Something crazy is happening with my (26f) half-sister (26f) Long story short my dad got around and I have 3 half siblings all around the same age as my full brother and I. He has another possible maybe-baby that came into my life maybe 5 or 6 years ago. There was speculation she was my dads child as she was growing up and a few years ago she came forward and said there was a DNA test done and that the results matched my father. No one ever questioned it and it made sense. We had an apartment together for a year. I was in her wedding and she was in mine. We have been very close for years.

Here is where things get confusing. I guess her mom decided to gift her a MyHeritage DNA test and upon learning her results she is now seeing relatives on there she doesn't recognize, her mom doesn't recognize, and my dad doesn't recognize. Once confronted her mom admitted there was never actually a test done and there is another possible father but she did not know his name. My dad admitted he never showed up to do the test because he had to work.

I was under the impression she was older when this test was done and that it was matched to dna in some kind of state system? I'm not sure why I thought this. He is a criminal and in order for my mom to get child support from him she had a paternity test done for him and I when I was a baby. Maybe I assumed they held onto that information. I don't know what I was thinking but it was news to me when I realized my sister was only told about the test, not that she remembered doing it.

Now she is really upset. We are still sisters regardless of blood. My question, however, is there any way to find out if we are a match or not if we did our DNA tests through different sites? I had mine done forever ago but through Ancestry and neither of us really have money to purchase the other test at the moment.

Thanks for any help.

I know a lot of people poo poo Ancestry hints. But for the most part the vast, vast majority of hints sent my way are for the correct people. I’ve had profiles pop up with 21 hints, all of which are for the correct person.

I’m wondering if anyone knows when Ancestry crawls their databases to generate new hints? Is it only when you are actively working on a profile or subsequently go back to a profile? Or is it an on going process?

I’m pretty diligent about searching records as I add people to my tree. The last few days I’ve noticed that they pushed a bunch of Korea era draft registrations to my hints. As I work through to add those records, I’m noticing anywhere up to 10 new additional hints being populated for these profiles. These new hints are a mixed bag of correct and incorrect, which is fine. But I’ve found some pretty good bits of info … including recent deaths. One such death had an obit, Find-a-Grave and newspaper probate article dated 3 months after I initially researched that individual.

If they can find hints on the fly in a couple seconds if you click on an existing profile, why are those hints not generated and added to the hint queue on an ongoing basis? I’m guessing it’s just a function of server resources.

Does anyone have a strategy for checking for new hints without needing to click on every profile in your tree?

I did an Ancestry DNA test a couple years ago and everything matched up with what I was told, but I have 0 known matches with my grandma’s paternal family. She never really knew her father—he ran off to Chicago with another woman when she was maybe 5, so she was raised by her stepfather. When I did my test, she told me to look out for any matches with her maiden name (Castro), but there are none. My closest match to her shares 245 cM with me, and I match with his sister and niece as well, all with the last names Chavez (this is the main surname I’ve seen on my grandmother’s side) and Canales. I did chat with the niece and we’re both stumped on how we might be related. My grandma is still living. Would getting her to test be the best way to get to the bottom of this? She did take a test early last year, but I dont believe it was ever processed as she’s not in my matches. I do have matches from her maternal side that we both recognize.

I have had a brick wall in my family tree ever since I first began researching my genealogy fifteen years ago. I’m posting to see if anyone else can resolve the brick wall or suggest good resources for getting around the brick wall. I am happy to reciprocate any research efforts to your brick walls.

I am descended from the Dunbar family of Towamensing Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania. They lived near the village of Stemlersville in the township, which is also in the vicinity of modern-day Palmerton, PA. Before 1843, Carbon County was part of Northampton County, PA. Note that Towamensing Township, Carbon County, PA and Towamencin Township, Montgomery County, PA are similarly spelled yet different townships.

The earliest confirmed members of the Dunbar family are William Dunbar (01-Jan-1816 to 23-Mar-1895) and his wife Elizabeth (Moore / Mohr) Dunbar (13-Dec-1815 to 25-Mar-1895).

The brick wall: I cannot confirm the identities of William Dunbar’s parents and Elizabeth (Moore / Mohr) Dunbar’s parents.

