Let's Reflect On DNA ~ My DNA

My kids and I are the bear den ... 

I got Ancestry DNA Kits over 5 years ago, for my (then) husband and I.  It was our "anniversary" gift - for each other.  Basically I bought my own gift and called it ours - I mean - let's be real....  

The results, when they hit, I thought were so fucking amazing!  Mostly because it confirmed the fact that I'm Irish.  But I mean - the rest was cool too.....  called myself the "whitest white girl ever" ..... Total European blood going on here.... 

Through the years - the "results" have adjusted and changed based on newer tests and being able to test different things.  So it's been interesting ... over the years ....  watching it change.  I get more Irish and it makes me so happy and then bam ... it changes again!!   Then I am Scottish too and I'm thinking .... Oooooooooohhhhhhh .. yes please! 

So - the tests have changed percentages and added things here and there..... 

I also got my son's Calahan and Noah tested - their father my first ex husband ... hasn't done an Ancestry DNA test and likely won't...  so I felt it was important to get them tested first. 

Kaedyn has expressed wanting his done - so I have kept it in mind and for Mother's Day - while the kits were on sale (almost half off) ...  I got three more.  One for Nathan, one for Kaedyn, and one for Noah's girlfriend Melly who was "adopted" through the foster care system. 

Melly got put in the foster system around the age of 7, I won't say why.  She was then later adopted.  I won't get into the crap she went through - but needless to say, she has disowned her adoptive family.  She does know her birth mom and some of her family.  She'd like me to do her family tree.  However that's going to take her mom giving up information.  

Also - when I did Noah and Calahan's tests, I got a test for my boyfriend Larry.  

So this is what my results looked like when I got them in 2016

These are my results now.... 

Vastly different.  

They also added a new feature where you can from which parent you got what ...  

I figured out - based on what I know about my ancestry - and the others that I did - that Parent #1 is the Sperm Donor and that Parent #2 is the Egg Donor.  And it's going to be like that with everyone because if they did switch that shit up it'd be too fucking confusing ... 

So my Irish comes from my Dad - no shock there, my grandmother (his mother) is supposed to be full Irish.   I did get a sliver of Irish from my Mom's side.  

German is a split, I got 10% from my Dad and 17% from my mom.

Norwegian is not a shocker - my Great Grandmother - my Mom's Dad's Mom - was full Norwegian.  Her name was Olga - how much more Norwegian can you get? 

The English is a 5% (Dad) 9% (Mom) split ...  

I got all my Scottish from my Dad

And Sweden & Denmark is 1% my Dad and 3% my Mom .... 

And those are the ingredients that made me!!  

Old German Handwriting

Yahnke Mystery ..... (updated)

So I am a Yahnke by marriage..... my husband however ... is one by birth.

He has heard that on the Yahnke side, there is a Jewish connection ....  but it's hard to figure out when the Yahnke line abruptly ends with my husband's Great-Great Grandfather....  who was an immigrant from Prussia (Germany).

Daniel YAHNKE (end) Jahnke, Jannke

Birth 4 September 1842 in Prussia, Germany

Death 9 March 1926 in Joliet, Will, Illinois, United States

....   so, when we first go somewhere and someone has to look at something using our last name... DB says you can always tell if they are Jewish or at least have knowledge of ..... because they'll look under the letter J first...  ha ha ...

so yeah, we know that it's commonly spelled Jahnke.

This is the current timeline I have for him.

Rosa (Rose, Rosie) Lepke (end)

View relationship to me

Birth Jun 1844 in Prussia, Germany

Death 1914 in Joliet, Will, Illinois, United States

So Daniel and Rosa had nine children....

They are on the 1880 Census (taken on June 12th) ....  in Joliet, Illinois which is where my husband grew up.  I cropped up the census so it's just their info.

Best guess is that they were living at 393 Des. Plaines Street ...  there is no street on their page, so if it's not that street it's something close since that's the one listed on the opposite page.

So Daniel is listed as head of household.  Of course.  Age 36.  He was working as a Laborer at the Rail Road.  My husband's family has a history of working at the Rail Road in the Chicago (and surrounding) areas.  He has himself listed as being from Prussia (Germany) and his parents also.

