Oops! Maybe MD, not Britta

I collected all the photos of Britta and Mary Drucilla in one place, edited them to a similar size and shape, and compared them. The comparison leads me to believe that the woman my ggrandmother Lizzie gazes so lovingly at in the original is her own mother Mary Drucilla McGuire Edins. 

The pictures are below. What do you think?

Young Britta

Britta about 75

Older Britta--Label on photo is "Granny Flynn."

This has been identified as Mary Drucilla McGuire Eddins, age about 52

This photo is labeled "Mary Drucilla, Grandmother Edins."

Guess who???

A new picture of Britta. I think.

I just got back from my annual trip to AL. My aunt was kind enough to give me lots and lots of family pictures, many of which I plan to post here in the coming weeks. 

The most important thing she gave me was her mother—my grandmother's—photo album from the period 1918 - 1922. There are many pictures I'd never seen before. One in particular leapt out at me because I believe it is a picture that includes Britta Ann Green McGuire Flynn among the faces. Here's the picture:

The woman in the middle with her head turned is my great-grandmother Lizzie. I believe the next woman on the right (Lizzie's left) is Britta Ann Green McGuire Flynn. Britta was Lizzie's grandmother. 

The photo's position in the album seems to put it in 1919 or before. The next or so album page says "1919," and the pages are in their original position (i.e., not cut out or reattached).

The woman in question could not have been Mary Ann Jones, who at one time lived with Lizzie. Mary Ann died in 1914. The woman could be Mary Drucilla McGuire, Lizzie's mother, who was alive in 1919; Mary Drucilla died in 1928. But if you compare this person to the one picture we have of Mary D., it doesn't look like her. The face is too thin. 

However, it does look like Britta, who always wore her hair parted down the middle. Who wore a similar black dress in the best picture we have of her. Who was alive during the spring and summer of 1919. Who was thin like this woman. 

I'll continue to study the picture and album to see if it yields any more clues. I can't prove yet that this is Britta, but I sure think it is. 

RIP, JRR

One of the reasons that I love genealogy is the connections made with distant relatives. Almost without exception the contacts have been enlightening and fun. JJR, my half second cousin twice removed (!), was one such person, and he just died. He went out of his way to be helpful to me in researching our common ancestor Britta Ann Green. 

Britta was my great-great-great grandmother with her first husband John L. McGuire. J was Britta's grandson with her second husband Mike Flynn/Flin. Britta was known as "Granny Flynn" till the day she died. 

Thanks for the help, JRR, and RIP.

Exciting DNA news!!!!

I'm posting this super news in both ALRoots and ALRoots3:

Maybe we've identified some of the DNA that comes from Britta Ann Green or John L. McGuire. Maybe. But we need more cousin samples to be sure.

My fragrant cousin showed me how to create a DNA map. It can be tedious to enter long lists of numbers, but the results can be verrrrrrrrry interesting. In essence, you create a database with chromosome start and end locations and compare matching centiMorgans and SNPS. Numbers that are similar to each other likely indicate that the chromosome is inherited from the MRCA (most recent common ancestor). The more distant cousins (3rd - 8th) who take part, the more you can triangulate and hone in on those pesky buggers.

The tools on GEDmatch.com are the easiest to use. I think it took me five minutes to upload my data from Ancestry and FtDNA.

We've uploaded at least a dozen kits from our branch of the family to GEDmatch. This is great, but what it tells us is that we're all closely related. Luckily a fourth cousin descended from Britta and John recently uploaded a kit.

Hooray!!!! Thank you!!!!

By comparing which chromosomes match with ours, we can start to find Britta and John's DNA. If we can find Britta's DNA, we may be able to find her mother using mitochondrial DNA. So exciting!!!!

I've found spots on two chromosomes that seem like a pretty close match. I will not go out on a limb and say that this is Britta or John's DNA. What I will say is that if we can get a few more distant cousins to upload to GEDmatch, we might be able to triangulate and prove in a statistically meaningful way that this is definitely Britta's/John's DNA.

