Day 2 of my trip to Warren County, Missouri is coming to a close. This is an important place for me genealogically speaking as one quarter of my Kenfolk via my paternal grandmother passed through these parts. Having exhausted every resource available online, I had high hopes coming here in person I’d be able to overcome some of the research… More →
Author: K Trantham
Martin Trantham Whosit?
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… More →
Helen of Troy (Missouri)
Some of my most favorite “discovered” distant cousins are the unassuming ones who lived extraordinary lives. When I find myself thinking: “I could never have done that”, I know that I’ve found another one. Helen Luelf, my 3rd cousin, 2x removed, is an inspiring leaf hanging proudly from the Winter branch of my family tree. She was the 7th of 14 children born to Herman… More →
Mom-Me Revealed
My iPhone vibrated on the stand next to my bed just moments after I’d turned off the lights Tuesday night. It was alerting me that a new email had come through. I looked at the preview on the screen and realized my day was not over. The results of my mitochondrial DNA test were back from the lab. Like I could sleep… More →
Crappy Valentine’s Day
Some of my distant cousins made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. November 27, 1937 was not a good day for Valentine Biesemeyer, my 1st cousin, 4x removed. After his amorous advances were rebuffed by his housekeeper, he struck her in the side of the head with a hatchet. She managed to survive the blow and recounted the horrific tale to the… More →
D-N-Abled Discoveries
Genealogy wouldn’t be the same for me if I didn’t have my DNA-matched cousins on Ancestry.com “turbocharging” my research. Many of these distant cousins have built out their public family trees far enough back that they often unknowingly help me confirm a connection or overcome a research roadblock. Earlier this week I introduced yet another Martin Trantham. I wondered if any of my DNA cousins could provide evidence that this Martin and his descendants… More →
Yet Another Martin
A package from the public library of Huntsville, Texas arrived this week. It was stuffed with the genealogical findings of a distant Trantham cousin. In a frenzy reminiscent of Christmas mornings past, I ripped into the padded envelope and quickly scanned for the section on “Martin Trantham”, our presumed common ancestor. I had high hopes that the author, Herbert Raymond Trantham, Jr., had… More →
Labor of Love
It has taken me a couple of months to work my way through the History and Genealogy of the American Descendants of John and Ann Chamness of London, England. I have painstakingly transferred all 126 typewritten pages of Chamness distant cousins into my family tree. While this might seem like cheating or circumventing the research process, I should point out that the book… More →
Beloved Son
The Mississippi Legislature adopted resolution SC 593 on March 5, 2015, mourning the loss of Henry Outlaw, my 2nd cousin, 1x removed. The resolution recognizes the remarkable career of one of Mississippi’s beloved sons who passed away February 21, 2015. An award-winning academic, Dr. Outlaw taught chemistry at Delta State University from 1966 until 2002. His numerous contributions to this school, its students and faculty cannot be summarized easily. In 2014, his “retirement” culminated with his becoming the first recipient… More →
Powerful DNA
My cousin Hallie is a person and not just a DNA match. While that might seem obvious, after a dozen or more emails exchanged the only thing we had learned about each other is how we might be related. Our suspected common ancestors have the same last names and came from the same part of Europe blah blah blah. I fully intended to introduce Hallie within this context and had… More →