Thursday 23 June 2016

John Morgan's DNA journey

Dear John, I know you like keeping the family's secrets to yourself but how about you tell me who your parents are and where y'all came from? What does the "T." initial mean? Would you help me out just a little? That would be nice wouldn't it? Love, Your extremely frustrated Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter.

 
Morgan Cemetery in Escambia Co., FL, USA

My earliest known MORGAN ancestor:
John T. "Jack" Morgan b. 1802 in GA, USA d. 27 Feb 1854 in Escambia Co., FL, USA. On 06 Oct 1832 in Conecuh Co., AL, USA he married Sarah Simmons b. 1816 (SC, TN or GA going off census, but using daughter Margaret' Tennant Morgan Shepard's Family Bible, lists birth location as SC.) d. 11 Oct 1891 in Escambia Co., FL, USA.  

John's only known sibling is Delilah Morgan b. 1795 (SC, TN or NC various census records) d. 24 Nov 1864 in Pensacola, Escambia Co., FL, USA. She first married Thomas Grubbs in 1814 in GA, USA.

Sources
1795 SC - Delilah Morgan is born.
1800 Harris Co., GA lists a Thomas Grubbs.
1802 GA - John Morgan is born.
1814 GA - Thomas Grubbs and Delilah Morgan marry.
1820 Conecuh Co., AL census - Thomas Grubbs, Delilah and John Morgan and another male under age 21. Who is the other male?
1830 Conecuh Co., AL census - John Morgan
1832 Conecuh Co., AL - John marries Sarah Simmons
1838 Escambia Co., FL - John has land surveyed, 400 acres
1840 Escambia Co., FL census - John Morgan
1850 Escambia Co., FL census - John Morgan
1854 Escambia Co., FL - John is buried, becomes known as Morgan Cemetery


After Thomas Grubbs died, she remarried to a Lawyer named John A. Lawson who abandoned her and their child. 

The above family was researched by Dorothy "Jane" Morgan Noa. I had the pleasure of working with her before her death. She recalled her father, Thomas Gillis Morgan, saying the family was from NC. Which my father's DNA is proof he was right. 

DNA

My father has completed a 2005 ancestry.com Y-DNA 46 marker test as well as a 2012 ancestryDNA autosomal test. His closest match is to, Ron, who's ancestor is Henry H. Morgan b. 1806 in White Co., NC married to Millie Ann Guffey separated by 5 generations which would mean John and Henry are either brothers or first cousins. 

After Henry, his closest matches are to descendants of James Pleasant Morgan, who also recycled the name John and Delilah along his lines. As well as, descendants of John Morgan who died 1799 in Moore Co., NC, USA. Other matches are to those who share John Dorian Morgan as an ancestor. The first Morgan to the New World. 

I have his DNA results on Y-Search #CSB6C; GEDmatch #A543997; FTDNA and ancestry. com. Go head and compare your DNA with his and see if we are a match. 

My father's ancestryDNA results:

 
I expected Great Britain, but the others were a little surprise. I've made contact with Heather, on the Bulgaria side 2 years ago. As for India side, I've made contact with Ellahonda, who's ancestor was a slave in Georgia from India in the early 1800s. It is quite possible the India side could be on the Sandifer/Hanberry side. As that's where the Bulgaria blood is from. I recall my father's eldest sister June, mentioning the family had "black-blood." I've made wonderful connections with others sharing my father's DNA, however the Morgan line is what I want to prove. 











1 comment:

  1. Might Delilah also have gone by Martha? In his Eastern Cherokee Claim, Marion Franklin, son of LaPlata Grubbs Franklin, identified his maternal grandparents as John Lawson and Martha Morgan. LaPlata is only identified here and in her marriage certificate (as a Grubbs). She doesn't appear in the 1850 US census. Delilah appears in that census with daughter Amazon Grubbs, son Benjamin Grubbs and son Wright Lawson. She is a neighbor of John and Sarah Morgan.

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