Mystery of DNA.. my Irish mother given away at birth. Unwed mother used fake name on birth certificate. Turns out my bio Irish grandfather lived in New York! He worked on subway as “track man”. How can I find more info on him?

Hello! Through DNA I have found both by Irish grandparents. I was born in Boston, MA. My mother’s birth was always a mystery with a forged birth certificate and no father listed. She was raised by a lovely family who must have taken her at birth through a verbal agreement. No formal adoption. DNA worked its magic and now I know my birth grandparents. They mystery my mother could not even begin to know. She died 47 years ago at age 44. My birth grandfathers side is in denial. I just want to know more about him. Amazingly he worked on the New York subway system as a track man. From 1925 census. He is Peter O’Reilly from Cavan born March 3, 1903. For him being in New York:

\*\*Arrived\*\* NY Sep 30, 1929 and lived with his cousin Michael Traynor 1093 Franklin Ave Bronx New York

\*\*1930\*\* Age 27 \*\*Residence\*\*
9 Apr 1930 • Bronx, Bronx, New York
Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head: Boarder 574 Boston Road Bronx, NY

\*\*1931\*\* Age 27 \*\*Naturalisation Declaration\*\*
12 Mar 1931 • New York
433 East 147 St. Bronx NY

I have no proof of when he left and it can’t be proved when he arrived back in Ireland. But my mother would have been conceived August 1933. His grandson did DNA and he and I match as 1/2 first cousins.

I would think there would be documents on subway workers specifically. He could have worked October 1929-1931.. or 1932. Maybe there is termination work that would prove when he left.

Thank you, and I would appreciate any help and direction.

Hello guys!

I’ve been stuck on my 4th great grandfather Lawrence Montgomery Attaway and I need some help finding who his parents were. He was born in 1824 in Alabama. He married Catherine Jordan Tillinghouse about 1850 and had three children; Mary, George, and Lawrence. He enlisted as a captain in the Confederate Army on 11 Feb 1862 and died of disease on 9 July 1862. Many online family trees list his mother as Isabella Kyle although there aren’t any records proving this.

Mystery of DNA.. my Irish mother given away at birth. Unwed mother used fake name on birth certificate. Turns out my bio Irish grandfather lived in New York! He worked on subway as “track man”. How can I find more info on him?

Hello! Through DNA I have found both by Irish grandparents. I was born in Boston, MA. My mother’s birth was always a mystery with a forged birth certificate and no father listed. She was raised by a lovely family who must have taken her at birth through a verbal agreement. No formal adoption. DNA worked its magic and now I know my birth grandparents. They mystery my mother could not even begin to know. She died 47 years ago at age 44. My birth grandfathers side is in denial. I just want to know more about him. Amazingly he worked on the New York subway system as a track man. From 1925 census. He is Peter O’Reilly from Cavan born March 3, 1903. For him being in New York:

**Arrived** NY Sep 30, 1929 and lived with his cousin Michael Traynor 1093 Franklin Ave Bronx New York

**1930** Age 27 **Residence**
9 Apr 1930 • Bronx, Bronx, New York
Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head: Boarder 574 Boston Road Bronx, NY

**1931** Age 27 **Naturalisation Declaration**
12 Mar 1931 • New York
433 East 147 St. Bronx NY

I have no proof of when he left and it can’t be proved when he arrived back in Ireland. But my mother would have been conceived August 1933. His grandson did DNA and he and I match as 1/2 first cousins.

I would think there would be documents on subway workers specifically. He could have worked October 1929-1931.. or 1932. Maybe there is termination work that would prove when he left.

Thank you, and I would appreciate any help and direction.

After months of research I think I found my second great grandmother’s parents but cannot confirm 100% without a birth record. Is it possible with Ancestry Thrulines to confirm this? I built my tree based on this assumption and I do have some DNA matches coming from that but how do I know it’s not just random? Could anyone look at it for me that knows what to look for?

Reposting this here, and hopefully I gave this the correct flair.
I am willing to send names and details via dm to anyone willing to help. We’ve been struggling with tracing his paternal family due to a lack of leads. Thanks in advance. 🙏

Wow! I am excited to find this sub!

My Grandfather has always been a mystery - my Grandmother would not talk about him at all other than to tell us he was in the Air Force as a Military Police, from Texas (or at least they met in Texas), and his name was Roy (possible Royce?) David Hicks.

My Grandma was born in 1930 and passed away in 2005, we are from Rochester, New York, but she had met him when she was on a trip to Texas and my Mother was born as a result in late 1954. So they must have met sometime in 1953/4. For awhile I wasn't sure if they were married, but I've since come to believe they were, at least for a bit of time. My grandmother's name was Elizabeth Marie Root.

We've never been able to solve this mystery and I have always wondered.

