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What does this word being used by my lineage society mean?

Lineage societies have a vocabulary of their own. If you’re in the process of applying, knowing what the terms mean can make your life much easier!

Here are a few common terms:

Lineage Society: Also called a hereditary society, this is an organization that decides membership based on the actions of an applicant’s ancestor.
Qualifying ancestor: An ancestor who meets the qualifications set out by the society.
Patriot: A qualifying ancestor for a Revolutionary War lineage society, typically the Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution.
“The line”: The line between the applicant and the qualifying ancestor.
“Line carrier” or “Line bearer”: The person through whom the line runs. If the qualifying ancestor is on your mother’s side, your mother would be the “line carrier.”
Papers: A term sometimes used for the application.
Chart: A term sometimes used for the application.
Supporting documentation: The sources used to document the line. Also called proof.
The application packet: A completed application with supporting documentation.
To prove the line: “Proving the line” means establishing the relationship between the applicant and the ancestor using the standards of the society.
Marking the application: Adding red underlining and generation numbers as requested by the society.

Have you heard a different term? Would you like help with a definition?

What was the Ladies’ Association of Philadelphia?

Founded in 1780 by Esther de Berdt Reed, the Ladies’ Association of Philadelphia raised money for the Continental Army through door to door fundraising. The organization raised over $7,000, which was used to clothe soldiers. Although heavily critiqued, the Association was one of the first American examples of organized political action by women.

The family’s papers have ended up at the New York Historical Society. Based on some digitized documents, the records of the Ladies’ Association may be there as well.

To learn more,

Berkin, Carol. Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America’s Independence. New York: Vintage Books, 2005.

Beatty, Jacqueline.” Ladies Association of Philadelphia.” Philadelphia Encyclopedia. https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/ladies-association-of-philadelphia/.

“Esther de Berdt Reed.” American Battlefield Trust. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/esther-de-berdt-reed.

Can I use autosomal DNA testing in a lineage society application?

If you’ve taken an Ancestry DNA test, you may be wondering if you can use the results in a lineage society application. The short answer: maybe.

The Sons of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the American Revolution both permit the use of autosomal DNA testing as support for an application.

But there are restrictions.

There must not be “paper” supporting documentation for the relationship.
It can only be used for certain generations. The Sons of the American Revolution only permits autosomal DNA to be used to establish the relationship between the applicant and his parents; the Daughters of the American Revolution only permits autosomal DNA to be used to establish the relationship between the applicant and her parents or the applicant’s parent and grandparent.
Any matches must give consent and in the case of DAR, be willing to submit their DNA to DAR’s group.
Any matches must be willing to provide documentation of their relationship to the parent/grandparent.

This policy is primarily designed to help support adoptees. As it’s somewhat challenging to use, if you have alternate options – such as an original birth certificate – it’s best to use those instead.

Can I use the results of a mitochondrial DNA test in a lineage society application?

First of all, what’s a mitochondria? For those of you who don’t recall your high school biology class: a mitochondria is a structure within the cell. It’s often referred to as a cell’s “energy center.” There’s a really good explanation here. Mitochondria have their own DNA, so they can be tested separately. It was long believed that mitochondrial DNA was only inherited from the mother. That’s no longer true: it’s now known that it’s possible to inherit mitochondrial DNA from both parents. However, that inheritance is still considered to be rare.

What’s a mitochondrial DNA test? Currently marketed by FamilyTreeDNA, these tests are sold as a way to explore the genetic ancestry of a maternal ancestor. Such tests can examine the ancestry of the mother, the mother’s mother, etc. back in a straight maternal line. They can be taken by both males and females, as both should inherit mitochondrial DNA from their mothers.

These tests work by comparing certain markers on the mitochondria with the markers on the mitochondria of other test test takers. Their “genetic distance” is determined by the number of markers they share. This “genetic distance” allows test takers to estimate how many generations back they share a common female ancestor. As with Y-DNA tests, the more markers tested, the more precise the test is likely to be.

These tests are generally not accepted by lineage societies. Mitochondrial DNA mutates slowly, making it difficult to tell how recently two people share a common ancestor – and thus who that ancestor might be. FamilyTreeDNA indicates the following for its most comprehensive mtDNA test: “It means that you have a 50% chance of sharing a common maternal ancestor within the last 5-16 generations (or about 125-400 years).” If you’re thinking of using them to explore your lineage society ancestral line, use them as a way to gather more evidence instead of part of your documentation.

