Tangled DNA, A Merry Chase: 52 Ancestors

It's a challenge to sort out two men (or women) of the same name. But when you don't know whether there is one man or two men, the research is even more challenging. You have to chase every available piece of evidence, including DNA. When the men are from the same family, evaluating DNA may be very complex.

A recent post to the DNAExplained blog was titled When DNA Leads You Astray. Roberta writes about careful DNA evaluation, using the hard science of FamilyTreeDNA and other companies, as opposed to the warm and fuzzy feel good science of AncestryDNA.

The Tangled DNA series of posts focuses on the Allee family of Alabama and Arkansas. However, if there had been no man named Merrill Allee, there would be no confusion and would be no need for such careful DNA evaluation. This final post of the series will discuss the name, the possibilities, the records and the DNA.

The Name Merrill Allee

My great-uncle, Thomas Merrill Allee, once told me about his name. Passed down through several generations, he pronounced the name as Merle, or phonetically as Murl. His last name, he and my grandfather pronounced as AL-ley. So when you see Merrill Allee, think Merle Alley. One nickname for Merrill/Merle is Merry, pronounced Murray.

The Possible Men

There is no doubt that a man named Merrill Allee was born to John Allee and Mildred Lawrence about 1790. The second person was a child born to Nicholas Allee and Mary Dennis between 1796 and 1799. This child was listed as Merry in the 1808 will of Nicholas. Both of these individuals were born in Virginia and were born within 10 years of each other. There are conflicting family legends, which were discussed in an earlier post about John Allee.

The Records

 

Kentucky 

John Allee moved his family from Virginia to Kentucky about 1806. Merrill Allee first appears in the tax records of Barren County, Kentucky, in 1810, as a male of under 21 years of age. In 1812, he was taxed as being over 21. Those two records pinpoint his year of birth as close to 1790.

Merrill married Sally Stephens on November 9, 1809, and divorced her for desertion three years later. The divorce revealed that there was a daughter born in 1810 and that Merrill did not know where Sally and his daughter had gone (Equity Court Records, Book 1, 1812, Bundle 183). The 1810 census shows the three of them together under the name Merral Ally.

The War of 1812 militia service records report that he briefly served as Murriel Alley, Corporal, Captain David Harding's Company, 3rd Regiment, Kentucky Detached Militia. He is listed on Barren County militia rosters between 1812 and 1816.

Merrill last is found on the Barren County tax rolls in 1819. Monroe County was carved out of Barren County and adjoining counties in 1820. John Allee was taxed in Monroe County beginning in 1820, but Merrill does not appear on the Monroe County tax rolls except for the years 1824 through 1826. John was last taxed in Monroe County in 1827, before moving to Indiana.

Did Merrill move to Indiana with his parents, to Missouri with cousins, to Alabama with aunts and uncles, or elsewhere?

Alabama

Turning to Alabama records, Merrill could be either of the possible men.

The 1820 census of Lawrence County, Alabama, lists Merral Alley with three males under age 21 and one female (a wife?) over age 21. This record would indicate the younger man and that he was only 20 years of age. Could a 30-year old pass for 20? Was there a tax benefit to being under 21? Did the census taker just make a mistake?

The 1830 census lists Mirri Ally with four male children and two female children. Mirri was aged 30-40 and his wife was 40-50.

Merrill bought and sold land in Alabama. The land transactions do not add clarity. 

Arkansas

By 1840, the family had moved to Saline County, Arkansas. Mirrill Allen had three young men, two young women, was aged 40-50 and his wife was 40-50.

Merrill is listed in the Saline County tax rolls with several creative spellings, including Muroil and Muril. He last paid tax in Saline County in 1849. It is possible that he aged out, with tax only being assessed through age 59. If that was the reason he was dropped from the rolls, it would indicate the older man. But there were other reasons to be dropped from the tax roll.

The 1850 census adds some interesting facts. It shows that Merrill was age 53 and was not able to read and write. His wife was age 70, with their marriage having occurred in either 1826 or 1816. It appears that 1826 was the more likely marriage date, which would mean that Ester was not the biological mother of Merrill's children. But could one or more be her children and his step-children? Was Ester a Gamble by birth, as speculated by Gamble descendants? Ester becomes part of the puzzle, as no marriage record has yet been found.

