Saturday, March 12, 2016

DNA hit = 3rd cousin!

I love it when a random DNA hit leads me to a new "close" cousin!  Got a 3rd cousin hit, and checked on my Sister's kit, where the match was only 4-6th cousin.  Not surprising since I inherited more of the Irish DNA.

Started sleuthing on the family tree of the new cousin, and since they were in California, I could check the CA death records. I found a death record for Robert Martin Lee that identified the Mother as Conroy.  BINGO!  More sleuthing and found them in the census for 1920-40, and her name was Katherine Lee (nee Conroy).  I found her death record in 1963, and her Mother was listed as Toole.  KA-CHING!   My Great Grandmother was Cait/Kate Toole, and this woman was her sister Mary Toole!  I verified all of this with Irish baptism record for Kate Conroy and 1901 census for family of John and Mary Conroy.

Turns out I had Mary and her family in my tree, but not the descendents down to present day. It is curious that they are in San Francisco, and I wonder if my Grandfather knew them?  By my figuring, Kate Conroy and my Grandfather Martin Connolly would be 1st cousins.


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