Amanda had been seventeen years old at first marriage.

I photographed this portrait of Thomas and Amanda in the home of their great grandson Burgess Case, which had previously been the home of his grandparents Edwin and Loretta Green Case.

By October of 1906, Thomas was living in the Soldiers Home in Grand Rapids.

Thomas and Elizabeth

Thomas married Elizabeth Maria Bates in Greenville, Montcalm County on July 5, 1907. This affirmation of marriage was included in Elizabeth’s widow’s pension claim:

Elizabeth had previously been married to another veteran, Albert Porter Bates, an alias for Winston H. Porter. Albert had died in 1902.

Thomas was eligible for restatement of his pension under an Act of February 1907, increasing his payment to $20. I’m guessing that this entitlement reflected expenses to the Soldiers Home.

After leaving the home, Thomas’s pension reverted to authority under the general law for invalid pensions.

When Thomas filed a request for an increase in 1908, he and Elizabeth were living in the Greenville home that she had shared with her deceased husband Albert Bates.  I looked for this house several years ago, but it no longer exists. Their house might have been on Lot 18 in 1921.

Sometime in later years Court Street was moved about a half-block to the east, which might have occasioned the removal of the house at 510 E. Market Street.

As evidenced in this 1908 claim, Thomas seems to have been increasingly limited in his ability to work.

Thomas died at home on December 30, 1910 at the age of 80. The certifying doctor, H.L. Bower, stated that ‘this man died of heart failure before I could get there cause due to senility.’

A brief notice was published in the Greenville Independent of January 4, 1911. I found it on page 1, column 7, under Deaths. The public was informed that Thomas M. Green, an aged Grand Army veteran, died suddenly Friday.

Access to this newspaper is provided through the Flat River Community Library’s research collections. I found this issue of the paper in ‘Newspapers 1857 through 1923’ by selecting the Independent, choosing the Specific Date option, and typing ‘Deaths’ in the search field.

Dr. Bower provided more insight into the circumstances and contributing causes of death in a statement made for Elizabeth Green’s claim for a widow’s pension:

Thomas’s bowel problems finally did him in. A witness statement by Nathan P. Barlow in 1912 offers further confirmation of the circumstances of Thomas’s death as well as his initial treatment of battle wounds.

DNA from Thomas and Amanda

DNA testing can help us find ancestors and living relatives we either didn’t know we were related to or didn’t know at all. Unknown relatives might have information about our ancestors that we would like to know. DNA relatives, or matches, carry segments of DNA that we also have. These shared segments are passed down to us from ancestors we share with other testers.

My DNA matches who are descendants of Thomas Green and Amanda Brown carry identical DNA with me on our shared segments. We each probably also carry DNA from Thomas and Amanda on segments that we didn’t both inherit.

I first tested with 23andMe, then with FamilyTreeDNA and Ancestry. I ported my test data from FamilyTreeDNA to MyHeritage, which has a larger population of European testers. Each vendor has its benefits, and I want to find connections with people who have tested with only one of them. Most of these tests are for autosomal DNA on chromosomes 1-22 inherited from all of our ancestral lines. I also tested Y DNA from chromosome 23 and mitochondrial DNA which exists outside the chromosomes in every cell. These tests, which are unique to our all-male line and our all-female line, are available from FamilyTreeDNA.

DNA testing and traditional family research work well together. DNA we share with another tester comes to each of us from our most recent common ancestors (MRCAs).  Traditional research is essential in identifying our DNA relatives which, in turn, can confirm our traditional research of common ancestors. I have traced descendants of ancestors down other lines to find many of my DNA matches.

DNA testing is a gift that keeps on giving. As more people test over time, new DNA relatives are added to our match lists. While Ancestry doesn’t provide a chromosome browser that would show matching DNA segments, they probably have the largest pool of testers and support extensive family trees to connect with DNA matches.

We need to bear in mind that we don’t carry DNA from all of our direct ancestors beyond recent generations because DNA segments fall out in the passage from parent to child. Our chromosomes come in pairs, one from each parent. In the process of creating a single chromosome to pass on to a child, segments are taken alternately from the parent’s maternal and paternal chromosome in each pair. DNA from the side not taken for a segment is not passed on.

It is also worth noting that I will match DNA from all second cousins and closer who test, but not all third cousins. Third cousins probably have DNA from our shared great-great grandparents, but not necessarily on matching segments.

