Mexico?

The oddest thing that has come out of my DNA matches is a link to several family trees that are almost entirely in Mexico.  And these are not distant cousins!  They are 4th cousins with a "very high" degree of confidence!

I cannot explain it.  One of those trees is also linked to the Allen ancestors, which is even more mystifying, though Augustus Allen lived closer to Mexico than anyone else in the family.

If you look at my DNA Ethnicity report, it shows that 10% of my genes come from the Iberian peninsula. That could explain any Spanish blood, but it would have been much further back than 4th cousins.  

Wondering... (I do a lot of wondering)....

Virginia and the Allens, Lewis's and Warners

Just some random thoughts on recent discoveries....

Me > Virginia Crofford > Teresa Allen > Augustus Allen > Robert Scott Allen > John Watson Allen > Turner Allen > William Carr Allen (m. Mary Lewis, dau. of Col. Charles Lewis).

Even though Augustus Dozier Allen was born in Illinois, his father, Robert Scott Allen, was from Virginia.  I love that my grandparents came back to Virginia almost a century later from "out West" not knowing that they were returning to the land of their ancestors. Full circle.

Augustus' middle name, Dozier, came from his paternal grandmother's mother, Ann Dozier, who married Robert Scott of Lunenburg, Va.  Source: The Georgia Frontier:  Revolutionary War Families to the mid-1800's.  (Google books)  This new branch on the family tree was immediately confirmed by DNA matches!

Could the name Augustus have come from his 5X great grandfather Augustine Warner?

I am still shaking my head over the fact that my grandmother's family came from New Kent County, which is a place that I have always loved.  When I drive to visit family in Old Church, I always take the back roads through New Kent.  Maybe my ancestors' spirits drew me there!  Col. Charles Lewis was born at "Chemokins," a plantation that, coincidentally, my Uncle Herman Lukhard (different side of the family) worked as a tenant farmer in the early 1900's.  The land was originally purchased from Col. John West (the old West store is still on Rt. 360 at Old Church Rd).  Col. Charles Lewis sold Chemokins in the late 1700's to George Webb, and it was in the Webb family for more than a hundred years.  It was sold to J.L.Slaughter and the Hampstead Land and Phosphate Company in 1889.  I have passed the Hampstead property many times and wondered what was beyond those brick entrances!  The Hampstead House, built in 1825, is on the register of historic homes in Virginia. It sits on a bluff with a view of the Pamunkey River. There are ruins of buildings on that land that were probably there when the Lewis' owned it.  It is owned by the Wallace family today.  I looked it up on Google maps, satellite view, and could see some very old gravestones there - I just may have to knock on their door one day!

UPDATE July 2023: On a recent drive through New Kent County, I saw that the Hampstead land is being cleared of forest, and the house can now be seen from the road. I learned that the property is being turned into a destination/wedding venue. That was good news. 

Warner Hall Plantation, est. 1642 - “Austin’s Desire”

One of my proven ancestors through the DNA test is Elizabeth Warner, 1672-1720. Elizabeth married John Taliaferro Lewis, my 7th great grandfather.

Here is the lineage from my maternal grandmother back (*proven through DNA):

Teresa/Ethelyn Allen, 1893-1966 (b. Illinois)

Augustus Allen, 1859- ? (b. Illinois)

Robert Scott Allen, 1797-1864 (b. Virginia)

?John Watson Allen, ? - ? (b. Virginia)

?Turner Allen, 1751 - 1800 (b. Virginia)

Mary Carr Lewis, 1725 - 1778 (b. Virginia; m. William Carr Allen)

*Charles Lilburne Lewis, 1696 - 1779 (b. Virginia)

*Elizabeth Warner, 1672 - 1720 (b. Virginia; m. *Col. John Taliaferro Lewis, 

"one of His Majesty's Honorable Council for this Colony")

Elizabeth inherited Warner Hall, at the head of the Severn River in Gloucester County, today recognized as one of the premier historic homes in Virginia:

Referred to as “Austin’s Desire” in the 1642-land patent, the original six hundred-acre plantation site was established by Augustine Warner as a “land grant” from the British Crown. Augustine Warner received the acreage in exchange for bringing twelve settlers across the Atlantic Ocean to the Jamestown Settlement, a colony desperately in need of manpower to survive in the New World.

"The Lewis family occupied Warner Hall for generations and members of the family immigrated to all parts of the United States."  (A Brief History of Warner Hall Plantation).  In 1740, the original part of the home burned down and was rebuilt on the same foundation.  The plantation remained in the Lewis family until the 1830's.  In 1849, the center part of the home was again destroyed by fire, and the owners built the current frame house on the same foundation with the same floor plan.

The Warners and the Lewis's were among the most prominent families in Virginia. Warner Hall played a significant part in Bacon's Rebellion.  Elizabeth Warner's sister Mildred married Lawrence Washington, and their son Augustine married Mary Ball, who became the mother of George Washington.

Some of the most recognized names in American history are direct descendants of Warner Hall’s founder, Augustine Warner – George Washington, the first president of the United States, Robert E. Lee, the most famous Civil War General and Captain Meriwether Lewis, renowned American explorer of the Lewis and Clark expedition. 

George Washington was a frequent visitor to his grandparent’s plantation. 

Queen Elizabeth II, the current monarch of England, is also a direct descendent of Augustine Warner. In England, Warner Hall is referred to as “the home of the Queen’s American ancestors.”  (A Brief History of Warner Hall Plantation)

Warner Hall and the Warner-Lewis family graveyard.  Elizabeth Warner's inscriptions reads:  "Here Lyeth Interr'd ye Body of Elizabeth Lewis the Daughter of Col Augustine Warner and Mildred his Wife and late wife of John Lewis Esq. She was Born at Chesake the 24th of November, 1672 Aged 47 years 2 Months and 12 Days, and was a Tender Mother of 14 Children. She Departed this Life the 5th Day of February 1719/20."

