52 Ancestors: Foundations | Our Prairie Nest

by Wendy, January 7, 2022

This month’s theme for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is “Foundations” and so is this week’s prompt. I’d like to talk about shaken foundations, when you find out the answer to a question isn’t at all what you expected.

Thanks to the wonders of DNA and genetic genealogy, my sense of self – of what I thought I knew about my family – was turned somewhat upside down. Certainly not to the extent that it is for someone who finds an unexpected parent, child, or sibling, but I have some idea of how that must feel.

This happened at the great-grandparent level for me, when my mother and I learned that her father’s father was neither of the men we expected. It was so strange to come to terms with the fact that we had to essentially replace an entire branch of our genetic tree. Why?

Haley Ancestry

For over twenty years, I’d been fascinated by my mom’s paternal lineage. Her father was, as far as we knew, a Haley. These Haleys in Plympton and Middleborough, Massachusetts descended from Edward Marshall Haley, who came from Ireland and settled in Plympton, Massachusetts by 1830. Now that I know better and have been following up on my genetic tree, his name looks strange to me. But for most of my adulthood, he was a man whose life I was trying to follow back to Ireland.

Along came DNA testing, which I embraced whole heartedly starting in 2006 (and still recommend!). And, with it, came a strange new network of genetic relatives I didn’t recognize. The pieces didn’t fall into place until I took DNA tests at every company (23andMe, Ancestry, Family Tree DNA, Living DNA, and MyHeritage) and analyzed my results, as well as my mother’s and maternal uncle’s results.

As it turned out, my maternal grandfather was not a Haley. Not even close. Not one drop of Irish ethnicity and no Haley or related matches to be found. We looked at the other logical option – that he might actually be the son of his mother’s first husband, Joseph William St. Onge, a man whose parents were French Canadian.

Also, no. Not a chance. No matches connected to this prolific family.

Instead, the father was a man we’d never heard of, a man from a tiny town in southern Italy. A man who born in Campora, Salerno, Campania, Italy, who had emigrated from to Boston with his parents and siblings.

Feola Family

My mom and I discussed this finding with a mixture of awe and shock and excitement. DNA answered a question she had asked herself for years: “Was my father’s father really Herbert Benjamin Haley, Sr. or was it Joseph William St. Onge?”

My grandfather’s birth certificate lists his name as “Herbert Haley St. Onge” and his father as Joseph, because that’s who his mother was married to at the time. However, the story we were always told was that Joseph had run off by that time – actually, before Herbert’s most recent half-sibling had been more in 1925 – and that Herbert’s father, Herbert Sr., had come in and helped his mother put her life back together. Naturally, my mother had questioned her father’s paternity for a long time.

But when DNA disproved any possible relationship to the Haley or St. Onge families, we were stunned. Instead, we had to turn our attention to a man named Pasquale Feola, who had been in the right place at the right time to be Herbert’s father.

We didn’t know if he ever had an ongoing relationship with Herbert’s mother. We will probably never know. But, even with the network of Feola and related DNA matches, some of whom were as close as half first cousins, we still held onto the idea that maybe, just maybe, there was a Haley in there somewhere*. Until, that is, one of my grandfather’s nieces through his youngest sister – also supposed to be a daughter of Herbert Haley, Sr. – tested.

The niece was a half match, and we knew that the man we were told had helped my great-grandmother get her life back together – the man whose parents and siblings helped raise my grandfather – may have been his dad, may have given Herbert a name and a real family, but he wasn’t his biological father.

*And I know our Feola first cousins also were surprised to learn that their grandfather hadn’t been perfectly faithful to his wife, and that he – and some of his children, as more DNA testing later revealed – had unexpected children out there.

Family Tree vs. Genetic Tree

I think that distinction explains it best. We have our family tree and then we have our genetic tree. For my mom and I, discovering our genetic tree was a source of excitement. However, it also forced us to rethink what we knew about our family. In the end, we know that the Haleys were truly family to her father. But the truth about the genetics is now out and we are okay with that, too.

This discovery has allowed us to build a new foundation, one that integrates more footings and anchor bolts to keep the concrete slab firmly in place, so we can build something even more intricate on it.

WikiTree: A Collaborative Family Tree

by Wendy, January 5, 2022

In the summer of 2017, I joined WikiTree to see if there might be any useful information about my ancestors there. I also uploaded a limited GEDCOM to the site, to see if I could contribute anything of value. I experienced some ups and downs, so here are my thoughts and experiences. You could also think of this post as “WikiTree: Instructions for Use” since I will share my thoughts and tips on using this site.

Collaboration

Wikis by their very nature are openly editable by anyone who happens to be a member. This means you have well-meaning members making changes to your data or telling you what they think you should do with it. Some members are very polite and personable. Others are brusque and to the point. Like everything in life, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. However, most people are there because they want to work together to improve the tree. If you don’t like someone else “touching your ancestors,” I’m going to tell you straight up that this is not the place for you.