The last census where Merrill is listed is the 1860 census of Saline County. It lists Merrill as age 64 and his wife as age 74. Her age in later years was 84 and 94, so 74 seems correct and the 1850 census was wrong.

If Merrill was 53 in 1850 and 64 in 1860, he was the younger man. But why did he pay no tax after 1849? Census records are not a primary source and are often inaccurate.

Looking at the three presumed children of Merrill, all had stated birthplaces of Alabama: Abraham in 1818, Josiah in 1821, and Margaret Catherine in 1824. The second girl is believed to be a niece, Nancy Jane. The other two boys are unknown to me, though one may have been named Nicholas.

None of the three believed that they were born in Kentucky. However, it is possible that Merrill moved his family multiple times between Kentucky and Alabama, which would account for his absence on the Kentucky tax rolls.

Merrill Allee died between the census years of 1860 and 1870. If he was born in 1790, that would make him 70-80 years old at death. If he was born in 1796, he would have been 64-74 years old at death. The second seems more likely. However, either could be correct.

The DNA Challenge

There are questions and intermarriages that make DNA analysis especially tricky.

Mitochondrial DNA is not useful for Merrill, but could help clarify his wife through female only descendants of presumed daughter Margaret Catherine Allee Gamble.

But what if none of the children were his? What if they were step-children, nieces, nephews or cousins.  Y-DNA for his male Allee descendants could prove the line back to Nicholas Allee of Virginia, but cannot eliminate the possibility that he raised nephews or cousins.

Autosomal DNA matching is needed for this family, with the careful evaluation described in the blog posts at DNAExplained. Autosomal evaluation is needed for matches to the following:

Descendants of Nicholas Allee and Ann Stephens
Descendants of John Allee and Mildred Lawrence
Descendants of siblings of Mildred Lawrence Allee
Descendants of siblings of Mary Dennis Allee
Descendants of Joseph Allee and wives
Descendants of Isaac Allee and Sarah Walden, Isaac Allee and Melinda ____
Descendants of Elizabeth Allee and Elisha Stover
Descendants of Hannah Allee and Samuel Brown
Descendants of Nicholas Alley of Fayette County, Alabama
Descendants of Missouri Ann Allee Hitt

Extra caution must be taken where intermarriages occurred, including with the allied Gamble family:

Descendants of Nancy Jane Allee Grant via Martha Elizabeth Grant Allee
Descendants of Nancy Jane Allee Grant via Nancy Jane Grant Gamble
Descendants of Margaret Catherine Allee Gamble
Descendants of Abraham Allee and Margaret Gamble

The many intermarriages can cause bad conclusions. I would go so far as to propose that descendants of Martha Elizabeth Grant Allee should not be used for any sort of matching within the Allee family tree, as her descendants have the most tangled DNA in the tangled Merrill Allee branch.

Tangled DNA, Kissing Cousins: 52 Ancestors

When cousins marry, DNA matching is complicated for their descendants. However, intermarriages were common in the past and we must be aware of them as family historians and genetic genealogists.

In the Allee family, two daughters of Nancy Jane Allee Grant are known to have married a cousin. So it's important to identify her other children and their descendants to clarify cousin matches.

Nancy Jane Allee (Jane) was born about 1825 in Alabama, probably in Lawrence County. The very first question we have to ask is who her parents are and if that can that be proven by DNA matching.

Her parents are believed to be Joseph Allee and a woman named Lapruda, maiden name unknown. It appears that her father could not have been Nicholas or Isaac, brothers of Joseph. Both had children born at times that would make her inclusion in the birth order very unlikely.

From the early census records, it appears that Jane lived in the household of Merrill Allee and his wife, Esther or Easter. Esther may have been a Gamble by birth. If Jane was a daughter of Merrill and Esther and if Esther was a Gamble, the tangled DNA becomes more complex. Merrill's story will be told later in the series.