Land records: an underused source in lineage research

Land records are often a “source of last resort” for genealogists. Rarely fully indexed, they require us locating and accessing a separate index book (called a grantor/grantee index); copying down the volumes and pages that apply to our ancestor; and then going into each volume to copy the appropriate pages. It’s time consuming and often difficult.

So, why bother?

Land records can provide the following information:

A statement of residence: The buyer and seller’s residence is typically listed on the deed. That statement of residence can help you place your ancestor and help build a timeline of their movements.
A statement of relationship: It wasn’t uncommon for relatives to deed land to each other or for someone to inherit land. In those circumstances, the record may provide a statement of relationship.
The name of a spouse: In certain circumstances, women had to sign off on their husband’s land sales. You may only get a first name, but the deed can give you a hint as to the identity of the spouse.

Land records are typically stored on the county level, except in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont. If you’re looking for digital copies, start by using the catalog in FamilySearch.

Happy hunting!

Can I use mitochondrial DNA testing in a lineage society application?

First of all, what’s mitochondrial DNA testing? Mitochondrial DNA testing (mtDNA testing) compares the mitochondrial DNA of a tester with that of anyone taking the same test. As with other tests, the tests compare only certain regions of the DNA in order to estimate an approximate relationship. As of right now, only FamilyTree DNA offers the test.

Why take the test at all? Until 2018, mitochondrial DNA commonly believed to be inherited only from the mother. It’s now known that some people can inherit mitochondrial DNA from both parents, but as those cases are relatively rare, mtDNA testing is still seen as an effective way to investigate the maternal side.

Do lineage societies accept mtDNA? No. Mitochrondrial DNA mutates slowly, making it difficult to identify a “common ancestor” for matches. According to Family Tree DNA’s “Help Center”, a perfect match on their most extensive test has a 50% chance of having a common ancestor in the last 125-400 years. Because it cannot be used to identify a specific common ancestor, mtDNA is not accepted for lineage society applications.

The HMS Jersey and the other Revolutionary War prison ships

Relevant laws and policies:

1776: The Hulks Act allowed the use of decommissioned ships as prisons.

March 1777: “North’s Act” suspended habeas corpus and allowed Americans to be prosecuted for treason/piracy.

1778: A policy set out the requirement that prisoners taken from a privateer were immediately to be jailed.

1779: Continental Congress moves to hold British naval prisoners on ships.

25 March 1782: Parliament declares Americans to be prisoners of war.

The prison ships were considered to be naval jurisdiction and treated separately from land based prisons.

Known British prison ships:

In Wallabout Bay,

To May 1777: The Whitby
From May 1777: The Kitty and unknown ship
By January 1780: The Prince of Wales, Falmouth, Hunter, Good Hope, Scorpion, Strombolo, Good Intent
By April 1780 – 9 April 1783 : The Jersey
By the end of the War: Bristol, Chatham, Clyde, Glasgow, Providence, Scheldt, Woodlands, John, Frederick, and Perseverance.

A full list of known ships in Wallabout Bay can be found on pages 241-242 of The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn.

In the Hudson:

Mid-1777: the Judith, the Myrtle
by the end of the War: The Eagle, Felicity, Isis, Richmond, Otter, Dispatch, York, Vigilant and Mercury, none which were designated prison ships.

Prisoner exchanges

Prisoner exchanges were generally funded by local governments, including towns and states. The first exchange did not occur until January 1777. Many of those exchanged from the prison ships were sailors, often crews of privateers, and civilians. Exchanges were common through September 1780, when they were stopped because more Americans had been exchanged than British prisoners.

Exchanges by official channels were limited, as the British and Americans sought to exchange rank for rank. The numbers rarely matches: in most cases, the exchange would have benefited the British.

The British Army would often “impress” – or forcibly conscript – American sailors. In later years, they offered them roles outside of the American colonies. Some accepted for the sake of survival.

Known American prison ships: New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut are said to have operated prison ships during the War.

References

Burrows, Edwin G. Forgotten Patriots: The Untold Story of American Prisoners during the Revolutionary War. New York: Basic Books, 2008.
Lowenthal, Larry. Hell on the East River: British Prison Ships in the American Revolution. Fleischmanns, NY: Purple Mountain Press, 2009.
Watson, Robert P. The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn: An Untold Story of the American Revolution. New York: Da Capo Press, 2017.

What’s a “Silver Book”?

You’re working on an application to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants (“Mayflower Society”). Someone asks if you’ve checked the “Silver Books” yet. What do they mean?

