How long?

Days turn into weeks then a month and a new season. A birthday comes and goes, death hits more than once. And we wait. Things just don't move along the way the ought to move. Seems like we're stuck in a traffic jam, at a railroad crossing with an endless train. We get nowhere.

Sure, there have been some new people showing up. Both sides. Kelley, Sullivan, Butler... But that one little piece of info...the one that will FINALLY give us our connection (or so we hope) is still AWOL. Is it an hour away? A Day? Another Week? Or will it be months? I don't know.

Adding to the frustration are health concerns. And yet, we can't do much. We wait.

I feel like quoting Psalm 22 in the manner of the One who died for us. And yet, what will it do?

We wait. Each day is more frustrating than the last. When it finally reaches its conclusion, will it be High Emotion or will be be an emotional letdown?

I don't know.

We wait. It's all we can do.

When you can't sleep

Years ago, I was in a body cast.  I was told it would come off on a specific day.  The night before, I couldn't sleep.  Not a wink.  Seemed like an hour or two had passed, but it was 10 minutes, 15.  Sometimes not that much.  Unfortunately, I was told it would stay for another 2 months.  BUT...I had to have it off, anyway.

The next week of waiting has begun.  Week 5.  All of Trisha's tests were done, complete, with results, in 30 days.  And that is from Order to results.  What we have now, including order is close to 7, If I have it right.  The waiting is just brutal.  And there is nothing, positively nothing, we can do to speed it up any.

So we wait.  We wait, as patiently as we can.  Trish has been in the hospital.  I've been checking results not just daily, but often every few hours...or even faster.  And since tomorrow is Labor day, most offices and many businesses will be closed.  It just adds more waiting time.

The journey is long, arduous, frustrating, nerve-wracking, and sometimes makes me want to scream.
Yet all the yelling and screaming and cussing in the world will not remove one second from the wait.  And it wastes our energy.

Maybe this week.  Maybe.  Maybe next week.  Again, maybe.  HOPEFULLY, this month.

Until then, I pace like a father-to-be, wondering when it's going to be all over.

The end is in sight.  But traveling 1 foot per day on such a voyage leads to bashing our heads against the wall.

Week 4 underway.  But my mind is elsewhere, really. Trish is in the hospital, dealing with health issues that can only be correct (to the human mind) by surgery.  Heart problems are always with the people.  Considering what we know of Trisha's dad's side, it only makes sense for surgery, but it also has the unfortunate appearance of not Trusting in G_D.

I'm still hoping for results this week, so I can bring them to Trish and show her our proof... the maternal search is done...but can't quite yet.

All we can do is wait and pray for the hands of the surgeons to be steady and skillful.  4 hours on a bypass is NOT my idea of good way to spend a day!

Trish won't be (Obviously) voting in the primary.  In some cases, I can't guess...in others, I have viewed performance and news.  It does help eliminate...

I'm watching Ancestry like a hawk... I mean, I'm on 2, 3, 4, 5 times a day.  If there's a change in "4th cousin or closer" I hold my breath and click...and usually find 4th cousins.  Hopefully, that will change shortly.

Now in midst of week 3.

There are many doc. appointments in the months of August through November. I mean, good grief. There was one in July, Aug had one on the 22nd. There's a hospital stay on the 25th-26th. Another on the 30th. Then September has at least 2 already scheduled. There will need to be another before the 19th of October. Then another on October 24th. And there could be others in that time frame that haven't yet been scheduled. Then another on November 9, and probably 2 more between the 9 and December.
But, those of you who have taken tests...have YOU been on 3-6 times PER DAY, All testing sites and at least 2 times per day for evaluation sites, just because a test is out? That's what I'm doing right now. And then maybe 1 time or 2 per day to other search sites?
I so want those results! And I want to be the first to see them! I don't know if that's bad thing, but it does indicate an obsession. Obsession isn't healthy, but right now it's a part of me.

Things are also tight.  Being on fixed incomes is a pain, especially when they don't make it two weeks before the money runs out.

Also, September is the anniversary month of the date of Trisha's dad's (?) death.  I make that a question mark, only because Tim, paternal suspected half brother hasn't tested yet.  We've been badgering since since contact.  Although, George (one in a string of Georges) tested as a nephew (Trisha's his half aunt), and his father, George (you read that right) was a half-brother of Trish, by George (Do we need a numbering system? ), who was son of George....
George I (George A.)
George II (George B)
George III (George B F-V)) who married a Georgean
And George IV, (George B-V, dropping the F) who's adding a Jr.

Can anyone say "Insanity?"  

End of Week 1...

Week 1 is over.  It is said that 6 to 8 weeks are needed for results.  For Trish, it was 30 days from send-back date to results.  But the database size has doubled.  And there are many more testing, now, which could slow our process.  Latest date of completion, as calculated, is mid-October.  If we set at a more "reasonable" time,  October 6th.  If we calculate day of arrival at HQ as today, we COULD see results as early as 9-20.  Or, if lucky, earlier.