Jane spent her childhood in Alabama. Merrill moved his family to Arkansas by 1840, and we believe she went with the family. Joseph Allee's known wife appears to have died after giving birth to Emaline about 1842. Jane must have then gone to live with Joseph and help care for his five young children.

On June 30, 1844, Jane Allee married Thomas Jahue Grant, a farmer, in Lawrence County, Alabama. They had four children born in Alabama. About 1854 the Grants (and Joseph Allee) migrated to Arkansas, where three more children were born to Jane.

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The Grants appear for the last time as a family unit in the 1860 census of Hot Spring County, Arkansas. They were living in Clear Creek Township at the southeast corner of the county, which adjoined Saline County, where most of the other Allee families were living. Living next door to the Grants were Anderson Allee and Milas Allee, who were sons of Isaac Allee.

Jane moved on to Denton County, Texas, with several of her children by the time of the 1870 census. She then disappears from known records.

Knowing Jane's children and their spouses is critical.

• Joseph Grant (1850-) and Caroline Grant (1853-) are two of which I've lost track after 1860. 

The following three children did not marry known cousins:

• Mary Grant married James Johnson in 1866 in Saline County, Arkansas. 
• Samuel Grant married Maggie Shipp in 1879 in Denton County, Texas.
• Laura Grant  married John Wesley Slater in 1879 in Denton County.
• After the early deaths of Samuel and Laura, Johns Wesley Slater married Maggie Shipp in 1891. This is important to know when looking at their descendants. 

The two daughters who married cousins have very tangled DNA:

• Martha Elizabeth Grant married Andrew Lafayette (Fate) Allee in 1866 in Saline County, Arkansas. Fate is believed to be a descendant of Merrill and Esther.
• Nancy Jane Grant  married Merrill Abraham Gamble in 1871 in Collin County, Texas. He was the son of William Ira Gamble and Margaret Catherine Allee, who is also believed to be a descendant of Merrill and Esther.
• It is also possible that Andrew Lafayette Allee and/or Margaret Catherine Allee Gamble are descendants of Joseph Allee, along with Nancy Jane Allee Grant.

How can this DNA be untangled? Y-DNA cannot be used for this puzzle. Female descendants of any daughter, with all females (no males) in the line back to Jane could assist in uncovering Jane's mother, using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). This test is available from FamilyTreeDNA, not from Ancestry. The same method could be used to research the mother of Margaret Catherine Allee Gamble. This test could prove the mothers were different, but would not provide names.

Cousin matching can be done using the common autosomal DNA tests and should focus on descendants of Samuel, Mary and Laura. Cousin matching can also be useful for descendants of  Andrew Lafayette Allee and his second wife (Betty Allen) and for Margaret Catherine Allee and her first husband (Mr. Logan).

Next time: John Buford Allee.

Tangled DNA, Farming Out the Children: 52 Ancestors

What's a father to do when his wife dies, leaving him alone with young children? In 1825, he had fewer options than today. Many widowed men and women turned to their extended family for help.

Today, for family history researchers, the choices our ancestors made can lead us to wrong conclusions based on the census. Were the children in a family the children of the head of household? Were they siblings, nieces, nephews or cousins? The census records before 1880 don't give a relationship.

If you're baffled by DNA cousin matches, maybe it's time to take another hard look at those early census records. Expand your tree and see if it leads to new conclusions.

For Joseph Allee, we have to ask some hard questions. Joseph was born about 1802, in Virginia, to Nicholas Allee and his second wife, Mary Dennis. Joseph first appears in the census of 1830 as a young head of household in Lawrence County, Alabama. His age is actually marked incorrectly.

There is a legend that Joseph had a daughter, Nancy Jane Allee, born about 1825 to an unknown wife, possibly named Lapruda. However, Nancy Jane did not appear with Joseph in the 1830 or any other census. It appears she was "farmed out" to be raised by other family members. Or was she even Joseph's daughter? Were there other children of this mystery marriage?

Joseph Allee [Alley] was married on August 29, 1834, to a woman named Pricila Mallin or Pruda Mallin. Was this woman named Lapruda and not the mother of Nancy Jane? Was Joseph even married more than once? The marriage record is hard to read.