Rosa (Rosia) is 35 (which fits, 1845/1844, we have it listed as 1844) .... She is listed as a "Housekeeper" and I'm not sure if it's a "Housewife" type thing or an actual go into other's homes and cleaning up.  Regardless, that's what it says ...  also that she's from Prussia and so are HER parents.

The children listed are:  Augusta (age 6), Menia (age 4), William (age 3), Annie (age 1) and Daniel was only a month old.  (1/12) ...

So the Census has a few mistakes (or discrepancies) on it - which is just....  funny, cuz when don't they.

1: Yanica - obviously not correctly spelled.
2: Daniel is listed as 36 - which puts his birth year as 1844 (maybe 1843) ..  we have it as 1842.
3: Rosa is "Rosia"
4: Wilhelmina is listed as "Menia" which is probably her nickname.
5: "Menia" is listed as a boy .... when, she was a girl.
6: Daniel was a month old in the middle of June when the census was taken, which puts his birthday in May (which is what I have in my records) ... they have "April" written next to him though - meaning he was born in April.
7: Augusta would have been 8 years old, not 6 - based on the birth date I have.  I think the rest of the kids ages are right (or about right)

They are on the 1900 Census (taken on June 8th) ....  in Joliet, Illinois.  I cropped up the census so it's just their info.

They were living at 102 Shariden St.  They owned the home and were paying mortgage (however that's listest on the next census and not this one.)

They have the last name spelled Yahnaka on this one.

Daniel - age 54 - Sept. 1845 (it's supposed to be 1842, and he should be 56) ... he is listed as being a "Section Man" ... if I think I'm reading it right. They have him immigrating in 1874 at the age of 26.

Rose - age 55 - June 1844 ...  she is listed as to having 11 births and 10 living children....  (I had 9 children listed and there were only 6 on the census.  They have her immigrating in 1875 at the age of 25.

Daniel and Rosa had been married 27 years.

I can't read the name of the first child, but since they have birth year listed as 1870 and them being the age of 29, and being a duaghter - I can only assume it's

Augusta - age 29 - Sept. 1870 (should be 1872) -   They have her "Attending School"
William - age 22 - Dec 1877 (he's listed as 1878, perhaps he's actually 1877 because he was born so late in the year they put 1878)- I believe his occupation is listed as "Wire Mechanic"
Daniel - age 20 - May 1880 - They have him doing "Mechanics"
Martin - age 16 - April 1884 - a SOMETHING "(Alrentic?) Boiler Manager"
Henry - age 14 - June 1886 - Going to School
John - age 12 - Mar 1888 - Going to School

So the Census has a few mistakes (or discrepancies) on it - which is just....  funny, cuz when don't they.

1: Yahnaka - obviously spelled wrong.
2: Age wise - they have Daniel born in 1845 and the age of 54. (1842 is his birth year) and Rosa as 1844 (which is correct) ... but they have her as a year older.
3: Augusta wasn't born in 1870 or was 29... she was born in 1872
4: William was born in 1878.
5:  She has 10 living children but I only have 9 (total) and the only ones I have seen on census.
6: Emma would have only been about 10 but she's not listed on the census?  Did they forget her?

They are on the 1910 Census (taken on May 3rd) ....  in Joliet, Illinois.  I cropped up the census so it's just their info.

They were living at 102 Shariden St.  They owned the home and were paying mortgage.

By now (according to the census) ... Daniel and Rosa had been married 39 years.

Daniel was (listed as) 68 now.  Had him immigrating in 1872.  Also working as a Flagman (Crossing) meaning he was probably still working for the Rail Road (right?) ...

Rosie is listed as 66 and immigrating in 1873.  The interesting thing on this census is that it says that she didn't speak English, but only German.   This one also lists that 16 births and 9 living children.

Their sons John and Henry were both still living with them.  John is listed as 22 and Henry as 24.    They both have listed occupations of Wire Drawer at the Wire Mill.

So the Census has a few mistakes (or discrepancies) on it - which is just....  funny, cuz when don't they.

1: They spelled it Yonlee this time.
2: According to the other censuses - Rosa knew how to speak English, so which is right?
3: Immigrations were in 1874 & 1875 in other census ...

