I am delighted to introduce this guest post by one of our project members. John Wells has been working on his family history for many years and with the advent of DNA testing has managed to solve a family mystery that had confused genealogists for generations.
John manages kit JMR-8902 for his cousin, a gentleman by the name of Ramey (who appears in the previous post). Have a read of this fascinating account of how this particular surname was passed down through the ages and why it is associated with the Farrell surname.
If anyone has a story of how DNA has helped them break through a Brick Wall on their Farrell line, write it up for the blog and I will be happy to publish it. We learn a lot from the experience of others - that's what collaboration is all about.
Here's John's story.
The
Thaddeus Ramey Family Ancestry Mystery Solved
by
John B. Wells III
The Ramey family
of Johnson County, Kentucky, can be justly proud of its French Huguenot roots.
These brave Protestants suffered generations of religious persecution in their
native France until finally finding freedom of worship in America. The lineage
of the Ramey/Remy family of Johnson County, Kentucky, is well-documented from
the year 1680 when Jacob Remy (later spelled “Ramey”), “a Natural born subject
of the French King,” became a naturalized citizen of the British Colony
Virginia.
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| JACOB REMY’S NATURALIZATION PAPERS; By the Deputy Govr. Of Virginia |
John Ramey/Remy,
the great-great grandson of Jacob Ramey/Remy, was born in Westmoreland County,
Virginia, about 1769, and married in Washington County, Virginia, on 11 October
1797, to Nancy Romans. (Washington County, Virginia, Marriage Register
1782-1820, R-V). The couple was married by the Rev. Charles Hardy, a Methodist
minister. By 28 November 1808, John and Nancy had settled in Floyd County,
Kentucky, when John “Ramey” was appointed to mark a new road “around Thomas C.
Brown’s plantation.” (“Annals of Floyd County, Kentucky 1800-1826,” by Charles
C. Wells, Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD, 1983, page 49).
The
1810 U.S. Census for Floyd County included John Ramey’s family as consisting of
2 males under 10 years old, one male aged 26-44, 2 females under 10, one female
aged 10-15 and one female 26 to 44 years old. The two younger daughters were
Jemima and Elizabeth while the oldest, born between 1795 and 1799, was named
Mary, nicknamed “Polly.” Jemima married on 3 August 1820 to John McDowell while
Elizabeth is thought to have married James Wheeler in Floyd County on 13 March
1817. (“Annals of Floyd County, Kentucky 1800-1826,” by Charles C. Wells,
Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD, 1983, pages 300 & 304).
Mary AKA “Polly”
turned out to be the problem child. On
21 December 1818, the Floyd County Court ordered that an illegitimate child
"Thadeus
Remy … not .. be bound out as it appears from evidence that John Remy, his
grandfather, takes care of him." (“Annals of Floyd County, Kentucky
1800-1826” by Charles C. Wells, Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD, 1983, page 175). A loose slip of paper placed next to
entry for “Thadeus Remy” included the penciled note “R. Hamil. father.” Several
genealogists have interpreted this note to mean that a man named “R. Hamilton”
was the father of Thaddeus Ramey.
The name of his mother was established at the
meeting of the Floyd County Court on “Monday the 20th day of March, 1820” when "William
Dixon appear[ed] to answer a charge of Bastardry charged against him by Polley
Ramey. The said Ramey not appearing to prosecute the case, the said Dixon
consented to pay the costs therefore the said Dixon is discharged." Apparently,
Dixon accepted responsibility for a second illegitimate son named Owen Ramey, also
the son of Mary “Polly” Ramey. Just below the record of the charge against
Dixon is recorded another order: "Ordered a subpoena be issued against
Polley Ramey to appear and show cause, if any she can, why her two children
Owen and Thaddius shall not be bound out as the law directs." (“Annals of
Floyd County, Kentucky 1800-1826” by Charles C. Wells, Gateway Press,
Baltimore, MD, 1983, page 184).
The tombstone for “Thadeus Remy,”
located on the Old Ramey Farm on Route 201, just south of Blaine in Lawrence
County, Kentucky, records that Thaddeus was born on 2 January 1815. (“Thadeus
Remy born Jan. 2 1815 dec. July 18, 1890”).
It appears that Mary “Polly” Ramey was just a teenager when both boys were born
and was unable to care for them herself. Interestingly, Mary “Polly” Ramey married on
29 June 1818, to Thomas Puckett but Thaddeus and Owen remained with their
grandfather. Giving his permission for Polly to marry Puckett, John Ramey noted
that “my daughter Polley … is under 21 years of age.” Apparently, Thomas
Puckett had no interest in raising two children who were not his own so the
boys remained with their grandfather. (“Annals of Floyd County, Kentucky 1800-1826”
by Charles C. Wells, Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD, 1983, pages 158 & 301). On 15 May, 1820, the County Court again
intervened and “Ordered a subpoena be issued aginst[sic] John Ramey to appear
and show cause, if he can, why his two grandchildren, Owen and Thaddias, shall
not be bound out as the law directs.” (“Annals of Floyd County, Kentucky 1800-1826”
by Charles C. Wells, Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD, 1983, page 164).