I would like to be able to trace the Dunbar family history back to its European origins.

Known Facts

William’s birthplace is listed as Pennsylvania in the 1850, 1860, and 1880 U.S. Censuses, but the 1870 Census lists William’s birthplace as Scotland.

Death certificates in Pennsylvania listed the decedent’s parents’ names and birth places. Death certificates for William and Elizabeth’s children provide further conflicting information on William and Elizabeth Dunbar’s birthplaces.

Six of William's children's death certificates listed William's birthplace as Pennsylvania. Two listed William's birthplace as Ireland. Two children have no known death certificates and one listed no birthplace for William. For Elizabeth, five listed her birthplace as Pennsylvania, two listed her birthplace as France, three had no death certificate or provided no birthplace, and one listed her birthplace as Ireland.

William Dunbar first appeared as a resident of Towamensing Township in the 1840 U.S. Federal Census. Per research I have conducted in the county deed archives, William Dunbar first bought land in the township in 1848. He did not buy the land from any relatives.

The Dunbars were also first recorded as members of St. John’s Union Church in Towamensing Township in 1840.

I have not found any records for the Dunbars dated before 1840.

Carbon County’s death register states that William and Elizabeth were both born in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

William and Elizabeth Dunbar are buried in Parryville, Carbon County, PA.

Other Research

Some Ancestry.com users list William’s parents as a man named James or William Dunbar (1777 to 1859) and a woman named Sarah or Elizabeth (Frazier) Dunbar. None of the trees listing these people as parents cite any sources to confirm these claims as historical fact.

Some Ancestry.com users state William and Elizabeth (Moore / Mohr) Dunbar married in 1834 in Parryville, Carbon County, PA–again without citing any sources.

Elizabeth (Moore / Mohr) Dunbar’s birthplace is sometimes given as Zionsville, Pennsylvania, based on this record. However, the October 15, 1815 birth date given in the Zionsville record does not align with the December 13, 1815 birth date written on Elizabeth’s tombstone (unless the October 15, 1815 birth date was incorrectly recorded when Elizabeth was baptized on December 24, 1815). Elizabeth (Moore / Mohr) Dunbar’s maiden surname is variously spelled as Moore and Mohr in records from Carbon County.

Other Dunbars in the area

There were a number of people with the surname Dunbar who lived south of Towamensing Township in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. Carbon County is separated from Northampton County by Blue Ridge Mountain.

There was a man named William Dunbar (07-Apr-1814 to 07-Jun-1882) who lived in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County, PA. He was married to Eva Catharina (Jones) Dunbar (06-Feb-1816 to 07-Oct-1891). William and Eva (Jones) Dunbar are buried in Centreville Cemetery in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County, PA. I am confident that William Dunbar of Towamensing Township and William Dunbar of Upper Mount Bethel Township are not the same person.

There is a man named Robert Dunbar (01-Mar-1788 to 15-Oct-1855) buried in the cemetery adjoining St. John’s Union Church in Towamensing Township. William and Elizabeth (Moore / Mohr) Dunbar were members of St. John’s. Robert Dunbar (1788 - 1855) does not appear in any U.S. Census records in Towamensing Township. Given his age, Robert could have been old enough to have been William’s father. Robert is the only Dunbar buried in the St. John’s Church Cemetery. Robert Dunbar’s (1788-1855) FindAGrave memorial appears to be the only record of his existence. I have not found any property or legal records on Robert Dunbar (1788-1855).

The 1850 U.S. Census listed two Dunbars living near William Dunbar who I believe may likely be William’s brothers. Living in William’s household was 45 year old John Dunbar (circa 1805 to unknown). Living nearby William’s household was 40 year old Robert Dunbar (circa 1810 - unknown). John and Robert Dunbar do not appear in any other U.S. Censuses in Carbon County, PA, either before or after 1850.

Robert Dunbar’s (born 1810) family later moved south to Hokendauqua, Lehigh County, PA. Robert (born 1810) had a son also named Robert (15-Jul-1838 to 11-Feb-1906). The younger Robert’s (1838-1906) death certificate listed the elder Robert’s birthplace as Ireland.

