Jill's Genealogy Journey

Stories, Discoveries & Tips

Margaret Jones

mtDNA – Part 2

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I finally ran the mtDNA test on my dad. This test looks at the maternal line and can be run on everyone, not just women. You might recall that I was able to hook into others’ research when I ran this test on my mom: https://jillholman.com/genealogy/marie-marguerie-and-mtdna/

No such luck this time – we don’t have any close matches yet (genetic distance = 0). And among the matches we do have, there is no agreement on earliest known ancestor, nor anything in common in trees that I can find. And of course there are a lot of missing trees. Hopefully more cousins will test and provide tree information back several generations so we can make progress here soon. (You might also recall that this family is tricky for traditional document research and we have had a bit of a brick wall for years: https://jillholman.com/genealogy/john-margaret-williams/)

So our maternal line back from Margaret Emma Jones is still a mystery for now.

Maternal line back from my dad

We can also learn a bit about our ancient ancestors from mtDNA. The T haplogroup is in the book The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes. See the chapter on Tara.

For our ancestors, scientists currently believe the mitochondrial haplogroups evolved something like this:

  • L – Africa 192,400 years ago (Mitochondrial Eve)
  • L1-6 – 170,000 years ago
  • L3 – 71,600 years ago
  • N – 70,000 years ago
  • R – South Asia – 60,000 years ago
  • R2’JT – 55,000 years ago
  • JT – Near East/Europe – 50,000 years ago
  • T – 33,300 years ago
  • T2 – 23,800 years ago
  • T2b – 10,600 years ago
  • T2b24 – 7,500 years ago

For the earlier date estimations, check out figure 6 here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2694979/pdf/main.pdf

For the T date estimations, check out S2_fig here: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0118625

Resources

And remember, get your old people tested as soon as possible!

Mercer Raceabout Type 35

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Mary & her mother & ?
Mary & her mother in a Mercer Raceabout

More about this picture I published last time – this is a special car!

Thanks to cousin Gordon, self-professed car nut, I have learned that this is a Mercer Raceabout Type 35 and it was made from 1911 to 1915 with a total production of under 1,000.

They say it was “one of the most advanced cars of its time” & I am ever so curious how these two women ended up in this special car!

Did they have racing in Staples? Cousin Gordon suggested it could have been an older car used for dirt track racing by the time the picture was taken.

I had guessed this picture was in 1910 in Staples, but it must have been later. Margaret died in 1923, so it has to be before then. Mary moved to Canada in 1913, but she did come back to visit several times, so perhaps this picture was taken on one of her trips back to Staples.

Lovely 1912 Mercer 35R Raceabout
Lovely 1912 Mercer 35R Raceabout


This picture & more information available here at Wikipedia.

There are also some great pictures of a 1913 Mercer Raceabout here at Jay Leno’s Garage where they describe the car “as little more than a hood, two bucket seats and a 25-gallon gas tank.”

Thanks to Cousin Gordon!

P.S. Added February 9, 2014:
A bit more from my clever & persistent mother in response to this post . . . Note: the number 5 on the car, how old the car looks, no leaves on the trees BUT the men are in their shirtsleeves, and the style of clothes they’re wearing. My guess is this is around 1920 or 21, in the spring. I have no record of Mary’s visit in 1920, BUT in 1921 she came in the spring. All the other visits were in late fall or early winter. And in 1920, son Charles was living with Margaret. He would have been 39. My guess is he’s one of the men in the picture.

Thanks Mom!

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John & Margaret Williams

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My first introduction to this part of the family was way back when I was just getting started with genealogy. My grandmother showed me the family bible and seeing all those names and dates written in there was so confusing. First, they have common names – do you know how many John Williams there were!? And then they keep re-using the same names in each generation. And they had a lot of kids and a lot of marriages as well.


Then later my great-aunt Margaret gave me a sheet that was typed up by Edith Vollmer, which helped a bit. In addition to listing the children of John’s two marriages, Vollmer reported that John and Martha lived in Chester and later Manchester. He ran a livery stable and when it burned he used the insurance money to immigrate to America.

John and Margaret Williams
John and Margaret Williams circa 1913 Are the two men in the back their sons?


So this is what I have sorted out – first Edward and Jane had 12 children. Then John Williams was married to Martha Charmly and they had nine children and then he married Margaret Emma Jones and they had seven children. Margaret supposedly had been married before as well, but I haven’t found anything on that yet. Check it out:


Children of Edward & Jane:
William WILLIAMS(1 Jun 1803 – )
Thomas WILLIAMS(19 Nov 1804 – )
Edward WILLIAMS(7 Sep 1806 – 1 Jan 1868)
Ann WILLIAMS(29 Mar 1808 – )
Mary WILLIAMS(3 Jun 1809 – )
Elizabeth WILLIAMS(29 Aug 1811 – )
Jane WILLIAMS(19 Aug 1813 – )
Mary WILLIAMS(11 Apr 1816 – )
Ellen WILLIAMS(8 Jul 1818 – )
Margaret WILLIAMS(6 Sep 1820 – )
John E. WILLIAMS(6 Jul 1823 – 8 Apr 1913)
Samuel WILLIAMS


Children of John and Martha:
Emma WILLIAMS
Prudence WILLIAMS
Mercy WILLIAMS
Martha WILLIAMS
Mathew WILLIAMS
John WILLIAMS
Thomas WILLIAMS
Jane (Jennie) WILLIAMS
Marguarite (Maggie) WILLIAMS


Children of John and Margaret:
Mary E WILLIAMS
Anna WILLIAMS
Edward WILLIAMS
William WILLIAMS
Henry WILLIAMS
Samuel WILLIAMS
Charles WILLIAMS

