The Descendant Genealogist

05/26/2026

04/10/2024

In moments of despair, I draw strength from the resilient women in my lineage. Take Mary C. Laymance, born in 1862 in Tunnell Hill, Georgia, who endured the harrowing ordeal of her son's kidnapping by her husband, lasting eight agonizing days over Christmas. Yet, she emerged from this trial with resolve, filing for divorce after that. Reflecting on her courage, I find solace in knowing that if she could weather such adversity, I, too, can overcome any challenge that comes my way.

04/08/2024

I just ordered a warrant for James Mann from the UK National Archives at Kew (aka James Coates, Martin Foy, and a newly found alias, James Agnew).

I’m sure he had an FBI file, as he was arrested and deported upon entry to the United States. James’s wife Edith and sister Ronnie (Veronica) were allowed entry. He was apparently pretending Ronnie was his daughter to make himself more trustworthy while on his worldwide con man journey.

11/12/2023

Will you please sign this petition to save Solano County, California’s historical records.

Reinstate the Solano County Historical Records Commission and Save the Historical Records!

10/19/2023

I’m looking forward to several days of genealogical education!

🌟 Join us at the Texas State Genealogical Society's Fall Conference on November 10-11, 2023! 🌟

🔍 Dive into the fascinating world of genealogy with our featured talk by Jennifer Roodzant, "Untangling the Knot: Separating Men with the Same Name." 🧵

Genealogists, we've all been there - trying to make sense of multiple folks in the same area with identical names. It's like piecing together a puzzle with too many matching pieces. But fear not, Jennifer will show you the ropes!

Discover techniques like analysis, correlation, and signature comparison that will empower you to correctly identify the individuals you're seeking. 🧩

Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to sharpen your genealogical skills. Register now and get ready to untangle the knot with Jennifer! 👨‍👦🔍

Learn more and register at https://www.txsgs.org/2023-conference-registration/ 📅📚

10/18/2023

In Memoriam: Ron Shemer and Ilay Nachman

https://blog.myheritage.com/2023/10/in-memoriam-ron-shemer-and-ilay-nachman/?fbclid=IwAR1MD9Xnh9VjGMMAxfwqrFhZXNfRVIGXGwHF5sVgAsb0DdvPKqHpGIWzEvI_aem_AQhmtEZVr0go9Yo6krIW68ibnaxGTCQ2bzVe1EGuuSmcKFg351aQJqbifSQc1sam1iM

Our hearts are broken. We are overcome with grief at the tragic deaths of Ron Shemer and Ilay Nachman, two members of the MyHeritage employee family. Ron

10/20/2022

If you have time tomorrow, please join me for a presentation: Clustering DNA Matches with Gephi to Pinpoint Genetic Networks.

I hope to see you there!

Calling all students! Each month, we set a time aside for our students to connect with their fellow classmates for an opportunity to discuss topics relevant to their online education goals. We are …

10/20/2022

Gephi is an open-source visualization platform that creates network graphs evidencing connections between data points—in this case, DNA.

The graphs produce clusters creating genetic networks and have two parts:
o Nodes: represent matches—circles
o Edges: means in common with—lines

Clusters' evidence shared matches with a most recent common ancestor--though they can be from different generations.

Network graphs are an excellent tool for visualizing matches. Instead of spending hours or days sorting matches by hand, looking for a connection, Gephi does the work for you.

If you're interested in purchasing a network graph, please email or send a message!

10/02/2022

This photograph of my second great grandmother, Mary Laymance Robinson, was taken around 1908 in Oakland, Alameda County, California.

09/30/2022

Do you have any brickwalls in a burned county? Have you researched in a burned county? Are you positive record loss is causing the brick wall and assuming all records are lost? Dealing with a county or region that has experienced record loss can be overwhelming and cause a diversion from the research objective we are trying to answer.

When researching in a burned county, take a deep breath and don’t stress–there are resources to help genealogists identify the extent of the record loss and what collections are still available.

https://descendantgenealogy.com/after-the-fire-overcoming-record-loss-part-i/



Santa Rosa, California, Courthouse (https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/hb4m3nb3h5/?&query=courthouse&query-join=or&brand=eqf), negative no. 26355,
Creator/Contributor: Bear Photo Co.: 1906)