The 1850 census tells us that Joseph was a farmer and leads us to assume five children was born from this marriage before the death of the wife. The children were: Caroline, Nicholas, Elizabeth, Sarah and Emaline. Those of us who have researched this family believe that Nancy Jane returned from Arkansas to help raise these younger children after the death of their mother.

Nancy Jane's story will be in a future post, as her descendants have the biggest DNA challenge in this family branch.

Joseph joined many other family members when he moved his family to Saline County, Arkansas, by the time of the 1860 census. It was there that Caroline Allee married Newell Fowler on August 2, 1859. Elizabeth Allee married Marion McManaway on January 8, 1862. I don't know what happened to Emaline. Supposedly Sarah married another McManaway, though I have not found a marriage record.

On November 16, 1860, Nicholas J. Allee paid $80.00 for 80 acres in Saline County. He joined the Confederate Army, dying on September 26, 1862, at Graysville, Georgia. In 1872, his land claim was questioned. His sister, Caroline Fowler, appeared at the land office in Little Rock on February 14, 1872. She filed a declaration that Nicholas had lived on the land since November 16, 1860, until his death, and that she had lived there after that time.

Joseph Allee, a  68-year-old widowed farmer, appeared in the 1870 census of  Grant County, Arkansas, then was not found again in the census.

The DNA of the descendants of the Allee families of Alabama and Arkansas must be examined carefully to identify all the children of Joseph and to identify his wives. There is even the possibility that Joseph might have married the sister of one of his brothers-in-law or sisters-in-law. Y-DNA is not useful. MtDNA from the direct female lines of Nancy and her sisters might or might not show different mothers. The autosomal DNA test from Ancestry and other companies is most useful for cousin matching.

Next time: Nancy Jane Allee Grant.
  

Resigned: 52 Ancestors

Officers who resigned their commissions during the Civil War likely had dozens of different reasons. One of my extended family members may have had a rather unique reason, though his stated reason may not have been the entire truth. During earlier wars, such as the Civil War, many of the volunteer units were formed from a community. The men were neighbors, friends and family. They would have bonded. Changing units would probably have been like changing high schools. Bear that in mind as you read about Thomas Jahue Grant.

Thomas was born on or about January 1, 1823, somewhere in Alabama. He married Nancy Jane Allee in Lawrence County on June 30, 1844. Studying the Grant surname in Lawrence County and adjoining Morgan County leads to the theory that he was the son of Thomas B Grant and Sarah, whose maiden name is unknown. Online researchers have proposed an 1803 marriage for this couple, which would be impossible given their ages. Further research is needed into his parentage.

Template from Milestones, elements from Generations, all from ClubScrap

Thomas J Grant began farming in Alabama, holding no land in the 1850 census. The family moved to Arkansas about 1854, probably to join Nancy's Allee cousins. The couple had five daughters and two sons, with the first four born in Alabama and the last three in Arkansas. In July, 1860, Thomas bought 40 acres of land from the federal government in township 6 south, range 13 west, in Saline County. That area is now part of Grant County and is north of Grant County Road 7 and west of US Highway 167, near Grant County Road 507.

When the Civil War began, Thomas enlisted in Company F, 11th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry, Confederate States of America. The company muster roll reported that he was a 4th Sergeant, age 37, 5'9" tall, with gray eyes, dark hair and a fair complexion. He was a farmer, born in Alabama, who had a rifle worth $12.

Company F was comprised of men from Saline County, several of them being cousins of his wife. When the company elected their officers, Thomas J Grant was elected 2nd Lieutenant and that assignment was recorded as of August 19, 1861. His official service record has no indication that he was ever a Sergeant.

The company primarily was deployed along the Mississippi River, starting in September, 1861. Control of the river was important to both the Union and the Confederacy. The company was stationed near New Madrid, Missouri, by April, 1862. They were part of a Confederate force that defended Island Number 10 against a Union gunboat. The weather and the fighting defeated the Confederates, leading to the surrender of all the troops on April 15, 1862.

