Ancestor Adventuring and Adventures – 52 Ancestors (Ancestors 22, 24, 25, 46, 47, 62, 63, 72, 73, 96, 114, 480, 960)

Lately, I’ve been writing a few articles to go along with the weekly suggested themes of the 52 Ancestors Challenge. It’s what got me started with this blog in January 2014* during Amy Johnson Crow’s first year of the challenge.

I couldn’t think of what to write on this week’s theme of adventure. All that came to mind were danger and travels. It seemed like there should be more to it than that. So, being the good daughter of a former Latin and English teacher who taught me much about English (with a tad of Latin thown in for good measure and which I don’t remember), I looked up the word.

William COTTER and Catherine (SHANAHAN) COTTER: From Ireland to America 1849 – 52 Ancestors (Ancestors 46 and 47)

William COTTER and Catherine (SHANAHAN) COTTER were already married when they emigrated from Ireland to New York in 1849. They brought some of their children with them, and some were born in the USA.

Elizabeth (CORMACK) RENFRO – A Nice, Big X Match (Ancestor 45)

Elizabeth (CORMACK) RENFRO – A Nice, Big X Match (Ancestor 45)

If you’ve been studying genetic genealogy for a bit, you may understand X DNA, but I’ll give a summation here.

X DNA is different from regular autosomal DNA. The 23rd chromosomal pair contains the sex chromosomes – those which determine the biological gender of the child. In all but rare cases, biological females have two X chromosomes (XX), and biological males have one X and one Y (XY). As we may have learned in high school or college biology, it is the male’s 23rd chromosome that determines the gender of the child.

Henry Pat ANTON (1872-1943) – 52 Ancestors (Ancestor 10)

Henry Anton death certificate. Copyright Notice: You do not have permission to download or copy this photo without obtaining it from me. Thank you.

I didn’t know that my paternal grandmother’s father had a middle name until Ancestry  added its “U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007” a few years ago. There is no middle name on his death certificate, and I had not heard of one.

Joseph H. VIRKLER – Cheese Manufacturer, Sewing Machine Agent, “Segar” Salesman, and Real Estate Builder – 52 Ancestors (Ancestor 18)

I have been halted by perfectionism while writing an article about a different ancestor. It seems like it will never get finished, as I’ve been “working on it” for nearly two years. It will, but will it take another year? I don’t know.

In the meantime, I thought I’d write some short (well, relatively speaking) yet fruitful (my wishful thinking) articles about other ancestors, one every now and then. They say that if you’re going to have a blog, you should write everyday. Yeah, right. That’s me [insert sarcastic tone]. At least you should write once a week. Lately, I’ve been lucky to get something out every 4-6 months! It’s not for lack of starting articles, and this is one of those which had a nice title and no text. It has the research. Now, it will have the write-up.

A quickie with good sources and no citations. I’m appalled.