My quest to solve the mysterious DNA connection between the Tranthams and Myricks of Henry County, Tennessee led me to the hallowed halls of the Library of Congress this weekend. Although it is located practically in my “backyard”, I have never visited this massive monument to the printed word. The experience alone deserves its own post. With my newly-created, official Library of Congress Researcher identification card in hand, I made my way through security (several layers!) and found the books I was after.

While I didn’t solve the mystery, I learned a few new things scanning several volumes of cemetery, Bible and probate records from Henry County, Tennessee. Jason and James Myrick, the brothers who bought but didn’t pay for the horse along with Jesse Trantham, were nowhere to be found in these annals. However, I found the abstracted will of Mathew Myrick which was recorded in 1841. His son, William Myrick, was named his executor and only heir. Because of this, I know that Jason and James were (probably) not Mathew’s sons since the court case involving the horse happened just three years earlier.

William Myrick’s name showed up again later in a collection of Bible records. Listed alongside the names and birthdates of William and his children was that of his wife, Sarah Green TURNER. A ha! and A huh?

The Turner DNA coursing through my veins comes from my mother’s side of the family. So this might explain why I have Myrick DNA cousins. More research is needed to determine if these cousins descend from Sarah. The connection to Sarah, however, would not necessarily explain why my father and his sister also have Myrick-descended DNA matches.

I’ve officially stepped in it up to my knees. The quest to solve the Trantham/Myrick mystery continues.

Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relation: Still a mystery
Common ancestors: Positively not positive