The “Silver Books” is a term used to describe a series of publications called “Mayflower Families through Five Generations.” Each publication – which has a silver cover – takes the family from a passenger, down five generations, documenting out the line as completely as possible. Some families have multiple volumes, so generations 1-2 may be in one volume and 3-5 in another. In most cases, the Mayflower Society treats the contents of the Silver Books as accurate and will allow them to be referenced – rather than submitted – in an application.

Read citations closely if using them in other circumstances: some books are better sourced than others. Some societies will accept the books as written. Others will not, but may allow you to use the citations to find the original documents.

Did Benjamin Graves die at the Battle of Groton Heights?

I have an update to this 2021 post…

Died at Groton Heights?

Descendants of Benjamin Graves, baptized in 1734 in East Haddam, Connecticut, have long claimed he died from wounds received in battle at the Battle of Groton Heights.[1] Yet, he is not included among those listed as killed and wounded.[2] Where and when did Benjamin Graves die?

When did Benjamin die?

At least four men named Benjamin Graves can be identified in the East Haddam area in the early to mid-1770s. One was a resident of Colchester; three resided in East Haddam. While none are close in age to the Benjamin baptized in 1734, creating profiles of each can help determine the actual death date of the 1734 Benajmin.

The eldest of these four was a resident of Colchester, CT, a town adjoining East Haddam. Based on records of his death in late 1752 or early 1753, Benjamin Graves of Colchester was born about 1676.[3] Based on a partially destroyed will probated in 1753, he had the following family structure: wife Mary; daughters Deborah, Abigail, and Ruth; sons Peter, Benjamin, Jedediah, and Jonathan.[4] This Benjamin is buried in Colchester’s Old Cemetery.[5]

A second Benjamin Graves was born about 1699. His will offers the following family structure: wife, Mary; sons Benjamin and Roswell; daughters, Mary, Lydia, and Ruth.[6] This man, who died 25 March 1770 in “his 71^st year,” is buried in Tater Hill Cemetery in East Haddam.[7]

The third is the Benjamin in question. Benjamin Graves, son of Benjamin, was baptized in the First Congregational Church of East Haddam on 25 August 1734. [8] As he was baptized with siblings Mary and Lydia, he was likely not a newborn, and his birthdate may be some years before.[9] As he is recorded as a child, he is still a minor.

The fourth Benjamin Graves, son of Roswell and Elizabeth, was born in East Haddam on 25 July 1769.[10] In 1778, a guardianship bond is issued by Elizabeth Graves for Benjamin Graves, suggesting that his father had died.[11] A Reverend Benjamin Graves of approximately the right age appears to have died in Middletown in 1830, aged 61.[12]

Only one death in the East Haddam area cannot be clearly attributed to a specific Benjamin Graves. An intestate estate was probated for a Benjamin Graves in 1777, with an inventory recorded on 8 February.[13] The youngest Benjamin was still alive at this date; the older two men were already deceased. The 1777 estate, therefore, most likely belongs to the Benjamin baptized in 1734.

Where did Benjamin die?

A death date prior to 8 February 1777 does not fully rule out the family story of death due to wounds received in a Revolutionary War battle. It does, however, rule out the possibility that Benjamin died at or due to wounds sustained from the Battle of Groton Heights, which took place on 6 September 1781. [14] A review of Benjamin’s Revolutionary War service might help confirm or disprove the rest of the account.

There are at least two men by the name of Benjamin Graves who served in the American Revolution from Connecticut. One, a native of Salisbury, can be placed on the Continental line after February 1777.[15] A second, however, appears on the rolls of Captain Holmes Company from East Haddam. “BenjⁿGraves” was part of Col. Samuel Selden’s regiment, raised in June 1776 and served until at least 25 December 1776.[16]

Conclusion

Unfortunately, we lose track of Benjamin after the end of December. As he was deceased within a month, there’s a good chance his death had something to do with his service. But that death was not at Groton Heights, as the family had claimed. It was also four years earlier.

[1] “Genealogical Research System,” database, Daughters of the American Revolution (https://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search_adb/?action=full&p_id=A047206: accessed 6 June 2022), entry for Benjamin Graves.

[2] “The Defenders,” Fort Griswold Battlefield (https://www.fortgriswold.org/defenders-2/: accessed 6 June 2022).