They are on the 1920 Census (taken on January 2nd) ....  in Joliet, Illinois.  I cropped up the census so it's just their info.

By this time, Rosa had died.  She has passed away in 1914.

Daniel was living with his youngest daughter Emma and her husband William Winckles who also came from a German heritage.

Daniel was listed at 77 (which is right)... for the first time he is NOT the Head of House - he's listed as "father-in-law" ... he is listed as immigrating in 1882 and nationalizing in 1885.  (All his children were born in Illinois, and considering some were born prior to 1882 - I doubt that info is right.  However, his Nationalization record is below! That gives the date of 1896.

William - Head of House - listed at 39, working as a Janitor at the Court House.  Both his parents were German.
Emma is listed as 29.  She's a housewife.

Rosa & Daniel's Graves ...  they are both buried in Elmhurst Cemetery in Joliet

Daniel's nationalization record - October 24, 1896.

Digging around yesterday ..... I happened to find a Passenger List that has a DAN JAHNKE listed ...  the immigration year is about right, since he immigrated (I'm pretty sure) prior to getting married to Rosa (before I thought it was after he and Rosa got married.) ...  His birth year is ABOUT right ...  and his age is about right ...  Destination is definitely right.

The actual Passenger Manifest .....

He's listed as Dan (with a period after which means - usually anyway - that it's shortened.) ... and if you look at how the "J" ... it looks like a "Y"  ... is that how it got changed from Jahnke to Yahnke.

So then I started to look around on Family Search ...  and I found this birth record.   Daniel Jannke. The birth date is what I have for him (Christening Date?) ...  and it gives parents names (possible parents.)

They also had this death information ....

And I haven't searched much for Rosa though ...    I'll definitely have to continue digging.

September 24th, 2014 Update: 

I had sent an email to someone that was suggested ... and this is what I had sent... 

Hi Brigitte, 

My name is Annissa Yahnke and I've been working on my families ancestry for awhile.... 

I have hit a brick wall with my husband's side however and it was suggested that I email you for some possible insight.  

His Great-Great Grandparents Daniel YAHNKE and his wife Rosa (Rose, Rosie) Lepke.

Daniel's infomation: Birth 4 September 1842 in Prussia, Germany
Death 9 March 1926 in Joliet, Will, Illinois, United States

Rosa's information: Birth Jun 1844 in Prussia, Germany
Death 1914 in Joliet, Will, Illinois, United States

I have them marrying in 1873 in Germany, and arriving in the States in either 1873, 1874 - their first child was born in 1875 in Illinois, US, so it had to be prior to that.

They had many children: Augusta, Wilhelmina, William, Anna (or Annie), Daniel, Martin, Henry, John, and Emily A (or Emma R) ....

Martin Yahnke is my husband's Great-Grandfather. Martin's son Clyde M, Yahnke to his son named after him (Clyde M. Yahnke) to my husband (Dennis).

There are rumors in the family there is a Jewish connection, and we're really interested in finding out if that's true or not so we really want to break down this wall. 

We know that typically it's spelled Yahnke, I did find a birth record as a possible match for Daniel - but it's got his last name as Jannke and my husband said that it got changed from something sounding similar to "Jahn-ka" 

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  I understand if you cannot help, but didn't want to leave this stone un-turned.  

And I got a reply from her a few days ago that was - not only a welcome surprise, but confirmed the above information I had found.  Makes me feel good!  I think it's almost safe to say I know what I'm doing!

Here is her reply:

Hi Anissa,

my husbands family is Jahnke, Jancke, Janke, etc.

That name is quite frequent all over Germany and especially the former Prussia.

My husbands family originates from some town in Brandenburg, Prussia, possibly from  a place called Neustadt/Dosse not so very far from Berlin. But we are not sure.

Between ab. 1820 and 1945 the family lived in nowadays Poland, not so very far from Lodz. This is that has been part of Poland that was Russian before WW 1. 

And here is your Daniel:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NTFL-XGZ

In case that this link does not work:

Daniel Jannke
bapt. 4 Sep 1842
evangelical, Battrow, Westpreußen, Preußen
parents:
Paul Jannke
Louise Kraklau

He had a win sister "Heinriette".