Trish has a lot of health problems.  The clues are in the DNA.  The DNA connects to the family.  The family has answers.  They will prove vital to treating Trisha's health conditions because we will finally (hopefully!) know what got passed down.

I'm hoping that when my own b-day rolls around, I can call out to those who we are meeting and say, "HI.  I'm you're brother-in-law..."  What a treat that will be!

There's a lot to learn.  There's a lot of missed history.  We'll probably never catch up.  But when we finally get everyone together, there's gonna be a huge party.  :)  Well, maybe not... but party in the hearts...We've been lucky;  so far everyone has been accepting and welcoming.  Not everybody is this lucky!

The countdown begins on Maternal proof.

Got word yesterday:  Suspected sibling has received test, activated and the test is on its way to the lab.

Countdown, therefore has begun.  If it's anything like Trisha's test, We will have the answers by Labor Day.  BUT... there are always possible complications.  The kit could get lost.  It could be determined to contain not enough DNA.  The test could be slow in arrival.  Processing could begin late.  It's all wide open.

I've given 75 days for actual results to come in.  That's October 21st.

There are so many options.
1) matches higher than expected.
2) matches at expected levels
3)  Matches lower than expected.
4 )  Doesn't match except on "X"
5) Doesn't math at all.

If option one, it may be endogamy figuring into the mix.  Or it could be a different relationship entirely.  Or we could find something even more odd.  I'm not counting it out, but it doesn't seem likely.
If option 2, in expected range, we have siblings and maternal mystery solved.  Then, we can create a Lazarus, maybe, to confirm the paternal line, although with the half-nephew confirmation, I think we already have.  But I still want the suspected paternal half-brother to test.  Slow going.

Option 3-  I'm not sure what ranges we could see.  But if it's lower, it could mean first cousin and not sibling.  Or maybe a nibling relationship.  Either is fine, but I think we'd prefer the sibling match.

Option 4-  This would be the most unlikely scenario, I think.  The odds would probably be billions to one.  But if there's a total match on "X", it's still a sibling match.  If less, I don't know what I'd think.

Option 5...this would be the most disheartening option.  But it would mean either the line is totally wrong (doesn't seem likely) or there was a hidden adoption.  Whatever the truth worked out to be, it would mean someone else needs to test.

Countdown underway.  Fingers crossed and prayers going up.

BUT LET ME SAY:  Having seen pictures, I'm certain it's the right line.  Even if our tested turns out wrong, we have 2 others who can verify.

HOPE...  Right now, that's what we have.

End of July Update.

July, for the most part (in genealogy) has remained somewhat quiet. I'm trying to solve a couple of other puzzles... but there isn't really enough information on one. The other looks like a connection to a Michael Gallagher and a lady with name of White as the possible connection. I'm trying to reach our subject, here, but haven't been able to do so.

Another really needs to test at Ancestry... that's her best bet to determine beyond who her father really is. It's still a question.

Just waiting on tests. Although I'm sure this is likely now solved, it's just that little bit of proof that the final connection is correct.

One test, each side. and then we start to construct an accurate tree. That may be tough, because of the records... but we will do our best.

Possible mistaken Identity

I don't have the correct word...disheartening, maybe? discouraging? I really don't know.

I recently learned that who we suspect as mom -- who was in the US in the early 50s -- returned to the US for a while, to search for a child. I'm told it was in the early 90s -- that could be 90-91-92-93. I'm going to assume 91-92.

One day, out of the blue, Charles answered a call -- a male voice on the other end said, "I have information about your daughter."

Charles had no biological children, and still does not. He said, "I have no daughter," and hung up. Scam, right?

He knew of Trisha's daughter, but didn't make any connection. But the daughter would not have been of an age at which anyone could make contact. She could try, of course... but I've never heard if she did or not.

Fast Forward to this year. It's learned that mom, or maybe mom, had been back in the US. Could Catholic Charities have tried to call and somehow believed that Trish and Charles were father and daughter?

We'll never know for sure. But if Mom had come, where did she look? Did she look in Florida? Or elsewhere? We had been married in late 1990. If this call was in 1991(I don't remember for sure), could they have been Catholic Charities, actually looking for the adoptee?

Or was it truly looking for Trish, as mother? Or was it just a scam?

It is sad to think that the call may have actually been mom looking for daughter, and getting cut off by a misunderstood message.

I hope she looks down from the clouds today, and smiles... I'm praying our answers are right.

Progress

Saturday morning (After 2 PM in Great Britain), we got our call.  We worked together.  We're convinced, but I lack the "proof"... DNA evidence.

It has brought me new members to the family.  Sweeney, for one.  Mulloy.  Hodge.

