Ancestry Thru-lines

Ancestry.com has been rolling out a wonderful tool called "Thru-lines".  It combines DNA with family trees and sometimes projects who the mutual ancestor is.

So, each of these children of James ? Graham has a DNA match for me.  The only thing "for sure" is that each of us matches DNA (I've blurred some of the photos for privacy reasons) and we have a common ancestor.  Several of us have speculated that James ? Graham is our ancestor, so Ancestry pulled us all together.  Now whether that common ancestor is James would require us all to match James' siblings.  Since we all only match at about a 5th-6th cousin level, that isn't really possible at this time unless we find a very strong strand of DNA. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

 That we all match at all,  is a miracle since I don't really have strong Graham genes.  His wife Sarah Broyles is where my strength is---I match her family for several more generations back.  James has a ?? because I was never very sure about him.

Also note that I am the only William Graham descendant on this and yet I know there are 31 of his descendants who match William.  Here are his children's descendants who have DNA matches:  Margaret (8), Theodore (2), Susan (5), James Madison (3), Mary Polly (11) and Thomas (2).

This means that the strand I match all of these under James, is not shared by the other 30 descendants of William.  They probably have different matches than I do.  DNA is so fickle.

Sarah Broyles James Grayham

Cousin Dwight found some documents of Grahams in Washington Co. MO.  The first is a law suit involving Sarah Broyles Graham, window of James Graham who is suing Israel McGready of Greene Co, TN for the slave Sam:

County of Washington November Term 1821
Sarah Graham administrating full and singular the goods and challets, rights, **** and effects of James Graham, deceased, by her attorney over claims of Israel McGready of a ****, that he under to the said Sarah administrating as aforementioned a certain negro man named Sam, about thirty three years of age, & about five feet five inches high, of great value, to wit, of the value of six hundred dollars of lawful money of the respected States, which he unjustly retains from her. For that whereas the said Sarah heretofore, to wit, on the first day of September last, at Washington aforesaid, was unjustfully ***** of a certain negro man named Sam, about thirty three years of age and about five fee five inches high, of great value, to wit, of the value of six hundred dollars of lawful money of the United States, as of the property of James Graham deceased, in his capacity of administrating as aforementioned, and being so predisposed thereof, she the said Sarah afterwards, to wit, on the day and year aforementioned at the county aforesaid, casually lost the said negro out of her protection, and the same aftermath, to wit, on the said first day of September last at the county aforementioned came to the protection of the said Israel by finding; yet the said Israel well knowing the said negro to be the just property of the said Sarah in her capacity of administrating aforementioned, and of right to belong and appertain to her, in such capacity, hath and as right **** the said Negro to the said Sarah after requested so to do, but hath hitherto wholly refused to do, and hath retained, and still doth retain the said Negro from the said Sarah, to wit, at Washington aforesaid. To the damages of the said Sarah causing of six hundred dollars, and therefore she requests of.
Thomas J. Brickey

This is significant because it shows that this Graham family was in Washington Co. Mo. in the early 1800's.  Coupled with DNA showing that I and another 5th cousin are related to members of the Broyles family, show a probably relationship with them.  This Graham family had also married into the McCarrell family and into the Long family (not sure yet if it is the Bromfield or Ware Long famiy though---both were from Culpeper) Other documents make another connection---lead mines.