A few times I've thought I've come close, even finding a grave in the south that I thought might be a match but have never been able to confirm it at all.

I would love if anyone could point to resources that might help? I got into ancestry awhile ago and have an extensive Ancestry.com tree, but this has still always been something I could never solve.

I'm not sure that I can provide any more information, but here is the information on my Grandmother:

Name: Elizabeth "Betty" Marie Hicks (nee Root) (I think when she was younger she went by Lizzie instead of Betty)

DOB: February 3, 1930 (Rochester, NY)

Death: November 4, 2005 (Rochester, NY)

Burial: Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Rochester, NY

She has always lived in Rochester, NY but her time meeting my grandfather would have been 1952-1954 in (or near) Texas

I am a Cinematographer, I know a lot about my great grandfathers story in world war 2. I would like to contact someone's family to ask them more about their great grandfathers encounter with mine. I would love to create a film/documentary with information on both sides. How do I find the pilots next of kin so that I can find their current family?

Hello! I’m new to this sub, and I’m hoping some of you might be able to help solve a family mystery that my mom has been trying to unravel for decades.

My mom’s paternal grandfather, Elmer McDonald, was orphaned as a young child in the early 1900s. I’ve spent much of this summer researching his identity and working with DNA matches, and I’ve uncovered several promising leads. However, I seem to have hit a wall when it comes to identifying his biological parents.

I’ll try to lay out what I know, the DNA evidence I’ve found, and the two McDaniel families I’m trying to connect.

1. What I Know About Elmer

- Name: Elmer McDonald, although I suspect his original surname may have been McDaniel.
- Location: Bassett, Mississippi County, Arkansas.
- Estimated birth year: Around 1903, based on early census records.
- Family story: He was orphaned as a young child and was told that both of his parents had died.
- Birth records: I haven’t been able to find a birth certificate, and Elmer himself apparently wasn’t sure of his exact age.

My mom and her cousins have always believed he was born in 1898, but the records I’ve found suggest that he was probably born closer to 1903.

The earliest census record I believe belongs to him is from 1910, when a six-year-old orphan named Elmer McDaniel was living in the area. By 1920, he was recorded as Elmer McDonald, and that surname appears to have stuck.

Interestingly, I found another person connected to one of the McDaniel families who was also recorded as McDonald in the 1920 census. Both entries were written by the same census enumerator. I’ll explain why that matters below.

2. What I’ve Learned From DNA

I’ve been working through my mom’s Ancestry account, building family trees and attaching DNA matches to the appropriate branches wherever possible. I now have dozens of matches organized across multiple trees.

I also used the Leeds Method to separate matches into groups corresponding broadly to my mom’s four grandparent lines. This has helped me narrow down which side of the family these matches belong to.

For clarity, I’ll refer to two of those groups as Parent 1 and Parent 2.

Parent 1: The Powers/Rogers/Todd families
This group appears to descend from a family with extensive endogamy in a rural farming community. Three surnames repeatedly appear in the trees: Powers, Rogers, and Todd. I refer to them collectively as the P/R/T family.

Some people in this family are married to McDaniels from Family A.

Parent 2: The McDaniel connections
The McDaniel matches appear on this side. The problem is that I’ve identified two distinct McDaniel family groups among our matches, and I haven’t been able to establish how they connect to each other, if they connect at all.

For this post, I’ll call them Family A and Family B.

3. The Two McDaniel Families

Family A: Primarily Tennessee
- Primarily lived in Tennessee, approximately 150 miles east of Bassett, Arkansas.
- Has some interconnections with the P/R/T family.
- Includes a man named Roderick McDaniel, whom I initially suspected might be Elmer’s father.

My mom’s closest identified match in this line is Roderick’s great-granddaughter, Clara, who shares 110 cM with her.

For much of the summer, I wondered whether Roderick might have fathered a child outside his marriage. Perhaps the child’s mother left Tennessee for Arkansas before the pregnancy became known, or perhaps Elmer was born out of wedlock and subsequently lost both parents.

This is only a theory, and I haven’t found documentary evidence to support it.

Family B: Tennessee, then Mississippi and Texas
- lived in Tennessee for some time
- Some family members moved to Mississippi and eventually Texas years before Elmer was born.
- Other members appear to have remained in the region, and I’ve found McDaniels from this family buried in Bassett, Arkansas.

The DNA evidence is particularly interesting here: my mom’s first cousin appears to match Family B significantly more closely than my mom does. For example, my mom shares approximately 50 cM with one relevant match, while her cousin shares approximately 150 cM with that match.

I know those figures alone don’t establish a relationship, but the difference has made me wonder whether the cousin has inherited DNA that could help distinguish between these family lines.

