Mitrochondrial (probably spelt that wrong) Line

[Siouxzie]

Having read another thread on rootschat about the project being undertaken by "National Geographic" and also read about it in this weeks New Scientist I am intrigued by this mitrochondrial line, the direct female ancestry.  Am I right in believing this is your mum's mum and hers and so on?

If you part with nearly $100 dollars they (The Genographic Project) will sample your DNA and trace your origins.  Well I havn't the money, but it got me thinking about the direct female line.

The trouble is my direct female line is the one I have the least information about.  My mother doesn't remember her Grandmother's name, her mother is alive but not with us, if you know what I mean and I have been unable to find out anything. 

I have quite a bit of info on my Mum's paternal line the James family.  Mum's grandad was Arthur James born 5th October 1890- Llantillio Crossenny, Monmouthshire.  He lived to the ripe old age of 90 and I even met him a couple of times when I was a child, he was a miner.  But he moved about a fair bit, so I don't know where he married or to who.  Havn't found the birth entry for my Nan (Lilan Maud James) either so I could find out from her birth certificate, as I don't know where she was born and as she was born 18 November 1916 she has not been subscribed on Free BMD.

Where do I go from here?

[Manchester Rambler]

Siouwzie,

Do you already have this?

1891 Wales census:

RG12/4342
Folio 53
Page 6

(??)Llygoro, Llantillio Crossenny 

James, William 30 Orcop, Herefordshire Head      Labourer
James, Mary 31 Michaelchurch, Herefordshire Wife
James, Elizabeth 5  Llantilio Crossenny, Monmouthshire  Daughter 
James, William A 3 Llantilio Crossenny, Monmouthshire  Son 
James, Arthur 5/12 Llantilio Crossenny, Monmouthshire Son 
James, Thomas 72 Craswall, Herefordshire Uncle    Labourer

All English-speaking.

For your Nan's birth, you will be able to find her in 1837-online http://www.1837online.com/Trace2web/ (pay-per-view) or in the GRO index in any county record office - you don't need to know where she was born, just look up James in the Dec qtr of 1916/Mar qtr of 1917 if her birth was registered latish.

MR

[Siouxzie]

Hi Manchester Rambler,

Thanks for that, no I didn't have it.   My James lot seemed to swap from Herefordshire to Monmouthshire a fair bit.  I have William the Dad as a boy on the 1871 Herefordshire Census, but his Dad was Monmouth born.

Not found Nan on 1837 online, have tried, but not exhaustively. I didn't know that any county office would have the GRO index for the whole of the country. Always believed I was stuck to pc research only, living as I do in Staffordshire, I have never been to Stafford record office as I have no Staffordshire people, but now I am going to look for Lilian Maud, so thanks for that info too.

Siouxzie

[Siouxzie]

Back again MR,
Just noticed the Uncle Thomas James aged 72, didn't have him - he's an intriguing little puzzle for me to get my teeth in to now.  Shucks no housework gets done again today!  As I said previously William's dad Joseph was born in Llantillio Crossenny in 1838 and I found siblings for him born there too, but this one, must be a sibling of his I am assuming, is Hereford born.  What itchy feet this lot had.

Siouxzie

[Manchester Rambler]

It might be worth looking for your Nan under Maud, as well as under Lilian - the number of folk who swapped their names round is incredible!  At least the combination's reasonably unusual.

MR