This method allowed us to break through a brick wall and prove that Polly Pinson Peters was indeed born a Dennis.

When Britta died in 1919, she was survived by 104 living descendants. Any cousins out there got a DNA test—and a sledgehammer????

Latest discoveries in Bibb County

Nada, really.

But sometimes finding nothing can mean a lot.

I returned to Bibb County anxious to look at all their indexes and reverse indexes for land sales and probate issues. I was hoping ot find more information about Joseph Green and Nancy Smitherman Garner Green to either confirm that they were Britta's father and step-mother, or that they weren't. I found nothing definite on that score.

When her first husband died, Nancy Smitherman Garner was the executrix of husband Andrew's will and inherited everything with her son William. Andrew died in March 1837, and Nancy married a much younger Joseph Green in September 1837 (Cougar? Marry in haste, repent at leisure??). In the same year Nancy gave up her rights to a certain piece of Bibb County land, as did daughter-in-law Olef (Olive Latham Garner). Their husbands then sold this land to Chamblin Davis, who also happened to be married to a Smitherman woman.

Andrew's will is here:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-23189-23237-76?cc=1978117

While the Smitherman connection is interesting, the more important point is that Nancy inherited a share  of Andrew's wealth.

Nancy Ann Elizabeth Garner married Harris Brantley Ray on March 28, 1855.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FQFM-YY9

Discoveries in Bibb County

If Nancy inherited some of Andrew's money in 1837, where was it? Did new husband Joseph blow it? He did sell off some of her land. And with son-in-law William Garner (who was about the same age,  heh, heh, heh, you go, Nancy girl) he borrowed money from Martha Ray and an unknown other person. We know this because Joseph and William were sued in court in 1840 and 1841.


Nancy's son William shows up in Bibb County in 1850, but Joseph disappears from the records after 1841, the last time he was sued. (What a way to be remembered). A Nancy Greene shows up in Shelby County in 1850 living in the household of John P. McKinnie (McKinney), who married  Mary Ann Green in Shelby in 1841. We don't know that this Nancy Greene is the same as Nancy Green who married Joseph, but her age as recorded in the 1850 U.S. Census (56) matches the age range of the younger woman in Joseph's 1840 household and Nancy Smitherman's likely birth year.

For a more in-depth discussion of why I think this two Nancys are the same person, see my earlier post.

So where did Joseph go? He's not in any neighboring counties or in any 1850 Census entry in the entire U.S. that I can find. I think it's likely that he died, but if he did, did he leave a will in Bibb County? No, he did not — at least not under the name of Joseph Green. And I've not been able to find any traces of a will in any surrounding county.

Maybe his will was burned at the courthouse. But wait —  Bibb County Courthouse wasn't burned, because I looked through all those documents myself. The originals, no less.

Or maybe he died intestate. Certainly possible.

And let's look at Nancy. Assuming that Nancy Green and Nancy Greene are the same person, why doesn't she have any money? Why is she living with John McKinnie un 185o instead of in her own household? Why isn't she living with son William Garner who so blithely sold off her land in 1850?

The Bibb County records hold no answers.

Maybe Nancy S. G. Green remarried? I found a Nancy Ray associated with William Garner in the records, but this Nancy was the daughter of William Garner who had married xoxoxoxoxox Ray. William Garner gave his daughter a slave.

There was a Nancy Garner who married Johnson Ferguson. But "this Nancy" was clearly a sister or relation to Andrew and not "our Nancy" because "this Nancy" married Samuel Smitherman in 1841 when "our Nancy" was still married to Joseph Green, who died after 1841.

Maybe "our Nancy" reverted to an earlier name like  Zilpha Emily Ellender Edins Pope Freeman, who was buried as Ellen Pope? I found another Nancy Garner, but was able to identify her as Nancy Latham who married William Garner, Sr. No other record in Bibb County seem to refer to "our Nancy."

If Nancy S.G. Green died, where's her will? Not in the Bibb County records.

