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Mysteries

Here is a list of mysteries associated with our ancestors. I'm pretty sure that answers exist. Maybe you know a solution to one of the mysteries.

  1. Josef Kessler was a cousin to Barbara (Kessler) Rombs. He lived with his family in Ipswich, SD. I have some notes that indicate that the Rombs and Kessler families visited each other. Unfortunately, I do not know what happened to Josef. His wife's (Anna Saenger's) obit indicates that he died in 1893, but I have never been able to determine exactly when he died, where he died, or where he is buried. Read more about the family in this document.
  2. Agnes Moodie's mother was Jemima (Nicol) Moodie. She may have traveled to the USA in the 1880s. I have never found a record of her death, and I wonder if she died in or en route to WI, near her son and daughters.
  3. Jerome B. Tupper was Harry Bates' grandfather. Wisconsin records indicate that he died in Grant Co., WI, but I have not found where he was buried.
  4. There are a few mysteries associated with Sam Loy and his ancestors. -
    1. It certainly appears that he was married twice - the first wife being Margaret Rower. They had a son named William Loy, who was at least partly raised by his maternal grandparents in OH. He eventually moved to Auburn, IN, married and had three children. Since this part of his past was not handed down to me by immediate relatives, it would be worthwhile to confirm that William and his offspring are descendants of Sam. This might be done based on similar visual appearance or DNA evidence. Can you find a picture? Has a descendant done DNA testing? Here is some information about him.
    2. Sam's mother, Susannah, was born in PA. I have started to trace her family back from Marion Co., OH, to PA, but lots is unknown. I have added a section devoted solely to this investigation.
    3. Sam's father, John Loy, moved from Baden to Marion Co., OH, then west to the Delphos, OH, area. Along the way he may have married a lady named Catherine Klinger. Many details of his life need to be confirmed by discovery of additional evidence. Read more about proposed events in John's life in this document.
  5. John Bates, brother of Harry was born in WI in 1893 and died in 1908. Where was he buried?
  6. While in South Dakota recently, I obtained a few photos of people that my aunt, Anna Comeau, had accumulated in Gettysburg, South Dakota. Unfortunately there are some people in the photos that I do not recognize. Here is a link to the "unknowns." https://photos.app.goo.gl/dbrxP49w6M8dzFec7 Perhaps you recognize someone! If so, please contact me.
  7. My genetic testing has revealed about a dozen other testers with virtually identical mitochondrial DNA. This means that we share a common maternal ancestor somewhere in the distant (not too distant?) past. Since my maternal line can be traced nearly 400 hundred years back to colonial Connecticut, I have done an analysis that might help to identify a common ancestor, assuming that she existed within the last 400 years.
  8. My maternal Allen line traces pretty clearly back to Fabius, NY, in the era from the very end of the 18th century to the first thirty years of the 19th century. From there back in time there are only a few hints about family ancestors. I have written a summary of what hints have been found about the ancestors of Peter and Roena (Pierce/Pearce) Allen prior to 1800. This summary suggests ways to resolve the uncertainties.

There are some mysteries that have actually been solved! Descriptions follow.

  • The grave site of Satina Bates Tupper, Harry Bates' grandmother and wife of Jerome Tupper, has been found in Bethel Cemetery, near Ellis, SD. The cemetery has suffered from neglect and has recently been cleaned up, but there is no marker for Satina (or most others buried there). Were it not for the WPA graves registration project during the Depression, the grave would likely have been lost. A description of its location in the cemetery is here.
  • Libby Bates was Harry Bates' sister, and for many years I had no information about her life. A little bit of luck, however, allowed me to trace her from WI to SD to ND to WA and back to WI, where her remains were buried near her sister May. I have summarized what I found in a short manuscript. And, with the help of recently discovered cousin, I have acquired photos that show Libby. Here's one.


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