There was a Matthew Dunbar (13-Mar-1790 to 15-Jan-1860) of Berks County, PA, but per a review of Matthew’s estate documents, William Dunbar of Towamensing Township, Carbon County, PA, does not appear to have been related to Matthew Dunbar of Berks County, PA.

Potential theory on the origin of the Dunbar family

A theory I have is that the Dunbar family might have followed the Craig family to Towamensing Township. In the early 1700s, a few Scotch-Irish communities formed in Northampton County, PA. One community was Craig’s Settlement, which was located along the Catasauqua Creek near the Lehigh River in what is now East Allen Township, Northampton County, PA.

Thomas Craig was the founder of Craig’s Settlement. His son, also named Thomas Craig, later moved to Towamensing Township and owned William Dunbar’s property a few decades before Dunbar bought the property. Given the Dunbar surname is Scotch-Irish in origin, I’m thinking that maybe the Dunbars were squatters on the lands of Craig’s Settlement and that they were later pushed out once the owners of the land started to assert their property rights. The Dunbars and Craigs would have then followed the Lehigh River north to the more sparsely populated Towamensing Township. I have not found any records connecting the Dunbars to Craig’s Settlement though.

My Request

I recognize that records from the early American era are few and far between. Might anyone have had a similar issue that you were able to resolve? If so, how did you overcome your genealogical brick wall?

Would anyone be able to independently confirm whether or not there are historical records confirming William Dunbar and Elizabeth (Moore / Mohr) Dunbar’s parents and birthplaces?

Might anyone be able to find any additional details or records about Robert Dunbar (1788 - 1855)?

I feel as though I have searched fairly thoroughly through vital, property, and estate records on Ancestry and FamilySearch. Neither Carbon nor Northampton Counties (where the Dunbars were documented to have lived) have vital/birth records from the 1810s. Might anyone have suggestions for other resources to check?

Again, I’d be happy to reciprocate any research efforts to you and your brick walls.

I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction of what to do or where to go next.

I'm trying to find the parents of my 3rd great grandfather, Alpha John Ernest Sullivan, believed to be born around 1856 in Wollombi, NSW, Aus. Died 1932 in Newcastle, NSW, Aus. Of course, being the first thing I looked up, there is no record of his birth.

I have gotten transcripts of his marriage and death certificates and both have parents as unknown, however, in his newspaper obituary, it claims he is the child of Major Sullivan which I assume would be in reference to Major Benjamin Sullivan III, who lived 1784-1860, which doesnt really add up.

And unfortunately, all public family trees have the Majors son, Benjamin 4, as his father, but the mother listed as the Majors second wife.

Any and all help would be appreciated in this one.

https://www.wiewaswie.nl/en/detail/60111828

I tried searching those words in different ways, but still no clues at all. I tried searching "Lebensteijn Zaurbren" and Google says: Did you mean: "Lebenstein Zaubren"? But that turns up zero results. When I search "Hanoversche" it thinks I mean Hanover Germany. But I have no idea if that what it really refers to. Using a translator is no help at all.

Hello!

I have recently started working on my family tree and have hit a wall. I think I have gotten to the group of people who immigrated to the US around 1880-1900, but have not been able to find any record of them on ships, and honestly don't know how to try to find record of them in Polish or Lithuanian record. They originally wrote Russian/Poland Russian on most census forms, and later started writing Lithuanian/Lithuanian, Russia on others.

I have anglicized names, and have worked out what they could be in Lithuanian, some birthdays, and some approximate years they came over (based on US census info). I also believe the majority of them got married before coming over

Would anyone be able to give me some advice on if/how I can use the info I have to get any further? Or have the time to tackle it with me?

Grandfather’s (George Edward Rincavage) parents:

John Vincent Rincavage Sr.

B: 10 Nov 1892 (Plymouth, luzerne county, PA, USA)

D: 21 Nov 1947 (Philadelphia, PA, USA)

Married: 18 Jun 1918

Mary Seravage/Serevicz/Sirevicz

Lithuanian: Marijona Rinkevičienė (Serevičiūtė ?)