The place Battrow (less but 500 souls bef. WWI) today is part of Poland, 
situated near Flatow,  Polish: Złotów

one more link:
https://www.google.de/maps/place/Z%C5%82ot%C3%B3w,+Polen/@53.7677287,17.3315744,8z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x4703c508dde8e4d5:0xf9182cb662f232b3

Don't think that there is any Jewish connection, J...../Y..... is a very common name all over Northern Germany.

Wish you good luck with your further researches - over there are lot's of J.........

Herzliche Grüße
Brigitte

Although I still believe (and maybe even more now) that there IS a Jewish connection because the stories were handed down through the generations about them trying to escape some Jewish Persecution.  But that's just my feelings on it.

Now Brigitte says he had a "win" (twin) sister "Heinriette" ....

So I took a trip back to Family Search and broadened my search .... and these are the new information I found.

Paul and Louise had five children.   Daniel was the oldest, then there was a brother Johann born, then three sisters, Rosa, Henriette & Whlhelmine.  Henriette wasn't Daniel's twin, but she did die as a baby :(

We also see, Paul's parents Jacob Jahnke and Mariane Caro.   They had two children.  Paul, the oldest, and Johann.

And from there, the trail is again cold.....  for the moment.

What EXACTLY are We?

Well, I got super curious ....... and I wanted to know exactly what percentage of what I was.  Of course, if I want to know what I am...... I want to know what my husband and kids are.   The only one I haven't figured out yet is my step-daughter ....   I am going to start her tree eventually - of course, I have half of it done with my husband, but the OTHER half is the problem.....  

Regardless ......... this excites me :)

German BARELY wins out over Irish!

My husband is.......

My kids are .......

My oldest two (with my ex husband)

And my younger two with my hubby ...

Notice - I am only 3% English (British) and my husband is 31% .....  he had a LONG LONG LONG line of Puritans in his blood, I have a little....  one branch....  my Great-Great Grandfather Jesse's branch is the only one that goes back to the Puritans and to England.  A lot of my ancestors were in Plymouth, Mass .... and a lot of them settled in Connecticut.     Dennis' have been all over the US - but most of them settled in Mass in Salem and Plymouth.  Early founders of cities ... some crazy stories mixed in there .......

But what I find funny is .   I am re-doing my ex-husband's English line and Dennis' because they were related to the same people (still are) and something didn't make sense.....   so I just deleted about 3000 years for both of them and started over, and now that I'm doing everything very carefully and making sure the dates and such make sense.... I'm not running into the actual ROYALTY for either of them that I originally did - of course, I'm not done yet.

However, my little tiny 3% ....... yep, we're totally Royal!!   I have English & Queens Kings, French Kings & Queens, Spanish (from Spain) Kings and Queens.... I can even trace my tree to King Henry the VIIIth who've I've always been interested in - HOWEVER - he is not DIRECTLY related to me, we share a Great (whatever x's) Grandfather......

So all those stories of the Royalty and Nobility on all sides will be shared!

On another note, the little "unknown" factor in mine (and my kids) comes from a line I can't trace back to anything right now.  I'm *assuming* it's going to be Puritan English again - but I can't get anywhere yet.  I haven't dug in yet - but I will!

** I want to add these were taken from what I could trace back to (like way back in the 1600's my ancestors came from England) ... or where the first several generations came from.  I didn't get methodical and  - for example - take into consideration all the French or Spanish Kings I have in my line ... the line - prior to coming to America - was in England.  Just wanted to make that clear since you don't see French and all that in our stuff as of yet ...... **

** Dennis also has an Indian in his line ....  his 6x Great Grandmother was a Narragansett Indian, I cannot trace her part of the line back as I don't even know her name as of yet.  This is all stuff I am going to continue to work on, one to figure out if it's true or not, and it would be super interesting.  Funny enough - the Indian Princess (that's what I call her for now) married a man named Ichabod who is the link back to the Salem Witch Trials on Dennis' side **

My Roots are Interesting.....

**REPOSTED FROM  ... My Main Blog**

So I have always been interested in my heritage.  I grew up believing I was mostly Irish.  Found out, I'm mostly Norwegian, then Irish.... then German .... with some Holland Dutch, Swiss, and various other Northern European in me.  I have been drawn to Ireland since I was little, so I found it slightly disappointing I wasn't as Irish on one side as I thought....

