Billie Harris - Nov 3, 2010
Darlene Griffin's Lewallen cousin's DNA results have been received. Her earliest ancestor was Matthew Luallen of Scott County, Tennessee.
Unfortunately, the DNA does not match with others who have tested from the Scott County Lewallens. While this is a disappointment, it does tell us there was more than one Lewallen/Luallen family in Scott County.
More work is needed.
Mary Hubbell - Nov 5, 2010
More work is needed, specifically, DNA tests of men from Darlene's Matthew Luallen line needs to be done before concluding that this mismatch tells us there was more than one Lewallen/Luallen family in the area.
Please keep in mind non-matching results doesn't always mean you are looking at a different family.
It could also suggest that we are dealing with a break somewhere along the the cousin's line (perhaps as far back as Matthew, himself) as a result of "adoption" (actual adoption; step child who takes a name; raising a child a man thought he fathered) or the connection is through a Lewallen/Luallen female.
My family history classes in college suggested to always look at family dynamics if things didn't seem to fit or you hit a brick wall.
Beside an obvious adoption, here are four other scenarios where you could still be dealing with the same family but not the same DNA.
1.) Always check the birthing pattern of a family. If the mother regularly gave birth every 2 years or so and the last child was born more than 5 years after the previous one, check the age of the oldest daughter. If she is old enough to have a child - it is more likely hers than her mother's. A "change of life baby" is a rarity.
2.) I was surprised to learn that during the 18th and 19th centuries @65% of women were pregnant when they married (partially because ministers weren't always handy). It was not looked down upon to have sex with a fiance - but the man was looked down upon if he neglected to marry before the baby was born. Most did marry but a few women were left with a child to raise that carried her maiden name - even if she eventually married someone else.
3.) The heir and spare. Not all marriages were based on love. Some were arranged. As long as she gave her husband his heir and at least one other child, they were both free to live their own lives as long as it was not flaunted about. I'm not saying she was running wild - I was taught to keep in mind, in some social circles (higher classes, royalty, etc) the larger the family, the less likely the younger children will all share the same DNA.
4.) A Lewallen husband died but his wife kept having children - recording them all as Lewallen/Luallen.
Darlene Luallen Griffin - Nov 5, 2010
Mary, I have thought about all of your suggestions. I seems very unlikely to me that my Matthew would have been in Scott County where all the other Lewallens were and not somehow be connected to them. However, as you have pointed out, the connection may not be by blood. I have no information on Matthew's parents or siblings. He was born abt 1821 in TN, married Sarah Lawson in 1841 in Campbell County (Scott Co. was formed from Campbell & Morgan Co.), was found in the 1850 Scott Co Census. A Lawson researcher believes that he was killed in an accident abt 1852. His wife & children moved to MO when her parents leave TN. The older son (my ggrandfather) served in the Civil War, returned to MO, married, and started my Luallen branch of the tree. We must have inherited the Lawson penchant for
moving (Sarah's father moved many times between TN-MO-KY-TX). My grandfather moved his family to California in 1926. Most of those Luallens have stayed there (maybe because they couldn't go any farther west).
As far as more tests on males from my Luallen line, the only males still living are my cousin who tested & his brother. Could a son of a Luallen daughter be tested? I'm not sure how all that works, but I'm willing to keep trying.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Billie Harris - Nov 5, 2010
Mary, Darlene and I have already talked about a possible "adoption." Often a widow would marry a man and the child/children would take the new father's name.
I know ministers weren't always available, but I'm quite surprised - actually shocked - that 65% of the women were pregnant when they married. In all my years of research, and I've been doing it for about fifty years now, I've never seen these statistics and in just going through my own early genealogies, I don't see that occurring even though they lived far from courthouses and had to travel miles to attend churches. I'm not disputing what you're saying, but I'm just saying I'm blown away by those statistics and am curious on the source.
As far as Darlene's Matthew, Campbell County was formed from Anderson County. In 1841 Matthew Luallen married Sarah Lawson. In 1844 Viola Luallen married Jacob Lawson and the same year Polly Luallen married Samuel Burge.
They may have lived near the Anderson County line because the 1850 census shows Samuel and Mary Burge (being about the right age) living in Anderson County. I don't know whether all of the Luallens/Lewallens living in Anderson were related to those in Scott County or not, only research will tell
Landy Gobes - Nov 6, 2010
Does he match ANY of the other DNA we have - for example, does he match the descendent of the Preble Co, OH John Lewellen? Or others?
Landy Gobes
Darlene Luallen Griffin - Nov 6, 2010
No, not one.
Darlene Luallen Griffin - Nov 6, 2010
A few years ago a Lawson family researcher thought that Matthew & Vicy Ann (Viola) were siblings who married siblings Sarah & Jacob. I've never been able to prove that. There is also an Elizabeth Lawson who married an Andrew Lewallen. These Lewallens & Lawsons were born within a few years of each other and lived in the same area. I am finding that much that is on the internet in incorrect so I am cautious about some of the information that is "out there". I've even read books about the Lewallen/Luallens that I now question as to what is proven fact. Billie, I've got the information regarding the Lewallen/Lawson connection in print. If I get time I will send it to you this weekend so you can take a look at it.
Billie Harris - Nov 7, 2010
Thanks, Darlene. Would love to see it.
I did a YSearch using your cousin's markers. It's a match with three or four others who've had DNA tests, but one I noticed was a Davis, and the fellow's name was Walter Davis. That rang a bell in my mind. There was a Walter Davis Lewallen born 1831 in Scott County and buried in Morgan County.... not that it means anything but the names being the same made me wonder if Walter Davis Lewallen may have been a Walter Davis and adopted the Lewallen name. Probably not, but it did make me stop and ponder the possibility. I did send an e-mail to the Walter Davis asking for info on his ancestors.