While his soldiers were being surrendered and transferred to Union prison camps, 2nd Lt. Thomas J Grant was sick in a military hospital. When he recovered, he had no unit left to command. He wrote the following letter of resignation:

Memphis, Tenn, April 19th 1862

Lt Col Cook
    Please accept this my resignation of the office of 2nd Lieutenant Com. F. 11th Reg. Arks Vol.
    Cause - The entire regiment being taken prisoners at Island 10, am desirous of returning home to raise a company for active service in the Confederate army for three years or during the war.
    Age thirty-nine years three months and nineteen days and was mustered into service on the 18th day of July 1861 at Benton, Saline Co., Arks for the term of twelve months.

Very respectfully

T. J. Grant

Thomas did return home to Arkansas. Rather than raising a new unit, he joined a local militia company known as Captain Jonas Webb's independent company of scouts. Webb's scouts were distrusted and even accused of robbery and murder. Thomas self-reported having killed a fellow soldier at the command of Captain Webb.

The scouts harassed Union troops whenever possible. There was a report by another soldier that Webb's scouts had engaged Union forces just before the bloody Battle of Jenkins Ferry, near Leola, Arkansas, on April 29, 1864.

Thomas Grant's family was living in Texas by 1870, but he is not found on the census. His death date and location are unknown. Again, some online researchers have mixed him up with another soldier of the same name. It is possible that our Thomas died during the Battle of Jenkins Ferry. It is also possible that he went to Texas with his wife and children and died there.

Was Thomas justified in his resignation? His letter follows. Click on the image to enlarge.

The Bugler: 52 Ancestors

When you think of a military bugler, what do you hear and see in your imagination? Perhaps it's the mournful sound of Taps at a military funeral. Maybe you see the Cavalry galloping across the landscape to the notes of Charge. Or maybe you hear the perky notes of Reveille mingling with the groans of weary soldiers rising from their beds.

As an Army bugler in 1846, my third great-grandfather had to learn to play dozens of signal tunes, though Taps wasn't composed until after his death. However, you won't find his name on any lists of Arkansas soldiers -- at least not his correct name. The name of Josiah Allee, Bugler, Company I, Arkansas Mounted Volunteers, has been incorrectly written and/or misread in most records.

Captain William K Inglish of the same regiment signed an affidavit on May 4, 1850, stating:

... that he is the identical Wm K Inglish who was Captain of Company "I" in the Regiment of Arkansas Mounted Volunteers commanded by the late Colonel A. Yell afterwards by Col. John S. Roane, that in said Company "I" there was no such person as Josiah, also Joseph Allen, and if such name is entered on the muster rolls, the same is erroneous and instead thereof, the name of Josiah Allee should be inserted...

Josiah was born about 1821. His parents are believed to be Merrill Allee and his wife, Esther or Easter. He had several siblings, including an older brother, Abraham, born about 1818. The family lived and farmed in Lawrence County, Alabama. By 1840 they had moved to Davis Township in then Saline County, Arkansas. Today that land is in the southern part of Grant County. The Allee family had a tannery, as well as farming.  The family was musical, with nephews of Josiah in later years remembered for their musical talents.

Abraham was also a country lawyer, so it's likely that Josiah likewise had some education and was able to read and write. How Josiah met his wife is a mystery, as she lived some 30 miles away, near Benton. They may have met through family connections or Josiah might have hired himself out. Regardless of how they met, on December 29, 1842, Josiah, age 21, married Mary Jane Pelton, age 15.

Mary Jane gave birth to their only child, Andrew Lafayette Allee, on August 24, 1844. By the spring of 1846, Mary Jane was sick and being visited by a doctor. Also in the spring of 1846, on May 13, 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico. The call went out for volunteers to serve for one year. Josiah volunteered, joining on July 1st as a private and stating his age as 24. Did he need the money to pay doctor bills?

The volunteers from Saline County traveled first to Washington, Arkansas, where they were formally mustered into service. Josiah was appointed as a Bugler on July 25, replacing Miles Haley, whose rank was changed from Bugler to Private.

The Arkansas regiments marched to San Antonio, Texas, where they arrived on August 28. They joined the forces under the command of General John E. Wool and spent the rest of August and most of September drilling.