It has narrowed a search for another, person, Rita.  Were both connected to a Riley line.  And that line, I have discovered, connects to a Rowland.  Rowland connects to Mulloy.
It may be solving a Hegeman mystery, too.  It's connection to a Gallagher.  And that's been found at about a 3rd cousin level... which definitely points just one generation back to a line that may connect Anthony Gallagher to our lines.

Hoping for tests!  Praying for results.

Of course, this still has other mysteries to solve.  Trying to convince someone to test at Ancestry, which may provide a clue to her father.. and a crime.  But that aside, there's still plenty to do!

So many have had a hand in this.  Hulbert (Although he doesn't acknowledge). Coleman, Kristin Wood, Dawn F, two branches of a McNulty tree, plus several others that connect with McNulty.  And Corrigan.
Joe B.  And any one and Everyone who has tested so far!  :)

Results, pending.  Answers, I hope, soon.  :)

Reaching out.

I have reached out to 2 others. One, I have learned (Perhaps incorrectly) has passed on, so there is no hope of contact. The other DID get back to me. And I anxiously await a phone call from the other side of the Atlantic. A 5 hour difference may cause some difficulty. Hopefully, it's not too much! My biggest hope is that I can get my contact, or one of the known siblings, to do a test. It will give us the information needed to check our equation. The wildcard, which I call "E", is a variable that won't change A and X but will change R. That equation is probably less likely to be (A+X) *E = R, which is the way I have it written, but more complex, involving an Absolute and probably some form of Calculus! X is going to be between 0 and 196. But if it equals 0, that's going to be a problem. "A" needs to be in range of 1400-1800. E, our wildcard is between 1 and -1, but cannot be 0. Fingers crossed. Pray for our best results. Somebody's tree is going to be shaken up if A and X are in range. But if they are, our search... 64 years running... will be over. But that will give rise to the "real" work... constructing an accurate tree!

Slowing searches, changing directions, hope and loss...

June has just about ended.  It's not been a good month; lost our puppy. (I know, 17 years isn't exactly a puppy, but he was our puppy!)

The month has brought little progress (If any) with a contact across the sea and a new 2nd? cousin, a Rowland...which, to me, confirms the line we are examining, but there are too many siblings in that time period.  I still need 2 people to check!

If our lines are correct, both parents are gone.  Grandparents have no possibility of being alive!  BUT..there are siblings if these are the right lines.  I pray I can get them to test to make our final determinations.

A Happy Birthday to a family member who probably has no idea that he's related to us:  Sean.  Have a great day, kiddo!  You fast approach the double digits and terrible teens.  To his Mother...:)  (HI, SP!)... I hope you're ready for those teen years.  They've changed so much since we were teens!

The hope for more results seems... distant, now.  I'm turning my searches slightly off, trying to verify some connections, but so far, it's difficult.

Tim, Remember:  I hope you can get that test soon:  I'd like that validation before any more of us leave this mortal coil.  :)  To M.S., I'm still hoping you'll get back to me..  I know you're busy, but an Email address is really a good, solid start!

Have a safe holiday to all of our American citizens... and best to everyone for a safe weekend.

Hopes and dreams. Can they be fulfilled?

I have been taking things slowly and carefully. I need more contact than just 1 person, I think. When the names are common, everyday names (nothing like Boris, or Vlad, or Heather, or Bertha), it makes tracking difficult.

You try, on Facebook, for friends with the same names, hoping you can make a connection. It often leads to failure or confusion.

Sometimes, it just takes a lucky break.

You may get blocked out. You may not. You may find yourself disturbing the grave of a long-hidden family secret. It's taboo; you don't know you're doing it.

Back to search. May we not offend in our search for truth. But if we do, let us pray that those who are hurt have short memories and clear consciences.

Warm days, slow progress

June brings warmer weather and summer starts in just a 20 days.  This has slowed our quest for definitive proof of family members.  People are outside, rather than inside.  They're at the pool rather than at the library.  (Library?  What's that?)  They're in the garden, rather than on the computer services.  (Except for politicians, of course, but how can we define them?)

And so our messages to people who might help are going unnoticed, for the most part.

BUT.

Trisha's very persistent 2nd cousin and sister have managed to connect us to another branch.  And we some some highly cooperative and curious individuals!  The movement has begun!  And we're hoping to see contact with suspected half-siblings and first cousins who are willing to test and not reluctant to accept change and possible chaos for a while.  The appearance of a previously unknown family member can sometimes upset the scheme of things.  Especially if it's proof of someone's indiscretion or infidelity, it may be denial, and it could lead to things coming to light --things that people have tried to forget, or bury.

I can only hope that this doesn't happen in this case.