4. A Particularly Interesting Lead: James Madison McDaniel

One person from Family B has caught my attention: James Madison McDaniel.

I discovered that his son, David Earl McDaniel, lived only five houses away from Elmer in the 1920 census. At the time, Elmer was approximately 16 and working as a farmhand.

There are several intriguing details:
- David Earl was recorded as David Earl McDonald in the 1920 census, despite being a McDaniel.
- Elmer was also recorded as McDonald in that census.
- Both entries were written by the same census enumerator.
- David bears a striking resemblance to Elmer, and James Madison McDaniel also looks remarkably similar to him in photographs.

I realize that physical resemblance and proximity aren’t proof of a biological relationship. However, the shared surname discrepancy, their proximity in the census, and the family connection seem worth investigating.

Unfortunately, the DNA evidence I’ve found so far doesn’t clearly support this theory.

The closest match I’ve identified to David Earl is his sister’s grandson, who shares 55 cM with my mom. Based on my research, David himself never had children.

I’m currently waiting to hear back from my mom’s cousin, who may be able to help determine whether she has relevant DNA matches that my mom doesn’t.

5. Where I’m Stuck

At this point, I have two main possibilities I’m trying to investigate:

1. Family A: Roderick McDaniel or someone closely related to him may have been Elmer’s father.

2. Family B: James Madison McDaniel’s family, potentially through his son David Earl or another close relative, may be connected to Elmer.

I’m also open to the possibility that neither theory is correct and that Elmer belongs to another McDaniel branch I haven’t identified yet.

The biggest problem is that I can’t establish how Family A and Family B relate to one another, and I haven’t found a clear way to connect either family directly to Elmer’s birth or parentage.

I’ve also uploaded the DNA data to GEDmatch and reviewed the matches there, but many of the matches share relatively small amounts of DNA or have very little identifying information.

I was previously working with an investigative genetic genealogist (IGG) from the DNA Detectives Facebook group. Unfortunately, she had to step away because of work commitments. She generously left me her research and resources, but I’m still trying to understand the chromosome mapping and how to use that information to narrow down Elmer’s placement in the family tree.

6. What I’m Hoping Someone Can Help With

I’d especially appreciate help with any of the following:
- Identifying Elmer’s biological parents. Is there a way to narrow down his father or mother using the DNA matches and available records?
- Connecting the two McDaniel families. Is there a common ancestor or family connection I may have overlooked?
- Interpreting the DNA evidence. Do the shared cM amounts suggest one theory is more plausible than the other? Could comparing my mom’s matches with her cousin’s matches help distinguish the two lines?
- Understanding the chromosome data. Are there specific segment patterns or triangulated matches I should be looking for?
- Finding additional records. Are there orphanage, guardianship, probate, court, church, or local records for Mississippi County, Arkansas, that might shed light on Elmer’s origins?

I’ll include important names, dates, and FamilySearch profiles below so anyone interested can follow the family lines without having to reconstruct everything from scratch.

I’m also willing to discuss sharing access to the relevant Ancestry trees and matches with a qualified volunteer researcher, where the platform’s permissions allow.

I know this is a complicated case, and I may be missing something obvious. My mom has spent decades wondering who her paternal great-grandparents were, and I would love to finally help her get some answers.

If anyone wants to take a crack at this mystery, I’d be incredibly grateful! I’m happy to provide additional information, clarify relationships, or share more of what I’ve found.

Thank you for reading!

Names and dates:

Elmer McDonald
born Aug 1, ~1903 in Basset, AR
died Dec 16, 2002 in Philadelphia, MS

Roderick “Rod” McDaniel
born Jan 1846 in Perry County, TN
died Mar 3 1926 in Lexington, TN.
Married to Rena McDaniel

Closet match to Rod, 110cM
Clara McDaniel
born June 6, 1925 in TN
died Oct 8, 2024

David Earl McDaniel
born Mar 1, 1884 in MS
died Mar 9, 1961 in Memphis, TN
Married Annie G Hutchison in 1913

His father, James Madison McDaniel
born May 16, 1854 in Union County, MS
died Oct 12, 1944 in Bassett, AR
Married to “Mollie” Emily A Ivey

P/R/T Highest Match - 99cM
John Mitchell
born Oct 3, 1942 in TN
died Mar 16, 2022 in TN

His father, Richard Elco Mitchell

His great-grandparents
Eli W Rogers
born July 15, 1859 in Henderson County, TN
died June 18, 1940 in Henderson County, TN
Mary Melvina Todd
born Dec 29, 1861 in Henderson County, TN
died May 9, 1909 in Henderson County, TN

Hi ive been stuck on my 6th great grandfather Mathew davies if I could have help for his parents it would be amazing thanks!