Mary Williams with her brother William Williams
Mary Williams with her brother William Williams


Here are the facts & sources I have scraped together so far:

  • Apr 1780 – Edward born (written in family bible)
  • 26 Apr 1782 – Jane born (written in family bible)
  • 5 July 1823 – John was born (1900 census & death cert)
  • 9 July 1838 – Margaret was born (1900 census, family bible & death cert)
  • 1851 – John and Martha are in Chester with two kids and a servant. He was a lock keeper at the canal.
  • 31 Aug 1867 – John & Margaret marry (written in family bible)
  • 17 Sep 1867 – John and Martha(!) and 9 kids come through New York after taking the SS City of Washington from Liverpool (New York passenger list)
  • 6 Apr 1868 – Edward died (written in family bible)
  • 1870 – John and Margaret and seven children are in Calamus in Dodge County WI (census)
  • 9 Nov 1872 – Jane died (written in family bible)
  • 1880 – John and Margaret and seven children are in Calamus in Dodge County WI (census)
  • 1885 – John and Margaret and seven children are in Thomastown Wadena MN (census)
  • 1895 – John and Margaret and four children are in Thomastown Wadena MN (census)
  • 1900 – John and Margaret and son Charles are in Thomastown Wadena MN (census)
  • 1905 – John and Martha(!) and son Charles are in Thomastown Wadena MN (census)
  • 1910 – John and Margaret are in Staples Todd MN (census)
  • 8 April 1913 – John died in Todd County MN (death cert) parents were Edward Williams & Jane Anisworth
  • 1920 – Margaret and son Charles are in Staples Todd MN (census)
  • 4 Dec 1923 – Margaret died in Staples (death cert)
Anna Williams Austin
Anna Williams Austin circa 1933 where she lived in Los Angeles


I wish I knew when Martha died. It looks like John & Margaret married and then a couple weeks later left for America. Wow – can you imagine that? It is a little confusing that sometimes Martha is listed when it should have been Margaret.


There was one more bit written in the family bible and I haven’t figured out where he fits in yet: Joseph Williams 24 Feb 1833. Does anyone know?


Another weird thing is that it says Ino Williams was Margaret’s father on her
death certificate. Margaret Williams married John Williams? Not impossible, but it is unlikely.

Her name was Jones, I believe, before she married John, but with that rumor that she was married before, I am not sure of her maiden name. Who knows the answer to that mystery?

The Basic Facts:
Edward WILLIAMS
b. Apr 1780, England
d. 6 Apr 1868
& Jane ANISWORTH
b. 26 Apr 1782, England
d. 9 Nov 1872
John E. WILLIAMS
b. 6 Jul 1823, Chester, England
d. 8 Apr 1913, Staples, Todd, MN
& Margaret (Emma) JONES
b. 9 Jul 1838, Chester, England
d. 4 Dec 1923, Staples, Todd, MN
m. 31 Aug 1867, England

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Appreciation for an Old Photograph

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Four Generations Photo
Claire, Pete holding Fran, Atchie & Margaret seated
circa 1921


Okay a little description . . . this photograph has been through the wringer! It is bent and torn in several places. There are numerous spills, discolorations and even some thumbprints. There are two thumbtack holes. There are stains and specks and smudges. One corner is very mangled and three corners are missing and it looks like another part of it is going to break off at any moment!


So there it is in all it’s pathetic glory! I’m so grateful that it has made it to me! It is pretty old, from about 1921 or 1922. (Margaret died the end of 1923, so it could not have been taken after that. ) It is a four-generations picture, so that is valuable and it has clearly been through a lot in the past 90 years.


Okay here’s the full old-photograph analysis . . .

  • The coloring is quite yellow and the surface shiny.
  • The size of the original is 3.75 inches x 6 inches.
  • Written on the back: Mom & Dad Fjerstad, Fran, Atchie & Atchie’s mom.
  • Fran looks to be about one or two years old, her mom was about 23, her dad was about 26, Atchie (May Williams was Claire’s mom) was about 46 and Margaret (Claire’s grandmother) was about 83 years old.
  • I’m not sure where it was taken. Fran was born in 1920 in Toronto, South Dakota and I know they moved around a lot between the towns on the border between South Dakota and Minnesota. So I’m not quite sure where they were at this exact moment. I’m guessing this picture was taken in front of the house where they lived because their clothes look pretty casual.

Does anyone else have any more information about this photo?

The Basic Facts:
Margaret (Emma) JONES WILLIAMS
b. 9 Jul 1838, Chester, England
d. 4 Dec 1923, Staples, Todd, MN
m. 31 Aug 1867, England
May (Atchie) (Mary E) WILLIAMS ATCHISON
b. 25 Dec 1875, Beaver Dam, Dodge, WI
d. 15 Dec 1971, Staples, Todd, MN (Mary Rondorf home)
m. 27 Oct 1897, Staples, Todd, MN
Claire (Clara) ATCHISON
b. 2 Sep 1898, Staples, Todd, MN
d. 30 Aug 1951, St. Paul, Ramsey, MN
& Peter Ole FJERSTAD
b. 2 Oct 1895, Amhurst, Fillmore, MN
d. 2 Aug 1974, Robbinsdale, Hennepin, MN
m. 1919, Hendricks, Lincoln, MN
Evelyn Frances FJERSTAD HOLMAN
b. 23 Jan 1920, Toronto, Deuel, SD
d. 17 May 2002, Brooklyn Center, Hennepin, MN
m. 16 Feb 1937, Milbank, Grant, SD

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