In the case of Thomas and Amanda’s family, I will refer to Julia’s line, George’s line, Loretta’s line, Emma’s line, Roena’s line and, on the side, Amos Dodge’s line. My generation is related to our most recent common ancestors (MRCAs) on these lines as follows:

• My first cousins, my siblings and I are Verda Case Springsteen Olsen’s grandchildren and Loretta’s great-grandchildren. Verda and Aden Springsteen are MRCAs. DNA that we share through Verda came from Edwin and Loretta Case.
• Loretta Green’s descendants in my generation are her great grandchildren. Outside of Verda’s family, these great grandchildren are my second cousins. DNA that I share with them came from our MRCAs Loretta and Edwin Case. Loretta’s DNA came from Thomas and Amanda.
• Thomas Green’s descendants in my generation are his great-great grandchildren. In Emma’s and Roena’s lines, these great-great grandchildren are my third cousins; DNA that I share with them came from our MRCAs Thomas and Amanda.
• Amanda Brown’s descendants in my generation are her great-great grandchildren. In Emma’s and Roena’s lines, these great-great grandchildren are my third cousins; DNA that I share with them came from our MRCAs Thomas and Amanda. In Julia’s and George’s lines, these great-great grandchildren are my half-third cousins; DNA that I share with them came from our MRCA Amanda.
• Amos Dodge’s descendants in my generation are his great-great grandchildren. We are great-great-great grandchildren of Thomas’s and Amos’s mother Cynthia Ames or Eames. These great-great-great grandchildren are my half-fourth cousins. Cynthia is our MRCA. The DNA segments that I share with other testers who are Amos’s descendants came to me through Thomas.

With sixteen great-great grandparents, you might think that I received 1/16^th (6.25%) of my DNA each from Thomas and Amanda, but averages can vary considerably from reality. The amount of shared DNA is measured in centimorgans (cM). To get an idea how much DNA we might share with various relatives, explore the Shared cM Project tool at DNAPainter.

I have determined my connection to 45 other testers on Ancestry with whom I share DNA from Thomas, Amanda, or both. They fall into several categories.

From Loretta’s line:

• One tester is a close relative with whom I share 1800 cM.
• 12 other testers are also descendants of Loretta’s daughter Verda. Three of them are in my generation, so they are my first cousins. The rest are in younger generations and are my first cousins one or more generations removed. The amount of DNA I share with these testers ranges from 37 cM with a first cousin three times removed to 926 cM with a first cousin.
• 13 testers are descendants of Loretta Green through Verda’s siblings. Two of them are Dad’s first cousins, so they are my first cousins once removed. Three of them are in my generation, so they are my second cousins. The rest are in younger generations and are my second cousins one or more generations removed. Shared DNA with these testers ranges from 51 cM with a second cousin twice removed to 298 cM with a first cousin once removed.

From Emma’s and Roena’s lines:

• 12 testers are descendants of Emma. She appears to have far more descendants than Roena, and more of them have tested with Ancestry. Shared DNA with these testers ranges from 7 cM with a third cousin twice removed to 37 cM with a third cousin once removed.
• One tester is a descendant of Roena. I share 24 cM of DNA with this tester, a third cousin once removed.

From Julia’s and George’s lines:

• Two testers are descendants of Julia Clark, so the DNA I share with them is from Amanda and not from Thomas. I share 13 cM with one tester, and 18 cM with the other. They are my half-third cousins once removed.
• One tester is a descendant of George Clark, so our shared DNA is also from Amanda. I share 21 cM with this tester, a half-third cousin.

From Amos Dodge’s line:

• Three testers are Amos’s descendants. The DNA I share with them is from Thomas’s and Amos’s mother Cynthia Ames or Eames. It is not from either of their fathers. This DNA passed down to me through Thomas. Shared DNA with these testers ranges from 6 cM with a half-fourth cousin once removed to 24 cM with a half-fourth cousin.

I probably share DNA with many, many more testers at Ancestry who belong somewhere here. I share DNA with at least ten other testers who share other matches with me in this branch of my family tree.

As an aside, there has been speculation in our family that Amanda might have been native American. I’ve said before that my autosomal DNA doesn’t give any indication of native ancestry. I can say further that if Amanda had any native ancestry, it wasn’t on her direct maternal line. One of my cousins who has tested at 23andMe carries Amanda’s mitochondrial DNA. His maternal haplogroup is H1, which is European.

Here is a glimpse from 23andMe of DNA that I share with a second cousin once removed who is a descendant of Edwin and Loretta Case. Some of our shared DNA would be from Edwin Case and some from Loretta and hence from Thomas and Amanda. Again, we both probably carry more DNA from Thomas and Amanda than the segments we share.

Each chromosome pair is represented here by a single bar. Half-identical matches represent identical DNA on either the maternal or paternal chromosome. Completely identical segments would match on both the maternal and paternal chromosome. Clicking the Compare link lets me view shared DNA segments with several testers, which can be useful in determining which ancestor a segment came from.

Genetic inheritance has much to do with who we are, but DNA is far from our whole story. Genetic ancestry certainly influences traits and propensities for illness and health. The families of our childhood shape our identity, values, and opportunities or lack thereof. Our families are multi-faceted. Half-siblings like Amanda’s children Julia and George on one hand and Loretta, Emma and Roena on the other, don’t share as much genetic ancestry, and adoptees don’t usually share any, but they share family relationships and traditions.

Rest in peace

Thomas and Amanda were buried in the Forest Hill Cemetery in Stanton, Michigan. My grandmother, Verda Olsen, remembered visiting their graves with her family, but couldn’t recall where they were. With help from information at the White Pine Library and the Stanton City Hall, I located them many years after Grandma’s death in 1984. Thomas’s military marker is decorated with a flag every year for Memorial Day.

Thomas and Amanda, may you be long remembered. We are carrying on.