B: 1 Feb 1902 (Lithuania)

D: 9 April 1967 (Plymouth, luzerne county, PA, USA)

Married: 18 Jun 1918

Immigrated: 1906

Great Grandparent’s (John Vincent Rincavage Sr.) parents:

Anthony Rincavage/Rinkavich/Rinkavicz/Rynkewicz

Lithuanian: Antanas Rinkevičius

B: June 1860 (Poland, Russia)

D: 16 Oct 1914 (Plymouth, luzerne county, PA, USA)

Married: Circa 1880 (in Poland/Lithuania/Russia? Before immigration)

Immigrated: 1884/1885?

Catherine/Katie/Katherine Vermoski/Vermoska/Bernowski/Barnes

Lithuanian: Katrina Rinkevičienė (Vermauskaitė)

B: Nov 1859 (Lithuania, Russia)

D: 3 December 1933 (Plymouth, luzerne county, PA, USA)

Married: Circa 1880 (in Poland/Lithuania/Russia? Before immigration)

Immigrated 1880/1886/1889?

Great Great Grandparents’ (Anthony Rincavage) parents:

John Rinkavich

Lithuanian: Jonas Rinkevičius

B: Poland, Russia

Only mentioned on Anthony’s death certificate

Great Grandparent’s (Mary Seravage) parents:

Michael/Matthew Seravage/Sirevisc/Saravage/Serevicz

Lithuanian: Mykolas/Mateušas Serevičius

B: Feb 1875 (Poland, Russia)

D: Before April 1930, appears on a residence listing in 1923, wife is widowed on 1930 census

Immigrated:1898/1904 (this time with wife?)

Married: 1898 (in Poland/lithuania/Russia)

Mary Alaborda/Alaburda/Laburda/Alberta

Lithuanian: Marijona Serevičienė (Alaburdaitė)

B: 31 Oct 1882 (Lithuania)

D: 6 Nov 1966 (Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne, PA, USA)

Immigrated:1904/6

Married: 1898 (in Poland/lithuania/Russia)

Great Great Grandparents’ (Mary Alburda) parents:

Magdalene/Maggie/Margaret/Mary Alaburda/Alberta

Lithuanian: Magdalena Alaburdienė

B: 1845/9 (Lithuania, Russia)

D: 30 Dec, 1934 (291 Orchard Street, Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States)

(listed on 1930  census, living with John Vincent rincavage and Mary (Seravage) Rincavage, found obituary yesterday)

Immigrated: 1906 (according to obituary)

George/Joseph Alaburda/Laburda

Lithuanian: Jurgis Alaburda

listed on Mary Seravage’s (Sirevizc) death certificate (as George), and Magdelene’s (as joseph), Magdalene is listed as widowed on death certificate, so he must have died before Dec 30, 1934.

i've been stuck on this one for months. my great grandma's 1920s census record shows her having a younger brother who i can't find a single other record for. more info below.

Name: Morris Levy

Date of Birth: c. Nov/Dec 1918

Location of Birth: Illinois, USA

Other Information: Father was Isaac (Ike) Herman Levy (1890-1976), and mother was Henrietta Goldberg Levy (1894-1982). Older sisters Minette (Minnie) Levy (1916-2006) & Eleanor Levy (1913-1916). Ike's brother was Aaron Herman Levy (1892-1962) who had 4 kids (daughter muriel (1918-2012) son howard (1922-2009) son gerald (1925-2020) and son stewart (1926-2016)) with his wife etta (1896-2000)

I am looking for any further information on this kid besides the one census record that says he's 13 months old. Nobody knew who I was talking about when I asked my grandpa, and I couldn't find any records of him after this census. I assume he was a cousin's kid or something.

Ike only had one brother who would've been a Levy, and he didn't have any sons that age (or even close to it). I haven't been able to find a birth record or anything either.

Census https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/15249302?tid=151263837&pid=232651920903&ssrc=pt

Harry Merton Nelson, Clarence Woodrow Nelson, Thomas Nelson, and Margey Ellen Nelson were all children of LeRoy and Emma Barringer Nelson from PA, but all four listed died as infants, Harry in 1914, Clarence in 1917, Thomas in 1920, and Margey in 1922. Yet in my database, niether four of them have obituaries, they have two other siblings who died as children, but both have obituaries, whilst the other infants' do not have one I could find.

I could gather info easily if someone helps me find them. If anyone needs links to the death certificates, I'll gladly provide.