See.  My Grandfather was my "Daddy" ... in ways.  My Dad didn't get to raise me - through circumstances beyond his control.  My Mom wanted us to stay with family, and he was a Navy man.  He got a divorce from his first wife, and met my mom - they had their relationship - he joined the Navy.... came home on leave, saw my mom .... had to go back and my mom found out she was pregnant.  By then he was being stationed and assigned....   and he met his current wife.  Don't get me wrong, I love my Dad, my Step-Mom and my siblings that I didn't get to grow up with ....   but my Grandpa ...  he was the first love of my life.

(My Mom hiding) Grandpa and I. <3

 I have to add ...  I went through this phase when I was little.  Because I didn't have a Daddy I would be-raid my mom with crap. I remember all this.  I confronted her one day, actually I think it was more than once.  I had it all FIGURED OUT!!!  I didn't have a Daddy because....  da-da-dum! (that was a drum-roll-ish type thing in case you were wondering) ....  I WAS OBVIOUSLY ADOPTED!!!

My mom just rolled her eyes and pulled out my baby book and said ....  See - this was you when you were born.

Um........ really?   That's me ....

With lead to a whole new conspiracy theory ...  I WAS SWITCHED AT BIRTH!!!!  That baby is too dark, and black hair?  No way is that me. Did you see the picture above that?  I was about a year old....  ghostly pale skin, blonde....  really?  No way... 

Well, I've come to accept it ...  that is me .... trust me, I gave birth to that 32 years later....

My little Mini-Me.

Regardless.  After I moved on from that theroy ....  I moved onto greater pastures.   MOMMY WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE A BABY????  I WANT A BROTHER OR SISTER!!  Oh Lordy, I had some spunk didn't I?

My Mom got in contact with my Dad and Step-Mom.  Found out I had a baby brother who was 3 years old (to my 5 yeas old) ... and we got to meet!  First time I met my Daddy was when I was 5.

My Mom, Me (age 5), Dad, My Brother (age 3), & My Step-Mom

I would also end up with a little sister, and found out I had two older sisters.   Which I thought was super cool!!  My Mom, well, she wasn't going to have anymore kids.  Infact, right after I was born she told my Grandma that she wasn't going to get anymore kids from her, she better start bugging her sons.  She did have seven of them....  living.   My Uncle Lance had been a twin and they lead my Grandma to believe my Uncle Lance would die because he was the weaker and smaller of the two babies....  being back in the early 1960's ... they didn't have the same technology that we do now...   but... my Uncle Lynn ended up aspirating which caused him to die at 2 days old.

My Dad and I had a distant but ... I think.... great relationship.   One reason being any anger I had, was my issue - not his.  I knew he was doing the best he could.  I knew my sisters blamed him for a lot.  My Grandparents (his parents) didn't even want to see me because I was the illegitimate mistake that happened between his marriages.  I was.... am....  the bastard child.

So what, I embrace it....  I mean really.   I know all parties involved were just doing what they felt was right.  They did the best they could.  Why hold onto such things and let them define you when only YOU can define you.  And my Dad really puts a lot of blame onto himself, and I don't think it's necessary ....  I KNOW he did the best he could.  That's fine.  I'm good with what I got :)  It's better then what a lot of kids get....   all I needed to know was he loves me :)  And I do know that.

Regardless... it's not the way I wanted to be defined.   So I would suck up any attention I got from my Dad and love it.  We would talk on the phone, write.... etc.  I think - today - we have a great relationship.  It's not ideal but I love him dearly.  I love my step-mom and she has embraced me as her own in ways. It's much the same way I feel about the Princess.   I may not have gotten the honor to meet my step-daughter yet - but I love her.  She's part of our family - the boys know about her, she's not referred to as the "step-sister" or "half-sister" but their SISTER.  Period.

I always wish I was closer to my siblings.  I always longed for that sister relationship.  SO I seek it out with my best friends. 

Anyway - back to my Grandpa.... I got off on a wild tangent there.

So ....   originally I thought the following.

