Click here for Curtis Alexander Galttana Research Report 1

Curtis Alexander Galttana Research Report 2
Knoch

Objective

Is Mary/Marie Galtair/Goltoia/Gotney born 4 Jan 1823 in Ohio a sibling to Curtis Alexander Galttana born about 1827 in Ohio. DNA matches to Herman and Mary Knoch are found through AncestryDNA matches of Linda H.

Limitations

For Continuity I will use the name Mary Gotney in the report. The name Galttana is spelled many different ways in each record. Galttana is pronounced Gaultney. DNA matches on AncestryDNA for Linda H. were used. For privacy real match names are not used.

Results Summary

·         Found a genetic network with the couple of Herman and Mary Knoch.

·         Discovered this genetic network with Herman and Mary was through Mary and the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) was Lear Gotney.

·         Researched the family of Herman and Mary Gotney Knoch.

·         Created a Draw.io chart showing DNA matches for descendants of Lear Gotney/Gaultney.

·         Added the names and dates of Herman and Mary’s children to Legacy program.

·         Created a timeline to track movement and locations of each person.

Background Information

·         Previous research showed AncestryDNA test taker Linda H. has a genetic network with the MRCA as Joseph and Mary Higginbotham. [1]

·         Mary Gotney married Herman Knoch on 10 Sep 1840 in Ross Co., OH [2]

·         Herman and Mary are listed in the 1850 census living in Huntington Twsp., Ross Co., OH. [3]

·         Also living with the Knoch family are Lear Gotney age 55, Elvina Gotney age 15, Alfred Gotney age 18. 

·         No Gotney’s are living with the Knoch family in 1860[4] or any census after.

 Findings/Body of the Report

Sorting AncestryDNA matches I was able to find another genetic network and the Most Recent Common Ancestor of this network was Lear Gotney. Lear Gotney was in the 1850 census in the household of her daughter and son-in-law Herman Knoch and Maria/Mary Goltoia/Gotney. Lear is age 55, Elvina Gotney age 15, Alfred Gotney age 18 and Mary is age 27. The 1850 census is the first census that lists all the names of the household but it does not list relationships. It is assumed that Lear Gotney is the mother of Mary, Elvina, and Alfred.

1850 Census Huntington Twp, Ross OH
Voak, (Knoch) Herman 25 OH 
Voak, Mary age 27 (1823)
Voak, Eliza age 9
Voak, John age 6
Voak, Eveline age 2
Voak, Margaret age 7/12
Gotney, Elvina age 15 (1835) OH
Gotney, Alfred age 18 (1832) OH
Gotney, Lear age 55 (1795) VA

Linda has twelve DNA matches through five of Herman and Mary Gotney Knoch’s children.

Linda has four DNA matches through Elvina Gotney who married Joseph Houseman/Housman. Elvina Gotney is a supposed sister to Mary Gotney Knoch. Alfred Gotney married in 1856 but died within one year and there is no evidence of children.

Looking at shared matches with one specific match, “Mary 7” I find multiple DNA matches with the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) as Curtis Alexander Galttana. I also find multiple DNA matches to the MRCA Joseph and Mary Higginbotham. I wrote about finding Joseph and Mary in a previous report. “Mary 7” and Linda both also match lines going back to Mary Knoch and Mary’s assumed sibling Elvina Gaultney Housman.

Conclusion

The only conclusion I can make from this is that Curtis Alexander Galttana is the brother of Mary Goltoia/Gaultney, Elvina Gaultney and Alfred Gotney and their mother is Lear Gotney. More research is needed on this family unit. It was previously found that Linda H. had a genetic network that lead back to Joseph and Mary Higginbotham and they had a daughter named Nancy Elizabeth Higginbotham who married Alexander Gaultney in 1814. Is Lear Gotney and Nancy Elizabeth Higginbotham Gaultney the same person? More research is needed to make this determination.

Future Research Suggestions

·         Research Lear Gotney.

·         Research Mary Gotney.

·         Research Elvina Gotney

·         Research Alfred Gotney, check his widow to look for remarriage and any children.

 

[1] Tina Telesca, "Research Report 1 MRCA Higginbotham", 1 Jan 2023; Personal files.