Now, a second thing. We may want to upgrade your cousin's DNA to see if it does, in fact, match with the Davis who's had his DNA done. We'll talk about it when you e-mail me.
Darlene Luallen Griffin - Nov 7, 2010
Okay, Billie, bells went off in my head. Go to the History section of our website, find Morgan County, TN info, July 2, 2010. You will see that a Walter Davis was involved in
several land transactions with both Jesse & Matthew Luallen/Lewallen.
Also, I found this in my records. I took the information from the Morgan County Website/My Family which I can no longer find:
(1) Alexander Lewallen
(2) Anderson Grant Lewallen 1764-1825 married to Lucy Rice
1764-
(3) Andrew L. Lewallen 1793-1873 married to Malinda Elizabeth DAVIS 1792-1876
(4) Elizabeth Lewallen
Nancy Lewallen
Andrew Russell Lewallen
Rhoda Ann Lewallen
Walter Davis Lewallen
Malinda was the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Davis of Virginia.
So there IS a Lewallen/Davis connection. It may not have anything to do with this but my grandfather's name is Walter (the only one in the family that we knew of).
Billie Harris - Nov 8, 2010
Darlene, that's very interesting. Walter may have been a family name handed down from one generation to another. I wonder if we can find a descendant of Walter Davis Lewallen to do a DNA for us. Do we know when Andrew L. married Malinda Davis? I'll be anxious to hear from the Walter Davis who's on the YSearch to see what there is about his ancestors. There may not be any relationships or connections at all with his line, but the coincidences raise questions.
Darlene Luallen Griffin - Nov 8, 2010
Malinda Davis & Andrew L. Lewallen were married Nov. 1814 in Roane County (now Morgan County),
TN.
From the book "Scott County Tennessee and Its Families": "Andrew moved with his parents from Wake
Co, NC to Roane Co, TN in 1811, when he was 17 years old. Family historians say he fought in the war
of 1812 under Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans. Andrew married Malinda Elizabeth Davis,
daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth, CA 1814 in Roane Co, TN. She was born 1 Apr 1792 in NC, the
daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Davis of VA. Andrew was a farmer and methodist minister, written
family history states that he was tall and slender. He is said to have been a might good man."
"Index to deeds, Morgan Co., TN. Microfilm 1818-1914" Wartburg Library: "Walter Davis and Andrew
Lewallen to Jesse Lewallen, 26 Jan 1828, 50 acres Middle Fork Wolf Creek". More proof that Walter
Davis was related to Malinda Davis, Andrew's wife. Wolf Creek in in what is now Scott Co, TN. (The last
statement was from a contributor to the Morgan County Website on MyFamily.com.
Carol Lewallen - Nov 16, 2010
Hi Billie, My father John E. Lewallen did a DNA test and he's the great grandson to Walter Davis Lewallen. You might want to check it out to see if maybe there is a connection. Also, my great grandfather William Jasper Lewallen and his wife Melinda Young Lewallen had seven children and when Melinda passed three of the younger childern was adopted out. William wasn't able to take care of the younger children. The three younger children still kept in touch with the other kids and there father.
Carol Lewallen
Billie Harris - Nov 17, 2010
Thanks, Carol. I remember now but my memory needs jogging often.
Darlene Luallen Griffin - Nov 7, 2010
I went back to check my records. Sarah Lawson & Jacob Lawson were NOT siblings, perhaps cousins. Some family trees on ancestry.com say that Vicy Ann Lewallen's father was Joel; others say that Anderson Grant was her father. Most likely, Anderson Grant was her grandfather. However, I did not find any trees
that had cited any proof.
Mary Hubbell - Nov 8, 2010
Billie I was shocked when I read that, too. I now realize that my numbers are high. But it still seems that I saw somewhere that it was over half. I did a quick search and found that it averages out to only 38% - which to me is still a shock.
Someone did a study, comparing dates of banns and birth of first born.
Billie Harris - Nov 8, 2010
Yes, 38% still seems high and I'm a bit skeptical even yet. I wonder what time frame the study was done for, i.e., was it the 1700's, the 1800's. I'm sure it happened but I would have thought the percentage would have been much lower
Mary Hubbell - Nov 11, 2010
It hit the highest mid 1800s. Most of the history books I read in the past and websites I've been looking at this week, mentioned that alcohol contributed to the problem. Drinking was at it's worst from 1790 to 1830. I once read an essay about the excess drinking in America during that time. Men, women, children - everyone drank because not only was it cleaner than the water but doctors had told them it was healthy. A midwife's bill for one of my husband's ancestor's includes a charge for the rum she brought along for the laboring mother to drink. As the drinking rate and number of people not being religious went up so did illegitimacy.
I can't remember if it was the American Heritage or the DAR magazine but I have two articles (one from each) that was about how 'the good ol' days' weren't as good as we like to pretend. I'll try to find them when I have some extra time to look. They are fascinating.
My first clue that the good old days were in question was when I worked transcribing the death records for Philadelphia during the 1800s. One month I found a woman who had been beaten to death by her husband, the next they were doing the autopsy for the child after the father beat him to death. But what shocked me the most were the numerous entries for babies found in alleys, in the river, in trash - where they were guessing the age. Then there were the entries for 'foetuses' found in the river. When my friend and I wrote a book about women during the colonial period we came to the conclusion that the only difference between then and now is they didn't openly discuss what was going on.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that our ancestor's weren't perfect so keep that in mind when dealing with DNA. It would be awful to throw out good research because a DNA test shows otherwise. You might still be on the right path - just sneaking through the back door.