However, if you would like to work with others – and especially if you would like to find cousins who have the same deep interest in your shared ancestors – WikiTree might be a place you want to try. Remember, most genealogists are excited to share their toys, so even if you don’t want to contribute to the tree, you might find profiles for your ancestors that include sources you don’t yet have!

Keep in mind this is not a place where you will find sources. Sources are cited in ancestor profiles, but this is not a service like Ancestry. This is an online family tree with a lot of fun community extras and teamwork.

Joining WikiTree

I recommend starting out as a Guest or Family Member to get a feel for the site. Not going to lie here, folks, the interface is complicated and outdated. I’m not sure what kind of coding or platform it’s been built with, or if it leaves room for change/updating for ease of use in the future. But that seems to be the main complaint for most people, that navigating it is difficult.

There is a learning curve and this is why I recommend taking it slowly, one step at a time. It’s a lot like comparing Gedmatch to Ancestry for DNA. Gedmatch offers some really cool tools, but they were developed by a developer, which means the rest of us mere mortals are going to have some learning to do. 😉

It doesn’t help that Ancestry is visually attractive and easy to navigate. We’ve become accustomed to sites that are streamlined and deliver the information or results we want right meow! However, please don’t let WikiTree’s interface put you off of exploring it further, because this site has so much to offer.

WikiTree Genealogist Honor Code

WikiTree users sign the Genealogist Honor Code, and this is a commitment to accuracy, courtesy, and assuming – as well as acting with – the best intentions of everyone. This doesn’t mean every profile will be perfect. Some people join WikiTree, upload a huge GEDCOM, and then never return. However, you are also going to find amazingly-written biographies and well-sourced profiles that are maintained by active profile managers who care about the information presented.

If you do a Google search for your ancestors and find them on WikiTree, please stop and take a good look at the profiles. If they’re among the phenomenal ones you can find on the site, congratulations! If, however, they appear abandoned – maybe even orphaned – then maybe you could consider adopting them and helping them meet their full potential.

For example, I have no direct connection with any of the Culper Ring spies, but I’ve been fascinated by them ever since watching the TV show Turn. So what did I do when I came across some orphaned, unconnected, and unsourced profiles that might have been connected to one of these famous spies? I adopted them, improved the biographies, added sources, found out they were indeed related to one of the spies, and made the connection between family members. These folks have living descendants, so maybe someday those descendants will be glad someone took the time to do that.

And that’s the thing about WikiTree – it’s not about me or you. It’s about everyone, how we can work together to create a well-sourced family tree for anyone, from serious genealogist to casual family historian, to enjoy! If this sounds good to you, here are some tips on how to get started. Keep in mind, this is just from my experience.

Creating Profiles vs. GEDCOM Upload

I’m not going to sugarcoat it – the GEDCOM upload is a process, and that means you must then go in and fix every single person you added to conform with WikiTree standards. Yes, this site has standards, and I think that’s one of the things most people find daunting when they first get started.

The work of improving a GEDCOM includes fixing names, dates, locations, biographies, sources, merging potential duplicates, and more. If you upload a GEDCOM of several hundred people, it can take quite some time to fix all of their profiles. And if you are busy with work, school, children, or life in general and can only devote an hour or two a week to it, this can take a while. So I don’t suggest that approach.

If you want to start with a GEDCOM, I recommend limiting it to no more than four or five generations. That’s a more manageable project and you’re also less likely to run into duplicate profiles that you’ll need to merge. WikiTree is meant to be one family tree, not multiple trees.

I highly recommend creating profiles one at a time, instead, starting by creating profiles for yourself, your parents, and your grandparents. Why? Because that information is private and/or limited. No one else can edit them, except you. That’s a great way to hone your biography writing and sourcing skills. Keeping it within only a couple of generations of yourself to start is also great because it keeps other people from editing the information you’ve uploaded or added, which can be frustrating for a newbie until they get to know the site, the standards, and the community.

Once you get comfortable with the interface, work your way back by adding your great-grandparents. Beyond that, the privacy options are much more open and other members can edit your information freely. Again, if you are fiercely protective of your family tree, WikiTree is not the place for you.

Take the time to learn about WikiTree’s formatting, the Find A Grave template, and tags. Those are the basics that will ensure you have easy to read profiles and well-organized sources. Don’t worry too much about Categories and Stickers just yet. If you cannot find any sources to add to your profiles, please know that they may be tagged with the “Unsourced” designation. I prefer to add the Unsourced tag myself, with an explanation of why sources haven’t been located yet, and where I’ve already looked.