The Inn at Warner Hall is hosting a family reunion event this year through October 29:  "Descendants of the Warner, Lewis and Washington families are invited to visit Warner Hall to connect more deeply to their historical roots during this special family reunion promotion."  "Descendants are invited to the Inn at Warner Hall’s “All In The Family” reunion, a promotion to help get as many descendants to visit the property as possibly, likely uniting cousins who have never met."  The event will benefit the Warner Hall Graveyard preservation fund. 

Research Status Update

The ancestry DNA results will take some time to sort out - LOTS of time.  I have to click on each of the hundreds of "cousins" who share my DNA and look at the list of common surnames.  A cousin may share my DNA, but have no surnames in common with my tree (how could that be?).  And not every surname is the one that links us.  We may have ten surnames in common, but which is the one that connects us? Sometimes the results will show a specific ancestor that we share (not just the surname) and it will show the relationship of that cousin to me on the family tree.  That is the gold nugget that I search for in the results.

There have been several "gold nuggets" concerning the Allens of St. Peter's Parish, New Kent County, Virginia. The common ancestors in this case are Robert Allen, Sr. (1704-1784) and his wife, Elizabeth Young Stokes.  The problem is, I am having trouble determining from which one of their many children we are descended. Working backwards from my great-grandfather Augustus Dozier Allen (1859-1904), there was his father, Robert Scott Allen (1797-1864), and HIS father, John Watson Allen (abt 1770).  I just need to determine the missing generations between the original Allen and John Watson Allen.

Robert Allen, Sr. (1704-1784) m. Elizabeth Young Stokes (1702-1762)
Children:  Lt. Robert Samuel Allen, Jr., William Carr Allen, Drury, Reynolds, David, Young, James, Josiah, Ann, Judith, Sarah, Agnes, Elizabeth, Susannah, Richard.

Our most probable path is William Carr Allen (1724-1789) > Turner Allen (1751-1800) > John Watson Allen > Robert Scott Allen > Augustus Dozier Allen.  

Augustus Allen married Eva Bosworth, so I also hoped to prove the link to the Bosworths.  Sure enough, there are several DNA matches that share specific Bosworth ancestors with my tree.  This proves that their only child "Ethelyn," and my grandmother Teresa are one and the same.  The Bosworth link also confirms our Mayflower descendance from the Howland/Tilley families.

This fulfills my primary purpose in having the DNA test done.

I will eventually write about the illustrious Allen family of Virginia, who associated with the likes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and who owned vast tracts of land in what is now Gloucester and New Kent County.  Stay tuned!

The Results are In

Up until now, all of my research had been through various written sources, most of which has the potential to be misleading and laden with human error. 

Today, I got the results of my DNA test which will prove (or disprove) my research ABSOLUTELY and SCIENTIFICALLY.  I am nervous to open it.  I am overwhelmed at the thought of what I might find.  I wonder if I even have the capacity to comprehend it all.  I am afraid that I will be opening a can of worms that will take over my life.


The first part of the DNA results is easy to understand.  The Ethnicity estimate holds no surprises...99% European. Here is the more detailed breakdown:

The second part of the results is the overwhelming part. I have hundreds of new cousins with whom I share a significant amount of DNA. I can click on each of these new cousins to find out what surnames are common with my family tree, and which ones have common ancestors. I can even contact the cousin to share information.

I decided to click on each cousin's record to briefly scan over the surnames looking for the ones that are familiar to me. I barely even started going through the list when I came across the names that I was hoping to find, proving a biological connection to my maternal grandmother's parents. I think I will stop there for now.

Origins of my niece's and nephews' names

Just for the record, I am including the origins of my sister's children's names so that all the cousins are equally enlightened!

Justin Wade 
Holly and Clayton were torn between two opposing schools of thought.  There was the almost compulsory tradition to name the son after the long line of fathers before him, or they could completely break with tradition and give him a fresh, original name that would make him unique and special. Never wanting to offend or hurt feelings, this was a difficult, wrenching decision for them.  In the end they chose unique.  They had never heard of another child named Justin and liked the meaning of the name, "justice," which, of course, turned out to be a totally appropriate choice.  They liked the name "Reed" for a middle name but wanted to save that name as a first name in case they had another son.  (How did they know?)  They equally liked the name, "Wade," which sounded very similar, so Justin Wade was born.

Leah Noelle
Naming a girl was a bigger ordeal.  I personally remember Holly and Clayton each making lists of favorite names, and then realizing that few names appeared commonly on both lists.  Noelle was a mutual contender as a first name, but Clayton declared that if the two women in his household were named "Holly" and "Noelle" he was going to change his name to Santa Claus.  He liked the name Nicole as well.  Up to the moment of her birth, the name they had settled on was "Lisa Nicole."  When they told the delivery room nurse their choice of names, however, her reaction was less than enthusiastic.  They told her their second choice, "Leah Noelle," and the nurse LOVED it.  So a delivery room decision was made and we have our Leah.  After the fact, it was learned that "Leah" was the middle name of a dearly beloved aunt.  Meant to be.

Reed Clayton
His name was always going to be "Reed," even before he was conceived.  Holly had come across the name "Reid" years before, and thought it was original and appealing.  "Reed" was also the middle name of Clayton's step-father.  Three strong family names were under consideration for a middle name: Foster, Ramsey, and Clayton.  This was a tough decision as all of them were meaningful choices.  The decision to go with "Clayton" was made at the last minute.  The same delivery room nurse that influenced Leah's name was present at Reed's birth, but it is not clear whether or not she was involved in this decision.