Because of the lack of records, we may never be sure what happened. But we can make some guesses based on what we do know PLUS what the lack of records tells us:

Joseph Green probably died intestate between 1841 and 1850, leaving Nancy so impoverished that she had to live with another family of tenuous relationship. Was Polly Green McKinney sister to Joseph and thus sister-in-law to Nancy Green and aunt to Britta? It's a good theory and fits everything we know.

I wasn't able to get into the Miscellaneous Records. So that's first on the next trip. And the Brent-Centreville Library, which has a good selection of genealogy materials on local families was closed by the time I finished at the Judge of Probate office. At least one other researcher agrees that Nancy Garner Green ended up living with the McKinneys, so I'll be looking for a researched and published Smitherman family tree for confirmation.

And there you have it. Amazing what new discoveries you can make from a lack of records!

Dating the first Britta picture

Here is Britta Ann Green as a young woman. This photo was originally posted by HillSeeker on her Ancestry.com family tree. Thank you, HillSeeker.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/iron-and-steel-industry#ixzz36LoaQBSH
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/iron-and-steel-industry#ixzz36LoaQBSH

I believe this picture dates to around 1870. Not much before and possibly a little later, but not much later than 1880. I've based this conclusion on basic observations and on guidelines published at PhotoTree.com. Thanks, PT. 

First, how old does Britta look in this picture?

I dunno. To me she looks anywhere from twenty to forty-five.

She lacks the deep, toothless sockets of her later pictures, so young to middle-aged seems right. Her hair looks dark, not gray or white as in the other pictures. She looks relatively prosperous with a nice dress and fripperies around the collar. Not like a penniless widow; more like a middle-class housewife.

From 1854 - 1864, Britta was 20 - 30. From 1868 to 1880 she was 34 - 46. Though either range is possible, I'm inclined to think that the latter one is closer, and that this picture was taken after she married Mike Flynn, which would place it after 1868.

> > Point: Eh. Not enough information to pinpoint her age. 


Secondly, in 1854 at age 20 Britta married John L. McGuire, son of a landowning farmer. John L. was also a farmer, and they had $50 in the 1860 Census. Not poor, but not rich, either. John L. died in 1864, leaving Britta widowed with three or four mouths to feed. Britta moved to Shelby County by the 1866 AL State Census. At that point she probably had little income; likely too poor to have a dress that "nice." In 1868 Bibb County aged 34 she married Mike Flynn, 50, who was a puddler, a highly skilled and relatively well-paid job in the iron industry. 

According to Answers.com:

"Puddling required many judgment calls based on experience. Therefore, it could take up to two years of training to become a skilled puddler. Many puddlers in the mid-nineteenth century were successful enough to later move into the ranks of owners."


Britta's dress has lots of fripperies, which indicates some money, so most likely from right after she married John L. or after she married Mike Flynn. 

> > Point: hard to say. 


Third, the shape of the photo:

It's hard to tell the exact shape of the page itself because this is only a copy of a picture. However, the image of the left side of the picture "frame" or mat is quite straight and sharp, suggesting square corners. Square corners are typical of pre-1870 pictures. Truthfully, though, it's hard to tell if the left side is part of the original matting, or part of a frame.

According to PhotoTree:

"This is one of the easiest and most dependable dating techniques. Square corners dominated the cards until 1870."

>> Point: before 1870 to around 1870

Fourth:

According to PhotoTree.com, the mat's oval shape was typical of cartes de visite in the 1870s. See this case study: 

http://www.phototree.com/case_021312.htm

> > Point to 1870s.


Fifth,  the background:

If you look closely or even enlarge the image, you can see a pattern in the background. After so many generations of the picture, it's hard to tell exactly what the pattern is. Most likely a decorative column of some sort. According to PhotoTree:

"Until the late 1860s the background was either void or consisted of only a chair, small table, or other object which the subject used to steady themselves. Around 1870 decorative backdrops and props were used, sometimes to the point of absurdity. Too many fences, rocks, and other decorations detracted from the phototgraph's subject."