There are many help pages on WikiTree that cover a lot of ground. Maybe a little too much! That’s why I suggest taking it person by person in creating profiles and familiarizing yourself with how things are done on the site. A slow and steady start will save you from the unnecessary frustration that comes from people who try to do you and WikiTree a favor by adding information to your profiles – which is done in the spirit of helping improve the tree, not to upset you. As I said, you’ll connect with some really wonderful people who care about the WikiTree mission, but if you feel possessive about maintaining a family tree, then you are better off keeping it elsewhere.

P.S. I never, ever advocate keeping your tree online only. I keep mine in Legacy and Rootsmagic, and back my files up regularly. The reason I have it on Ancestry and MyHeritage is to link to my DNA results. The reason I have it on WikiTree is for the collaborative community aspect of the site.

WikiTree Tips

Profiles on WikiTree and the sources added should be easily accessible to all users, or at least detailed enough for you to find the original source yourself. By this I mean try to add freely-viewable sources. FamilySearch is, of course, the go-to site for this, as well as Find A Grave, the National Archives for certain records, and Archive.org for published genealogies, directories, town reports, books with vital record transcripts, and more.

Some WikiTree users add links to subscription-only sites as sources, which means no one can even see the sources unless they are a paying member of the site. I disagree with this practice, unless it is the only available source. I also disagree with citing family trees as sources, unless it is a published, documented family tree, such as the ones you find in the Mayflower Silver Books.

You can also earn badges on WikiTree, which can be a lot of fun. I’m a goal-driven video gamer, so the badges appeal to me in the sense that they almost gamify the experience. However, the real goal should be to make the family tree be the most accurate it can be. The badges are a fun incentive, but this is not a numbers game. This is about being rewarded for the time and energy you contribute to something that can benefit everyone.

I also recommend approaching your fellow WikiTreers in a friendly manner. Some people leave a blunt message on merge requests that simply say “Clear duplicate.” There’s nothing wrong with that, but I prefer leaving an enthusiastic and friendly message that says, “Hi there! I see we both manage profiles for John Smith who was born in 1795 and died in 1832, and who married Mary Johnson. They were my 4th great-grandparents. It looks like these profiles are duplicates and I’ve added several sources. If we could get these merged per WikiTree guidelines, that would be fantastic!”

Sure, that’s much less efficient than “Clear duplicate,” but I feel like it’s an invitation to connect with a possible cousin and fellow community member. And that’s another point of having a collaborative tree, to connect with others who are as excited about genealogy as you.

Here is another personal preference: When I do find errors in a profile or an unsourced profile, I prefer not to edit it directly. Instead, I like to communicate with the profile manager and say, “Hi there, I found *this source* that might be of interest for *ancestor name*. I hope this is useful to you in enhancing their profile!” If that profile manager hasn’t checked in for a while or doesn’t respond in a couple of weeks, then I will correct the errors or add the source. That goes hand in hand with assuming everyone has the best intentions. We should also act with those good intentions.

If you decide to give WikiTree a try, take it slow, maybe get involved with one of the various teams, and don’t be afraid to communicate! Many of the folks there are friendly and committed to improving the quality of the profiles found on the site. Who knows – you might even meet a cousin or make some new friends!

Wallace Family of Nova Scotia | Our Prairie Nest

The Wallace family of Halifax, Nova Scotia

by Wendy, December 31, 2021

In confirming my great-great grandmother’s paternity, I found myself digging deeper into her father’s family. It’s time to meet the Wallace family of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Emma’s father was Francis Wallace. It seems more and more likely that he didn’t marry Emma’s mother, Eliza (Elizabeth) Murphy. Francis was the son of James Wallace and Rebecca Elizabeth Smith. He is found in Hutchinson’s Nova Scotia directory for 1866-67 in Port Mulgrave as “Wallace, France – clerk.” He died 16 February 1892 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. His probate was administered publicly, and the file doesn’t mention any property or relatives.

Francis came from a family that seemed otherwise respectable and well-to-do in Halifax. One story that Emma passed down to her grandchildren was that her family “owned ships.” That’s certainly possible, however the paper trail and DNA evidence that have led us to the Wallace family tell a slightly different story.

Francis’ brother, Vincent Wallace, was a customs agent in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He didn’t own ships, but he was tied to the shipping industry by his work. Vincent was born 19 Jul 1835 in Halifax and died rather young on 27 November 1878 in Port Mulgrave, Guysborough, Nova Scotia, Canada. He and his wife, Margaret Mahoney (m. 3 Feb 1864 in Guysborough) had 3 children: Clara E. (b 1865), Howard Sylvester (b. 6 Oct 1866), and Eugenie (b. Jan 1864, m. 2 Jun 1897 to John S. McDonald in Halifax, witnessed by Catherine Wallace).