We've still met a lot of wonderful, accepting family.  I never dreamed that our goal could be realized so quickly.  But still, there's some sadness...no chance to meet the parents.  Just wasn't meant to be.  But the siblings (or half-siblings) and hundreds of new family will certainly ease the pain.  And if there are pictures, or letters, or messages that were left, 10 to 64 years ago, maybe those can bring new understand of what was really happening.

We search.  We search, not to embarrass (although that can and does happen), but for Truth.  That is the goal.  May it always be so.  

More to come as more comes to light.  

Lacking definitive proof yet.

Details slowly come to light.  From these, I have attempted to construct a working hypothesis.  I am trying to find proof that the hypothesis is correct.  The info I have shows "Possible."

I need someone to do a DNA test.  But how does one reach out "ACROSS THE POND" to complete strangers (family or not!) and ask them to do a test?  The suspected mother is gone.  There's a sibling to her, but it's not quite the same.  Best bet is one of the children, IF they can be proven.  One of them, anyway, is on Facebook, but hasn't logged in at any time over the last 3 years.

There's a potential 1st cousin.  If she's done DNA, it's not public -- or it's the wrong line.  She, fortunately for us,  lives in the US.  I have not contacted personally, I've been letting an intermediary do the work...a search angel.  And he was the one who got the contact with our 2nd cousin lead, who has given us the names with which we work.  But at Great-Grandparents level there are still 2 options (or six if you include the individuals as options)

I've taken a look at some of those cousins of hers who are not related to Trish.  Many can be described as "Definite African Heritage."  That's fine.  I think that's proof of what everyone should know:  We're all human, one species!  (We might make exceptions for politicians, but that's not the point!)

Thing is, I don't want to scare anyone away.  And I certainly don't want to be too pushy.  I'm hoping for a break, but I'm going to make some inroads myself.

Interestingly enough:  Many cousins are still over in the "Motherland."  Unfortunately, there is no land bridge to Britain.  The US is isolated in such a manner.  We can't walk or drive to the area to visit.  Fortunately, we can be seen, thanks to technology as we have it.  Maybe, someday, we'll have that Matter-Energy-Matter transporter imagined in Trek.


Stay tuned...

such is life...

You begin to think you can handle the curves life tosses at you.  And then it throws a fastball.

A surprise connection with family is resulting in a happy reunion...even if we don't have the exact connection pinned down yet.

Another cousin in Ireland.  And this one is a sister of the closest match we have on Maternal side.  I am dumbfounded, and a bit shell-shocked.  Nothing like some good, old-fashioned excitement to make the day!

The possibility of pictures exists.  and this is great, too, because we have a chance to see WHO our line contains.  I assume it might be like running for office and winning a very close race.

I don't have a heck of a lot to say... except WOW!

Lost in Space?

I've connected our probable tree to Trisha's alleged mom.  And, as of yet, not a single hint to verify that this line is right.  NOT ONE!

If "FROBIN" is fitting where he's supposed to be fitting, then why isn't he showing up?  How is it that our closest maternal match is not connecting there?

I was directed to some pictures of the alleged line.  They do look very much like Trish.  But why aren't these connections doing anything?  is it a marriage connection?  Or is there an NPE we don't yet see?

I can't say it's the wrong line, at least not yet.  But, where's the McNulty line?  Where's the McNealy line?  Is this Gallagher line correct?  I'm assuming the Cafferty (Or is it Cafferkey?) line is right, but then where's the Kilbane line?

Of course, Ancestry's recent changes are possibly behind the slow results...or not.  We just don't know!

We continue watching the sites.  23andme has really gotten screwed up!  At one time, there were almost 1800 matches.  Now it is barely 1600!  And that's with "new matches" of at least 70 people!
Something is gumming up the works.  What?

On of our connections seems to have dropped off the face of the Earth, but it could just be the time frame.

However, we DID learn the side of one person who I always thought was on Trisha's mom's side.  Nope.  Dad's.  And one line vanished, and we're unsure who this feller was who wasn't ready for fatherhood and left his pregnant bride behind.

Is the answer here?  Or are we just chasing our own tails?

Time will tell.  And I hope it's not been a waste.

Zeroing in?

I have contact with 3,4, 5 people... not sure how many... all of them are on the case here.

Is it the maternal line of the maternal line?  Or is it the paternal line of the maternal line?  This question is being evaluated by a half-dozen methods.

We've learned, however, that one of the offspring of a sibling of that Great-grandparent set had, or may have had, 2 children that were placed for adoption.  Was Trish one of them?

There's a large (but speculative) Tree, and DNA is attached...but no hints on the maternal side.  It's all paternal.  The whole thing.

Does this mean it's on the Paternal Branch (which is not entered, yet?)  No.  It DOES mean that maybe nobody has tested yet that's close enough to show on a hint.  But some names in the tree HAVE shown, and I can't help wondering if those are the same people who are tested.  They don't have the DNA at Ancestry.  They have it elsewhere.

All eyes are currently on one possibility, but this doesn't mean the others are being ignored.  I need more data!