> > Point to the 1870s.

Sixth, Britta's hairstyle:

Looking closely, we can describe it as center part, uncovered ears, flat-lying, curls or bow on top near the crown, possibly covered by a snood. (Check out the Bing Crosby ears.) If you look at Phototree.com's "Snood" collection, you can see that typical 1860's hairstyles indeed featured a center part, hair flat-lying or close to the head, and uncovered ears. However on closer examination, none of the 1860's hair samples has the bow or curls on top near the crown of the head. On the sides, yes, but not on the top.

Then look at the collection of 1860's cartes de visite for hairstyles. Of more than 50 samples, only three have curls on the top near the crown; the vast majority do not. Curls on top didn't really become fashionable until the 1870s. Hair fashions in the 1880s had lots of curly curls in front, not at the crown, so the picture is less likely to be from the late 1880s.

Knowing that Britta lived her entire life in Alabama, not exactly the fashion capital of the U.S., it's probable that her hairstyle reflected a trend AFTER it hit the mainstream, and not before. So there's one strike each against the 1860s and 1880.

Compare 1860 - 1880 hairdos on these three sites:

1860s: http://www.phototree.com/gallery.asp?cat=60s&f0=1860s

1870s: http://www.phototree.com/gallery.asp?cat=70s&f0=1870s

1880s: http://www.phototree.com/gallery.asp?cat=80s&f0=1880s

 > > Point to the 1870s.


Lastly, her collar area, which is really the most telling clue. Look at how many things are going on in the collar area: a scarf, a flower, an outlined collar; maybe more. According to PhotoTree.com:

"{The} collar and necklace was part of the 'busy' look of the 1870s. Her type of stylish hair came into vogue in this time period, with the plain, pulled back look of the 60s disappearing."

"Busy collar and necklaces the rage in the 1870s..."

http://www.phototree.com/case_021312.htm

> > Point: 1870's.


So there you have it. My best guess without more information than the image supplied by HillSeeker (thank you) is that the photo was taken about 1870, plus or minus a few years. Assuming so, Britta would be between 36 and 46, probably married to Mike Flynn, and living in Bibb County, where she lived from 1870 - 1880. 

Not bad for a 40 plus or minus year old. I myself have turned 42 many times. I wonder how many times Britta turned 42????

Who is Arabella Green?

Maybe someone important in my search for Britta Ann Green's family of origin. Maybe not. Not enough information yet to decide. But here are the facts as I know them:

1. In the 1830 U.S. Census for AL, Arabella Green is in Bibb County. In the household are one male 5 - 9 (born 1821 - 1825), one male 10 - 14 (born 1816 - 1820), one male 15 - 19 (born 1811 - 1815), one female 10 - 14 (born 1816 - 1820), two females 15 - 19  (born 1811 - 1815), and one female 40 - 50 (Arabella, born 1780 - 1790). Neighbors include William Griffon, Riley (Wiley) Bagwell, William H. Dodson, William Barrentine, Polly Hampson, John Hagbie, John Jolly, Bradley Jolly, William Jolly, Somder (Saunders) Moore, Vincent King, Henry Horing (Herring), Elija Green, John Shuttlesworth, Martin Shuttlesworth, Nancy White, William Howard, Allen Whitley, Filardon Flicker (?????), James Lynn, Charles Reach, Henry Potts, Joseph W. Jones, Simeon Tucker, Tomide King????, Micel H. Whaley. 