The topographical engineers, led by Captain George W Hughes, left San Antonio for Mexico on September 23, a few days ahead of the main body of the Army. General Wool and his forces followed. Captain Hughes reported that the whole army crossed the Rio Grande on [by] October 12, 1846.

Here I must diverge from other articles on the internet. Captain Hughes and his engineers documented latitude and longitude for the area of the crossing, as well as distances between locations and dates of travel. Other internet articles will state the location of crossing differently.

The location of the town nearest the river crossing was known to Captain Hughes as Presidio del Rio Grande. That name no longer is in use, but has led to bad assumptions. The closest readings reported by the engineers were made four miles from the town and are 28°20'48.5"N 100°31'12"W. The location was also documented as being about 25 miles from Nava, which is slightly northwest of that location. Today the town near the river crossing is known as Guerrero, in the Mexican state of Coahuila.

The true location of  Presidio del Rio Grande is important to my family. Captain Inglish's affidavit continues with the sad tale:

...The said Josiah Allee died at Rio Grande Crossing, or Presidio, on or about the 18th day of October 1846.

Josiah had served less than four months and did not die in any documented battle. In the early part of the war, illness was a bigger threat to the soldiers than battle, but his cause of death was not included in his service file. No doubt he was buried near where he fell, somewhere near the town of Guerrero.

Josiah's wife had also died during 1846, leaving their son an orphan. Josiah's brother, Abraham Allee, fought the Army to obtain an orphan's pension for Josiah's young son. That fight created a wealth of documentation about Josiah, including proving the correct name of this Bugler who served his country.


Source list:

• Traas, Adrian George. From the Golden Gate to Mexico City: the U.S. Army Topographical Engineers in the Mexican War, 1846-1848. Office of History, Corps of Engineers and Center of Military History, U.S. Army, 1993.
• Allen, Desmond Walls. Arkansas’ Mexican War Soldiers. Conway, AR: Arkansas Research, 1988.
• Book Committee (Plano, Tex.). 1985. Plano, Texas: The Early Years. Wolfe City, Texas: Henington Pub. Co. 
• Service File of Josiah Allee [Allen]
• Service File of Miles Haley
• Pension File of Josiah Allee
• Marriage records of Saline County, Arkansas
• 1820 census, Lawrence County, Alabama Territory
• 1830 census, Lawrence County, Alabama 
• 1840 census, Saline County, Arkansas
• 1850 census, Saline County, Arkansas
• Land records of Saline County, Arkansas
• Land records of Lawrence County, Alabama  
• Tax rolls of Saline County, Arkansas
• Probate of Josiah Allee, Saline County, Arkansas
• Probate of Samuel Pelton, Saline County, Arkansas
• Wikipedia article: Taps
• Google Maps 
• Family stories about Abraham Allee

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #32 Martha Elizabeth Grant Allee

Martha Elizabeth Grant was born about 1846 in Alabama. Her parents, Thomas Jahue Grant and Nancy Jane Allee were married in Lawrence County, Alabama, on June 30, 1844. Martha was the eldest of the seven children that have been discovered so far. The family moved about 1856 from Alabama to Hot Spring County, Arkansas. Just across the county line to the east lived another branch of the Allee family, that of Andrew Lafayette "Fate" Allee.

Fate and Martha would have grown up knowing each other and spending time together at family events. After the end of the Civil War, they married in Saline County, Arkansas, on May 06, 1866. By 1870 they were living in Denton County, Texas. The couple had three children:

• Josiah Thomas Merrill Allee, born February 11, 1867, in Arkansas
• Mary Jane Allee, born September 25, 1871, in Texas
• Abraham Frank Allee, born December 28, 1872, in Texas

Martha Elizabeth Grant Allee died between Frank's birth in 1872 and Fate's second marriage in 1876 in Collin County, Texas. There is information on the web that she died in Plainview; however, that is probably a misunderstanding of oral history. It is much more likely that Martha died in Plano, as did others of the extended Allee family.

I don't have a photo of Martha and her gravesite is unknown; however, a picture of her parents has been shared with me. Thomas Jahue Grant is holding a sword that he must have carried in the War.

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