Working together:  Me, Joe, Mike, Dawn, Ann...  plus others...something is going to break.  I just hope it ain't my sanity!

Anomalous DNA inheritances cause confusion

DNA may be a science, but inheritance is not.  We have quite a few unexplained matches at levels that confound  the novice and baffle the experts.  I'm constantly told that, "There's an unreported NPE" or "There's endogamy."  But no explanation is proven -- it's all speculation, hypothesis.

This is just a start, and there are likely to be more found.

E_H.  2nd cousin.  470 cM, high for a second.  but it's not 1/2 first.  And it's not 1st. And it doesn't fit at 1C1R.

P_L_S.  1st cousin to E_H.  shares 146 cM with Trish.  that could be 2C1R, but not in this case.  Really too low for a 2nd.

KHL.  Shares 128 or 121, depending upon tests checked.  Likely 2C1R.  But the paper trail gives 3C1R.  Once again, very odd.

JC:  Uncle to KL.  3C to Trish, even though 2.34% is shared.  Once again, just strange.

BW, DW, JW, and KW:

This is a baffling one.  I keep getting told that it's "Probably an undocumented NPE".  Yet I find the matches on both sides, and more distant to the side where the match is.

BW shares 255, JW  shares 186, DW shares 188, KW shares 96.
BW is the father to the others, KW and DW are full sibs, brother and sister, JW is a half-brother.
But the paper trail shows matches to KHL and EH, more distant to KHL, even though our path shows the connection on that side.
BW shows as 5C1R, The others show 6C!

CR-  Spotted this morning.  56 CM on 2 segments.  Predicted 4th cousin.  But when you run it through the course, it's not that.  It's 6th.

Are there this many NPE?  Could there have been this many affairs or adoptions?  And all hidden?  It seems unlikely, but I can't explain the readings.  The answer I get from researchers, Genealogists and the like:  "There's something going on."  To that, I can say "DUH!" LOL.

Whatever is going on, the answer is a mystery.  Where's Sherlock Holmes when you need him?

Continuing the path

Today is Trisha's B-day.  That's another year without knowing FOR SURE who everyone is and where they fit.

But the funnel is narrowing slightly.  We're trying to find siblings of 2 people--but Irish lines are so convoluted and tangled that they rival a Gordian Knot.  Problem:  The lines and info just doesn't seem to exist in normal channels.  Nothing at Family Search.  Nothing at Ancestry.  Nothing at Geni.  Nothing at FTDna.  And nothing at 23andme or DNAland.  NOTHING.

At least we know something.  But I just checked one Irish family at starting point of 1799 and 1808.  And do you know what I get?  8 CERTAIN children, plus one who is less certain because his mother would have been over 50.  This isn't impossible, but it IS unlikely!

Somewhere along this line of 8 or 9 kids, (probably well over 400 people when brought into the 20th Century (And THIS, I know, is 21st!) fits that closest cousin...  Is a a Goggins sibling?  Or a White?  Or is that Goggin and Whyte?  Believe me, the spellings are enough to confuse anyone.
And then there's possibility of falsifying info and human error.

I still am hopeful that something even closer will show.  But hope doesn't catch the prize.

Ancestry update leads to surprises.

Ancestry did an "upgrade."  Seriously, I debate that term.  In many cases, I have found "upgrades" to be less functional, less accurate.

Trisha's closest maternal-side relative hasn't been responsive and had no "Shared matches."  Then we get a McNulty who does match.  Case, unsolved.  no ideas, yet.

Last night, after the upgrade, I found a name that has been on the cousin list for some time.  But it hasn't been a match.  But now?  Yes, now it is!  Nice.  No tree.  Sad, but somewhat expected.  Then a new match, a MARYPAT.  Again, no tree.

I sent out a couple of introductions.  I hoped to see responses this morning.  I logged in, and there is a reply.  But it's not from either of the two emailed the day before.  It's our closest match, Maternal.
Some disappointment when I learn she's an "A-syndrome" baby-- ie, adopted.  BUT she's got contact with her mom, a decade long.  Since this is likely a second cousin, that means Great-grands for a match.  But she has little info.

I'm still happy!

So, I'm looking at a line back one from Goggin-White.  Go two, for good measure.  But who are the parents of Teresa White?  Who are the parents of James Goggin?

Also, learned more about the previously unconnected line.  Could be Scottish, but not too likely.  4th cousin.  Still no reply from the other.  Not yet.

Really, a baby-step forward.  Closer to solved, but no closer to solved.  

Now, it's a waiting game, again.  Information...  that last clue, maybe, to finding this last dot to connect.
But as Yogi Berra would say, "It ain't over till it's over."

I wanted this solved by Trisha's b-day.  Not yet.  But unless there is an absolute miracle the extent of parting the Red Sea, it won't happen.  Her Birthday is tomorrow.

