Julie's Mecklenburg, Virginia Discoveries

I’m working on solving some DNA mysteries that happened between 1864-1875. I’m looking for people who have taken an Ancestry.com DNA test with family tree roots in the Bracey-Blackridge area. All ethnicities. Family surnames will include, but are not limited to: Bennett, Boyd, Gray, Harper, Jones, Mabry, Mayo, Marks, Newman, Pearson, Thomas, Walker, Wright. There are many unknowns, as well as many cousin marriages. I’m helping a descendant of Missouri Jones and George Harper who has taken a DNA test on Ancestry.com. I want to ask each person if they match 1) myself, and/or 2) the descendant of Missouri and George Harper. Missouri’s mother was Jane Bennett Thomas, who was divorced but continued using her married name of Jones. George’s mother was Susan Harper. It appears both Missouri and George were born out of wedlock.

It is important for me to also know who is not related, but has taken a test. For example, I am a Jones descendant, through Alginon Gray. But I do not match Missouri Jones. This chart shows how I would not match Missouri genetically. I do not have any pink. :

There are many Jones and Thomas cousin marriages. So I will need help knowing people’s family lines before 1900. I will try the same approach I did to solve a DNA mystery on Fannie Gray’s husband’s side of the family, from 1918. There were several cousin and step-siblings in that project, as I know will be the case with this project. We will be comparing how people match George & Missouri’s descendants and how they match me. We have several unknown lines:

1. Missouri’s father: paternal line (aqua on chart above)
2. Missouri’s father: maternal line (brown on chart above)
3. African American & Jane’s baby: male paternal line (orange on chart)
4. African American & Jane’s baby: male maternal line (green on chart)
5. George Harper’s mother: maternal line
6. George Harper’s father: paternal line
7. George Harper’s father: maternal line

First I will chart if people had a test, and if they match me or my grandparents. Also, if or how they match Missouri’s family. Then I will make a color-coded chart to show how closely people are related to Missouri’s family, based on centimorgan (cM) closeness.

The shapes were the paper trail. The colors were the DNA trail. If you are willing to message with me, my email address is: mecklenburgvagen@gmail.com