My Grandfather was adopted.  - TRUE....   he was adopted by his Father's sister ....   so why?

Well, I thought (had been told) that my Grandpa's parents died when he was a baby.   also TRUE....  Only I thought his Mom died first and then his Dad.   I knew that - at least - his Mom died of Tuberculosis ...  and I suspected that his Dad did too.  Upon some research (mostly done by another family member - thank you Dawn!) ....  I found out this was untrue.   Well.... at least part of it.  My Great-Grandfather died before my Granfather was even born!  Yep.... he never got to meet his son.

I also found out - when I was younger - that my Grandpa had a sister, Aunt Irene....  which I thought was super cool and didn't realize until I was older that's where the relationship was to all these 2nd cousins I had (that were my age).  I also found out he (my Great-Grandfather) was married before to a Hattie M. GUELDNER - who was born in 1887 and they had a daughter they named Marion,  I don't know much about Hattie, I can't find any info on her.  I'm not sure if she died and that's why my Great Grandfather remarried or what...  but it's interesting.  Oh I do know she was born in Nebraska and her father was born in Wisconsin and mother was born in Iowa .....  but that's it.  I'd like to know more. 

Anyway - My Grandpa was born 5 July 1921 and my Great-Grandfather William died 2 Feb 1921 ** Note: After talking to my Grandfather's Sister's Daughter (did you follow that?).... I found out the second date I saw for William's death was the correct one and he dided November 2nd 1921 ... not Feb 2 .... so he died when my Grandfather was almost 4 months old)** of Turberculosis.... my Great-Grandmother Olga also had it.....  (huh, I put together he died on my Mom's birthday......)  Well into the pregnancy, but not  even close to when he was born.  Aunt Irene was only about 16 months old. 

So after my Grandfather was born, my Aunt Irene was given to one of Olga's relatives and my Grandfather to my Great-Grandfather's sister.... Louisa and her husband Gail.  They raised my Grandpa since he was a baby....  My Great-Grandmother Olga thought she was dying of Tuberculosis, so she gave my grandfather up right away, and his sister.  My Great-Grandmother ended up living a few more years.  She got re-married in 1923 and ended up dying from Tuberculosis on November 14, 1924. 

So my Grandfather was adopted and raised by his aunt and uncle.  I knew this growing up (might have heard some facts wrong) but .....  I was really interested in his biological parents, of course...  because that's where the heritage comes from.  I found out the Irish I thought existed with him - didn't.  William was German (and upon reading more into the Thalacker side, which is going to be next to impossible to find out about - is also most likely Swiss.)   And Olga is - of course - 100% Norwegian.

We had never seen pictures of William or Olga (at least I didn't) growing up.  Now - thanks to a website called Find A Grave, I saw my Great-Grandfather William for the first time.

William F. Thalacker 1882-1921 - My Great-Grandfather ...

My Mom and I both looked at it and thought that my Grandfather favors his Dad .... The picture is a little distorted due to it being on his gravestone.  Which is.....

And then today - I saw my Great-Grandmother Olga for the first time.  My (cousin whatever removed) Dawn shared these pictures today .....  the pictures she sent were orange - so I did the best I could to bring out some detail and more appealing....

 Great-Grandma Olga is the little girl smack dab in the middle.

and then it dawned on me why I couldn't find her grave - since I had completely forgotten that she had remarried the year before she died.  So I managed to find that - also.  Dawn confirmed this is her gravestone. Olga Johnson (Thalacker/Larson)

Which I realize she also has a picture of...

And Dawn said she was going to try and locate some of the older pictures of Olga she has.  So I'm really excited to see those too. 

I think I may need to create a Genealogy Blog since I'm finding a lot of neat stuff.  And - I'm doing my ex-husband's line also - so that my older two kids know their heritage on his side.  (Not to mention Calahan is learning about it in school and super interested in his German side right now)....

For example:  I found out that my older two boys are the direct decedents of King Henry III of England, King Edward the I of England, King Edward the II of England, and King Edward the III of England.... (Some of these Kings were also entitled "Lord of Ireland" also)  a ton of other nobility and a few other kids (and more I haven't uncovered) .... including a French King ... 

Yep, I think it's time to create another blog to my collection....