Skeeter's Family: A Possible Ancestor!

I use a number of websites for genealogy and/or DNA matches. My first DNA test was with Family Tree DNA back in 2008. That was a simple 37 marker Y-DNA test. I didn’t get many results, but then I didn’t expect to either. Later I took FTDNA’s Family Finder test. This is the same basic test that Ancestry, My Heritage, and 23andMe do. The Family Finder test is one that both male and females can take. Generally, it’s helpful in finding ancestors back about 5 generations or so. With any luck, you will find a cousin that has documentation that helps you find ancestors you don’t have. And that’s what happened to me.

Up until last week I only had confirmation of a 3^rd great grandfather on my mother’s side. I knew his name was Joseph Turbeville and his wife’s name was Eliza. I found them in the 1850 census record right where I expected them to be, in Marion County, South Carolina. I didn’t know Eliza’s maiden name. I had a good idea of her family, but I couldn’t confirm anything.

Then early this week I found a 5^th cousin one removed (5C1R). Please don’t ask me to explain the “once removed” aspect. I still get very confused when trying to figure it out myself. But, if I have it right, he is a 5^th cousin one generation different than I. So, while this gentleman was born in 1947, he is one generation closer to our most recent common ancestor (MCRA). He is about the same age as my eldest sibling.

I found this DNA match on FTDNA. And let me tell you, the family tree part of the FTDNA website just plain sucks. It’s damn near impossible to edit your tree. It does accept a GEDCOM file, but if you replace your current tree, then all of the DNA matches you have marked on your tree are gone. I understand why that happens, but they had a better editor it wouldn’t be so bad.

But, as usual, I digress.

Following my new cousin’s line in his tree I was able to find our MCRA is my 5^th great grandfather, Absalom Turbeville and his wife, Lucy White. Absalom was killed at the battle of Lorick’sFerry, South Carolina during the American Revolution, 1 May 1782.

My line goes through Absalom & Lucy’s son Solomon Turbeville and his wife Molcy Johnson. The cousin’s line goes through Solomon’s brother, William Turbeville and his wife Mary Johnson. I wonder if the two wives are related in any way. That is one of the many things on my to-do list for this new line.

I do have all the family from Absalom and Lucy and older marked as unverified. Along with this new cousin, I have found many more cousins that can call Absalom and Lucy as ancestors. This gives me a high level of confidence in this couple at least. The documentation is sparce this far back hence the unverified tag. Admittingly I’m not using a true genealogical standard of proof for most of my tree, only my direct line needs a higher level of proof. But I won’t call something as confirmed or verified without at least two source records. This is the main reason that the majority of folks that have Absalom and Lucy as ancestors are not on my tree yet.

My 5^th great uncle, John, son of Absalom and Lucy had quite a few descendants. Unfortunately, I have been unable to tie any of his children to him with documentation. All the matches in Ancestry’s ThruLines have no documentation other than other public family trees. I learned the hard way not to blindly accept other trees without proofs. There isn’t much worse as an amateur genealogist than to follow a lead only to find that who you had as some great-great-great ancestor you accepted because a cousin said it was true, turns out to be wrong when you find records that have an entirely different person there. I have had to wipe my tree out and start all over more than once before I learned my lesson.

As you can see on the tree below, this discovery goes back to my (hopefully) 9^th great grandfather, John Turbyfield and his wife Sara Pinney. Are they truly my ancestors? I don’t know. I still have Absalom and Lucy tagged as unverified, so going back four more generations is a big gamble. But you must start somewhere. I will continue this search along with all the other ancestors I’m looking for. (Who is James Campbell’s father???)