Next target date is November.  6 months.  Anything can happen.

Frustration reigns

3 days in a row, at ancestry, I have mirrored a tree.  Just copied everything I could get up to a point (Usually where the line runs out)

3 days in a row, I connected DNA to the target person to see what I could get.

3 days in a row, I get NOTHING.

Day one:  a tree of someone named South, 4th or 5th cousin, including X-DNA.  And I got ... Nothing.  Not even a "Shared" leaf.  Something must be wrong there, but right now I can't figure it out unless it's the damned upgrade.  I get nothing.  NOTHING.

Day 2.  A DAW tree.  4th or 5th cousin.  no shared matches.  Only leaf is the parents.  Nothing else.  I mean, REALLY.  No matches anywhere!

Day 3.  A tree which contains the name FINK.  4th cousin, according to ancestry.  I get 3 matches, but... Only one shaky leaf at a parent level.
3 matches, but one has no tree, so that's out.  One says 40 people.  Jackpot?  Not even close.  ONE person listed in the tree.  That's it.  Without more info, there is nothing I can do.  I MIGHT be able to find the name, but it seems hopeless.  I may try anyway.
The last match, well... the level contains the whole damn tree.  That's not even useful.

3 days of work.  Three days of disappointment.  I wonder if this is how the Minnesota Tlosers feel...

Where's Perry?

Unfortunately, when you dig in the genealogical bone yards, you will undoubtedly will find some skeletons.  You'll unearth tidbits of information which folks would prefer to forget.

I made contact with the daughter of a woman on Gedmatch.  Match name:  Perry.

This is one time that research was really needed, fortunately, the lady took it in stride.  It seems her grandfather (her mother's father) was an adoptee.  Okay, that's common.  But he met a violent end at age 31.  So, instead of solving this case, I got a new twist to solve at the same time.

The connection, however, seems to be a Florida Adoption.  Bad.  No way to get info from Florida, despite the fact that the adoptee is long gone.  This is why I fight the system.

I've also gotten contact with a Davis line (paternal side) and a McCaffrey (This MUST be a variant of "McCafferty").   Everything does seem to connect via McCafferty.  But as of yet, not real clues as to where.  Well, not exactly.  I got an "Unknown Cafferty" in a GG-Grand location.  But what good is that, when you consider it?

I have some help.  I only hope this can be solved soon.  But searches may go on forever, never be solved.

So, Where's Perry?  Or is it Cafferty?  Right now, the body is 6 feet under.  DNA is likely unobtainable.  And the answer is still hidden.

More to come.  I'm still searching for the buried treasure.  The clues are not yet deciphered.

The Saga continues

January rolled in.  I'd been alternating between Ancestry and 23andme, looking for answers.  THEN I got the Email.

George, whom we had asked to test, let us know the test results were in at FTDna.  That wasn't where I expected, but it's good enough since our results are there.  He tells me it's a "High Match."  OOOOH MY...How high?  It should be reading in "First cousin" area, I think, so I believe that Trish is his Grand-Aunt.  (Also called great-aunt.)
Nope!  It was CLOSER THAN THAT!  721, according to FTDNA.  I asked for him to upload to Gedmatch, because it usually gives a different story.  And it did.  40 cM MORE!  This is about 12%, which is online for first, but there's a pattern... at next generation, that would be about 1520.  This makes his father Trisha's half-brother!  Unfortunately, he long passed on.  This changed the suspected Father, George A, to his son, George B.  And the search heats up.  This is Trisha's dad, I'm sure of it.

I go to a new site, GENI.  There was a man named Champion, with the name of George A in the tree.   Unfortunately, he doesn't have much info, but he directs me to Nancy.  And she is a GOLDMINE of info!
She discovered a son of George B, who is still living... and he's either in NY (Binghamton, again) or in AZ.  I shared this info with Jessica, our search angel.  And she hit the jackpot on FB, find Tim, who is that son, and who IS in AZ.

Oh, boy.  I asked for a test, but at the moment it hasn't been ordered.  Yet the resemblance is there, and he's likely to be a half brother!  Or is he?  Could he be a FULL BROTHER?  This is yet to be answered.

A new Florance relative pops up.  And I am ... disappointed.  I found that he was related to a man whose mother and uncle are related to Trish.  But this isn't the elusive Irish side.  And this eliminated a McGinnis from the mother's side, because she's matching both Randy and Kaylin!  So, she's off Radar as a maternal match.

But other names are popping up.  Another 2 McNulty names.  And one of THOSE is related to a second cousin who hasn't been on Ancestry since 2014.  She's a 3rd cousin to Joe, and a 2nd to Trish, While Trish is a 4th to Joe.  Ain't no answers there.  Only one name that even has an F.  And that's a Ferguson.  But it is 1843.  With Forry, and Fadian, and Feddell, and Farrow on the lists, is it even remotely possible?

