Monday, January 30, 2017

Saturday Challenge- Three Degrees of Separation



  Using your ancestral lines, how far back in time can you go with three degrees of separation?  That means "you knew an ancestor, who knew another ancestor, who knew another ancestor."  When was that third ancestor born?

When I saw this challenge, I figured I wouldn’t get too far back in time. On my father’s side of the family, I never met my grandparents as they were both deceased before I was born. My maternal grandmother emigrated from Ireland and I don’t have the dates to be able to go very far back on her lines- only the names and not sure of them. So, I’m a bit surprised at  how far back I can actually go with the three degrees of separation.


These are my three longest lines:

From my Dad (1919-1998), he knew his paternal grandmother, Maria (Titus) Ward, (1858-1927) and she knew her parents, Samuel Titus (1825-1874) and Lodema (Tobias) Titus (1831-1926). She might have met her father’s mother, Maria (Lockwood) Titus who was born 1801 and died sometime before 1862. If so, that would put me back to 1801, but at least to 1825 with this line. Her maternal grandfather, John Tobias was born 1802, but we have no idea when he died, so he is still a possibility as well.

Starting again with Dad, I can go through his maternal line back to the early 1800s as well. His maternal grandfather, Charles Ingalls (1864-1939), knew his  paternal grandparents Samuel & Gertrude (Stahl) Ingalls (1802-1873 and 1800-1869). If Gertrude’s birth year is correct, I get one year farther back on this line and I am sure that each generation had met each other as with this line, the older ancestors lived very near each other during that time period.

Looking at my mother’s side of the family, I can start my reach farther in the past. I knew my grandfather, Marion Wooster (1896-1976). He knew his grandmother,  Elizabeth (Tifft) Wooster (1826-1906). I am quite sure she met on an occasion or two her grandmother, Bridget (Bailey) Tifft Coon 1768-1847). If she didn’t meet her in person, there would have been letters between the families. Elizabeth lived with her parents Reuben and Betsy in Richland and Orwell, Oswego County New York while her grandmother was living in Bradford County, Pennsylvania where she had moved after marrying her second husband.

Therefore, at least through letters between living members of the family, we can connect me through 3 degrees of separation to a woman that was born in 1768. A lot farther back than I had imagined I could get!

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