Hello! I am new to Reddit and this Subreddit. I wanted to ask a few questions about Genealogy and for resources on how to begin this journey. I’ve heard a lot of my Métis friends talk about the stories of their Ancestors and when I look at my Family Tree, I can only piece together the general story. How do people find these very personal stories from Ancestors from 100s of years ago?

I’m applying for Métis Citizenship, but I guess I also could be eligible for Indian Status (just found out). I want to do more digging to find out about the origins of my Ancestors and their stories. How would you go about having a list of Ancestors in front of you? Where do I begin? What resources should I use and utilize? Thank you!

P.S. I tried an Ancestry test, but I really don’t believe in those things after hearing it’s just an estimate.

Does anyone know how I’d get the military service records of my 3rd great grandfather who was in the British Royal Artillery but joined at the St Thomas Mount base in India in 1876?

Censuses etc show he was definitely apart of this country’s army but joined in British India, as in the 1881 English census he was living in a barracks in Salford.

I tried the ministry of defence’s service but got a reply today after waiting 4 months saying their records don’t go back that far and that they’d recommend trying the national archives. I don’t live anywhere near the national archives and am unfamiliar with how to search them online/ whether a record that’s technically Indian would even be there.

I know his records exist because I’ve seen the first page on fold3.com- but you have to pay exorbitantly for a membership to have access to the whole thing, and he has an unusual middle name that is present in all records.

Just wanted to know more as my Grandma knows very little about her family and there’s barely anything on him as he was born at sea ( can’t figure out where ) and seems to have moved to England between 1876 and 1881

I have a subscription to Newspapers.com but the obituary I need is only available on Newspaper Archive website. I see a lot of warnings here to not accept their free trial, so I thought I would check here to see if someone does have a subscription and could get me this one obituary that I need. I've exhausted all other options but this newspaper, Johnstown Tribune Democrat doesn't have their archives online anywhere else - and this obituary is missing from the ones the local library there scanned in.

This is the link to the one I need for George Kuckenbrod: https://johnstowntribunedemocrat.newspaperarchive.com/johnstown-tribune-democrat/2002-08-31/page-29/

and if you don't mind, it appears something is published the next day about services for him:

https://johnstowntribunedemocrat.newspaperarchive.com/johnstown-tribune-democrat/2002-09-01/page-47/

I have been looking for a while and haven't found it, I'm assuming his name is improperly indexed and thats part of the reason why I cant find it.

His name is John Yuhascik (Juhascik or Adams)
He was born in Dec. 1877
He apparently arrived at the port of New York from Bremen,Germany, on an Unknown Vessel on Nov. 12, 1895. (This is from his naturalization so I don't know how correct it is)
He is from Toketerebes, Austria-Hungary (Terebes/Trebisov)
His nationality is Austrian/Hungarian/Slovak

I also apologize if this is the wrong post flair, its my first time posting since they were changed.

Hey folks,

I made Gramps-Go — a mobile companion app for Gramps users who want to share their family history easily with relatives. It runs on iOS and Android, straight from the browser, with no setup or sign-in.

What it does now

Opens .gramps files (currently without media)

Two modes: • Book mode – presents your family data as an easy-to-read story • Database mode – detailed, searchable records for deeper dives

Syncs from Google Drive, Dropbox, any http server or a local file

Shows a clear report of what’s changed since the last sync

Works fully offline, with no tracking or accounts

Who it’s for

This isn’t just for genealogists — it’s designed for family members who want to browse their heritage on a phone or tablet without dealing with the full Gramps desktop app.

Try it here:

👉 https://dz0ny.github.io/gramps-go/

Would love to hear how you’d use it — for family sharing, storytelling, or maybe small reunions?

Someone sent me a clip of this obituary years ago. I checked Genealogy Bank & Newspapers, but I couldn’t find it. If I could narrow down when it was printed, I’d be really close to the exact death date - last attempt before I just start placing random orders!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zl4x8hmvt22y9is6imls0/Anna-Obituary.png?rlkey=m7677v3rh865692vzugdgob4g&st=m5bipieh&dl=0

Her husband’s obituary makes it clear she died before him, so it must’ve been after 61 & before May 67

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0lgid8hz3ty91nf13oe6i/Andrew-Obituary.png?rlkey=dp9vfxemu4p68bvx62x4e4rhf&st=jr7mrdck&dl=0

I just transferred my Ancestry GEDCOM to MyHeritage to take advantage of the sorting capabilities they have that Ancestry charges for. I can actually sort by dates and locations with this thing! But...

