I can’t make this stuff up. I’ve stumbled upon yet another “Martin Trantham“. Well, it’s more like I stubbed my big toe on him.
One of my dad’s DNA matches on Ancestry.com (who by default is also my match) happens to be very knowledgeable about genetics. By profession, she’s a medical doctor and my “go to” person when I have questions about DNA. (Lucky me!)
For months she and I have been trying to figure out how we might be related with no success. But it seems we’ve been barking up the wrong family tree branch. Here’s how we know that now: she and another one of my dad’s DNA matches, who just recently uploaded her DNA results onto GEDmatch.com, share DNA with him quite fortuitously on the same chromosome (#10). But the shared DNA is on opposite ends so to speak. This was revealed on GEDmatch.com. Since our two DNA matches share no DNA with each other, it means one is related to my dad on his mother’s side and the other on his father’s.
The latter cousin is a “Wessel” and kin to my paternal grandmother. That much we know. Thus, my cousin the doctor must be related to my paternal grandfather who was a Trantham!
But, since I thought she was related to my paternal grandmother, I had never bothered to look for Tranthams (or Borens or Sims) in her family tree. Back I went for another peek. And I found one, sort of. Only one “Trantham” appears in her family tree: Martin Trantham Causey, Jr.
Okay, this is an interesting and unexpected twist.
“Trantham” is, or was rather, his MIDDLE name and not his last name. And, he married into my doctor cousin’s family. She is not related to him biologically that I can tell and she is not his descendant.
I am going to have to shimmy further up Mr. Causey’s family tree to figure out how he’s related to my Martin Tranthams and me, if at all. But seriously. Who names their child “Martin Trantham” unless it’s a family name?
Meanwhile, while we’ve narrowed the possibilities down, my relationship to my doctor cousin remains a mystery. For now, at least.
Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relation: Clear as mud
Common ancestors: Your guess is as good as mine at this point
Ken, there are Causeys in the MS Territory/Adams Ct/Amite Ct MS migration group where the Tranthams are found briefly. This is the group where Robert Trantham’s son and daughter Martin Trantham and Margaret Trantham papers appear for my Jesse Rice,whose grandson (child of son John Rice) and my great grandfather was named Martin Trantham Rice. The Causeys move with the group to Caldwell Parish, LA. One of Jesse Rice’s sons was named Robert Trantham. WHAT did the Tranthams have? An interesting name? Or what?
What did they have? Great question. I wish I had an answer for you.
Ken