Thomas Puckett remains a
mystery. The last surviving record of his presence in Floyd County is from the
Court Book for 17 August 1818 when Thomas Puckett and Zachariah Rose appeared
in court “to answer a charge of breach of the Peace.” (“Annals of Floyd County, Kentucky 1800-1826”
by Charles C. Wells, Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD, 1983, page 168). It is
thought that he was the same Thomas Puckett, a native of Russell County,
Virginia, who at age 18 enlisted in the United States Army as a private in the
24th Regiment. He was court marshalled at Nashville, Tennessee, in
October or November 1814 for desertion and sentenced “to be shot.” However, the
sentence was rescinded and he returned to active duty. He deserted again on
October 24, 1816, just before he appeared in Floyd County, Kentucky. (U.S. Army
Register of Enlistments, 1798-1814,” National Archives, Washington, D.C.) Thomas Puckett was not listed in the 1820
Kentucky census and later records describe Mary “Polly” Ramey as “widowed.” The
date and circumstances of his death are unknown.
Although essentially an
orphan, Thaddeus Ramey built a successful life for himself in Lawrence County,
Kentucky. By 1831 he was living with his uncle on Hood’s Fork in Lawrence
County. He married to “Jannie” Caldwell on 2 April 1835, (Lawrence County,
Kentucky Marriage Register, Volume 1 & 2, page 130), by whom he had seven
children. After her death he remarried on 12 March 1845 to Diana McDowell who
gave him an additional ten sons and daughters. (Lawrence County, Kentucky
Marriage Permits, filed in boxes, transcribed by Opal Muncy).
The 1860 Lawrence County census
listed the value of his land at $1,050 and a personal estate of $850. The tax
assessments for 1865 listed his occupation as “distiller” and the owner of a
large orchard. (1865 U.S. IRS Tax Assessments, 1862-1918, Microfilm 768, Roll
21, National Archives, Washington, DC). Clearly, Thaddeus Ramey had survived
his tumultuous childhood to become a successful farmer.
Thaddeus Ramey died on 18 July
1890 in Lawrence County. His will, written on 5 May 1890, reflects a certain
degree of financial success. He bequeathed property that he had not already given
to his older children to his wife Diana in life estate. To his other children
he gave both land and money. In the will he mentioned specifically two separate
orchards. Obviously, he was still working as a distiller at his death.
(Kentucky Wills and Probate Records, 1874-1989, folio 154, Ancestry.com).
Although his mother, Mary “Polly” Ramey
Puckett was apparently absent during his formative years, she did live with
Thaddeus at least from 1860 until her death sometime after 1880. In the 1880
Lawrence County, Kentucky, census she was included in his household, aged 82, a
“widow.”
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| The tombstone of Thadeus Ramey |
In spite of a wealth of records chronicling
the life of Thaddeus Ramey, the identity of his biological father has remained
a mystery. Family researchers have speculated for decades that his father was a
man named “R. Hamilton” based on a penciled note in the Floyd County court
orders that identified him as “R. Hamil.”
In recent years a revolution in genealogical
research has taken place as the science of DNA analysis has become more and
more sophisticated. Where concrete documents are lacking, genealogists have
been able to use DNA to determine the identities of previously unknown and
“unresearchable” ancestors.
In 2015, the paternal
great-great grandson of Thaddeus Ramey submitted his Y-DNA to Family Tree DNA for
analysis and comparison to other donors. Not surprisingly, his results did not
match any other male Ramey descendant except those who descend directly from
Thaddeus Ramey. However, he did match with 100% certainty to at least twelve
males by the name of Harrell.
At least
six of the resulting matches based on 37 genetic markers were 100% identical
while the remaining six donors differed by only one marker. All of the matches
shared the same family name: HARRELL. All of the Harrell donors were members of
the family of Reuben Harrell of Virginia and his siblings. A closer examination
of the penciled note in the Floyd County, Kentucky Court Book revealed that
researchers have misread the name of “Harril” as “Hamil.” The DNA results conclude clearly that the male
ancestor of Thaddeus Ramey was “R. Harril (Harrell)” and not “R. Hamil (Hamilton)”
The Harrell family (often spelled
“Harold” in East Kentucky in later years) settled in Floyd County early in the
19th century. Floyd County Deed Book “A” records the purchase of
sixty acres on “Abbott Creek” by Robert Herrell on 25 April 1815, the year in
which Thaddeus Ramey was born. (“Annals of Floyd County, Kentucky
1800-1826” by Charles C. Wells, Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD, 1983, page 21).