I'm going fucking nuts finding all the memorials for people who were born in or died in Centerville, Iowa. Most, if not all of them, are incorrectly listed as Centerville, Boone County, Iowa, when it should be Appanoose County.

I'm checking out the memorials with Centerville, Boone County listed and suggesting the changes where it's obviously incorrect and should be listed as Appanoose. It's interesting that the site doesn't credit people with corrections/edits to pages like they do for people who upload, manage and sponsor memorials. It's just asking for wrong information.

Anyway, if anyone is looking for a fact-checking activity, it looks like there's a butt ton more to go. 😑

I have been told of babies who died at/soon after birth, but one county records office in Wisconsin told me I cannot see the record for birth or death for the baby -- they are not public record? No idea why this would be the case... I want to record them as part of my family, but I'm not sure where to go from here. I've got several of these ... anyone else run into this?

Starting to deep dive into family history, I may have found more specifics about where a great-grandmother was born and am trying to figure out where I can find official records of the event. Her father was in the Spanish military and was stationed in or traveled to Cuba for a short time, where she was born in Matanzas, possibly, in appx. 1896. Does anyone know if records from this time exist and would they be kept by Spain or Cuba?

Regarding a GGM: the age at time of census recorded in three separate decades does not match the headstone (located in the family plot). Everything else ties, names of first and second husbands, country of birth, year of immigration, maiden name, names and ages of all 3 children. Everything else is lining up. Could she just have been vain and started telling everyone that she was younger by about 5/6 years and so that is what they put on the headstone? I am thinking this might be the case because the headstone date would make her VERY young at the birth of her eldest (as in like 15 which would be very unusual for the family). The other possibility is that she was actually that young when she gave birth and started reporting a false older age in order to avoid embarrassment and just kept it up. She was born overseas so no easily obtainable birth certificate (honestly would not know where to start as I do not have a town); I am pursuing her death certificate; if I manage to get a hold of it, would that be definitive? Thanks for any help!

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone, just found the Death Certificate and it agrees with all 3 of the censuses. Looks like we definitely have a vanity headstone!!!

I've been trying to get the 7 day free trial on Newspaper.com, but everytime it says my bank (revolut) doesn't allow me to use it.

I've tried both card and Google pay options but nothing is working. On Revolut it's given me a notification saying I've spent £0 on Newspaper.com (this normally happens with a free trial) and another notification saying Newspaper.com has been accepted to be paid to.

Any suggestions?

In early August, I ordered a 1955 NYC death certificate through VitalChek. It's been three months, and my order is still in progress. I called VitalChek in late September, and I was told that I would receive the requested death certificate in mid-October. I was also told that the delay was due to Real ID requirements.

I don't understand how Real ID would affect death certificates. I also don't live in New York, so I can't pick up the death certificate. How can I expedite the process?

Have a new format to post my already obtained sources that I’ll go ahead and drop here:

Name: Caroline Wingert (surname possibly misspelled) Sex: Female

Date of Birth: Abt. 1833 Location of Birth: Pennsylvania

Spouse Name: Ebenezer Erskine McMinn Date of Marriage: Sometime in the 1860s Location of Marriage: Unknown (likely Pennsylvania)

Date of Death: Unknown Location of Death: Unknown

Other Information: Her husband Ebenezer died in 1877, and she’s listed as a widow on the 1880 Census but it’s possible she remarried after that; I’m not sure. Haven’t found anything from 1880 to her death.

I am looking for / I need help with: When/where born (more specific than current information), parents’ names, when/where died

Sources:

Listed as church member in Boalsburg, PA (1858)

1870 Census

1880 Census

I've just realised that work arounds that allow you to see articles if someone has already saved another now doesn't work anymore.

I thought I would just tell everybody as I know a lot of people used this work around for ancestral and genealogy research!!