That is still to be determined.
But the search still yields surprises.  and I still have a "slight" possibility of solving by Trisha's b-day.  But the odds...well...Better odds on a Mega Millions ticket, I think.

But there IS hope.  I have determined one GGG-Grand line.  But that's one couple of 16.  There is STILL a long ways to go.

 A little small, I know.  You can make it larger with Windows by using Control and Plus.

Unexpected and welcome help

Uploading to FTDna was easy.  But it took quite a while to get all the results opened.  I couldn't contact anyone unless the results were opened and nobody would see us.  This is where Jessica came in VERY HANDY!

Within a few weeks, all the matches were opened.  I saw some "High match" cousins, possibly 2nd, so I reached out to the Email address.  There was a quick reply.  But what we saw was no connection.  NOTHING!

The match HAD to be through her father's side.  It was 3 family members, two siblings and a half-sibling.  Everyone matched Trish, but the mother was different for two.  The father, same.  So we knew it was there.  But WHO?  This was puzzling.  a 188 cM match, a 186, and a 114 (According to Gedmatch)  This means Trisha's match ought to be a 1st cousin or close to it, but... Nothing.  Kristen set to work to find something, to see what she could locate.  It was this time when I asked a daughter of a suspected mother to test for us.  Those results proved it wasn't maternal here.

Kristen's father tested.  Results were unexpected, not as high as I would have hoped.  According to our info, now, Kristen's dad is a 2nd cousin, but so are her brothers and she's third?  Seriously?

When Kristen found the match between Side A and Side B, it was a shock.  It seems that side A and side B were actually all the same side of Trisha's family!  But we now have names at a level with which we can work.  Turns out that our "1C1R" is 2nd cousin.  The match is Great-Grands. We're now on the hunt.  Still don't know if it's father or mother, but now it's all pointing to father's side.  At the Generation listed, we have 6 children.  1 of them died before reaching child bearing years.  Several had passed before 1930.

I started looking for more children.  Not in this Generation.  Only 1 person fit the bill...and he was dead 1 day after Trisha's birth.  But still, wrong generation for the search.

But I was looking for siblings of George.  I had forgotten about offspring.

And I found who I believed was a great-great grandson of our match.

I wrote.  He replied.  Test arranged.  No more answers until January.  The search slows to a sloth's pace.  I begin to check on the Irish side.

Tired.  Frustrated.  But it all continues.

And it was about now that I learned that Kristen's dad wasn't a 2nd cousin at all.  Our match was far more distant.  She is a 6th cousin.  Her father 5C1R.  We're at a loss to explain the high match.  But I'm glad, this strangeness was found.  And I'm grateful I had such a helpful match...even if it was far more distant than we expected!

Ancestry results

Ancestry results came in quicker than I had hoped.  I begin looking and IMMEDIATELY see the match that will turn the tide, I hope.  It is another match in NY state.  Most hits have been Susquehanna, PA,
but Binghamton is right on that list of top areas.

The match, a man of about 50, is unresponsive.  But he has a partial tree.  It doesn't go back a long way, but it is enough, I think.  cM match is 450, or about 6/5%.  The names to which he is connected:  Hulbert.  Florance.  Silvernail.  Green.   And again, I find I'm looking in the wrong spot!  I have a lot to learn.
I keep my eyes on the Hulbert line.  Well...  Then a new Clapper pops up, and I start think match between a Hulbert and a Clapper.  I really need to stop making such assumptions!

I give my search angel, Jessica, what info I have... she gets to work.  Unfortunately, we don't communicate as much as we need.

I upload results to FTDna, which is the last of the 3 major testing companies which were accepted by Gedmatch.

I make contact with the father of the match Hulbert.  Not too helpful, I fear.  But armed with more info, I'm able to make contact in the future with the daughter of sister of the father of the match... results later, but not what I hoped or expected.  Shows as 3rd cousin, so line is again wrong.

It would be September before we get our next big break. And it would NOT be what was expected!

Shifting Focus

December, 2014.  Searching names, closest names.  We find most names unresponsive.

First cousin with whom we made contact, for Trish:  Kimberly.  4th cousin?  Small match, but about 20 centimorgans (cM).  I was told to double each gen back.  Really can't make any connections.  Moved on to the closest cousins.  No replies at 23andme.  But a few started to come in.  Surnames, such as English, Calder,  some others.  I reached out using Gedmatch as a list.  But concentrating on Haplogroups (Which are passed down from mother to all children was an error.  I joined groups at Facebook.

I tried to construct a tree to Trish's then closest, Kaylin.  Gedmatch indicated a 3rd cousin; the groups gave me a different opinion, as 2nd cousin, 1 time removed.  But I started gathering names.  Lindquist.  Clapper.  Slater.  Galloway.  Fish.  Considering Irish was supposedly high in percent, I concentrated on the obvious Irish names.  That was dumb, but I didn't know it.  No real pictures, except for a Crissel and a few others such as a Lindquist.  But Names were a start.  We were told it was best to do another test with a second company.  Oh, there was just no way!