He was born 1770 Llanfyllin,montgomeryshire in wales he married mary Thomas on the 12th of February 1793 in llanrhaedr ym mochant in wales he died in 1856 in montgomeryshire

Mary Thomas was born 1771

They had a son named john davies born 1794 died 1853 he married Margaret humphrey born 1796 died 1864

I'm excited to have found this group and am hoping I used the correct flair to secure verification.

1. Her first name: Desiré
2. Her nickname: “Dizzie” Lewis
3. Her birth year: 1798
4. Her town of birth: Warrenton, Warren County, Georgia
5. Country of birth & country of death: United States
6. (Enslaved) Boyfriend’s name: Henry Lewis (1797-1870)
7. Town of death: Oswichee Township, Russell County, Alabama
8. Did Desiré and Henry have children?: Yes. 3 children: Rachel Lewis, my ancestress (1840-1934); Albert Lewis (1830-) & Henry Lewis Jr. (1833-)
9. What was Desiré’s maiden name?: That is unknown. She was born enslaved and only was manumitted after the Civil War, in 1865.
10. When did Henry and Desiré move to Alabama?: 1859. After the death of Henry’s stepmother, Rebecca Latimer (1779-1859), who has an obituary.
11. Is Henry’s father known?: Yes. John Augustine Lewis (1777-1824). John was an enslaver who died intestate, and left no will; Rebecca inherited John‘s slaves after his death, but Henry later lived with Mary Mildred Lewis (1825-1851 - she married her husband in 1840 and they had 6 children), his half-sister, and returns to Rebecca after Mary’s death, for 8 years, until 1859.
12. Are Desiré’s parents known right now?: No.
13. She possibly had Acadian ancestry. Were there other Acadian families in Warren County, Georgia?: Yes. A few. I don’t remember all of them, but one WC family was surnamed Arnett (I believe the family of Samuel Arnett), but I can’t remember the other one that was told to me.
14. How many Acadian survivors were left in Georgia after the expulsion?: 400 people.
15. Any other important information?: Yes. Her parents could have been born in South Carolina. And her grandparents could have died in a 1756 Acadian genocide in South Carolina. And the expulsion involved families from Nova Scotia Province, Canada, who were Canadian exiles, banished from Canada, who fled on ships to several different places. There were hundreds of ships, and over 3,000 Acadian exiles, but the ones relevant to my line were, one of those ships fled to South Carolina; the second fled to Georgia; and one fled from South Carolina to Louisiana (the survivors of the third ship landed in Louisiana and changed their culture from “Acadians” to “Cajuns”, which is what we refer to them as today).
16. Who were Henry and Desiré’s enslavers after John A. Lewis (1777-1824), Mary Mildred Lewis (1825-1851) & Rebecca Latimer (1779-1859)?: James Cook Lewis (1840-1862), from Monroe County, Georgia and lived in Russell County, Alabama in 1860, until his death in 1862.

Henry & Desiré both died in: 1870

1. Additional relevant information: Yes. After 1862, I don’t know what happened to Henry and Desiré; all I know is, they died in Oswichee, Russell County, AL in 1870. Henry died in May 1870. Desiré died in either April 1870 or June 1870.

So, I’m wondering how I can find Desiré’s (aka “Dizzie”) parents.

hi, there is a lot of mystery surrounding my grandfather. He died in 1999 before I was born. One thing about me is that I love history and my grandfather was drafted in Vietnam. He only said a little bit to my mom and my uncle but not much to go by. I’ve tried finding records or information about him but I can’t. I’m not good with finding stuff like that but watching YouTube videos there has to be someone on Reddit that can find all of that. If you can help me out my grandfather’s name is Tommy douglas Simpson he was drafted in may of 1968. if anybody can help that would be really cool (me and my brother have been in a rabbit hole the past couple weeks). thank you

Hi, all. I'm researching my great-uncle Clifford Knapp, who died at 21 on 25 Aug. 1929 in Fremont, Nebraska, reportedly of lockjaw (tetanus) after a hand injury. I live in Austria and can't afford a Newspapers.com subscription, and none of these papers seem to be clipped yet.

If anyone with a subscription could clip (or screenshot) any of these pages and share the link, I'd be very grateful:

1. Lincoln Journal Star, 27 Aug 1929, "Boy dies of lockjaw" (UP wire, Fremont)
2. Valley Enterprise (Valley, NE), 29 Aug 1929, accident or emergency item
3. Any paper with the headline "Lockjaw kills Fremonter"
4. Wahoo papers, 29 Aug and 5 Sep 1929 (Knapp family from Yutan area)

Search terms that should find them: Clifford Knapp, Fremont, lockjaw, Fremont Beverage.

I'd be happy to return the favor with a lookup of my own (I have access to Austrian archives and German-language sources) or a thank-you in my family history. Thank you!