[3] Volume 18, Colchester, p. 137, “Connecticut, U.S., Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920,” digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/199308:3032?tid=&pid=&queryId=79108eefd8e98f4cdae4897b69261abf&_phsrc=ViK3742&_phstart=successSource : accessed 6 June 2022). Colchester, p. 79, “Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630-1870”, digital images, American Ancestors (https://www.americanancestors.org/DB414/i/13125/79/234321529: accessed 6 June 2022).

[4] Will of Benjamin Graves, Estate Papers, No. 1494, Colchester, 1753,

Probate Packets, Gillett, L-Hale, 1741-1880, Hartford, “Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999,” Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9049/images/007642225_00494: accessed 6 June 2022).

[5] Connecticut Headstone Inscriptions Vol 09, p. 11, digital images, “Connecticut, U.S., Hale Collection of Cemetery Inscriptions and Newspaper Notices, 1629-1934,” Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/702336:2900?_phsrc=ViK3750&_phstart=successSource&gsfn=Benjamin&gsln=Graves&ml_rpos=5&queryId=3e381404eededa38b5779a84dc09bae7: accessed 6 June 2022).

[6] Will of Benjamin Graves, Estate Papers, No. 1495, East Haddam, 1770

Probate Packets, Gillett, L-Hale, 1741-1880, Hartford, “Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999,” Ancestry.com ( https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9049/images/007642225_005074: accessed 6 June 2022).

[7] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10867168/benjamin-graves : accessed 06 June 2022), memorial page for Benjamin Graves (15 Feb 1699–25 Mar 1770), Find a Grave Memorial ID 10867168, citing Tater Hill Cemetery, East Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut, USA ; Maintained by Jan Franco (contributor 46625834) .

[8] Volume 25 East Haddam, p. 161, “Connecticut, U.S., Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920,” digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/3032/images/41107_620303988_0313-00163?pId=500702: accessed 6 June 2022).

[9] Volume 25 East Haddam, p. 161, “Connecticut, U.S., Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920,” digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/3032/images/41107_620303988_0313-00163?pId=500702: accessed 6 June 2022).

[10] East Haddam Vital Records 1743-1857, p. 252, “Connecticut, U.S., Town Birth Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection),” digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/520054:1034?_phsrc=ViK3746&_phstart=successSource&gsfn=Benjamin&gsln=Graves&ml_rpos=3&queryId=c76e535dddfb09f349bcdf3837cba16f: accessed 6 June 2022).

[11] Guardianship of Benjamin Graves, Estate Papers, No. 1497, East Haddam, 1778,

[12] Connecticut Newspaper Notices Vol 64, p. 197, digital images, “Connecticut, U.S., Hale Collection of Cemetery Inscriptions and Newspaper Notices, 1629-1934,” Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1289475:2900?_phsrc=ViK3751&_phstart=successSource&gsfn=Benjamin&gsln=Graves&ml_rpos=1&queryId=3e381404eededa38b5779a84dc09bae7 : accessed 6 June 2022).

[13] Inventory of Benjamin Graves, Estate Papers, No. 1496, East Haddam, 1777,

[14] “The Battle of Groton Heights,” Fort Griswold Battlefield (https://www.fortgriswold.org/the-battle-of-groton-heights/: accessed 6 June 2022).

[15] Henry P. Johnson, ed. The Record of Connecticut Men in the Military and Naval Service During the War of the Revolution (Hartford, CT: The Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co, 1889), 211; digital images, Archives.org (https://archive.org/details/waroftherevolution00recorich/page/210/mode/2up?q=%22benjamin+Graves%22: accessed 6 June 2022).

[16] Henry P. Johnson, ed. The Record of Connecticut Men in the Military and Naval Service During the War of the Revolution (Hartford, CT: The Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co, 1889), 403-404; digital images, HaithiTrust (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002004995578&view=1up&seq=428&skin=2021&q1=%22graves%22: accessed 6 June 2022).

What’s the Hulks Act – and why did it matter to my Revolutionary ancestor?

The British government didn’t only transport prisoners to Australia – they also sent prisoners to what was to become the United States in colonial period, particularly to Maryland and Virginia. The American Revolution closed off that option.

In May 1776, the British government created another option: prisoners could be placed on ships. This act, commonly called the “hulks” act, allowed the placement of prisoners on the Thames. It set a precedent of using ships as prisons…

And thus was born the “prison ship” of the American Revolution.

Resources:

“Convict Hulks,” Digital Panopticon (https://www.digitalpanopticon.org/Convict_Hulks: accessed 5 June 2022).

Jeff James, “Prison hulks,” 24 Feb 2012, National Archives (https://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/prison-hulks/: accessed 5 June 2022).