January 2015.  Trisha's suspected daughter ordered a test.  Didn't arrive; another would be ordered.  It was taken, we figured it would show results in March.  I started sending out more invites to people at 23andme...until I covered the whole list/  That was more than 1000 people.  And to think we had believed Trish was alone in the world.  At least, that was my fear; an unknown, an Island adrift with no connections to the mainland.

March.  About the 9th or so.  We got word from the person we wanted to test:  Results, IN.  I asked Haplogroup.  It was "H".  Trish was H3.  This couldn't be right.  We're devastated. Who we were so sure of being our first success...and it came to this.  But our tested told me to HOLD ON until the results were in.  All we had was the Haplogroup.  Finally, the results are in.  I'm hoping that she's at least a cousin, even if distant.

That first chromosome told me a different story.  It was a match.  COMPLETE!  NO DOUBT.  Fluke?  I checked the next.  Then 3rd.  and 4th.  All the way....
BINGO!  We had our first success.  Old fashioned research with DNA proof.

A search angel appeared on the horizon.  She promised us help in getting a new test, for ancestry.  Jessica is truly an angel in such a manner.

April:  First birthday we knew who Trisha's daughter is.  May, Trisha's first knowing it.  Test comes in.  Taken immediately, sent back.  I figure it will be July.

Would Ancestry, with results uploaded to FTDNA, provide any clues at all?
It remained to be seen.

Each day, now, I was checking 23andme, Gedmatch, for new matches.  The search would be going on for a long time, I reckoned.

Another day

After poking my way all the way through to 970, it looked like there was nobody.  I've gone more than 1/2 of the way, near 2/3s of the way with nothing.  I figured I go to 1000 for now.  Then, at 973, I hit upon someone who was searching for the family of his fiance'.  He gave info:  Born in Tampa.  Check.  Born at "Women's Hospital".  Check.  Born in Month wanted, day wanted... CHECK.

The info looked wrong, though.  Looked as if the adoption was from a woman from Atlanta.  That didn't make sense.  I marked the page.  I was tired.

A few days later, I was back on that page.  I had misread.  The adoption was by an Atlanta Resident...and we have a name.  But there are far too many with that name.  And one person has several "AKA"...  which did not make sense.

But I was on the trail.  I started asking for help to find the address of the person in question.  With help from "FINDING IN FLORIDA" Yahoo group, I got a name and an address.  I'd give it a try.

I mailed out a letter in August.  One day in September, the phone rang.  It was she to whom I had written.  Medical problems suspected, matched.  The only question left would be TIME OF DAY... and it fell, so neatly, into the time period I wanted.  Hopes, WAY UP!

Trish did DNA...  hopefully, something would be confirmed later.  It would be months.

The more we chatted, the more I was convinced.  Same hobbies!  Sane medical problems.  Same eye color.
I shifted focus to DNA searching for parents.A couple of matches at 23andme, but nothing I could verify because my invitations and queries went unanswered.
Finally, the day came when I uploaded to www.gedmatch.com

This proved to be vital, a tipping point for Trisha's search.  But it wouldn't be enough.  We needed more.

The journey

The journey began almost 64 years ago; 64 years in May.  This is when Trish was born.  She often wondered about her family -- who are they?  WHERE?  Why was she given to Catholic Charities for placement?

In 1975, her only child was born.  Circumstances dictated that her child would suffer the same fate as she...To be an "AFO-Syndrome" baby, placed through Children's home Society.

I would marry Trish in 1990.  She would speak of her lost daughter.  She would tell me her father was a musician.  But I had nothing with which to work.  The search led nowhere.

I picked up the search, again, about 10 years later, but still didn't have a clue as to what was needed.

Then, in 2013, I started again.  I frequented the boards, groups dealing with children that had been placed through various agencies.

In 2014, we decided that we would try DNA before the end of the year.

I also learned of a site called COUSINCONNECT.COM which I checked, hoping to find clues.

Clues.
Clues?

I checked over and over for clues to Trisha's parents.  Nothing.  Nobody looking.  She's a total "non-entity."

So, I thought I would see what I might find in the search for her long-lost child.  Hospital, County, Date, sex, time of day...at least approximately on that last one.

Over 1500 entries.  I started going through, one by one.  First hundred.  Nothing.  Second hundred.  A date, but not the sex.  Third Hundred:  Hospital, Gender, but date is off.  400, 500, 600 -- the story repeats.  No answers.

700.  800.  900.  Do you realize how much time I spent?

It looked hopeless.  But I would continue to plow through this info.

More to come.  Hopefully, Trish will do some entries, too.