[2] Ross County, Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records 1774-1993, digital image 305 of 308, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61378/images/TH-1-17780-74017-45?pId=902164880: accessed 13 May 2022), Knough-Goltatne 1840; citing Marriages 1825-1840, p. 607.

[3] 1850 U.S. Census, Ross County, Ohio, population schedule, Huntington township, p. 326 (stamped), p. 651 and 652 (penned), dwelling 331, family 334, Harman Voak [Knoch] household; digital image 29 and 30 of 40, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8054/images/4204504_00665?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=NTy1279&_phstart=successSource&pId=14485019: accessed 25 Apr 2022). citing NARA microfilm publication M432 roll 725.

[4] 1860 U.S. Census, Ross County, Ohio, population schedule, Huntington Township, p. 136 (penned), dwelling 266, family 259, Herman Knoch household, digital image 38, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7667/images/4284220_00327?pId=42005132: accessed 13 May 2022); citing NARA microfilm publication M653 roll 1031.

 Curtis Alexander Galttana Research

I have been researching my Great Great Grandfather Curtis Alexander Galttana for many years and have not been able to find any new records or who his parents are. I believe he was born about 1827 in Ohio or Indiana and he married Synthia Alverson on July 18, 1869 in Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas.

Summary of information:

·         1850 and 1870 Census show he was born in Ohio[1], [2]

·         Marriage record of Alexander Goltana to Clementine Allen on February 23, 1850 in Jefferson Co., KY.[3]

·         1850 Census Louisville, Jefferson Co., KY Alexander, Clementine and her three children from previous marriage [1]

·         Not found on any 1860 census

·         1861 Postmaster of Relief Post Office in Holmes Co., MS[4]

·         1862 – 1864 Civil War Confederate Thirteenth Infantry, I Mississippi[5]

·         1865 Postmaster of Relief Post Office in Holmes Co., MS[6]

·         July 18, 1869 marriage to Synthia Alverson in Fort Worth, Tarrant Co., TX[7]

·         1870 Census Besleys Creek, Shackelford Co., TX Curtis and Synthia [2]

·         1875-1878 Tax records for Shackelford Co., TX[8]

·         Bible Record shows born May (year unreadable) in Indiana[9]

DNA Background Information

With documentary research not revealing the parents of Curtis Galttana, DNA opens another avenue for research. This project used the autosomal DNA test results for Linda H., Curtis’ great granddaughter. Autosomal DNA is randomly passed down to descendants and Linda would have inherited about 12.5% of his DNA and about 6.25% from each of his parents. Linda has over 78,000 DNA matches on AncestryDNA and isolating DNA matches who also descend from Curtis A. Galttana’s line could discover family connections for further research.

Mitochondrial DNA testing is not applicable since it is passed from female to female. Y-DNA would be applicable since the Y chromosome is passed from male to male if an unbroken male Galttana line existed. Currently there are no known all male lines that descend from Curtis Galttana.

Shared Matches

Proving genetic relationships through DNA involves identifying the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) between two matches. Each match would receive a segment of DNA from the MRCA. Working with thousands of matches can be facilitated by sorting matches into genetic groups for analysis. DNA matches could share more than one MRCA which could skew the amount of DNA shared. This will be considered throughout the DNA analysis.

I took known Galttana matches and used Shared Matches on AncestryDNA to label other matches who share DNA with Linda and this known Galttana match. I marked this group with colored dots. I then took this genetic network of matches and recorded the surnames on the ones that had trees. After many hours of research and analysis I discovered all the matches shared the Higginbotham surname. I then built a DNA tree with each match and built out their tree if needed and discovered all matches MRCA were Joseph H. Higginbotham 1763-1840 and his wife Mary Molly Reed 1765-1823. This DNA tree shows 13 matches to Linda who descend from Joseph and Mary Higginbotham. This means Linda is somehow related to Joseph and Mary Higginbotham.

I then did genealogy research to build out Joseph and Mary’s descendancy tree. They had eight children, one daughter Nancy Higginbotham married Alexander Gaultney. Alex and Nancy married on November 16, 1814 in Kanawha County, Virginia.[10] More research is needed on Alexander and Nancy Gaultney. Some family trees on ancestry show Nancy’s brother Samuel Higginbotham married Elizabeth Gaultney. More research is needed on this couple also.