Robert Herrell was also exempted from paying Floyd County property taxes for
the years 1811 and 1812. (Floyd County Court Book 4, 23 January 1826). Additionally,
Robert Herrell (Harrell) was the son of Reuben Harrell, the kinsman of all of
the Y-DNA matches for Thaddeus Ramey. It appears that the family mystery has
been solved. Thaddeus Ramey was the son of Robert Herrell (Harrell) who was
born between 1786 and 1791 in Montgomery (now Wythe) County, Virginia, the son
of Reuben and Rebecca (Smith) Harrell. Possibly, the reason Mary “Polly” Ramey
did not file bastardy charges against Robert Herrell (Harrell) is that he
married soon after the birth of Thaddeus. On 2 August 1815, Robert married
Lucinda Turman and moved to his father-in-law’s farm “on Sandy River” in what
is now Johnson County. Ironically, Robert and Lucinda had no male children.
Therefore, the male descendants of Thaddeus Ramey remain as the only male
descendants of Robert Harrell. (“Annals of Floyd County, Kentucky
1800-1826” by Charles C. Wells, Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD, 1983, page 298).
Reuben
Harrell was born in 1750 in Frederick County, Virginia, and died on 2 September
1825, in Washington County, Virginia. He married Rebecca Smith about 1770 in
Frederick County, Virginia. She was born between 1744 and 1749 in Frederick
County, Virginia, and died on 12 March 1842 in Floyd County, Kentucky. (Harrell
Collaborative, Family #2, www.harrellcollaborative.com).
Reuben
Harrell was a patriot soldier in the Revolutionary War, serving as an officer,
possibly with the rank of Major. Apparently, his son Robert claimed a
disproportionate amount of his mother’s widow’s pension in her declining years.
The pension is housed at the National Archives in Washington, DC.
Much more
research needs to be done in order to trace the Harrell family back to their
origins in Europe. Several Harrell family genealogists speculate that the
father of Jacob Harrell is John Harrell who was born in Northumberland County,
Virginia, about 1688. John “Harrold” was bound out as an apprentice to John
Trimlett at age seven, his father Walter having fallen on hard times.
"18 March 1695/96 John Harrold son of Walter and Priscilla Harrold seven years old last December is bound by the Court and apprentice to serve John Trimlett and his wife and their heirs until he attaines twenty one years of age and the said John Trilett causeing the John Harrold to Read and Write in the case ye s’d Jno Trimlettt…until ye expiration of said terme to teach him the trade of cooper…..” (Northumberland County Apprenticeships 1650-1750 compiled by W. Preston Haynie, part 1, page 720)."
Little is known about Walter Harrold (Harrell) other than
he was born sometime prior to 1660 and married a woman named Priscilla. Walter
and Priscilla also bound out their two other sons, Hugh and Nicholas, in
1695/96, but were both dead by 1702/03 as the following document suggests:
“John Harrold orphan child about fifteen years old Having been formerly bound by the Court to John Trimlett and Hannah his wife under four provisions and the said Trimlett and his wife being deced and it having been presented to this Court that the said child is incapable of getting his living and toytoring (tutoring) and idleing his time away loosely and almost naked and Capt. Thomas Winder and the boy consenting in court thereto having offered in Court provided the said child shall serve him to be taught the trade of a cooper and to read.. shall appeare the next Court to the conrary Jno. Cooke of Lancaster County by Capt. Richard Haynie his attorney claiming the said boy and ordered the said boy be produced the next Court and upon Tryal of the matter the order to be confirmed or mad void….” (Northumberland County Apprenticeships 1650-1750 compiled by W. Preston Haynie, part 1, page 237).
Y-DNA results provide the only additional
information about the Harrell lineage. All of the male Harrell descendants,
including Thaddeus Ramey, belong to Y-DNA Haplogroup Z253 with the SNP of
FGC20561. Other than the Y-DNA matches with the Harrell participants, the
Y-DNA results for Thaddeus Ramey also match closely with several other families
such as Murtha, Kelley, Yorke, McConnell, Carolan, Kenny, Riley, Cain,
Christie, Kilchrist, Farrell, Darby, Rock, Geraghty and Gannon, all of which
trace their origins to the central and southwestern Ireland. In Ireland, the family name of Harrell is the Anglicized form of Gaelic “Ó hEarghail”
meaning a descendant of Earghal, a personal name with the same etymology as
Fearghal, the progenitor of the Farrell family who hailed from County Longford. (“Irish Names and Surnames,” by Rev. Patrick
Woulfe, Dublin, 1922).
John Wells
May 2016
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| The revised family chart of member JMR-8902 |
Thank you John for an excellent article. What a wonderful account of how DNA solved a family mystery.
But John's story does not end there. The final paragraph raises the tantalising possibility that the surname Harrell is derived from the same root as the surname Farrell. Can DNA provide evidence of this connection?
Well that is the topic of a subsequent article.
But hopefully we have whet your appetite for more.
Maurice Gleeson
May 2016