http://interactive.ancestry.com/8058/4410702_00328/1822685?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fMS_AdvCB%3d1%26db%3d1830usfedcenancestry%26rank%3d1%26new%3d1%26so%3d3%26MSAV%3d2%26msT%3d1%26gss%3dms_db%26gsfn_x%3d1%26gsln%3dgreen%26gsln_x%3d1%26msrpn__ftp%3dBibb%2bCounty%252c%2bAlabama%252c%2bUSA%26msrpn%3d303%26msrpn_PInfo%3d7-%257c0%257c1652393%257c0%257c2%257c3246%257c3%257c0%257c303%257c0%257c0%257c%26msrpn_x%3dXO%26msrpn__ftp_x%3d1%26dbOnly%3d_F0006BC0%257c_F0006BC0_x%26dbOnly%3d_F0006BD3%257c_F0006BD3_x%26dbOnly%3d_F0006BD4%257c_F0006BD4_x%26dbOnly%3d_F0006BD5%257c_F0006BD5_x%26dbOnly%3d_F0006BD6%257c_F0006BD6_x%26dbOnly%3d_F0006BD7%257c_F0006BD7_x%26uidh%3dwy5&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults

2. Martha Green married William R. Johnson in Bibb County on March 2, 1833. John Johnson was the bondsman, William Caddell was the clerk, marriage performed by Joal Pratt, J.P. and permission for the marriage given by groom's father and BRIDE'S MOTHER:

"State of Alabam Bibb County Mar 1 1833 I do hearby authorize (?) the clark of said county to grant William Riley Johnson & Marthy Green licens for matrymony given under my hand William Johnson and ARABELLA GREEN"

The marriage has nothing to do with John Clark, as published at FamilySearch.org. If you read the note, the words are clear:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-9822-27991-95?cc=1743384

So Arabella was the mother of Martha Green.

3. Martha Green Johnson moved with her husband William to Mississippi about 1838. In the 1850 U.S. Census for MS, William R. and Martha Johnson are living in Northern Division, Carroll County. He is 34, born SC, a farmer. She is 33, born TN. Also in the household are Francis, 16, Mary, 14, Matilda, 12, all born AL; and Elijah, 9, Minerva, 7, and John, 4, all born MS.

http://interactive.ancestry.com/8054/4195939-00209/3356214?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3d1850usfedcenancestry%26h%3d3356214%26ti%3d0%26indiv%3dtry%26gss%3dpt%26ssrc%3dpt_t5380938_p6148486453_kpidz0q3d6148486453z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid&ssrc=pt_t5380938_p6148486453_kpidz0q3d6148486453z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid&backlabel=ReturnRecord#?imageId=4195939-00209

Martha married about age 17 in Bibb County in 1833; therefore she would be about 14 in 1830. She's likely the female 10 - 14 in Arabella's household in 1830.

4. In the 1860 U.S. Census for MS, Martha Johnson is living in Wise County, TX. She is 43, born TN, no occupation listed, cannot read or write. Also in the household are Elijah G., 18, and John W., 12, along with James, Eliza, Francis, Mary, and Augustus Jinnings.

http://interactive.ancestry.com/7667/4297450_00174/35266745?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3d1860usfedcenancestry%26indiv%3dtry%26h%3d35266745&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnRecord

So Martha was born either TN or SC about 1817.

Why this is important:

Joseph Green is my current candidate for Britta Ann Green's father. And Arabella Green of Bibb County could be related to him. Here's why:

1. In the 1840 US Cenus for AL, Joseph Green is in Bibb County. In the household are two males 20 - 30 (Joseph & ?, born 1810 - 1820), one female 5 -10 (possibly Britta), one female 40 - 50 (Joseph's cougar wife Nancy Smitherman Garner) and one 50 - 60 (born 1780 - 1790).

2. Both households in Bibb County.

3. If you compare the households of Arabella Green in 1830 and Joseph Green in 1840, there are some interesting similarities. In 1830 Arabella Green was 40 - 50, born 1780 - 1790; the older female in Joseph's 1840 household was 50 - 60 and born 1780 - 1790. So she's the right age to be Arabella. In Arabella's 1830 household there are one male born 1816 to 1820 and one male born 1811 - 1815. In Joseph's 1840 household there are two males born 1810 - 1820. So there are two males of the correct age in Joseph's household. The teenaged women from Arabella's 1830 household could have married, and the boy could have grown up, moved, or died.

So, there you go. It's a theory, and eventually something will come along to prove or disprove it. But I'm having fun on the way, and isn't that what counts?

I'm sure Arabella would approve.