Descendants from Vincent are among mine and my father’s DNA matches. Francis had other siblings as well, and I don’t know yet if they were tied to the shipping industry, or what his father did for a living. This is a family I’m still newly researching and I hope to learn more about them.

Finding NPEs among my family – first for my maternal grandfather’s father and then for Emma (my father’s great-grandmother) – has changed much of what I learned about my family tree when I was a teenager. As always, traditional, paper trail research is the best way to start. Genetic genealogy can provide confirmation or a different/unexpected path to research, and works well to enhance what you already know… or to lead you elsewhere!

Enslaved People in my Family History

by Wendy, August 27, 2021

Some of my ancestors fall under the definition of enslavers. Not all of them and not only the southern ones, either. Many people think slavery was endemic only to the southern United States, as far as U.S. history, but that’s not correct. There were enslaved people in the northern states, and I found at least one in my family in the federal census in Rhode Island. At the time, I didn’t pay as much attention as I do now, but I never forgot the surprise of seeing a tick mark in the box indicating my family had an enslaved person.

When I discovered my southern ancestors and found documents naming the people they kept enslaved, I decided to explore further and look into the names and histories of these people. Some people don’t understand why I would do that, let alone care. Maybe some people find it distasteful to address these aspects of our country’s history. Others, I know, say they would never admit to having ancestors who were enslavers. However, I think it’s important to address this, because it’s a fact of my family history. Rather than bury our heads in the sand, we need to say this was wrong and amoral, and learn from history.

However, the main reason I choose to talk or write about this is also because the enslaved people were people. They had their own personalities, thoughts, feelings, and hopes. Being enslaved is not and should not be all that defines them. So I would like to talk about the enslaved people in my family history. Furthermore, I would like to learn more about each and every one of them, if at all possible. Did they go on to have descendants? What were their experiences? What were their descendants’ experiences? Do they have living descendants today who are aware of their ancestors’ past as enslaved people? What are their thoughts and feelings about their ancestors’ experiences?

The Enslaved People

My nearest ancestor I can pinpoint as keeping enslaved people in his home is my 5th great-grandfather, Richard Howett, born about 1755 and died between 13 May 1805 (date of his Will) and 8 Feb 1806 (date his Will was probated) in Tyrrell County, North Carolina. His Will was the first document I ever found that named people who had been enslaved and also a sobering reality check. These people truly were treated as things, bequeathed in a Will with all other belongings, as if they were nothing more than livestock or furniture. Here are excerpts from Richard’s Will referring specifically to enslaved people:

I give unto my well beloved wife Lydia Howett one negro woman called Genea… I also lend the use of the following negroes one negro woman called Chloe one negro by called Washington on conditions that my wife raises the increase of these two negro women lent during her life, also I lend to my wife one negro man called Squire during her natural life… I leave to my son Richad Howett one still it is my will and desire that negro woman Tamer and negro woman Silve be sold by my executors at six months credit to the highest bidder at public auction the purchaser giving bond with good security and the money arising from said sail shall be equally divided between Charlotte Windsor and Patsey Windsor as their full share of my estate, I give my son Silvenus Howett a negro boy called Washington that I have lent to my wife at her death…

In addition to Richard’s Will, the fourth document in his probate file shows that Joshua Skinner filed a petition in 1822 for the sale and division of negroes, stating Lydia, Richard’s wife, did not adhere to the terms of the Will, to “raise the increase” of the negro women Chloe (Cloe) and Moll. Chloe had 4 children: Nancy, Mary, Samuel and Patience, and the petition asked that they be sold and the funds divided among the Howett heirs entitled to them.

Another document from 1821 shows the following enslaved people sold as part of the estate (their ages were listed in the document, and I added estimated dates of birth): Jim (23 – b. 1798), Aggy (20 – b. 1801), Jimmy (5 – b. 1816), Cooper (3 – b. 1818) (Jimmy and Cooper were Aggy’s sons), and Mariah (15 – b. 1806). Others named in the estate were a boy, Spinner/Spencer, and an old woman, Doll (or possibly Moll).

Seeing the actual document with your own eyes is very different than seeing it typed out, but no matter how we come across such records, acknowledging our history is important. Even more important is not letting the history of these people end up buried and forgotten. My ancestors enslaved them, but I promise to honor their lives.

Haley Ancestry

Feola Family

Family Tree vs. Genetic Tree

Collaboration

Joining WikiTree

WikiTree Genealogist Honor Code

Creating Profiles vs. GEDCOM Upload

WikiTree Tips

The Enslaved People

Hey There!

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Haley Ancestry

Feola Family

Family Tree vs. Genetic Tree

Collaboration

Joining WikiTree

WikiTree Genealogist Honor Code

Creating Profiles vs. GEDCOM Upload

WikiTree Tips

The Enslaved People

Hey There!

Let's Connect

Books on my Bedside Table

Recent posts

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