I added Alexander Gaultney and Nancy Higginbotham as test parents of Curtis Galttana to see what ThruLines on AncestryDNA would show. No ThruLines showed for Alexander and Nancy but Nancy’s parents Joseph and Mary Higginbotham show 197 matches. ThruLines are created from matches trees so it depends on the accuracy of each person’s tree. ThruLines is not always correct so research and analysis has to be done to confirm the match. If no one has a tree with Alexander Gaultney in it then no ThruLine matches would show. The name is often misspelled also. Both reasons could account for no ThruLines for Alexander and Nancy. But, the high number of matches for Joseph and Mary Higginbotham point to a connection with this couple.

Hypothesis for next project:

Are Alexander Gaultney and Nancy Higginbotham born June 5, 1792 in Breenbrier Co., Virginia (Now West Virginia) the parents of Curtis Alexander Galttana? (Galttana is pronounced Gaultney) Alex and Nancy married November 16, 1814 in Kanawha Co., Virginia – Now West Virginia.

Future Research:

·         Research Alexander Goltney/Gaultney.

·         Research Nancy Higginbotham.

·         Research Samuel Higginbotham’s wife Elizabeth – Was she a Gaultney?

·         Look for more DNA connections through other lines.

 Click here for Galttana Research Report 2 Knoch

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[1] 1850 U.S. Census, Jefferson County, Kentucky, population schedule, 4th district, 7th Ward City, p. #374B, dwelling # 526, family # 602, Alexander Goltana; digital image 82, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 15 Sept 2020); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 207.

[2] 1870 U.S. Census, Shackelford County, Texas, population schedule, Besleys Creek, p. 120 (stamped), p. 1 (penned), dwelling # 6, family # 6, Curtis Goltatine (Galttana), digital image 1, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 13 Aug 2017); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1604.


[3] "Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2QD-1CD4 : accessed 4 September 2016), Alexander Goltana and Clementine Allen, 23 Jan 1850; citing , Jefferson, Kentucky, United States, Madison County Courthouse, Richmond; FHL microfilm 819,590.


[4] United States. Civil service commission. [from old catalog]., United States. Bureau of the census. [from old catalog]. (1861). Official register of the United States ... Washington: U.S. Govt. print. off., digital image 461, printed p. 225, Hathitrust (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t4zg7dd9r&view=1up&seq=461: accessed 8 Jan 2022).


[5] U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865,” digital index, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/448899:1555?ssrc=pt&tid=34102448&pid=18585886608: accessed 14 Jan 2023), Curtis A Goltana, Mississippi, enlisted 1 May 1862; citing Index to Compiled Confederate Military Service Records.


[6] United States. Civil service commission. [from old catalog]., United States. Bureau of the census. [from old catalog]. (1865). Official register of the United States ... Washington: U.S. Govt. print. off., digital image 501, printed p. 183, Hathitrust (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t4zg7dd9r&view=1up&seq=461: accessed 8 Jan 2022).


[7] Texas, Tarrant County, Marriage Certificate, C. A. Galttana and Miss S. A. Alverson, 18 July 1869, Personal photo copy of original, privately held by Tina Telesca, ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE, 2023. Faded copy, hard to read, previously belonged to Dessie Galttana Hardee, shows married at bride's fathers’ residence.


[8] "Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1837-1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939J-453T-7H?cc=1827575&wc=M63N-MZQ%3A161797801%2C161394802 : 14 Jan 2023), Shackelford county > 1875 - 1878; State Archives, Austin.


[9] Galttana Bible Record, 1800's, loose "Family Record" page from unknown Bible; digital image made by Tina Telesca, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Florida, 2009. The page was found in Dessie Galttana Hardee's possessions when she died in 1981. The page passed to Carolyn Harrison Moore and then to Tina Telesca. The original is crumbling and pieces are missing. The ink is very light making it hard to read.


[10] Kanawha County, West Virginia, West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, transcript, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/LZ8C-SR1: accessed 14 May 2022), Goltney-Higanbotham, 1814; citing FHL microfilm 521,719. Image link at West Virginia State Archives http://archive.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view2.aspx?FilmNumber=521719&ImageNumber=179: accessed 14 May 2022).